Salamu
11:1 1Kor 1:1; 2Kor 1:1; Mdo 16:1Paulo, mtume wa Kristo Yesu, kwa mapenzi ya Mungu, na Timotheo ndugu yetu:
21:2 Kol 4:18; Rum 1:7Kwa ndugu watakatifu na waaminifu katika Kristo, waishio Kolosai:
Neema na amani zitokazo kwa Mungu Baba yetu ziwe nanyi.
Shukrani Na Maombi
31:3 Rum 1:8Siku zote tunamshukuru Mungu, Baba wa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, tunapowaombea ninyi, 41:4 Gal 5:6; Mdo 9:13; Efe 1:15; Flm 5kwa sababu tumesikia kuhusu imani yenu katika Kristo Yesu, na upendo wenu mlio nao kwa watakatifu wote: 51:5 Kol 1:23; 1The 5:8; Tit 1:2; 1Pet 1:4; 2Tim 2:15imani na upendo ule utokao katika tumaini mlilowekewa akiba mbinguni, na ambalo mmesikia habari zake katika neno la kweli, yaani, ile Injili 61:6 Kol 1:23; Rum 10:18; Yn 15:16iliyowafikia ninyi. Duniani kote Injili hii inazaa matunda na kuenea kama ilivyokuwa kwenu tangu siku ile mlipoisikia na kuielewa neema ya Mungu katika kweli yote. 71:7 Kol 4:12; Flm 23; Kol 4:7Mlijifunza habari zake kutoka kwa Epafra, mtumishi mwenzetu mpendwa, yeye aliye mhudumu mwaminifu wa Kristo kwa ajili yenu, 81:8 Rum 15:30ambaye pia ametuambia kuhusu upendo wenu katika Roho.
91:9 Kol 1:4; Efe 1:15; Rum 1:10; Efe 5:17Kwa sababu hii, tangu siku ile tuliposikia habari zenu, hatujakoma kuomba kwa ajili yenu na kumsihi Mungu awajaze ninyi maarifa ya mapenzi yake katika hekima yote ya kiroho na ufahamu. 101:10 Efe 4:1; 2Kor 5:9; Kol 1:6Nasi tunaomba haya ili mpate kuishi maisha yanayostahili mbele za Bwana, na mpate kumpendeza kwa kila namna: mkizaa matunda kwa kila kazi njema, mkikua katika kumjua Mungu, 111:11 Flp 4:13; Efe 4:2mkiwa mmetiwa nguvu kwa uwezo wote kwa kadiri ya nguvu yake yenye utukufu, ili mpate kuwa na wingi wa saburi na uvumilivu. Nanyi kwa furaha 121:12 Efe 5:20; Mdo 20:32; 26:18mkimshukuru Baba, ambaye amewastahilisha kushiriki katika urithi wa watakatifu katika ufalme wa nuru. 131:13 Mdo 26:13; 2Pet 1:11; Mt 3:17Kwa maana ametuokoa kutoka ufalme wa giza na kutuingiza katika ufalme wa Mwana wake mpendwa, 141:14 Rum 3:24; Efe 1:7ambaye katika yeye tunao ukombozi, yaani msamaha wa dhambi.
Ukuu Wa Kristo
151:15 Yn 14:9; 1:18; 1Tim 1:17; Ebr 11:27; Kol 1:18Yeye ni mfano wa Mungu asiyeonekana, mzaliwa wa kwanza wa viumbe vyote. 161:16 Yn 1:3; Efe 1:20, 21; Rum 11:36Kwake yeye vitu vyote vilivyoko mbinguni na juu ya nchi viliumbwa: vitu vinavyoonekana na visivyoonekana, viwe ni viti vya enzi au falme, au wenye mamlaka au watawala; vitu vyote viliumbwa na yeye na kwa ajili yake. 171:17 Yn 1:2Yeye alikuwepo kabla ya vitu vyote, na katika yeye vitu vyote vinashikamana pamoja. 181:18 Efe 1:22; Kol 1:24; 1Kor 12:27; Za 89:27; Rum 8:29Yeye ndiye kichwa cha mwili, yaani kanisa, naye ndiye mwanzo na mzaliwa wa kwanza kutoka kwa wafu, ili yeye awe mkuu katika vitu vyote. 191:19 Efe 1:15; Yn 1:16Kwa kuwa ilimpendeza Mungu kwamba utimilifu wake wote ukae ndani yake, 201:20 Rum 5:10; Efe 1:10; Lk 2:14; Efe 2:13na kwa njia yake aweze kuvipatanisha vitu vyote na yeye mwenyewe, viwe ni vitu vilivyo duniani au vilivyo mbinguni, kwa kufanya amani kwa damu yake, iliyomwagika msalabani.
211:21 Rum 5:10; Efe 2:3Hapo kwanza mlikuwa mmetengana na Mungu, na mlikuwa adui zake katika nia zenu kwa sababu ya mienendo yenu mibaya. 221:22 Kol 1:20; Rum 5:10; 7:4; 2Kor 4:14; Efe 1:4; 5:27Lakini sasa Mungu amewapatanisha ninyi kwa njia ya mwili wa Kristo kupitia mauti, ili awalete mbele zake mkiwa watakatifu, bila dosari wala lawama, 23ikiwa mnaendelea katika imani yenu mkiwa imara na thabiti, pasipo kuliacha tumaini lililoahidiwa katika Injili. Hii ndiyo ile Injili mliyoisikia, ambayo imehubiriwa kwa kila kiumbe chini ya mbingu, na ambayo mimi Paulo nimekuwa mtumwa wake.
Taabu Ya Paulo Kwa Ajili Ya Kanisa
241:24 2Kor 6:10; 1:5; 1Kor 12:27Sasa nafurahia kule kuteseka kwangu kwa ajili yenu, na katika mwili wangu ninatimiliza yale yaliyopungua katika mateso ya Kristo kwa ajili ya mwili wake, ambao ni kanisa. 251:25 Kol 1:23; 1Kor 3:5; Efe 3:2; Ebr 4:12Mimi nimekuwa mtumishi wa kanisa kwa wajibu alionipa Mungu ili kuwaletea ninyi Neno la Mungu kwa ukamilifu: 261:26 Rum 16:25Hii ni siri iliyokuwa imefichika tangu zamani na kwa vizazi vingi, lakini sasa imefunuliwa kwa watakatifu. 271:27 Mt 13:11; Rum 2:11, 24; 8:10Kwao, Mungu amechagua kujulisha miongoni mwa watu wa Mataifa utukufu wa utajiri wa siri hii, ambayo ni Kristo ndani yenu, tumaini la utukufu.
281:28 Kol 3:16; 1Kor 2:6, 7; Mt 5:48; Efe 5:27Yeye ndiye tunayemtangaza, tukimwonya kila mtu na kumfundisha kila mtu kwa hekima yote ili tuweze kumleta kila mmoja akiwa amekamilika katika Kristo. 291:29 1Kor 15:10; 2Kor 11:23; Kol 2:1; Efe 1:19; 3:7Kwa ajili ya jambo hili, ninajitaabisha, nikijitahidi kwa kadiri ya nguvu zake ambazo hutenda kazi ndani yangu kwa uweza mwingi.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 4:15. in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.1:2 Some manuscripts Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Thanksgiving and prayer
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people – 5the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world – just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,1:7 Or slave who is a faithful minister of Christ on our1:7 Some manuscripts your behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you1:12 Some manuscripts us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The supremacy of the Son of God
15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of1:21 Or minds, as shown by your evil behaviour. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Paul’s labour for the church
24Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
