1 From Paul, who by God's will is an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy—
2 To God's people in Colossae, who are our faithful friends in union with Christ:
May God our Father give you grace and peace.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all God's people. 5 When the true message, the Good News, first came to you, you heard about the hope it offers. So your faith and love are based on what you hope for, which is kept safe for you in heaven. 6 The gospel keeps bringing blessings and is spreading throughout the world, just as it has among you ever since the day you first heard about the grace of God and came to know it as it really is. 7 You learned of God's grace from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is Christ's faithful worker on our behalf. 8 He has told us of the love that the Spirit has given you.
9 For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God. 11-12 May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light. 13 He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.
The Person and Work of Christ
15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. 16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. 17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. 18 He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things. 19 For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. 20 Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.
21 At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. 22 But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence. 23 You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I, Paul, became a servant—this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world.
Paul's Work as a Servant of the Church
24 And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ's sufferings on behalf of his body, the church. 25 And I have been made a servant of the church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming his message, 26 which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to his people. 27 God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. 28 So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. 29 To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me.
1 Okuza ku Paulus ngwa rira omuapostele wa Kristus Jesus, otja kombango ya Ndjambi, nomukwetu Timoteus.
2 Matu tjanga orutuu ndwi kotjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi kOkolose, ovakwetu ovaṱakame mu Kristus.
Ndjambi Tate nge mu pe otjari nohange.
Ongumbiro yokutja okuhepa
3 Tji matu kumbire eṋe, aruhe tu tja okuhepa ku Ndjambi, Hiya Muhona wetu Jesus Kristus, 4 tjinga atwa zuva ongamburiro yeṋu mu Kristus Jesus norusuvero rweṋu kotjiwaṋa atjihe tja Ndjambi. 5 Ongamburiro ndji norusuvero ndwi vi za momaundjiro nga pwikirwa eṋe meyuru, nu ngu mwa zuvire rukuru, indu ouatjiri, indji Ombuze Ombwa, tji ya zuvarisirwa eṋe. 6 Ombuze Ombwa ndji ya tjiukwa nu kakutja omokati keṋu porwe, nungwari wina omouye auhe. Oyo ya handjauka akuhe, nu ya eta ovihape, otja tjinga apa tjitwa nao na eṋe wina okuza keyuva ndi ndi mwa zuvire otjari tja Ndjambi, nokutjitjiwa otja tjinga atji ri, tjiri. 7 Eṋe rutenga mwa hongerwe otjari tja Ndjambi i Epafras, omukarere omukwetu omusuverwa nomuungurire wa Kristus omuṱakame. 8 Eye wina ongwe tu raera orusuvero ndu mwa pewa i Ombepo ya Ndjambi.
9 Eṱe opu tu za okumukumbira aruhe okuza keyuva ndi ndi twe mu zuva. Eṱe tu ningira Ndjambi kutja mu urisiwe nondjiviro yombango ye, nounongo auhe nozondunge, Ombepo ye nḓu i yandja. 10 Otji mamu sora okuhupa otja kombango ya Muhona, naruhe mamu tjiti imbi mbi tjata ku ye. Ongarero yeṋu mai eta ozondjito pekepeke ngamwa azehe ozombwa, neṋe mamu kuru mokutjiwa Ndjambi. 11 Ndjambi ngu nomasa omanene nge mu zeuparise nu nge mu pe omasorero aehe kokutja nomuretima mu yenene okukara nonḓaro orure mu avihe. 12 Neṋe ngamu tje okuhepa nenyando ku Tate, ngwe mu pa omasorero okukara norupa motjirumatwa tji tja ṱuninwa ovakambure mouhona wondjerera. 13 Eye we tu yama kouvara wonḓorera ne ketutwa mouhona wOmuna we omusuverwa. 14 Nu mu ye omu twa muna onguturiro, okutja eṱe twa isirwa ourunde wetu.
Kristus notjiungura tje
15 Kristus eye osaneno ya Ndjambi, ingwi Ndjambi omuini ngu ha munika. Eye Omuna omukwatwa erike, ngwa ri po komeho yoviutwa avihe. 16 Mu ye Ndjambi oma uta oviṋa avihe, mbi ri meyuru na mbi ri kombanda yehi, imbi avihe mbi munika na mbi ha munika, nangarire ovaengeri nangarire ovahona, nangarire ovahonapare, nangarire ovanauvara. Ndjambi wa uta avihe mu ye, navihe vya utirwa ye. 17 Kristus wa kara po komeho yaavihe, noviṋa avihe vya zikama mu ye. 18 Eye onguri otjiuru tjombongo, ndji ri orutu rwe. Eye ombutiro yomuinyo omupe; eye Omuna omukwatwa erike ngwa pendurwa movakoke, kokutja eye omuini a rire ngwa munu oruveze orutenga mu avihe. 19 Nu a ri ondyero ya Ndjambi omuini kutja Omuna a kare nomeurisiro aehe wa Ndjambi mu ye. 20 Nu mOmuna we Ndjambi oma tya okuhanganisa avihe na ye. Nu mombinḓu Omuna ndja tirahi kotjikoroise, Ndjambi wa kotora ohange, notja hanganisa avihe na ye, mbi ri kombanda yehi na mbi ri meyuru.
21 Eṋe wina rukuru mwa ri kokure na Ndjambi, nu mwa ri ovanavita na ye motjimbe tjoviṋa ovivi mbyaa mu tjiti nokuripura. 22 Nungwari nambano mokuṱa kwOmuna we otja omundu Ndjambi wa hangana na eṋe, kokutja mu rire ovayapuke novakohoke novehinauvi komurungu we. 23 Nu nambano eṋe panḓereye pongamburiro nokuzikama mu yo, nu amu riyandjere ko okuporwa komaundjiro ngu mwa ri na wo, indu tji mwa zuva indji Ombuze Ombwa. Ombuze Ombwa ndja zuvarisirwa ovandu avehe kombanda yehi, nami, Paulus, ongu mba rira omukarere wayo.
Otjiungura tja Paulus otja omukarere wombongo
24 Nambano okuhihamisiwa motjimbe tjeṋu kwe ndji pa ondjoroka. Orondu omahihamisiro korutu rwandje ma e yenenisa omahihamisiro nga eṱe ngu matu sokuzara momuano tjingewo Kristus mbwa hihamisirwa ombongo ye. 25 Ndjambi we ndji isa po omukarere wombongo, nu we ndji pa otjiungura tjokuzuvarisira eṋe embo re. 26 Oro otjiundikwa tji tja horekerwe komihoko avihe okuza kombutiro youye, nungwari nambano tji tja vandururirwa ombongo ye. 27 Nondyero ya Ndjambi okongwi okutja a tjiukise otjiundikwa hi kombongo ye, ihi otjiundikwa tji tje ura ondaya nondjingonekero ku imba mbe he ri Ovajuda. Notjiundikwa otjo hi: Kristus u ri mu eṋe, okutja eṋe mamu kara norupa mondjozikiro ya Ndjambi. 28 Nu Kristus ngwi eṱe ongu tu zuvarisira ovandu avehe. Eṱe tu ve ronga nu tu ve honga nounongo ngamwa auhe kokutja tu ete omundu auhe komurungu wa Ndjambi a rire omupwe mu Kristus. 29 Nopu me zu okukondjera otjiṋa hi tjinene ame tji ramangere nomasa omanene Kristus nge ndji pa nu nge ungura mu ami.
