1 Let me tell you how hard I have worked for you and for the people in Laodicea and for all others who do not know me personally. 2 I do this in order that they may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance which true understanding brings. In this way they will know God's secret, which is Christ himself. 3 He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge.
4 I tell you, then, do not let anyone deceive you with false arguments, no matter how good they seem to be. 5 For even though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I am glad as I see the resolute firmness with which you stand together in your faith in Christ.
Fullness of Life in Christ
6 Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. 7 Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.
8 See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. 9 For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, 10 and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.
11 In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of this sinful self. 12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death. 13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; 14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. 15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. 17 All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. 18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking 19 and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ's control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.
Dying and Living with Christ
20 You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as 21 “Don't handle this,” “Don't taste that,” “Don't touch the other”? 22 All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings. 23 Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions.
1 Nu me vanga okumutjivisa kutja ami mbi kondjera eṋe tjinene novature va Laodisea novakwao avehe mbe hiya rora okundjimuna keho. 2 Ami mbi tjita nai kokutja owo ve panḓiparisiwe nu ve kutwe kumwe morusuvero, nu ve ramangere oukoto wondjiviro aihe, kokutja ve tjiwe otjiundikwa tja Ndjambi tji tji ri Kristus omuini. 3 Mu ye omu mwa horekwa ovihuze avihe vyounongo nondjiviro ya Ndjambi.
4 Ami otji me mu raere kutja ape ningi omundu ngu me mu pukisa nomapopero wovineya. 5 Nandarire kutja eṋe kamu nokundjimuna keho tjinga ambi ri kokure, ami mbi ri puna eṋe mombepo. Nu mbi nenyando okumuna kutja mu kara pamwe mouhirona, nokutja mwa zikama pamwe mongamburiro yeṋu mu Kristus.
Ongarero yetu i urisiwa mu Kristus
6 Tjinga amwa yakura Kristus Jesus otja ngu ri muhona, otjinga amamu sokukara noruwano na ye. 7 Nangananiseye omize vyeṋu mu ye, tungeye ongarero yeṋu mu ye, nu mu hare omasa mongamburiro yeṋu otja tji mwa hongwa, nu mu tje okuhepa ku Ndjambi tjinene.
8 Ṱakamiseye kutja ape ha ningi omundu ngu me mu pora ku ye nomapopero woposyo nomapukise otja komihingo vyomahongero wovandu notja komazikamisiro womahonaparero wozombepo zouye, nungwari ku ku he ri komuhingo wa Kristus. 9 Orondu mu Kristus omu mwa tura omeurisiro aehe wa Ndjambi kosaneno yorutu rwe. 10 Nu mu Kristus eṋe mu noruwano na Ndjambi okuura, eye onguri otjiuru tjouhona notjouvara auhe.
11 Nu moruwano na Kristus eṋe wina mwa sukarekwa, nu ka nomasukarekero nge sukarekwa i ovandu, nungwari onomasukarekero nge sukarekwa i Kristus, notji mwa kuturwa kokuhonaparerwa i ouvi. 12 Orondu tji mwa papitisiwa, eṋe mwa pakwa puna Kristus. Nu mombapitisimo eṋe wina mwa pendurwa puna Kristus, tjinga amwa kambura momasa wa Ndjambi ngwa pendura Kristus movakoke. 13 Eṋe wina mwa ri ovakoke motjimbe tjouvi na motjimbe tjokutja mwa ri ovahasukara. Nungwari nambano Ndjambi we mu pendura komuinyo puna Kristus, nu we tu isira ourunde wetu auhe. 14 Eye wa zemisa embo rozondjo pamwe nomazikamisiro waro ngaa e tu rondora. Eye wa isa po embo ndi oparukaze mokupapera ro kotjikoroise. 15 Eye wa teya omasa wouhonapare nowouvara wozombepo ozombi, nu we ze raisa komurungu wovandu mokuzetwara otja ovakamburwa morukosi rwondoṋeno rwa Kristus.
16 Otji pe hi nokukara omundu ngu me mu raere kutja mamu ri tjike nu mamu nu tjike. Nu amu rikendere omayuva omayapuke poo eyuva rOmatendameno wOmueze poo esabata. 17 Oviṋa mbi ovyo otjizire uriri tjaimbi vyoruveze ndu maru ya; nu imbwi ouatjiri auhe ounanḓengu owo oKristus. 18 Amu riyandjere okupangurwa i omundu ngu norutjato momerisusuparisiro na momerikotameneno wovaengeri, nu ngu tja wa muna ovirimunikise ngamwa avihe. Omundu otja ingwi u rihiva omungandjo uriri mokuripura na ye omuini, 19 nu ka kakatere ku Kristus, otjiuru tjombongo. Nu mu Kristus orutu aruhe omu ru kura nu ru hondjerwa kumwe i omahakaeneno womaṱupa naru ṱizirwa kumwe i omisepa, naru hapa otja Ndjambi pe vanga.
Okuṱa puna Kristus
20 Eṋe mwa ṱa puna Kristus, notji mwa kuturwa komahonaparero wozombepo zouye. Nu okutjavi tji mu nongarero ohamukwao na indji youye mbwi? Okutjavi tji mu kara nonḓuviro komaraerero aehe ngamwa otja inga: 21 “O kambura ko!”, “O roro ko!”, “O ṱunu ko!” 22 Oviṋa avihe mbi vi heya oviṋa, mbi ungurisiwa nu mbi yanda; novyo omazikamisiro nomahongero wovandu porwe. 23 Omahongero nga ye munika aayo mu nounongo mongaro yawo yokurikotamena kovaengeri na momerisusuparisiro wotjavivi na mokuhihamisa orutu tjinene. Nungwari ovyo, tjiri, kavi nombatero mokutjaera ozonḓuma zorutu.
