1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.
2 To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ.
I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
A Prayer of Thanks
3 Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all God's people, 5 because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news.
6 The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in this same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness 7 from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you. 8 He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you.
The Person and Work of Christ
9 We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. 11 His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
12 I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.
15 Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born Son,
superior to all creation.
16 Everything was created by him,
everything in heaven
and on earth,
everything seen and unseen,
including all forces
and powers,
and all rulers
and authorities.
All things were created
by God's Son,
and everything was made
for him.
17 God's Son was before all else,
and by him everything
is held together.
18 He is the head of his body,
which is the church.
He is the very beginning,
the first to be raised
from death,
so that he would be
above all others.
19 God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
20 And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven
and on earth
would be brought back to God.
21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.
Paul's Service to the Church
24 I am glad I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue the suffering of Christ for his body, the church. 25 God's plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people. 27 God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory.
28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature. 29 This is why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.
تحية
1 مِنْ بولُسَ رَسولِ المَسيحِ يَسوعَ بِمَشيئَةِ اللهِ ومِنْ أَخينا تيمُوثاوُسَ 2 إلى القِدّيسينَ الذينَ في كولوسّي، الإخوَةِ المُؤمِنينَ في المَسيحِ. علَيكُمُ النّعمَةُ والسَّلامُ مِنَ اللهِ أبـينا.
صلاة شكر
3 نَحمَدُ اللهَ أبا رَبّنا يَسوعَ المَسيحِ، كُلّما صَلّينا مِنْ أجلِكُم، 4 على ما بَلَغَنا مِنْ إيمانِكُم بالمَسيحِ يَسوعَ ومَحبّتكُم لِجَميعِ الإخوَةِ القِدّيسينَ 5 مِنْ أجلِ الرّجاءِ الذي هيّأهُ اللهُ لكُم في السّماواتِ، وهوَ الرّجاءُ الذي سَمِعتُم بِه في كلامِ الحَقّ، أيْ في البِشارَةِ 6 التي وصَلَتْ إلَيكُم كما وصَلَتْ إلى العالَمِ كُلّه، فأخَذَتْ تُثمِرُ وتَنتَشِرُ فيهِ كَما تُثمِرُ وتَنتَشِرُ بَينكُم مُنذُ سَمِعتُم بِنعمَةِ اللهِ وعَرَفتُموها حَقّ المَعرِفَةِ. 7 وهذا تَعَلّمتُموهُ مِنْ أبَفْراسَ، رَفيقِنا الحَبـيبِ في العَمَلِ للهِ والخادِمِ الأمينِ لِلمَسيحِ عِندَكُم. 8 وهوَ الذي أخبَرَنا بِما أنتُم علَيهِ مِنْ مَحبّةٍ في الرّوحِ.
المسيح الفادي
9 لذلِكَ نُصَلّي كُلّ حينٍ من أجلِكُم، مُنذُ سَمِعْنا ذلِكَ عَنكُم، ونَسألُ اللهَ أنْ يَملأَكُم بِمَعرِفَةِ مَشيئَتِهِ وبِالحِكمَةِ والفَهمِ الرُوحِـيّ، 10 حتى تَسلُكوا في حَياتِكُم كما يَحِقّ لِلرّبّ ويُرضيهِ كُلّ الرّضا وتُثمِروا كُلّ عَمَلٍ صالِـحٍ وتَنموا في مَعرِفَةِ اللهِ، 11 مُتَقَوّينَ بِكلّ ما في قُدرَتِهِ المَجيدَةِ مِنْ قُوّةٍ لتَتَحمّلوا فرِحينَ كُلّ شيءٍ بِثَباتٍ تامٍ وصَبرٍ جَميلٍ، 12 شاكِرينَ الآبَ لأنّهُ جَعلَكُم أهلاً لأنْ تُقاسِموا القِدّيسينَ ميراثَهُم في مَلكوتِ النّورِ. 13 فهوَ الذي نَجّانا مِنْ سُلطانِ الظّلام ونَقَلَنا إلى مَلكوتِ اَبنِهِ الحَبـيبِ، 14 فكانَ لَنا بِه الفِداءُ، أي غُفرانُ الخَطايا.
15 هوَ صُورَةُ اللهِ الذي لا يُرى
وبِكْرُ الخَلائِقِ كُلّها.
16 بِه خَلَقَ اللهُ كُلّ شيءٍ
في السّماواتِ وفي الأرضِ
ما يُرى وما لا يُرى:
أأصحابَ عَرشٍ كانوا أمْ سِيادَةٍ أمْ رِئاسَةٍ أمْ سُلطانٍ.
بِه ولَه خَلَقَ اللهُ كُلّ شيءٍ.
17 كانَ قَبلَ كُلّ شيءٍ
وفيهِ يَتكــوّنُ كُلّ شيءٍ.
18 هوَ رأسُ الجَسَدِ، أي رأْسُ الكَنيسَةِ،
وهوَ البَدءُ وبِكرُ مَنْ قامَ مِنْ بَينِ الأمواتِ
لِتكونَ لَه الأوّلِـيّةُ في كُلّ شيءٍ،
19 لأنّ اللهَ شاءَ أنْ يَحِلّ فيهِ الملءُ كُلّهُ
20 وأنْ يُصالِـحَ بِه كُلّ شيءٍ
في الأرضِ كما في السّماواتِ،
فبِدَمِهِ على الصّليبِ حُقّقَ السّلامُ.
21 وفيما مَضى كُنتُم غُرَباءَ عَنِ اللهِ وأعْداءً لَه بِأفكارِكُم وأعمالِكُمُ السّيئَةِ، 22 وأمّا الآنَ فصالَحَكُم في جَسَدِ المَسيحِ البَشَرِيّ، حينَ أسلَمَهُ إلى الموتِ لِـيجعَلَكُم في حَضرَتِهِ قِدّيسينَ بِلا عَيبٍ ولا لَومٍ، 23 على أنْ تَثبُتوا في الإيمانِ راسِخينَ غَيرَ مُتزَعزِعينَ ولا مُتَحَوّلينَ عَنْ رَجاءِ البِشارَةِ التي سَمِعتُم بِها وبَلَغَتْ كُلّ خَليقَةٍ تَحتَ السّماءِ، وصِرتُ أنا بولُسَ خادِمًا لَها.
جهاد بولس
24 وأنا الآنَ أفرَحُ بالآلامِ التي أُعانيها لأجلِكُم، فأُكمِلُ في جَسَدي ما نَقَصَ مِنْ آلامِ المَسيحِ في سَبـيلِ جَسَدِهِ الذي هوَ الكَنيسَةُ 25 التي صِرتُ خادِمًا لها بِتَدبـيرٍ مِنَ اللهِ لأجلِكم، فأجعَلُ كَلِمَةَ اللهِ مَعروفَةً تَمامَ المَعرِفَةِ، 26 وهِـيَ السّرّ الذي كَتَمَهُ اللهُ طَوالَ الدّهورِ والأجيالِ وكشَفَهُ الآنَ لِقِدّيسيهِ 27 الذينَ أرادَ اللهُ لهُم أنْ يَعرِفوا كَمْ كانَ هذا السّرّ غَنِـيّا ومَجيدًا عِندَ غَيرِ اليَهودِ، أي أنّ المَسيحَ فيكُم وهوَ رَجاءُ المَجدِ. 28 بِه نُنادي ونُبشّرُ جميعَ النّاسِ ونُعَلّمُهُم بِكُلّ حِكمَةٍ لِنَجعَلَ كُلّ إنسانٍ كامِلاً في المَسيحِ. 29 ولأجلِ هذا أتعَبُ وأُجاهِدُ بِفَضلِ قُدرَتِهِ التي تَعمَلُ فِـيّ بِقوّةٍ.
