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.
Kontondiroo
1 Nte Pawulu, Kiristu* Yeesu la kiilaa* ka bo niŋ Alla la lafoo la, n niŋ m̀ baadiŋo* Timoti 2 be ali kontoŋ na, alitolu mennu mu m̀ baadiŋolu ti, Kolosa saatewo kono jee. Alitolu mu moo senuŋolu le ti, mennu fanaa laata Kiristu la. Hiinoo niŋ kayiroo be ali fee ka bo Alla bulu, m̀ Faamaa.
Tenturoo niŋ duwaa
3 Ǹ ka tu Alla tentu la le, m̀ Maarii Yeesu Kiristu Faamaa, niŋ m̀ be duwaa kaŋ ali ye, 4 baawo ŋà ali la lannoo moyi le Kiristu Yeesu kono, aniŋ ali ye kanoo meŋ soto moo senuŋolu bee ye. 5 Ñinnu bee be looriŋ ali la jikoo la kuwo le kaŋ, meŋ be pareeriŋ ali ye Arijana kono. Ali naata kibaaroo moyi ñiŋ jikoo le la kuwo to nuŋ, kibaaroo meŋ mu tooñaa kumoo ti, aniŋ kibaari betoo. 6 Ñiŋ kibaaroo futata ali ma le ko a futata duniyaa tonkoŋ naanoo bee to ñaameŋ, ka diŋ betoo diŋ, aniŋ ka yiriwaa. A keta wo le ñaama alitolu kono ka bo wo luŋo faŋo la, ali ye a moyi le ka a fahaamu, meŋ mu Alla la hiinoo ti tooñaa kono.
7 Ali naata ñiŋ tooñaa la kuwo karaŋ Epafaras le bulu, meŋ mu ǹ kanuntee dookuuñoo ti. Ate mu Kiristu la dookuulaa le ti ali ye, meŋ foroyaata. 8 Ate le ye ǹ kalamutandi ali la kanoo la, ali ye meŋ soto Noora Kuliŋo kono.
9 Wo kamma la, kabiriŋ luŋo meŋ na ŋà ali la kuwo moyi, m̀ maŋ n dahaa duwaa la ali ye. Ǹ ka tu Alla daani la le, fo ali si faa a la lafoo londoo la, aniŋ ñaameŋo niŋ fahaamuroo, a la Nooroo ka mennu dii. 10 Wo siloo la, ali si baluuñaa soto, meŋ jarita Maariyo ñaatiliŋo la, aniŋ meŋ be a kontaani la baake. Ali la kebaara betoolu bee si barakoo soto, aniŋ ali ye yiriwaa Alla loŋo kono.
11-12 Allamaa ali ye bambaŋ niŋ semboo bee la, ko a la waroo be kaawakuuyaariŋ ñaameŋ, fo ali si muñoo niŋ wakiiloo soto kuwolu bee kono, aduŋ ali si m̀ Faamaa tentu niŋ seewoo la. Ate le ye ali ke keetaalaalu ti a la moo senuŋolu la keetaa to Arijana kono, maloo be daameŋ. 13 Ate le ye m̀ bondi diboo semboo bulu, a ye ǹ samba a Kanu Dinkewo la mansabaayaa to, 14 meŋ ye n kumakaa, a ye ǹ na junuboolu kafari.
Jayiroo Kiristu la kuwo to
15 Ate le mu Alla jebaloo sawuroo ti,
ate le sotota daaroo bee ñaa.
16 Ka bo niŋ ate le la,
feŋolu bee daata,
fo ì be saŋ fatoolu le kono baŋ,
waraŋ duniyaa kono,
fo ì ka je le baŋ,
waraŋ ì buka je,
fo ì mu mansoolu le ti baŋ,
sembetiyolu, maralilaalu waraŋ kantiyolu.
Feŋolu bee daata ka bo niŋ ate le la,
aduŋ ì daata ate le ye.
17 Janniŋ feŋ-wo-feŋ ka daa,
ate be sotoriŋ ne nuŋ fokabaŋ,
aduŋ feŋolu bee be mutariŋ ñoo bala
ate le kono.
18 Ate le mu kuŋo ti baloo ye,
meŋ mu a la kafoo ti.
Ate le mu feŋolu bee foloo ti,
ate le foloo wulita ka bo saayaa kono,
fo a si ke foloo ti feŋ-wo-feŋ to.
19 Alla faŋo kontaanita le ko,
a la timmoo ye tara ate kono.
20 Ka bo niŋ ate le la,
Alla ye a faŋo niŋ feŋolu bee diyandi,
fo ì be saŋ fatoolu le kono baŋ,
waraŋ duniyaa kono jaŋ.
Alla ye a la kayiroo dii ka bo niŋ ate le yeloo la,
meŋ bonta yiribantambiloo kaŋ.
Foroyaa lannoo kono
21 Ali sondomoolu jamfata Alla la le nuŋ, aduŋ ali la miiroolu ye ali ke a jawoolu le ti fo ali tuta kuu jawu baaroo la. 22 Bari saayiŋ, Alla ye a niŋ ali diyandi le ka bo niŋ Kiristu balajaatoo la, meŋ faata, fo ali si yitandi Alla ñaatiliŋo la ko moo senuŋolu mennu maŋ sootaaroo soto, aduŋ ì te tuumi noo la. 23 Wo be ke la le, niŋ ali foroyaata lannoo kono, aduŋ ali ye bambaŋ wakiiloo kono fo ali kana ali la jikoo bula kibaari betoo la kuwo to, ali ye meŋ moyi nuŋ. Ñiŋ kibaari betoo kawandita duniyaa bee le ye, aduŋ nte Pawulu naata ke wo le dookuulaa ti.
Pawulu la dookuwo Yeesu la kafoo ye
24 Saayiŋ, n seewoota n na tooroolu kono le ali la kuwo kamma. Niŋ feŋ ñanta kafu la Kiristu la tooroolu to a baloo ye, m be a timmandi la m balajaatoo le kono. A baloo ñiŋ, wo mu a la kafoo le ti, 25 n keta dookuulaa ti meŋ ye. Alla faŋo le ye n londi ñiŋ dookuwo to alitolu la kuwo kamma la, fo n si ali kalamutandi a la kumoo la timmarinke. 26 Wo kumoo la kuwo tarata maaboriŋ kulloo kono jamaanoolu la waati jaŋ koomanto, bari saayiŋ a ye a lankenema a la moo senuŋolu ye le. 27 Alla ye wolu le tomboŋ fo ì si wo kulloo la kallankeeyaa* niŋ fankoo loŋ, aniŋ ka a futandi moolu ma, mennu maŋ ke Yahuudoolu ti. Aduŋ a kulloo fele: Kiristu be baluuriŋ alitolu kono le, ate meŋ mu ǹ na jikoo ti ka duŋ kallankeeyaa kono.
28 Ntolu ka ate le la kuwo bankee ka moo-wo-moo dandalaa, aniŋ ka moo-wo-moo karandi ñaameŋo bee la, fo ǹ si moo-wo-moo yitandi ko, ì menta Kiristu kono le. 29 Ñiŋ daliiloo le ye a tinna, n ka dookuwo ke kendeke, aduŋ n ka a kata baake niŋ sembe baa le la, a ye meŋ ke n kono ka bo niŋ a la kaawakuwo la.