¹Mimi Paulo, mtume wa Kristo Yesu kwa mapenzi ya Mungu, na ndugu Timotheo,

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

²tunawaandikia ninyi watu wa Mungu huko Kolosai, ndugu zetu waaminifu katika kuungana na Kristo. Tunawatakieni neema na amani kutoka kwa Mungu Baba yetu.

²To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ [that are] at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³Daima tunamshukuru Mungu, Baba wa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, wakati tunapowaombea.

³We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

⁴Maana tumesikia juu ya imani yenu katika Kristo Yesu na juu ya upendo wenu kwa watu wote wa Mungu.

⁴having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints,

⁵Wakati ujumbe ule wa kweli, yaani Habari Njema, ilipowafikieni kwa mara ya kwanza, mlipata kusikia juu ya lile tumaini linalopatikana kwake. Kwa sababu hiyo imani na upendo wenu vinategemea jambo lile mnalotumainia ambalo mmewekewa salama mbinguni.

⁵because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

⁶Habari Njema inazidi kuzaa matunda na kuenea ulimwenguni kote kama vile ilivyofanya kwenu ninyi tangu siku ile mliposikia juu ya neema ya Mungu na kuitambua ilivyo kweli.

⁶which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as [it doth] in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

⁷Mlijifunza juu ya neema ya Mungu kutoka kwa Epafra, mtumishi mwenzetu, ambaye ni mfanyakazi mwaminifu wa Kristo kwa niaba yetu.

⁷even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,

⁸Yeye alitupa habari za upendo wenu mliojaliwa na Roho.

⁸who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

⁹Kwa sababu hiyo tumekuwa tukiwaombeeni daima tangu tulipopata habari zenu. Tunamwomba Mungu awajazeni ujuzi kamili wa mapenzi yake, awajazeni hekima yote na elimu iletwayo na Roho wake.

⁹For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

¹⁰Hapo mtaweza kuishi kama anavyotaka Bwana na kutenda daima yanayompendeza. Maisha yenu yatakuwa yenye matunda ya kila namna ya matendo mema na mtazidi kukua katika kumjua Mungu.

¹⁰to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹Mungu awajalieni nguvu kwa uwezo wake mtukufu ili mweze kustahimili kila kitu kwa uvumilivu.

¹¹strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy;

¹²Na kwa furaha, mshukuruni Baba aliyewawezesha ninyi kuwa na sehemu yenu katika mambo yale Mungu aliyowawekea watu wake katika utawala wa mwanga.

¹²giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;

¹³Yeye alituokoa katika nguvu ya giza, akatuleta salama katika ufalme wa Mwanae mpenzi,

¹³who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;

¹⁴ambaye kwa njia yake tunakombolewa, yaani dhambi zetu zinaondolewa.

¹⁴in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins:

¹⁵Kristo ni mfano wa Mungu asiyeonekana; ni mzaliwa wa kwanza wa viumbe vyote.

¹⁵who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;

¹⁶Maana kwa njia yake vitu vyote viliumbwa duniani na mbinguni, vitu vinavyoonekana na visivyoonekana: wenye enzi, watawala, wakuu na wenye mamlaka. Vyote viliumbwa kwa njia yake na kwa ajili yake.

¹⁶for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;

¹⁷Kristo alikuwako kabla ya vitu vyote; kwa kuungana naye, vyote vyadumu mahali pake.

¹⁷and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

¹⁸Yeye ni kichwa cha mwili wake, yaani kanisa; yeye ni chanzo cha uhai wa huo mwili. Yeye ndiye mwanzo, mzaliwa wa kwanza aliyefufuliwa kutoka wafu, ili awe na nafasi ya kwanza katika vitu vyote.

¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

¹⁹Maana Mungu alipenda utimilifu wote uwe ndani yake.

¹⁹For it was the good pleasure [of the Father] that in him should all the fulness dwell;

²⁰Kwa njia yake Mungu alivipatanisha naye vitu vyote naam, viumbe vyote mbinguni na duniania; alileta amani kwa damu ya Kristo msalabani.

²⁰and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, [I say], whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.

²¹Hapo kwanza ninyi pia mlikuwa mbali na Mungu na mlikuwa adui zake kwa sababu ya fikira zenu na matendo yenu maovu.

²¹And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works,

²²Lakini sasa, kwa kifo cha Mwanae aliyeishi hapa duniani, Mungu amewapatanisha naye, kusudi awalete mbele yake mkiwa watakatifu, safi na bila lawama.

²²yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:

²³Mnapaswa, lakini kuendelea kuwa imara na thabiti katika imani hiyo, na msikubali kusukumwa mbali na tumaini lile mlilopata wakati mlipoisikia Habari Njema. Mimi Paulo nimekuwa mtumishi wa hiyo Habari Njema ambayo imekwisha hubiriwa kila kiumbe duniani.

²³if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.

²⁴Na sasa nafurahi kuteseka kwa ajili yenu, maana kwa mateso yangu hapa duniani, nasaidia kukamilisha kile kilichopungua bado katika mateso ya Kristo kwa ajili ya mwili wake, yaani kanisa.

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church;

²⁵Nami nimefanywa kuwa mtumishi wa kanisa kufuatana na mpango wake Mungu ambao alinikabidhi kwa faida yenu. Mpango wenyewe ni kuutangaza kwa ukamilifu ujumbe wake,

²⁵whereof I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God,

²⁶ambao ni siri aliyowaficha binadamu wote tangu milele, lakini sasa amewajulisha watu wake.

²⁶[even] the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints,

²⁷Mpango wa Mungu ni kuwajulisha watu wake siri hii kuu na tukufu ambayo ni kwa ajili ya watu wote. Na, siri yenyewe ndiyo hii: Kristo yuko ndani yenu, na jambo hilo lamaanisha kwamba ninyi mtaushiriki utukufu wa Mungu.

²⁷to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

²⁸Kwa sababu hiyo tunamhubiri Kristo kwa watu wote; tunawaonya na kuwafundisha wote kwa hekima yote, ili tuweze kumleta kila mmoja mbele ya Mungu akiwa amekomaa katika kuungana na Kristo.

²⁸whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;

²⁹Kwa madhumuni hayo mimi nafanya kazi na kujitahidi nikiitumia nguvu kuu ya Kristo ifanyayo kazi ndani yangu.

²⁹whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.