Sveiciens
1 Pāvils, pēc Dieva gribas Jēzus Kristus apustulis, un Timotejs, mūsu brālis, 2 sūta sveicienu Kolosās dzīvojošiem svētajiem un uzticamajiem brāļiem Kristū: žēlastība jums un miers no Dieva, mūsu Tēva!
Pāvils pateicas Dievam par kolosiešu ticību
3 Mēs pateicamies Dievam, mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus Tēvam, un lūdzam par jums bez mitas, 4 jo dzirdējām par jūsu ticību Kristū Jēzū un par jūsu mīlestību pret visiem svētajiem 5 tās cerības dēļ, kas jums noglabāta debesīs. Par to jūs jau agrāk esat dzirdējuši evaņģēlija patiesajā vārdā, 6 kas ir pie jums un nes augļus un pieaug spēkā visā pasaulē – tāpat kā tas pieaug jūsos kopš tās dienas, kad dzirdējāt un aptvērāt Dieva žēlastību patiesībā. 7 To visu jūs iemācījāties, pateicoties Epafram, mūsu mīļotajam darbabiedram, kas ir uzticams Kristus kalpotājs jūsu labā. 8 Viņš arī mums pastāstīja par jūsu mīlestību Garā. 9 Tādēļ arī mēs kopš tās dienas, kad to dzirdējām, nemitējāmies par jums aizlūgt un lūgt, lai jūs tiktu piepildīti ar viņa gribas atziņu visā gudrībā un garīgā izpratnē, 10 lai jūs dzīvotu Kunga cienīgi un vienmēr viņu iepriecinātu, ikvienā labā darbā nesdami augļus un augdami Dieva atziņā, 11 tādējādi tapdami spēcīgāki viņa godības spēkā, pieaugot izturībā un pacietībā. Mēs ar prieku 12 pateicamies Tēvam, kas mūs dara cienīgus saņemt savu daļu svēto mantojuma gaismā 13 un kas mūs izrāva no tumsas varas un ieveda sava mīļotā Dēla valstībā – 14 viņā mums ir izpirkšana un grēku piedošana –
Kristus pārākums pār visu radību
15 viņš ir neredzamā Dieva attēls, visas radības pirmdzimtais, 16 jo viņā ir radīts viss debesīs un virs zemes – redzamais un neredzamais – ķēniņu troņi, valdīšanas, valdības un varas. Visas lietas ir radītas caur un uz viņu. 17 Viņš ir pirms visa, un viss ir dibināts viņā – 18 viņš ir savas miesas, baznīcas, galva. Viņš ir sākums, pirmdzimtais no mirušajiem, lai visā viņš būtu pirmais, 19 jo visai pilnībai labpatika iemājot viņā. 20 Caur viņu visam ir izlīgums viņā; caur viņa krusta asinīm ir samierināts viss, kas uz zemes un debesīs. 21 Arī jūs reiz bijāt atsvešināti un naidīgi noskaņoti, ļaunajos darbos iegrimuši; 22 bet tagad viņš ir devis izlīgumu caur savu nāvi cilvēciskajā miesā, lai jūs nostādītu savā priekšā svētumam izredzētus, neaptraipītus un nevainojamus, 23 ja vien jūs paliksiet ticībā – likti uz droša pamata un neizkustināmi no cerības, kas ir evaņģēlijā, ko jūs esat dzirdējuši. Tas ir pasludināts visai radībai zem debess. Un es, Pāvils, nu esmu kļuvis šā evaņģēlija kalps.
Pāvila kalpošana draudzei
24 Tagad es priecājos savās ciešanās par jums, savā miesā vēl papildinādams to, kas atlicis no Kristus ciešanām par Viņa miesu, kas ir Baznīca. 25 Par tās kalpotāju es esmu kļuvis pēc Dieva uzdevuma, kas man ir uzticēts jūsu dēļ, lai jūsos piepildītos Dieva vārds – 26 noslēpums, kas no laiku laikiem paaudžu paaudzēs bijis apslēpts, bet tagad atklāts viņa svētajiem. 27 Dievs ir gribējis tiem darīt zināmu, cik bagātīga ir šā noslēpuma godība starp pagāniem. Šis noslēpums ir Kristus jūsu vidū, godības cerība, 28 ko mēs pasludinām, mudinot un mācot cilvēkus visā gudrībā, lai ikvienu cilvēku darītu pilnīgu Kristū. 29 Šā mērķa dēļ es pūlos un cīnos tik spēcīgi, cik viņš manī darbojas ar savu spēku.
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.
