1 Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by God’s will, and Timotheus the brother, 2 to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ which are in Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually when praying for you, 4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have towards all the saints, 5 on account of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings, 6 which are come to you, as they are in all the world, and are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard them and knew indeed the grace of God, in truth: 7 even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you, 8 who has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard of your faith and love, do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so as to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy;

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light, 13 who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love: 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins; 15 who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation; 16 because by him were created all things, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities: all things have been created by him and for him. 17 And he is before all, and all things subsist together by him. 18 And he is the head of the body, the assembly; who is the beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that he might have the first place in all things: 19 for in him all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell, 20 and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross — by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled 22 in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it, 23 if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which isunder heaven, of which I Paul became minister. 24 Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly; 25 of which I became minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given me towards you to complete the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to his saints; 27 to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory: 28 whom we announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, to the end that we may present every man perfect in Christ. 29 Whereunto also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.

1 Pauluselt, kes on Jumala tahtel Jeesuse Kristuse apostel, ja vend Timoteoselt,

2 Jumala pühadele Kolossas, ustavatele vendadele ja õdedele Kristuses:

Armu ja rahu teile Jumalalt, meie Isalt!

3 Me täname Jumalat, meie Issanda Jeesuse Kristuse Isa, kui me teie eest palvetame, 4 sest oleme kuulnud teie usust Kristusesse Jeesusesse ja armastusest kõigi pühade vastu 5 lootuse pärast, mis on teie jaoks taevasse hoiule pandud. Sellest lootusest te olete juba kuulnud, kui evangeeliumi tõesõnum 6 teie juurde jõudis. Seesama evangeelium kannab nüüd vilja ja kasvab kogu maailmas, täpselt samamoodi, nagu on juhtunud teiegi juures alates päevast, mil te seda kuulsite ja hakkasite mõistma Jumala armu. 7 Epafras, kes seda teile õpetas, on meie armas kaassulane ja Kristuse ustav teenija meie heaks. 8 Tema rääkiski meile armastusest, mida Vaim on teis äratanud.

9 Seepärast ei ole me lakanud palvetamast ja anumast teie pärast alates päevast, mil me seda kuulsime, et teid täidetaks Jumala tahtmise tundmisega koos kõige vaimuliku tarkuse ja arusaamisega. 10 Et te saaksite elada Issanda väärilist elu ja talle igati meeldida: kandes vilja kõiges heas töös, kasvades Jumala tundmises, 11 saades vägevaks tema aulise väe läbi, et te oleksite vastupidavad ja kannatlikud, 12 tänades rõõmsalt Isa, kes on teid kõlbulikuks teinud osa saama pühade pärandist valguse kuningriigis. 13 Sest tema on meid päästnud pimeduse meelevallast ning toonud meid oma armsa Poja Kuningriiki. 14 Temas on meil lunastus, pattude andestus.

15 Tema on nähtamatu Jumala kuju, sündinud enne kõike loodut,

16 sest tema läbi on loodud kõik, mis on taevastes ja maa peal,

mis nähtav ja nähtamatu, olgu aujärjed, võimud, valitsused ja meelevallad –

kõik on loodud tema läbi ja tema jaoks.

17 Tema ise on enne kõike ja kõik püsib koos tema sees.

18 Tema on oma ihu, koguduse pea. Ta on algus,

esmasündinu surnute hulgast, et tema oleks ülim kõiges.

19 Sest Jumal arvas heaks panna temasse kogu oma täiuse

20 ja lepitada tema kaudu enesega kõik,

kes on maa peal ja kes on taevas,

sellega, et ta tegi rahu tema vere läbi, mis ristil valati.

21 Kunagi olite teiegi Jumalast võõrdunud ja mõtteviisi poolest tema vaenlased oma kurjade tegudega. 22 Nüüd aga on Kristus teid lepitanud oma lihalikus ihus surma läbi, et saaksite seista pühadena, veatuina ja laitmatuina tema ees, 23 kui te jätkate kindlana ja rajatuna usus ega tagane evangeeliumis olevast lootusest. See on evangeelium, mida te olete kuulnud ja mida on kuulutatud kogu loodule taeva all ja mille teenriks olen saanud ka mina, Paulus.

24 Nüüd on mul hea meel selle üle, mida ma teie pärast kannatan. Ja kui mu maises elus on veel midagi Kristuse vaevadest olemata, talun ma sedagi tema ihu, see on koguduse heaks. 25 Jumal on määranud mind koguduse teenriks, et ma kuulutaksin teile Jumala sõna kogu selle täiuses, 26 saladust, mis oli varjatud läbi aegade ja sugupõlvede, kuid mis nüüd on ilmutatud tema pühadele. 27 Neile tahtis Jumal selle teatavaks teha ja näidata selle saladuse aulisi rikkusi kõigi rahvaste seas; see on Kristus teie sees, kirkuse lootus.

28 Teda me kuulutame, manitsedes ja õpetades igaüht kogu tarkuses, et valmistada ette iga inimest täiuslikuks Kristuses. 29 Selle nimel ma võitlen ja pingutan Kristuse jõuga, mis minus väega tegutseb.