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.

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And 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. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.