Colossians 2
1 I want you to know how hard I'm working for you, and for those at Laodicea—in fact for all those who haven't met me personally—
Nataka mjue jinsi ninavyojitaabisha kwa ajili yenu na kwa ajili ya wale walioko Laodikia, na pia kwa ajili ya wote ambao hawajapata kuniona mimi binafsi.
2 so that you may be encouraged. May you be bound together in love, experiencing the great benefit of being completely sure in your understanding, for this is what the true knowledge of God brings. May you know the revealed mystery of God, which is Christ!
Kusudi langu ni watiwe moyo na kuunganishwa katika upendo, ili wapate ule utajiri wa ufahamu mkamilifu, ili waijue siri ya Mungu, yaani, Kristo mwenyewe,
3 In him you can discover all the rich wisdom and knowledge of God.
ambaye ndani yake kumefichwa hazina zote za hekima na maarifa.
4 I'm telling you this so that no one will fool you by spinning you a tale.
Nawaambia mambo haya ili mtu yeyote asiwadanganye kwa maneno ya kuwashawishi.
5 Even though I'm not physically there with you, I'm with you in spirit. I'm so happy to see the way you stick together and how firm you are in your trust in Christ.
Kwa kuwa ingawa mimi siko pamoja nanyi kimwili, lakini niko pamoja nanyi kiroho, nami nafurahi kuuona utaratibu wenu na jinsi uthabiti wa imani yenu katika Kristo ulivyo.
6 Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, go on following him,
Hivyo basi, kama vile mlivyompokea Kristo Yesu kuwa Bwana, endeleeni kukaa ndani yake,
7 grounded in him and built up by him. May your trust in him continue to grow strong, following what you were taught, full of gratitude to God.
mkiwa na mizizi, na mmejengwa ndani yake, mkiimarishwa katika imani kama mlivyofundishwa, na kufurika kwa wingi wa shukrani.
8 Watch out that nobody enslaves you through their philosophy and worthless delusions, following human traditions and concepts of this world, and not following Christ.
Angalieni mtu yeyote asiwafanye ninyi mateka kwa elimu batili na madanganyo matupu yanayotegemea mapokeo ya wanadamu na mafundisho ya ulimwengu badala ya Kristo.
9 For the fullness of God's divine nature lives in Christ in bodily form,
Maana ukamilifu wote wa Uungu umo ndani ya Kristo katika umbile la mwili wa kibinadamu,
10 and you have been made full in him. He is supreme over every ruler and authority.
nanyi mmepewa ukamilifu ndani ya Kristo, ambaye ndiye mkuu juu ya kila enzi na kila mamlaka.
11 You were “circumcised” in him but not by human hands. You have been set free from sinful human nature by the “circumcision” Christ performed.
Katika Kristo pia mlitahiriwa kwa kutengwa mbali na asili ya dhambi, si kwa tohara inayofanywa kwa mikono ya wanadamu, bali kwa ile tohara iliyofanywa na Kristo,
12 You were buried with him in baptism, and you were raised with him through your trust in what God did by raising him from the dead.
mkiwa mmezikwa pamoja naye katika ubatizo, na kufufuliwa pamoja naye kwa njia ya imani yenu katika uweza wa Mungu, aliyemfufua kutoka kwa wafu.
13 And even though you were dead because of your sins and being physically “uncircumcised,” he brought you to life together with him. He has forgiven us all our sins.
Mlipokuwa wafu katika dhambi zenu na kutokutahiriwa katika asili yenu ya dhambi, Mungu aliwafanya mwe hai pamoja na Kristo. Alitusamehe dhambi zetu zote,
14 He wiped out the record of our debts according to the Law that was written down against us; he took away this barrier by nailing it to the cross.
akiisha kuifuta ile hati yenye mashtaka yaliyokuwa yanatukabili, pamoja na maagizo yake. Aliiondoa isiwepo tena, akiigongomea kwenye msalaba wake.
15 He stripped away the power of spiritual rulers and authorities, and having publicly revealed what they were truly like, he led them captive behind him in victory.
Mungu akiisha kuzivua enzi na mamlaka, alizifanya kuwa kitu cha fedheha hadharani kwa kuziburura kwa ujasiri, akizishinda katika msalaba wa Kristo.
16 So don't let anyone criticize you for what you eat or what you drink, or regarding which religious festival, new moon ritual, or ceremonial sabbaths you choose to observe.
Kwa hiyo mtu asiwahukumu ninyi kuhusu vyakula au vinywaji, au kuhusu kuadhimisha sikukuu za dini, au Sikukuu za Mwezi Mwandamo au siku ya Sabato.
17 These are just a shadow of what was to come, for the physical reality is Christ.
Hizi zilikuwa kivuli cha mambo ambayo yangekuja, lakini ile iliyo halisi imo ndani ya Kristo.
18 Don't let anyone cheat you out of your prize by insisting you have to beat yourself, or worship angels. They think they are better than anyone else because of visions they say they've had, and become ridiculously conceited in their sinful minds.
Mtu yeyote asiwaondolee thawabu yenu kwa kusisitiza kunyenyekea kwake na kuabudu malaika. Mtu kama huyo hudumu katika maono yake, akijivuna bila sababu katika mawazo ya kibinadamu.
19 Such people are not connected to the head that directs the body, nourished and joined together through the body's sinews and muscles. As the body is united together it grows the way God wants it to grow.
Yeye amepoteza ushirikiano na Kichwa, ambaye kutoka kwake mwili wote unalishwa na kushikamanishwa pamoja kwa viungo na mishipa, nao hukua kwa ukuaji utokao kwa Mungu.
20 If you died with Christ to the religious demands that this world insists upon, why would you make yourself subject to such demands as if you were still part of this world?
Kwa kuwa mlikufa pamoja na Kristo, mkayaacha yale mafundisho ya msingi ya ulimwengu huu, kwa nini bado mnaishi kama ninyi ni wa ulimwengu? Kwa nini mnajitia chini ya amri:
21 Things like: don't handle that, don't taste that, don't touch that!
“Msishike! Msionje! Msiguse!”?
22 These commands refer to things that don't last since they're used up, and they're based on man-made requirements and teachings.
Haya yote mwisho wake ni kuharibika yanapotumiwa, kwa sababu msingi wake ni katika maagizo na mafundisho ya wanadamu.
23 Such rules may make some kind of sense to those who practice self-centered piety, who are so proud of being humble, and who “mortify the body;” but in reality they don't help at all in dealing with sinful desires.
Kwa kweli amri kama hizo huonekana kama zina hekima, katika namna za ibada walizojitungia wenyewe, na unyenyekevu wa uongo na kuutawala mwili kwa ukali, lakini hayafai kitu katika kuzuia tamaa za mwili.
