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—
Napenda mjue jinsi ninavyofanya kazi kwa bidii kwa ajili yenu, kwa ajili ya watu wa Laodikea na kwa ajili ya wote ambao hawajapata kuniona kwa macho.
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!
Nafanya hivi kusudi mioyo yao ifarijiwe na kuvutwa pamoja katika upendo, ili wajazwe uthabiti mwingi uletwao na elimu ya kweli. Hapo wataijua siri ya Mungu ambayo ni Kristo mwenyewe.
3 In him you can discover all the rich wisdom and knowledge of God.
Ndani yake zimefichika hazina zote za hekima na elimu.
4 I'm telling you this so that no one will fool you by spinning you a tale.
Basi, nawaambieni, msikubali kudanganywa na mtu yeyote kwa maneno ya uongo hata kama ni ya kuvutia sana.
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.
Maana, ingawa mimi niko mbali nanyi kwa mwili, lakini niko pamoja nanyi kwa roho, na ninafurahi kuona uthabiti kamili mnaosimama nao pamoja katika imani yenu kwa Kristo.
6 Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, go on following him,
Maadamu ninyi mmemkubali Kristo Yesu kuwa Bwana, basi, ishini katika muungano naye.
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.
Mnapaswa kuwa na mizizi ndani yake, kujijenga juu yake na kuwa imara katika imani yenu kama mlivyofundishwa. Muwe na shukrani tele.
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 basi, mtu asiwapotoshe kwa udanganyifu mtupu wa hekima ya kibinadamu, ambayo chanzo chake ni mafundisho ya mapokeo ya watu na ya pepo watawala, na wala si Kristo mwenyewe!
9 For the fullness of God's divine nature lives in Christ in bodily form,
Maana, ndani yake Kristo katika ubinadamu wake, umo ukamilifu wote wa Mungu,
10 and you have been made full in him. He is supreme over every ruler and authority.
nanyi mmepewa uzima kamili katika kuungana naye. Yeye yuko juu ya pepo watawala wote na wakuu wote.
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 kuungana na Kristo ninyi mlitahiriwa, lakini si kwa tohara ifanywayo na watu, bali inayofanywa na Kristo mwenyewe, na ambayo inahusikana na kukombolewa kutoka katika utu wa dhambi.
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.
Maana, mlipobatizwa mlizikwa pamoja na Kristo, na katika ubatizo, mlifufuliwa pia pamoja naye kwa imani yenu katika nguvu ya Mungu ambaye alimfufua Kristo kutoka 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.
Wakati mmoja nanyi mlikuwa mmekufa kwa sababu ya makosa yenu na kwa sababu ninyi mlikuwa watu wa mataifa mengine. Lakini Mungu amewapa ninyi uzima pamoja na Kristo. Mungu ametusamehe 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.
alifutilia mbali ile hati ya deni iliyokuwa inatukabili na masharti yake, na kuifuta kabisa kwa kuipigilia msalabani.
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.
Juu ya msalaba Kristo aliwapokonya nguvu zao hao pepo watawala na wakuu; aliwafanya kuwa kitu cha fedheha hadharani kwa kuwaburuta kama mateka katika msafara wa ushindi wake.
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, basi, msikubali kupewa masharti na mtu yeyote kuhusu vyakula au vinywaji, siku za sherehe, sikukuu ya Mwezi mpya au Sabato.
17 These are just a shadow of what was to come, for the physical reality is Christ.
Mambo ya aina hiyo ni kivuli tu cha yale yatakayokuja; ukweli wenyewe ndiye 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.
Msikubali kuhukumiwa na mtu yeyote anayejitakia kuwa wa maana kwa sababu ya maono ya pekee na ambaye anasisitiza juu ya unyenyekevu wa uongo na ibada kwa malaika. Mtu wa namna hiyo amepumbazika kwa fikira danganifu za kidunia
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.
na amejitenga na Kristo aliye kichwa cha huo mwili. Chini ya uongozi wa Kristo, mwili wote unalishwa na kuunganishwa pamoja kwa viungo na mishipa yake, nao hukua kama atakavyo 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?
Ninyi mmekufa pamoja na Kristo na kukombolewa kutoka nguvu za pepo watawala wa ulimwengu. Kwa nini, basi, kuishi tena kama vile mngekuwa wa ulimwengu huu? Ya nini kuwekewa masharti:
21 Things like: don't handle that, don't taste that, don't touch that!
“Msishike hiki,” “Msionje kile,” “Msiguse kile!”
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.
Mambo hayo yote yanahusika na vitu vyenye kuharibika mara tu vinapotumiwa; hayo ni maagizo na mafundisho ya kibinadamu tu.
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.
Kweli, masharti hayo yaonekana kuwa ya hekima katika namna ya ibada ya kujitakia wenyewe, unyenyekevu wa uongo na kuutendea mwili kwa ukali; lakini kwa kweli, haifai chochote kuzuia tamaa za mwili.
