Kolosetɔwo 2

1 Adzɔ dzi nam ŋutɔ nenye be ɖe mianya ale si meʋlina ŋutɔ ɖe miawo kple ame siwo le Laodikea la kple nɔvi vevi bubu siwo menyam kura o la hã ta.

In particular, I want you to realize that I am (exerting myself very greatly/working very hard) on your behalf, on behalf of those who are in Laodicea [city], and on behalf of all those others who have not seen me personally.

2 Nu si mebia Mawu na mi lae nye be dzideƒo nanɔ mia si, eye lɔlɔ̃ ƒe ŋusẽ nabla mi ɖekae, ale be miate ŋu akpɔ mɔnu anya Kristo le kakaɖedzi me kple gɔmesese deto vavãtɔ, elabena Mawu ƒe ɖoɖo ɣaɣla si wòva ɖe fia mlɔeba lae nye Kristo ŋutɔ.

I am doing this in order that they and you [SYN] might be strengthened [spiritually] as you are united in loving [one another]. And I am doing this in order that they and you might fully and thoroughly [DOU] understand the message that God has now revealed; that is, in order that they and you might truly know the message from God our Father and about Christ,

3 Eya mee wòɣla nunya kple sidzedze ƒe kesinɔnuwo katã ɖo.

who alone is able to cause them and you to understand thoroughly [DOU] [this very important message].

4 Mele nya siawo gblɔm na mi elabena mele vɔvɔ̃m be ame aɖe ate ŋu ava ble mi alo ado lã mi to eƒe aɖe ŋanɛ nyawo gbɔgblɔ na mi me.

I am telling you this in order that no one may deceive you by persuasive arguments;

5 Togbɔ be nyemele mia gbɔ le ŋutilã me o hã la, mele mia gbɔ le gbɔgbɔ me. Mekpɔ dzidzɔ, elabena miele agbe nɔm nyuie, eye miaƒe xɔse hã le ŋusẽ kpɔm ɖe edzi le Kristo me.

because, even though I am absent from you physically, I am very concerned about you. At the same time, I am rejoicing because I know that you are united [with each other] and that you believe firmly in Christ.

6 Azɔ abe ale si miexɔ Yesu Kristo, Aƒetɔ la dzi se be aɖe mi ene la, mixɔ se nenema ke le miaƒe gbe sia gbe ƒe nuwɔnawo me.

In a way that is (consistent/in harmony) with [the message that] you received about Christ Jesus, who is our Lord, conduct yourselves as you should, since you have a close relationship with him.

7 Mili ke ɖe eya amea me blibo eye miaxɔ nunyiame tso egbɔ. Mikpɔ egbɔ be mietsi ɖe edzi le xɔse me. Mina dzidzɔ kple akpedada nayɔ miaƒe agbe me fũu ɖe nu gã siwo katã wòwɔ na mi la ta.

Specifically, continue believing and practicing [MET, DOU] what you were first taught about Christ. Continue to do this more and more; continue to fIrmly believe all the true teaching, just like [Epaphras] taught it to you. And continue thanking [God, our Father], very much [for all that he has done for you].

8 Migana ame aɖeke nakplɔ mi ayi aboyo me to xexemenunya kple beble dzodzro me o. Wotu wo ɖe amegbetɔ ƒe nunya kple xexeme ƒe gɔmedzenuwo dzi, ke menye ɖe nu siwo Kristo gblɔ dzi o.

Make sure that no one forces you [(pl)] to become his disciples [MET] by his teaching you a religious philosophy/doctrine that is worthless and false. Such a philosophy is false because it teaches what mere human beings think, because it teaches people elementary regulations/rules [that are concerned merely with what is external/physical], and because it teaches what is contrary to [the true teaching about] Christ.

9 Elabena Mawu ƒe blibonyenye la katã nɔ Kristo me le ŋutilã ƒe dzedzeme nu,

It is in Christ’s body that God lives completely.

10 eye blibonyenye sia yɔ mi fũu le Kristo si nye ta na ŋusẽwo kple dziɖulanyenyewo katã me.

And you are spiritually complete because you have a close relationship with Christ, who rules over every other ruler.

11 Eya amea me hã wotso aʋa na mi, le esime mieɖe miaƒe dzɔdzɔmenu vɔ̃ si nye ŋutilã la ɖa, menye kple aʋatsotso si wotsɔ asi tsoe o, ke esi wowɔ to Kristo me la boŋ.

Specifically, because of your close relationship with Christ, it is as though [MET] you were circumcised {Christ circumcised you} [spiritually]. This does not mean that someone circumcised you physically [MTY], but it means that Christ completely removed your self-directed nature.

12 To mawutsideta me, mieku kplii, eye mietsi tsitre kplii to miaƒe xɔse si le Mawu ƒe ŋusẽ si fɔe tso ame kukuwo dome la me.

And specifically, when you were baptized, [it was as though] [MET] you [had died and] were buried with Christ, and [it was as though] [MET] God caused you to live again with Christ as a result of your believing that God acted powerfully; specifically, by your believing that God caused Christ to become alive again.

13 Esime mienye ame kukuwo le dzidadawo me, eye mienye Yudaviwo o ta, Mawu na be miekpɔ gome le Kristo ƒe agbenɔnɔ me, elabena etsɔ miaƒe nu vɔ̃wo ke mi,

And specifically, you [who are non-Jews], because of your sins, you were [spiritually] dead [before you trusted in Christ]. You were uncircumcised [spiritually]; that is, your self-directed nature controlled you. Nevertheless, it was you whom God caused to become alive [spiritually because of their close relationship] [MET] with Christ. And specifically, God forgave us all our sins.

14 eye wòtutu nya si wotsɔ ɖe mia ŋuti la ɖa, vodada siawo nye eƒe se siwo dzi mieda le la. Etsɔ nu vɔ̃ siawo katã klã ɖe atitsoga ŋuti, eye wòɖe wo ɖa.

[It is just] as [though] he canceled ([the charges] against us/the sins [that we had committed]) for which [God] will punish us. And [it was just] as [though] [MET] it was [the charges on] that document/paper that he canceled by nailing them to the cross [when they nailed Christ on the cross].

15 To esia me la, eɖe gbɔgbɔwo ƒe dziɖuɖu kple ŋusẽ ɖa, eye wòdo ŋukpe wo le gaglãgbe, eye wòkpɔ dziɖuɖu ɖe wo dzi.

And specifically, God defeated the [evil] spirit beings that rule, and he demonstrated/showed that publicly; that is, he triumphed over them as a result of what [Christ did].

16 Eya ta migana ame aɖeke naɖe ɖeklemi kpli mi le nu si mieɖuna alo nona ŋu loo, alo ale si miawo mieɖua Yudatɔwo ƒe azãwo, ŋkekenyuiwo, dzinu yeye ƒe wɔnawo kple Dzudzɔgbe ŋkekewo o la ta o.

So disregard anyone who says that God will punish you because you eat [certain foods] and because you drink [certain drinks] or because [you do not celebrate] special [yearly] festivals or celebrate the time when the new moon [appears] or weekly (Sabbaths/Jewish days of rest).

17 Elabena esiawo nye nu siwo gbɔna la ƒe vɔvɔli; ke nu la ŋutɔ le Kristo me va.

[Disregard such people] because those [regulations/rules about food and drink and festivals] are [only] like a shadow [MET] [that is cast by something that is approaching; that is, they merely represent] the real spiritual blessings that Christ [has given to you].

18 Migana ame aɖeke nable mi be esi miegbe be yewomasubɔ mawudɔlawo abe ale si wogblɔ na mi ene o ta la, miele tsɔtsrɔ̃ ge o. Wogblɔna be yewokpɔ ŋutega, eye yewonya be ele be miasubɔ mawudɔlawo. Ame siawo nye dadalawo togbɔ be wogblɔna be yewonye ɖokuibɔbɔɖeanyilawo hã. Susu wɔnuku le wo si.

Disregard those who say that God will punish you because [you do not worship God in the way that] they say [that you should]; that is, they insist that you should humiliate yourselves and that you should worship the angels. [Disregard such people] since they base their authority on things that they have never seen, and since they are proud without reason because their self-directed nature [controls] what they think,

19 Ke womeku ɖe Kristo si nye ta si ŋu mi ame siwo katã nye eƒe ŋutilã la ku ɖo la ŋu o, elabena eƒe lãmeka sesẽwo Mawu tsɔ bla mí ɖekae, eye míetea ŋu tsina, elabena míexɔa nunyiame kple ŋusẽ tso eya ɖeka ko gbɔ.

and since they do not teach the true teaching about Christ [MET]. [Christ is the one who causes all of his people to develop/grow spiritually as God plans that they should develop/grow, just like] [MET] a person’s head directs how his body grows, as it is held together by its joints and ligaments.

20 Le nyateƒe me, esi mieku kple Kristo ta la, mievo tso nu si xexemetɔwo buna tso ɖeɖekpɔkpɔ ŋuti la ƒe asi me. Ne ele alea la, nu ka ta miegale wo wɔwɔ dzi, eye woƒe se mawo gabla mi ɖo?

[It is as though] [MET] you died with Christ. So [you no longer have to obey] elementary regulations/rules [that are concerned merely with what is external/physical, just like a dead person no longer has to do anything]. So, do not submit to regulations/rules

21 “Wobe migaɖu esi o! Migaɖɔ ekemɛ kpɔ o! Eye wobe migaka asi nuɖuɖu aɖewo ya ŋuti kura o!” Nu ka tae?

such as ‘Do not handle [certain things]’, ‘Do not taste [certain things]’, ‘Do not touch [certain things]’, as if you still had to obey such regulations/rules.

22 Nu siawo katã le gbegblẽ ge to wo ŋuti dɔ wɔwɔ me le amewo ƒe sededewo kple nufiafiawo nu.

All those things are intended to cease to exist when we use them. [And do not obey such regulations/rules], because they are what mere human teachers command and teach.

23 Se siawo anya dze se nyuiwoe, elabena wonye se siwo hiã ameɖokuitsɔtsɔke kple ɖokuibɔbɔ blibo kpakple fuwɔwɔ ame ƒe ŋutilã, eye wo dzi wɔwɔ sesẽ, gake ŋusẽ aɖeke mele wo si be ame natsɔ aɖu eƒe susuwo kple dzodzro vɔ̃wo dzi o. Ɖeko wonana ame dana.

[Do not obey such] regulations/rules; they only cause people to do what their self-directed nature wants to do. [Those regulations] seem to be wise because they [urge people to] worship as mere human teachers have decided. [They urge] that [people] should humiliate themselves, and that [people] should treat their bodies harshly. But those regulations/rules do not help [people] at all to not do the sinful things that their self-directed nature wants to do.