< Akolosai 2 >
1 Nĩngwenda mũmenye ũrĩa ndĩĩgiaga nĩ ũndũ wanyu, na nĩ ũndũ wa andũ arĩa marĩ Laodikia, o na nĩ ũndũ wa arĩa matarĩ maanyona niĩ mwene.
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—
2 Ndĩĩgiaga ũguo nĩgeetha magĩe na ũmĩrĩru wa ngoro na magĩe na ũrũmwe mohanĩtio nĩ wendani, na nĩgeetha maingĩhĩrwo nĩ ũtonga wa kũmenya wega ũhoro wa hitho ya Ngai, na nĩyo Kristũ,
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!
3 ũrĩa thĩinĩ wake kũhithĩtwo mĩthiithũ yothe ya ũũgĩ na ũmenyo.
In him you can discover all the rich wisdom and knowledge of God.
4 Ndĩramwĩra ũguo nĩgeetha mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ ndakanamũheenie na ngarari cia mawara.
I'm telling you this so that no one will fool you by spinning you a tale.
5 Nĩgũkorwo o na ndatuĩka ndirĩ hamwe na inyuĩ thĩinĩ wa mwĩrĩ, ndĩ hamwe na inyuĩ thĩinĩ wa roho, na ngakena nĩkuona ũrĩa mũrĩ mĩbango mĩega, na ũrĩa wĩtĩkio wanyu thĩinĩ wa Kristũ ũrĩ mũrũmu.
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.
6 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, o ta ũrĩa mwamũkĩrire Kristũ Jesũ arĩ Mwathani, thiĩi na mbere gũtũũra thĩinĩ wake,
Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, go on following him,
7 mũhaandĩtwo na mũgaakwo thĩinĩ wake, na mũkĩongagĩrĩrwo hinya thĩinĩ wa wĩtĩkio o ta ũrĩa mwarutirwo, na mũkĩrĩrĩrie gũcookia ngaatho.
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.
8 Mwĩmenyererei mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ ndakanamũtahe meciiria na maũũgĩ ma maheeni ma tũhũ, marĩa moimanaga na mĩtugo ya andũ na irĩra iria cia ndũire cia thĩ ĩno, no ti kuuma kũrĩ Kristũ.
Watch out that nobody enslaves you through their philosophy and worthless delusions, following human traditions and concepts of this world, and not following Christ.
9 Nĩgũkorwo ũiyũru wothe wa Ũngai ũtũũraga thĩinĩ wa Kristũ arĩ na mwĩrĩ,
For the fullness of God's divine nature lives in Christ in bodily form,
10 na inyuĩ nĩmũiyũrĩtwo nĩ muoyo thĩinĩ wa Kristũ, ũrĩa arĩ we Mũnene igũrũ rĩa hinya o wothe na ũhoti o wothe.
and you have been made full in him. He is supreme over every ruler and authority.
11 O na inyuĩ nĩmwaruire thĩinĩ wake, na ti na ũndũ wa moko ma andũ, no nĩ ũndũ wa kwehererio mũtũũrĩre wa mehia, kũringana na irua rĩrĩa rĩruithanagio nĩ Kristũ.
You were “circumcised” in him but not by human hands. You have been set free from sinful human nature by the “circumcision” Christ performed.
12 Nĩgũkorwo nĩgũthikwo mwathikirwo hamwe nake rĩrĩa mwabatithirio, na mũkĩriũkio hamwe nake nĩ ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia hinya wa Ngai, ũrĩa wamũriũkirie akiuma kũrĩ arĩa akuũ.
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.
13 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa mwakuĩte nĩ ũndũ wa mehia manyu na mũgaikara ta mũtaruĩte nĩ ũndũ wa mũtũũrĩre wanyu wa mehia-rĩ, Ngai nĩatũmire mũgĩe na muoyo hamwe na Kristũ. Ngai nĩatũrekeire mehia maitũ mothe,
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.
14 na aarĩkia gũtharia watho ũrĩa warĩ mwandĩke hamwe na mũtabarĩre waguo, o ũcio watũthitangaga na watũire ũreganĩte na ithuĩ-rĩ; akĩweheria na ũndũ wa kũũhũrĩra mĩcumarĩ mũtharaba-inĩ.
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.
15 Thuutha wa gũtooria maahinya na monene macio-rĩ, nĩamonanirie mbere ya mũingĩ, akĩrũũhagia nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩa aamatooretie mũtharaba-inĩ.
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.
16 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũtikanareke mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ amũtuĩre ciira nĩ ũndũ wa irio iria mũrĩĩaga, kana kĩrĩa mũnyuuaga, kana ũhoro-inĩ wa mĩthenya ĩrĩa mĩamũre, kana gũkũngũĩra Karũgamo ka Mweri, o na kana mũthenya wa Thabatũ.
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.
17 Maũndũ macio no kĩĩruru kĩa maũndũ marĩa magooka; no rĩrĩ, ma yamo-rĩ, nĩ Kristũ we mwene.
These are just a shadow of what was to come, for the physical reality is Christ.
18 Mũtikanareke mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ, ũrĩa wendete gwĩtua mũhooreri, na akahooyaga araika, atũme mũtunywo kĩheo kĩrĩa mũtanyĩte kuona. Mũndũ ta ũcio nĩataaragĩria na njĩra nene maũndũ marĩa onete, na mwĩciirĩrie wake ũtarĩ wa kĩĩroho ũgatũma etĩĩe nĩ ũndũ wa meciiria make ma tũhũ.
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.
19 Mũndũ ta ũcio ndegwatanĩtie na Mũtwe, ũrĩa arĩ we ũnyiitagĩrĩra mwĩrĩ wothe, akaũnyiitithania hamwe na nyunĩro ciohanĩtio na mĩkiha, naguo ũgakũra o ta ũrĩa Ngai atũmaga ũkũre.
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.
20 Atĩrĩrĩ, angĩkorwo inyuĩ nĩmwakuire hamwe na Kristũ, na mũgĩtigana na irĩra iria cia ndũire cia thĩ ĩno-rĩ, nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmaga mwathĩkĩre mawatho mayo, ta mũtũire mũrĩ a thĩ?
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?
21 Namo nĩ ta maya: “Ndũkanyiite! Ndũgacame! Ndũkahutie!”
Things like: don't handle that, don't taste that, don't touch that!
22 Maũndũ macio mothe maraaria ũhoro wa indo iria ithiraga bata ciarĩkia kũhũthĩrwo, tondũ icio no irĩra na wathani na ũrutani wa andũ.
These commands refer to things that don't last since they're used up, and they're based on man-made requirements and teachings.
23 Ti-itherũ, mĩtabarĩre ta ĩyo yonekaga ta ĩrĩ na ũũgĩ, nĩ ũndũ wa mĩhoere yao ĩrĩa methuurĩire, na ũhooreri wa gwĩtua, na kwĩnyerekia, no makaaga kuona bata wa kwĩgirĩrĩria merirĩria ma mwĩrĩ.
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.