Colosenses 1
1 PABLO, apóstol de Jesucristo por la voluntad de Dios, y el hermano Timoteo,
I, Paul, [am writing this letter to you], and our fellow believer Timothy [is with me]. I am an apostle who represents Christ Jesus, because that is what God wanted.
2 A los santos y hermanos fieles en Cristo que están en Colosas: Gracia y paz á vosotros de Dios Padre nuestro, y del Señor Jesucristo.
[I am sending this letter] to you who are in Colossae [city], and who are God’s people, and our faithful fellow believers who have a close relationship with Christ. We pray that God our Father will be acting kindly towards you, and that he will cause you to have [inner] peace.
3 Damos gracias al Dios y Padre del Señor nuestro Jesucristo, siempre orando por vosotros:
Very often [HYP] we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, while we are praying for you,
4 Habiendo oído vuestra fe en Cristo Jesús, y el amor que tenéis á todos los santos,
because we have heard that you believe in Christ Jesus, and that you love all God’s people.
5 A causa de la esperanza que os está guardada en los cielos, de la cual habéis oído ya por la palabra verdadera del evangelio:
You do that because you confidently expect to receive that which God is (reserving/keeping safe) for you in heaven, which you heard about previously when you heard the true message, that is, the message [about Christ].
6 El cual ha llegado hasta vosotros, como por todo el mundo; y fructifica y crece, como también en vosotros, desde el día que oísteis y conocisteis la gracia de Dios en verdad,
[People] proclaimed it [PRS] to you, just like [people] have proclaimed it in many different countries [HYP, IDM]. The true message is changing more and more people’s lives, just like it changed your lives because you heard it and you truly experienced that God acts kindly towards us in ways we do not deserve.
7 Como habéis aprendido de Epafras, nuestro consiervo amado, el cual es un fiel ministro de Cristo á favor vuestro;
That is just what Epaphras taught you [would happen]. We love Epaphras. He serves Christ together with us and works for Christ faithfully for your benefit.
8 El cual también nos ha declarado vuestro amor en el Espíritu.
He told us that you love [all God’s people], just like God’s Spirit [has enabled you to] (OR, spiritually).
9 Por lo cual también nosotros, desde el día que [lo] oímos, no cesamos de orar por vosotros, y de pedir que seáis llenos del conocimiento de su voluntad, en toda sabiduría y espiritual inteligencia;
Because of what we heard about you, we have also been praying [LIT] very often to God for you [HYP], ever since we heard this report about you. We pray that you will truly know all that God wants you to do; that is, that you will become very wise, and that you will understand spiritual matters well.
10 Para que andéis como es digno del Señor, agradándo[le] en todo, fructificando en toda buena obra, y creciendo en el conocimiento de Dios:
We have been praying like that in order that you will conduct yourselves as the Lord’s people should conduct themselves, in order that you will please the Lord in every way. Specifically, we have been praying like that in order that you will be doing every sort of good deed [IDM] and in order that you will be getting to know God truly, more and more.
11 Corroborados de toda fortaleza, conforme á la potencia de su gloria, para toda tolerancia y largura de ánimo con gozo;
And we pray that [God] will greatly strengthen you [spiritually] with the mighty power that he has shown [to people], in order that you will always be steadfast and patient [when you experience difficulties], while [at the same time] you will be rejoicing.
12 Dando gracias al Padre que nos hizo aptos para participar de la suerte de los santos en luz:
And we pray that you will be thanking God our Father, because he has enabled you/us to receive the things that he will give to his people in heaven [SYN].
13 Que nos ha librado de la potestad de las tinieblas, y trasladado al reino de su amado Hijo;
God our Father rescued us [spiritually] so that the evil one no longer rules us [MET, MTY], and he caused us now to be ruled by his Son, whom he loves.
14 En el cual tenemos redención por su sangre, la remisión de pecados:
That is, because of our relationship with his Son (OR, because of what the one who is also God did), God has redeemed/bought us; in particular, he has forgiven our sins.
15 El cual es la imagen del Dios invisible, el primogénito de toda criatura.
God’s Son reveals perfectly what God, his Father, is like, whom no one can see. God’s Son existed before and ranks above everything that God has created.
16 Porque por él fueron criadas todas las cosas que [están] en los cielos, y que [están] en la tierra, visibles é invisibles; sean tronos, sean dominios, sean principados, sean potestades; todo fué criado por él y para él.
When God created everything that is on the earth, he did it by having his Son do it. He created everything that [people] can see, and also everything which is in heaven that [people] cannot see. In particular, his Son created all ranks of important spirit beings. [And his Son ranks above everything], because God by the work of had his Son, and because by his Son all things were created {because [God] had his Son create everything} in order that everything might praise his Son,
17 Y él es antes de todas las cosas, y por él todas las cosas subsisten:
and because it is his Son who existed before anything else existed, and because God sustains everything by what his Son [does].
18 Y él es la cabeza del cuerpo [que es] la iglesia; [él] que es el principio, el primogénito de los muertos, para que en todo tenga el primado.
And [God’s Son ranks above everything], because it is his Son who [rules over his people] [MET] [as a person’s] head [controls his physical] body, because his Son causes his people to live [spiritually]. [God’s Son] is the first one who became alive again, in order that he should become more important than anything and everyone.
19 Por cuanto agradó [al Padre] que en él habitase toda plenitud,
[God’s Son reveals perfectly what God his Father is like], because his Father chose to live completely in him.
20 Y por él reconciliar todas las cosas á sí, pacificando por la sangre de su cruz, así lo que [está] en la tierra como lo que [está] en los cielos.
[God our Father caused his Son to rule us], because he decided to reconcile with himself everything that is on earth and that is in heaven by what his Son did, in order that everything might honor his Son; that is, God our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself as a result of his [Son’s] blood [flowing when he died] on the cross. [The chiastic material is rearranged below so that the directly related propositional clusters are joined together.] 13 God our Father rescued us [spiritually] so that we are no longer ruled by the evil one, and God our Father caused us now to be ruled by his Son (OR, the man who is also God) whom he loves. 14a That is, by means of what his Son did, we have been redeemed by God, our Father. 14b In particular, our sins have been forgiven by God, our Father. 20 God, our Father, has done this because he decided to reconcile to himself, by means of his Son, everything that is on earth and that is in heaven, in order that his Son might be honored; that is, God, our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself by means of God’s Son’s blood [flowing out when he died] on the cross. 15b God cannot be seen by anyone, 15a but his Son reveals perfectly what God—his Father—is like, 19a because it is in his Son that the Father chose 19b that he himself would dwell completely. 15c God’s Son ranks above everything 15d that has been created, 16 because it was by means of God’s Son that God created everything that is on the earth and that can be seen by people, and also everything that is in heaven and that cannot be seen by people. In particular, all types of important spirit beings were created by means of him, since everything has been created by God by means of God’s Son. And his Son ranks above everything, because everything has been created by God, in order that God’s Son might be honored by everything, 17 and because it is he who existed before anything else existed, and since everything is sustained by God by means of God’s Son. 18 And God’s Son ranks above everything because it is he who [rules over all believers, just like a person’s] head [controls his physical body, because he causes all believers to live spiritually]. His Son is the first one who rose from among those who have died, in order that he should become more important than everything and everyone.
21 A vosotros también, que erais en otro tiempo extraños y enemigos de ánimo en malas obras, ahora empero [os] ha reconciliado
As for you, [although] formerly God [considered you his] enemies (OR, [God considered you] as alienated [from him]) and [although] you were formerly hostile [to God] because you thought evil thoughts and because you did evil deeds,
22 En el cuerpo de su carne por medio de muerte, para haceros santos, y sin mancha, é irreprensibles delante de él:
nevertheless, God our Father has now reconciled you [with himself. He did that] as a result of his Son dying physically. He did it in order that you should be completely holy when he brings you into his presence.
23 Si empero permanecéis fundados y firmes en la fe, y sin moveros de la esperanza del evangelio que habéis oído; el cual es predicado á toda criatura que está debajo del cielo; del cual yo Pablo soy hecho ministro.
He wants you to continue [DOU] to believe the message about Christ; specifically, he wants you to continue to be stable/steadfast and to continue to confidently expect to receive that which you heard about when you heard that message. That message has been proclaimed {They have proclaimed that message} to people in very many places [HYP]; and I, Paul, also become someone who tells it to people.
24 Que ahora me gozo en lo que padezco por vosotros, y cumplo en mi carne lo que falta de las aflicciones de Cristo por su cuerpo, que es la iglesia;
At the present time I am rejoicing that I am suffering for your benefit; that is, I am completing what Christ [decided] that I should suffer physically for the benefit of all believers, [who are as dear to him as] his own body.
25 De la cual soy hecho ministro, según la dispensación de Dios que me fué dada en orden á vosotros, para que cumpla la palabra de Dios;
I myself became someone who serves God’s people, because I was appointed {[God] appointed me} to be responsible to [help] you [who are non-Jews]. I became one who serves God’s people in order that I should make known to you non-Jews the whole message from/about God.
26 [A saber], el misterio que había estado oculto desde los siglos y edades, mas ahora ha sido manifestado á sus santos: (aiōn g165)
[We did not know this message previously; that is, God] concealed it from [the people who lived in all] the previous ages, but he has now revealed it to his people. (aiōn g165)
27 A los cuales quiso Dios hacer notorias las riquezas de la gloria de este misterio entre los Gentiles; que es Cristo en vosotros la esperanza de gloria:
That is, God decided to reveal to them this message, which declares that he will greatly bless the non-Jews. Specifically, this message declares that Christ, [by his Spirit], will live in you who are non-Jews, with the result that you confidently expect that you will experience how glorious [God is].
28 El cual nosotros anunciamos, amonestando á todo hombre, y enseñando en toda sabiduría, para que presentemos á todo hombre perfecto en Cristo Jesús:
We tell about Christ [to every class of persons]; we warn them, and specifically, we teach everyone very wisely. We do this in order that every person who (has a close relationship with/is united to) Christ may be (all that God wants them to be/perfect) when we present them to Christ.
29 En lo cual aun trabajo, combatiendo según la operación de él, la cual obra en mí poderosamente.
In order that I might [achieve/accomplish this], I am also working very hard, depending on Christ to empowering me very greatly.
