Colossians 2
1 I want you to know in how great a struggle I am engaged for you and for Christ’s People at Laodicea, and for all who have not yet seen me;
Ngoba ngithanda ukuthi lazi ukuthi kukhulu kangakanani ukulwa engilakho ngani labaseLawodikeya, njalo ngobunengi balabo abangabonanga ubuso bami enyameni,
2 in the hope that they, being bound to one another by love, and keeping in view the full blessedness of a firm conviction, may be encouraged to strive for a perfect knowledge of God’s hidden Truth,
ukuze inhliziyo zabo ziduduzwe, behlanganiswe ethandweni, lenothweni yonke yokuqinisekiswa okupheleleyo kokuqedisisa, elwazini lwemfihlo kaNkulunkulu loBaba, lekaKristu,
3 even Christ himself, in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge lie hidden.
okufihlwe kuye izinto zonke eziligugu zenhlakanipho lezolwazi.
4 I say this to prevent any one from deceiving you by plausible arguments.
Ngitsho lokhu-ke, ukuze kungabi lamuntu olikhohlisayo ngamazwi ayengayo.
5 It is true that I am not with you in person, but I am with you in spirit, and am glad to see the good order and the unbroken front resulting from your faith in Christ.
Ngoba lanxa ngingekho ngenyama, kanti ngilani ngomoya, ngithokoza ngibona ukuhlela kwenu, lokuqina kokholo lwenu kuKristu.
6 Since, therefore, you have received Jesus, the Christ, as your Lord, live your lives in union with him —
Ngakho njengalokho limemukele uKristu Jesu iNkosi, hambani kuye,
7 rooted in him, building up your characters through union with him, growing stronger through your faith, as you were taught, overflowing with faith and thanksgiving.
ligxilise impande lakhiwe kuye, njalo liqiniswe ekholweni, njengokufundiswa kwenu, lengeze kulo ekubongeni.
8 Take care there is not some one who will carry you away by his ‘philosophy’ — a hollow sham! — following, as it does, mere human traditions, and dealing with puerile questions of this world, and not with Christ.
Nanzelelani hlezi kube khona olithumbayo ngolwazi lwenhlakanipho langenkohliso eyize, njengokomkhuba wabantu, njengokwemfundiso zakuqala zomhlaba, njalo kungenjengokukaKristu;
9 For in Christ the Godhead in all its fulness dwells incarnate;
ngoba kuhlala kuye ukugcwala konke kobuNkulunkulu ngomzimba,
10 and, by your union with him, you also are filled with it. He is the Head of all Archangels and Powers of Heaven.
njalo liphelelisiwe kuye, oyinhloko yakho konke ukubusa lamandla;
11 By your union with him you received a circumcision that was not performed by human hands, when you threw off the tyranny of the earthly body, and received the circumcision of the Christ.
elasokelwa kuye lani ngokusoka okungenziwanga ngezandla, ngokuhlubula umzimba wezono zenyama, ekusokeni kukaKristu,
12 For in baptism you were buried with Christ; and in baptism you were also raised to Life with him, through your faith in the omnipotence of God, who raised him from the dead.
lingcwatshwe kanye laye ebhabhathizweni, elavuswa lani kanye laye kulo ngokholo lokusebenza kukaNkulunkulu, owamvusa kwabafileyo.
13 And to you, who once were ‘dead,’ by reason of your sins and your uncircumcised nature — to you God gave Life in giving life to Christ! He pardoned all our sins!
Lani lifile eziphambekweni lokungasoki kwenyama yenu, ulenze laphila kanye laye, eselithethelele zonke iziphambeko,
14 He canceled the bond which stood against us — the bond that consisted of ordinances — and which was directly hostile to us! He has taken it out of our way by nailing it to the cross!
esesule incwadi yezimiso emelana lathi, ephambene lathi, wayisusa phakathi, eseyibethele esiphambanweni;
15 He rid himself of all the Powers of Evil, and held them up to open contempt, when he celebrated his triumph over them on the cross!
ebahlubule ababusi lamandla, wabaveza obala, wathakazelela ukubanqoba ngaso.
16 Do not, then, allow any one to take you to task on questions of eating or drinking, or in the matter of annual or monthly or weekly festivals.
Ngakho kakungabi khona olilahla ekudleni kumbe ekunatheni, loba endabeni yomkhosi loba eyokuthwasa kwenyanga kumbe eyamasabatha;
17 These things are only the shadow of what is to come; the substance is in the Christ.
eziyisithunzi sezinto ezizayo, kodwa umzimba ungokaKristu.
18 Do not let any one defraud you of the reality by affecting delight in so-called ‘humility’ and angel-worship. Such a man busies himself with his visions, and without reason is rendered conceited by his merely human intellect.
Kakungabi lamuntu olemuka umvuzo wenu ngobuqili, ethanda ukuzenza othobekileyo lokukhonza izingilosi, engena ezintweni angazibonanga, ezikhukhumeza ngeze ngengqondo yenyama yakhe,
19 He fails to maintain union with the Head, to whom it is due that the whole body, nourished and knit together by the contact and connexion of every part, grows with a divine growth.
njalo engabambi iNhloko, umzimba wonke ngamalunga lemisipha usondliwa njalo uhlanganiswa ngayo, ukhula ngokukhula kukaNkulunkulu.
20 Since, with Christ, you became dead to the puerile teaching of this world, why do you submit, as though your life were still that of the world,
Ngakho uba lafa kanye loKristu emfundisweni zakuqala zomhlaba, libophekeleni ngemikhuba ngokungathi liphila elizweni,
21 to such ordinances as ‘Do not handle, or taste, or touch’?
(ungabambi, unganambithi, ungathinti,
22 For all the things referred to in them cease to exist when used. You are following mere human directions and instructions.
ezizaphela zonke ngokusetshenziswa) njengokwemilayo lezimfundiso zabantu?
23 Such prohibitions appear reasonable where there is a desire for self-imposed service, and so-called ‘humility,’ and harsh treatment of the body, but are of no real value against the indulgence of our earthly nature.
Ezilesimo senhlakanipho ekukhonzeni kokuzenzela lekuzithobeni lekuphatheni nzima umzimba, kakusizi lutho ukumelana lokusuthisa inyama.
