Bakolose 1
1 Polo, ntoma ya Yesu-Klisto, kolanda mokano ya Nzambe, mpe ndeko Timote;
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 Epai ya bandeko oyo, kati na engumba Kolose, bazali bule mpe bayengebene kati na Klisto: Tika ete ngolu mpe kimia epesamela bino kowuta na Nzambe, Tata na biso!
[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 Tozongisaka tango nyonso matondi epai ya Nzambe, Tata ya Yesu-Klisto, Nkolo na biso, tango tosambelaka mpo na bino,
Very often [HYP] we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, while we are praying for you,
4 pamba te toyokaki sango ya kondima na bino kati na Yesu-Klisto, mpe sango ya bolingo na bino mpo na basantu nyonso.
because we have heard that you believe in Christ Jesus, and that you love all God’s people.
5 Kondima mpe bolingo yango etongami na likolo ya elikya ya bomengo oyo Nzambe abongisela bino kati na Likolo; elikya yango ebotamaki kati na bino tango boyokaki Liloba ya solo, Sango Malamu
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 oyo ekomaki kino epai na bino. Sango Malamu yango epanzani mokili mobimba, ezali kobota bambuma ebele mpe ezali kokende liboso, ndenge kaka esalaki kati na bino wuta mokolo oyo boyokaki yango mpe bozwaki penza bososoli ya kokoka na tina na ngolu ya Nzambe.
[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 Ezali molingami Epafrasi, moninga na biso ya mosala, nde ateyaki bino Sango Malamu yango; azali mosali ya Klisto mpe asalaka na bosembo epai na bino.
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 Ezali mpe kaka ye moto ayebisaki biso ndenge nini Molimo atindikaka bino na bolingo.
He told us that you love [all God’s people], just like God’s Spirit [has enabled you to] (OR, spiritually).
9 Yango wana, wuta mokolo oyo toyokaki sango na tina na bino, totikaka te kobondela mpo na bino mpe kosenga na Nzambe ete atondisa bino na boyebi ya mokano na Ye, na bwanya nyonso mpe na bososoli oyo Molimo apesaka,
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 mpo ete bozala na bizaleli oyo ebongi liboso ya Nkolo, mpo ete bosepelisa Ye na nyonso, mpo ete bobota bambuma na nzela ya lolenge nyonso ya misala na bino ya malamu, mpo ete bokola kati na boyebi ya Nzambe,
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 mpo ete bokoma bato na nguya kati na makambo nyonso kolanda makasi ya nkembo na Ye, mpo ete boyikela nyonso mpiko mpe bozala na molende mpe esengo kino na suka;
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 mpe mpo ete, na esengo nyonso, bozongisaka matondi epai ya Tata oyo apesaki bino makoki ya kosangana na libula ya basantu kati na Bokonzi ya pole. Pamba te:
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 Akangolaki biso na bokonzi ya molili mpe amemaki biso kati na bokonzi ya Mwana na Ye ya bolingo,
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 oyo, kati na Ye, tozwi lisiko mpe bolimbisi ya masumu.
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 Klisto azali elilingi ya Nzambe oyo amonanaka te, azala liboso ya bikelamu nyonso,
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 pamba te ezali na nzela na Yesu nde nyonso ekelama kati na Likolo mpe na mabele, bikelamu oyo emonanaka mpe oyo emonanaka te, milimo mpe bokonzi ya milimo, bakonzi ya milimo mpe banguya. Ezali na nzela na Yesu mpe mpo na Yesu nde nyonso ekelama.
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 Yesu azali liboso na nyonso, mpe nyonso esimbama kati na Ye;
and because it is his Son who existed before anything else existed, and because God sustains everything by what his Son [does].
18 azali moto ya nzoto na Ye, oyo ezali Lingomba; azali ebandeli, Mosekwi ya liboso kati na bakufi, mpo ete azala na bokonzi ya liboso kati na nyonso,
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 pamba te, kati na Ye, Nzambe asepelaki kovandisa bonzambe na Ye nyonso
[God’s Son reveals perfectly what God his Father is like], because his Father chose to live completely in him.
20 mpe kozongisa, na nzela ya Klisto, boyokani kati na Ye moko Nzambe mpe bikelamu nyonso, ezala oyo ezali na mabele to mpe oyo ezali kati na Likolo, na kotia kimia na nzela ya makila oyo Mwana na Ye asopaki na ekulusu.
[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 Nzokande na kala, bozalaki mosika ya Nzambe mpe bozalaki banguna na Ye mpo na mabe nyonso oyo bozalaki kokanisa mpe kosala.
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 Kasi sik’oyo, Nzambe azongisi boyokani kati na Ye mpe bino na nzela ya kufa ya Yesu, Mwana na Ye, oyo akabaki nzoto na Ye ya bomoto lokola mbeka mpo na kotalisa bino epai ya Nzambe lokola bato ya bule, bazanga pamela mpe bazanga mbeba.
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 Kasi bosengeli penza kowumela, kotelema ngwi mpe kolenda kati na kondima na bino; mpe bosengeli koboya kopengwa mosika ya elikya oyo bozwaki wuta tango boyokaki Sango Malamu. Sango Malamu yango esakolamaki kati na bikelamu nyonso oyo ezali na se ya Likolo, mpe ngai Polo nakoma mosali na yango.
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 Nazali sik’oyo kosepela na pasi oyo nazali komona mpo na bino; pamba te pasi oyo Klisto atikalaki komona te, ngai nazali kokokisa yango kati na nzoto na ngai mpo na bolamu ya nzoto na Ye, oyo ezali Lingomba.
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 Nakoma mosali na yango kolanda mokumba oyo Nzambe apesa ngai: mokumba ya koteya bino Liloba na Nzambe na mobimba na yango.
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 Sango Malamu ezali mabombami oyo Nzambe abomba wuta na ebandeli, kasi alakisi yango sik’oyo epai ya basantu na Ye. (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 Nzambe asepeli kolakisa bango bomengo ya nkembo, oyo evandi kati na mabombami ya mabongisi na Ye mpo na Bapagano. Mabombami yango ezali: Klisto kati na bino, elikya ya nkembo.
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 Ezali Ye Klisto nde biso tosakolaka, na kokebisa mpe na koteya moto nyonso, na bwanya nyonso, mpo na kokomisa moto nyonso ya kokoka kati na Klisto.
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 Ezali mpo na yango nde nasalaka mpe nabundaka na nzela ya makasi ya Klisto, oyo esalaka na nguya kati na ngai.
In order that I might [achieve/accomplish this], I am also working very hard, depending on Christ to empowering me very greatly.
