1 T his letter is from Paul, a missionary for Jesus Christ. God wanted me to work for Him. This letter is from brother Timothy also.

Na Paora, i paingia nei e te Atua hei apotoro ma Karaiti Ihu, na to tatou teina hoki, na Timoti,

2 I am writing to you who belong to Christ in the city of Colossae. May all the Christian brothers there have loving-favor and peace from God our Father.

Ki te hunga tapu, ki nga teina whakapono hoki i roto i a te Karaiti, i Korohe: kia tau ki a koutou te aroha noa, me te rangimarie, he mea na te Atua, na to tatou Matua.

3 W e always pray and give thanks to God for you. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tenei matou te whakawhetai atu nei ki te Atua, ara ki te Matua o to tatou Ariki, o Ihu Karaiti, me te inoi tonu ano matou mo koutou,

4 W e give thanks to God for you because we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus. We thank God for your love for all those who belong to Christ.

No matou ka rongo nei ki to koutou whakapono ki a Karaiti Ihu, ki to koutou aroha hoki ki te hunga tapu katoa;

5 W e thank God for the hope that is being kept for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope through the Good News which is the Word of Truth.

Mo te mea e taria atu nei, e takoto mai nei ma koutou i te rangi, ko ta koutou i rongo ai i mua ki te kupu o te pono o te rongopai,

6 T he Good News came to you the same as it is now going out to all the world. Lives are being changed, just as your life was changed the day you heard the Good News. You understood the truth about God’s loving-kindness.

Kua tae atu na ki a koutou; kua whai hua hoki a kua nui haere ki te ao katoa, pena hoki i roto i a koutou, no te ra ano i rongo ai, i matau ai koutou ki te aroha noa o te Atua i roto i te pono.

7 Y ou heard the Good News through our much-loved brother Epaphras who is taking my place. He is a faithful servant of Christ.

I whakaakona atu na hoki koutou ki tena e Epapara, e to matou hoa pononga e arohaina nei; he minita pono nei ia na te Karaiti ki a koutou.

8 H e told us that the Holy Spirit had given you much love.

Nana hoki i whakakite mai ki a matou to koutou aroha i runga i te Wairua.

9 T his is why I have never stopped praying for you since I heard about you. I ask God that you may know what He wants you to do. I ask God to fill you with the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives.

No konei hoki, mai o te ra i rongo ai matou, Kahore e mutu ta matou karakia me ta matou inoi mo koutou, kia whakakiia koutou ki te mohio ki tana e pai ai, i runga i nga whakaaro nui katoa, i te mahara wairua ano hoki;

10 T hen your lives will please the Lord. You will do every kind of good work, and you will know more about God.

Kia tika ai ta koutou haere, kia rite ai ki ta te Ariki, ahuareka rawa, hua rawa i runga i nga mahi pai katoa, tupu tonu i runga i te mohio ki te Atua;

11 I pray that God’s great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up.

Kia whakanuia te kaha hei whakakaha mo koutou, kia rite ki ta te mana o tona kororia, e u tonu ai, e whakamanawanui ai i runga i te hari;

12 I pray that you will be giving thanks to the Father. He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light.

Me te whakawhetai atu ano ki te Matua, nana nei tatou i whai tikanga ai ki tetahi wahi o te kainga o te hunga tapu i roto i te marama.

13 G od took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son.

Nana nei tatou i whakaora mai i te kaha o te pouri, a whakawhitia ake tatou e ia ki te rangatiratanga o tana Tama aroha.

14 W e have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.

Kei roto nei i a ia to tatou whakaoranga i runga i ona toto, ara te murunga o nga hara.

15 C hrist is as God is. God cannot be seen. Christ lived before anything was made.

Ko ia nei te ahua o te Atua e kore nei e kitea atu, ko te whanau matamua o nga mea hanga katoa.

16 C hrist made everything in the heavens and on the earth. He made everything that is seen and things that are not seen. He made all the powers of heaven. Everything was made by Him and for Him.

Nana hoki nga mea katoa i hanga, nga mea i te rangi me nga mea i te whenua, nga mea e kitea ana me nga mea kahore e kitea, ahakoa torona, ahakoa kawanatanga, ahakoa rangatiratanga, ahakoa mana: nana, a mona te hanganga o nga mea katoa.

17 C hrist was before all things. All things are held together by Him.

No mua ano hoki ia i nga mea katoa, nana ano hoki nga mea katoa i mau ai;

18 C hrist is the head of the church which is His body. He is the beginning of all things. He is the first to be raised from the dead. He is to have first place in everything.

Ko ia ano te o te tinana, ara o te hahi: ko ia te timatanga, ko te whanau matamua i roto i te hunga mate; kia waiho ai ia hei tuatahi i roto i nga mea katoa.

19 G od the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son.

Ko ta te Matua tera i pai ai, kia noho te huanga o nga mea katoa ki roto ki a ia;

20 E verything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace.

Kia ma roto ai i a ia he houhanga rongo mo nga mea katoa ki a ia, kua mau nei i a ia te rongo i nga toto o tona ripeka; ae ra ma roto i a ia, ahakoa he mea no te whenua, ahakoa he mea no te rangi.

21 A t one time you were strangers to God and your minds were at war with Him. Your thoughts and actions were wrong.

Me koutou hoki he tangata ke i mua, he hoariri te hinengaro i nga mahi kino, na kua meinga nei e ia kia houhia ta koutou rongo,

22 B ut Christ has brought you back to God by His death on the cross. In this way, Christ can bring you to God, holy and pure and without blame.

I runga i te tinana o tona kikokiko, he mea na te mate; mo koutou ano kia tapaea atu ki tona aroaro, he hunga tapu, kahore nei he koha, kahore he he;

23 T his is for you if you keep the faith. You must not change from what you believe now. You must not leave the hope of the Good News you received. The Good News was preached to you and to all the world. And I, Paul, am one of Christ’s missionaries. Paul Is Sent by God to Preach

Ki te pumau koutou ki te whakapono, u tonu, mau tonu, te taea te whakaneke atu i te tumanako ki ta te rongopai i rongo ai koutou, kua kauwhautia atu nei ki nga mea hanga katoa i raro o te rangi: mo reira nei ahau, a Paora, i meinga ai hei minita.

24 N ow I am full of joy to be suffering for you. In my own body I am doing my share of what has to be done to make Christ’s sufferings complete. This is for His body which is the Church.

Tenei ahau te hari nei ki oku mamae mo koutou, ka kapi hoki i oku kikokiko nga mate o te Karaiti kahore ano i rite noa, hei ea mo tona tinana, ara mo te hahi;

25 I became a preacher in His church for your good. In the plan of God I am to preach the Good News.

Mo reira nei ahau i meinga ai hei minita, rite tonu ki ta te Atua tikanga ki a koutou i homai nei ki ahau, kia whakapaua te kauwhau o te kupu a te Atua,

26 T his great secret was hidden to the people of times past, but it is now made known to those who belong to Christ.

O te mea ngaro i huna i era wa noa atu, i era whakatupuranga; a kua whakakitea inaianei ki tana hunga tapu,

27 G od wants these great riches of the hidden truth to be made known to the people who are not Jews. The secret is this: Christ in you brings hope of all the great things to come.

He meatanga na te Atua, kia whakaaturia ki a ratou te taonga nui o te kororia o tenei mea ngaro ki roto ki nga Tauiwi, ara a te Karaiti i roto i a koutou, e tumanako atu ai ki te kororia:

28 W e preach Christ. We tell every man how he must live. We use wisdom in teaching every man. We do this so every man will be complete in Christ.

E kauwhautia nei e matou, me te whakatupato i nga tangata katoa, me te whakaako i nga tangata katoa i runga i nga whakaaro mohio katoa, kia tapaea atu ai e matou nga tangata katoa, he mea tino tika i roto i a Karaiti Ihu:

29 T his is the reason I am working. God’s great power is working in me.

Ko taku tenei e uaua nei, e tohe nei i runga i tana mahinga e kaha nei te mahi i roto i ahau.