问安

照着神的旨意做基督耶稣使徒的保罗,以及弟兄提摩太

歌罗西的圣徒们,就是在基督里忠心的弟兄:

愿恩典与平安从神我们的父[a]临到你们!

感恩

我们为你们祷告的时候,总是感谢神我们主耶稣基督的父, 因为我们听说了你们在基督耶稣里的信仰,以及对所有圣徒所怀的爱—— 这信心和爱是藉着那为你们存留在天上的盼望,这盼望是你们在传到你们那里的福音真理之话语中所听过的, 正如它在全世界,不断地结果子和扩展[b][c];自从你们在真理中听见并了解神恩典的那一天起,在你们中间也像这一样, 正如你们从蒙爱的人,就是与我们同做奴仆的以帕弗拉那里所学到的;他为你们[d]做了基督忠心的仆人[e] 也把你们在圣灵里的爱告诉了我们。

为属灵增长祈求

为此,我们自从听到这事的那一天起,就不断地为你们祷告和祈求:愿你们藉着一切属灵的智慧和悟性,能被神旨意的真正知识所充满; 10 好让你们行事为人配得上主,凡事蒙他喜悦,在一切美善的工作中结出果子,在神的真正知识上不断长进。 11 愿你们按照他荣耀的权能,藉着一切能力得以刚强,好让你们凡事忍耐宽容,怀着喜乐的心 12 感谢父——他使你们[f]能够分享圣徒们在光明中的继业; 13 他救我们脱离了黑暗的权势,把我们迁入他爱子的国度; 14 在他里面,[g]我们得蒙救赎,罪得赦免。

基督为中心

15 爱子是那不可见之神的形像,
是一切被造之物的长子[h]
16 因为万有都是藉着他造的:
天上和地上的,看得见和看不见的,
无论王位或主权,统治的或掌权的,
一切都是藉着他造的,也是为他而造的,
17 他在万有之先,万有也藉着他而存在,
18 他是身体的头,就是教会的头,
他是元始,是从死人中首先复活的[i]
为要使他能在万有中居首位,
19 因为父[j]乐意使一切的丰盛完美都住在他里面,
20 又藉着他在十字架上所流的血成就了和平,
就是藉着他使万有——无论地上的或天上的——
都与他自己和好了。

21 从前,你们在邪恶的行为中与神[k]隔绝,在意念中与他为敌; 22 但如今,神在基督的血肉之躯上,藉着死使你们与他自己和好了,并且使你们站在他面前,是圣洁、毫无瑕疵、无可指责的。 23 可是你们要持守信仰,立定根基,坚定不移,不要从你们所听到的福音盼望上被挪去。这福音是传给天下万人[l]的,我保罗也成了这福音的仆人[m]

保罗的服事

24 如今我为你们受苦难,感到欢喜;并且我为基督的身体,就是教会,要在我的肉体上补满基督患难的缺欠。 25 神为了你们的缘故赐给了我任务[n],我按照这任务成为教会的仆人[o],为要使神的话语[p]完全传开[q] 26 这话语就是历世历代被隐藏的奥秘,但如今已经显明给他的圣徒们。 27 神愿意在外邦人中,让他们明白什么是这奥秘的荣耀的丰盛;那就是:基督在你们里面,他是荣耀的盼望! 28 我们传扬基督,用一切的智慧劝诫所有人,教导所有人,好让我们使所有的人在基督[r]里成熟[s],能够献给神[t] 29 我也为此劳苦,藉着他在我里面的大能作为而争战。

Footnotes

  1. 歌罗西书 1:2 父——有古抄本作“父和主耶稣基督”。
  2. 歌罗西书 1:6 不断地结果子和扩展——有古抄本作“不断地结果子”。
  3. 歌罗西书 1:6 扩展——原文直译“生长”。
  4. 歌罗西书 1:7 你们——有古抄本作“我们”。
  5. 歌罗西书 1:7 仆人——或译作“执事”。
  6. 歌罗西书 1:12 你们——有古抄本作“我们”。
  7. 歌罗西书 1:14 有古抄本附“藉着他的血,”。
  8. 歌罗西书 1:15 长子——原文直译“首生者”。
  9. 歌罗西书 1:18 首先复活的——原文直译“首生的”或“长子”。
  10. 歌罗西书 1:19 父——原文直译“他”。
  11. 歌罗西书 1:21 与神——辅助词语。
  12. 歌罗西书 1:23 万人——原文直译“一切被造之物”。
  13. 歌罗西书 1:23 仆人——或译作“执事”。
  14. 歌罗西书 1:25 任务——或译作“管家的任务”。
  15. 歌罗西书 1:25 仆人——或译作“执事”。
  16. 歌罗西书 1:25 神的话语——或译作“神的道”。
  17. 歌罗西书 1:25 传开——辅助词语。
  18. 歌罗西书 1:28 基督——有古抄本作“基督耶稣”。
  19. 歌罗西书 1:28 成熟——或译作“完全”。
  20. 歌罗西书 1:28 神——辅助词语。

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,(A) and Timothy(B) our brother:

To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.[a]

Thanksgiving

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth,(C) the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit(D) and growing all over the world,(E) just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate(F) God’s grace.[b](G) You learned this from Epaphras,(H) our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ(I) on your[c] behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.(J)

Prayer for Spiritual Growth

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking(K) that you may be filled with the knowledge(L) of his will(M) in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,[d] 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work(N) and growing in the knowledge of God,(O) 11 being strengthened(P) with all power,(Q) according to his glorious(R) might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[e] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.(S) 13 He has rescued(T) us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom(U) of the Son(V) he loves.(W) 14 In him we have redemption,[f] the forgiveness of sins.

The Centrality of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God,(X)
the firstborn over all creation.(Y)
16 For everything was created by him,(Z)
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.(AA)
17 He is before all things,(AB)
and by him all things(AC) hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,(AD)
the firstborn from the dead,(AE)
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
19 For God was pleased to have
all his fullness(AF) dwell in him,(AG)
20 and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace(AH)
through his blood,(AI) shed on the cross.[g](AJ)

21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death,(AK) to present you holy, faultless,(AL) and blameless before him(AM) 23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith(AN) and are not shifted away from the hope(AO) of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation(AP) under heaven,(AQ) and I, Paul,(AR) have become a servant of it.

Paul’s Ministry

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings(AS) for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body,(AT) that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ(AU) in you, the hope(AV) of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving(AW) with his strength that works powerfully in me.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. 1:2 Other mss add and the Lord Jesus Christ
  2. 1:6 Or and truly recognized God’s grace
  3. 1:7 Other mss read our
  4. 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  5. 1:12 Other mss read us
  6. 1:14 Other mss add through his blood
  7. 1:20 Other mss add through him

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(A)Paul, (B)an apostle of Christ Jesus [a](C)by the will of God, and (D)Timothy [b]our brother,

To the [c](E)saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: (F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

(G)We give thanks to God, (H)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, (I)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the (J)love which you have [d]for (K)all the [e]saints, because of the (L)hope (M)laid up for you in [f]heaven, of which you previously (N)heard in the word of truth, [g]the gospel which has come to you, just as [h](O)in all the world also it is constantly bearing (P)fruit and [i]multiplying, just as it has been doing in you also since the day you (Q)heard and [j]understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from (R)Epaphras, our (S)beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, who also informed us of your (T)love in the Spirit.

For this reason also, (U)since the day we heard, (V)we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the [k](W)full knowledge of His will in all spiritual (X)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may (Y)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [l](Z)to please Him in all respects, (AA)bearing fruit in every good work and [m]multiplying in the [n]full knowledge of God; 11 (AB)being strengthened with all power, according to [o]His glorious might, [p]for the attaining of all steadfastness and [q]patience; (AC)joyously 12 giving thanks to (AD)the Father, who has qualified us [r]to share in (AE)the inheritance of the [s]saints in (AF)light. 13 Who rescued us from the (AG)authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of (AH)the Son of His love, 14 (AI)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Firstborn of All Creation

15 [t]Who is the (AJ)image of the (AK)invisible God, the (AL)firstborn of all creation.
16 For [u](AM)in Him all things were created, (AN)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (AO)thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—(AP)all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 And He [v](AQ)is before all things,
And in Him all things [w]hold together.
18 And He is the (AR)head of (AS)the body, the church;
Who is (AT)the beginning, (AU)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For in Him [x]all (AV)the fullness of God (AW)was pleased to dwell,
20 And through Him to (AX)reconcile all things to Himself, having made (AY)peace through (AZ)the blood of His cross—through Him—(BA)whether things on earth or things in [y]heaven.

21 And although you were (BB)formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, 22 but now He (BC)reconciled you in the (BD)body of His flesh through death, in order to (BE)present you before Him (BF)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [z]the faith firmly (BG)grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the (BH)hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed (BI)in all creation under heaven, (BJ)and of which I, Paul, [aa]was made a [ab](BK)minister.

24 (BL)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and (BM)I fill up what is lacking of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh, on behalf of (BN)His body, which is the church, 25 (BO)of which I [ac]was made a minister according to the (BP)stewardship from God given to me for you, so that I might [ad]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, (BQ)the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His [ae]saints, 27 to whom (BR)God willed to make known what is (BS)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is (BT)Christ in you, the (BU)hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, (BV)admonishing every man and teaching every man [af]with all (BW)wisdom, so that we may (BX)present every man [ag](BY)complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also (BZ)labor, (CA)striving (CB)according to His working, which He works in me in power.

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:1 Lit through
  2. Colossians 1:1 Lit the
  3. Colossians 1:2 Or holy ones
  4. Colossians 1:4 Or toward
  5. Colossians 1:4 Or holy ones
  6. Colossians 1:5 Lit the heavens
  7. Colossians 1:5 Or of the gospel
  8. Colossians 1:6 Or it is in the world
  9. Colossians 1:6 Or growing, cf. 2:19
  10. Colossians 1:6 Or came really to know
  11. Colossians 1:9 Or true knowledge
  12. Colossians 1:10 Lit to all pleasing
  13. Colossians 1:10 Or growing, cf. 2:19
  14. Colossians 1:10 Or true knowledge
  15. Colossians 1:11 Lit the might of His glory
  16. Colossians 1:11 Lit unto all
  17. Colossians 1:11 Or patience with joy
  18. Colossians 1:12 Lit unto the portion of
  19. Colossians 1:12 Or holy ones
  20. Colossians 1:15 vv 15-20 are formatted to show the chiastic structure of the poem
  21. Colossians 1:16 Or by
  22. Colossians 1:17 Or has existed prior to
  23. Colossians 1:17 Or endure
  24. Colossians 1:19 Or God was pleased for all the fullness to dwell
  25. Colossians 1:20 Lit the heavens
  26. Colossians 1:23 Or in faith
  27. Colossians 1:23 Lit became
  28. Colossians 1:23 Or servant
  29. Colossians 1:25 Lit became
  30. Colossians 1:25 Lit make full the word of God
  31. Colossians 1:26 Or holy ones
  32. Colossians 1:28 Lit in
  33. Colossians 1:28 Or perfect