Colossians 2
1 For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I would have you know what a great conflict I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen me in person:
2 So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ,
that their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love, and to all the riches of a full assurance of understanding in these things, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of our God and Father, and of Christ:
3 In whom are all the secret stores of wisdom and knowledge.
in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I say this so that you may not be turned away by any deceit of words.
And this I say, least any one should deceive you with fine speeches.
5 For though I am not present in the flesh, still I am with you in the spirit, seeing with joy your order, and your unchanging faith in Christ.
For though I be absent in body, yet am I with you in spirit, rejoicing and beholding your regularity, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As, then, you took Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on in him,
Therefore as ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him;
7 Rooted and based together in him, strong in the faith which the teaching gave you, giving praise to God at all times.
rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught it, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Take care that no one takes you away by force, through man's wisdom and deceit, going after the beliefs of men and the theories of the world, and not after Christ:
Take heed least any one make a prey of you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ:
9 For in him all the wealth of God's being has a living form,
for all the fulness of the deity dwelleth personally in Him.
10 And you are complete in him, who is the head of all rule and authority:
And ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
11 In whom you had a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision not performed by hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision which is of Christ:
12 Having been put to death with him in baptism, by which you came to life again with him, through faith in the working of God, who made him come back from the dead.
being buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are raised together with Him, through faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead through your sins and the evil condition of your flesh, to you, I say, he gave life together with him, and forgiveness of all our sins;
And when ye were dead in trespasses, and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 Having put an end to the handwriting of the law which was against us, taking it out of the way by nailing it to his cross;
and cancelled the obligation we were under by ritual decrees, which was grievous to us, and hath taken it quite away, even nailing it to his cross.
15 Having made himself free from the rule of authorities and powers, he put them openly to shame, glorying over them in it.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made them an open spectacle, triumphing over them by it.
16 For this reason let no man be your judge in any question of food or drink or feast days or new moons or Sabbaths:
Let no one therefore judge you on account of meat, or drink, or in respect of a feast, or a new-moon, or sabbaths;
17 For these are an image of the things which are to come; but the body is Christ's.
which are a shadow of good things to come, but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man take your reward from you by consciously making little of himself and giving worship to angels; having his thoughts fixed on the things which he has seen, being foolishly lifted up in his natural mind,
Let no one deprive you of your reward by an affected humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into what he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his carnal mind;
19 And not joined to the Head, from whom all the body, being given strength and kept together through its joins and bands, has its growth with the increase of God.
and not adhering to the head, from which all the body, being supplied and held together as by joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God.
20 If you were made free, by your death with Christ, from the rules of the world, why do you put yourselves under the authority of orders
If therefore ye be dead with Christ from the elements of the world; why, as if living in the world, are ye subject to ceremonial ordinances,
21 Which say there may be no touching, tasting, or taking in your hands,
(such as "touch not, taste not,
22 (Rules which are all to come to an end with their use) after the orders and teaching of men?
handle not," which all tend to corruption in the using, ) according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
23 These things seem to have a sort of wisdom in self-ordered worship and making little of oneself, and being cruel to the body, not honouring it by giving it its natural use.
which things indeed have a pretence to wisdom in voluntary worship, and humiliation, and bodily penance, as having no regard to the satisfying of the flesh.
