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Colossians 2:18-23
New American Standard Bible
Colossians 2:18-23
New American Standard Bible
18 Take care that no one keeps [a](A)defrauding you of your prize by (B)delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, [b]taking his stand on visions he has seen, [c](C)inflated without cause by his (D)fleshly mind, 19 and not holding firmly to (E)the head, from whom (F)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and [d]ligaments, grows with a growth [e]which is from God.
20 (G)If you have died with Christ [f]to the (H)elementary principles of the world, (I)why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to (J)decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer (K)to things destined to perish [g]with use)—in accordance with the (L)commandments and teachings of man? 23 These are matters which do have the [h]appearance of wisdom in [i](M)self-made religion and humility and (N)severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against (O)fleshly indulgence.
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- Colossians 2:18 Or deciding against you
- Colossians 2:18 Or going into detail about
- Colossians 2:18 Or conceited
- Colossians 2:19 Lit bonds
- Colossians 2:19 Lit of God
- Colossians 2:20 Lit from
- Colossians 2:22 Or by being consumed
- Colossians 2:23 Lit report; Gr logos
- Colossians 2:23 Or would-be religion
Colossians 2:18-23
New International Version
Colossians 2:18-23
New International Version
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility(A) and the worship of angels disqualify you.(B) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head,(C) from whom the whole body,(D) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.(E)
20 Since you died with Christ(F) to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,(G) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:(H) 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish(I) with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.(J) 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility(K) and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Colossians 2:18-23
Contemporary English Version
Colossians 2:18-23
Contemporary English Version
18 Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels.[a] They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. 19 (A) They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God.
Christ Brings New Life
20 You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe[b] don't have any power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey such rules as, 21 “Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't touch this.”? 22 After these things are used, they are no longer good for anything. So why be bothered with the rules that humans have made up? 23 Obeying these rules may seem to be the smart thing to do. They appear to make you love God more and to be very humble and to have control over your body. But they don't really have any power over our desires.
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Colossians 2:18-23
The Message
Colossians 2:18-23
The Message
18-19 Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are. They’re completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
20-23 So, then, if with Christ you’ve put all that puffed-up and childish religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? “Don’t touch this! Don’t taste that! Don’t go near this!” Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and austere. But they’re just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
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New International Version (NIV) 
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Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson