⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(A) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(B) rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness^(C) of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head^(D) over every power and authority.^{(E) 11} In him you were also circumcised^(F) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b](G) was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism,^(H) in which you were also raised with him^(I) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(J)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins^(K) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(L) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^{(M) 14} having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(N) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^{(O) 15} And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(P) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(Q) by the cross.^[e]

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden^(A) to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;^{(B) 17} but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,^(C) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”^(D)

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,^{(A) 3} but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”^(B)

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.^{(C) 5} “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,^(D) knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable^(E) for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,^(F) who was with her, and he ate it.^(G)

²² And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us,^(A) knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life^(B) and eat, and live forever.” ²³ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden^(C) to work the ground^(D) from which he had been taken. ²⁴ After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side^[a] of the Garden of Eden^(E) cherubim^(F) and a flaming sword^(G) flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.^(H)