Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Colossians 2
Close NASB

Colossians 2
New American Standard Bible

You Are Built Up in Christ

2 For I want you to know how great a (A)struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at (B)Laodicea, and for all those who have not [a]personally seen my face, 2 that their (C)hearts may be encouraged, having been (D)knit together in love, and that they would attain to all (E)the wealth [b]that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a (F)true knowledge of (G)God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all (H)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 (I)I say this so that no one will deceive you with (J)persuasive arguments. 5 For even though I am (K)absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing [c]to see [d]your (L)orderly manner and the (M)stability of your faith in Christ.

6 Therefore, as you have received (N)Christ Jesus the Lord, so [e](O)walk in Him, 7 having been firmly (P)rooted and now being (Q)built up in Him and (R)established [f]in [g]your faith, just as you (S)were instructed, and overflowing [h]with gratitude.

8 (T)See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through (U)philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the (V)elementary principles of the world, [i]rather than in accordance with Christ. 9 For in Him all the (W)fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been (X)made [j]complete, and (Y)He is the head [k]over every (Z)ruler and authority; 11 and in Him (AA)you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of (AB)the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been (AC)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also (AD)raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who (AE)raised Him from the dead. 13 And [l]when you were (AF)dead [m]in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He (AG)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled (AH)the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and (AI)He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had [n](AJ)disarmed the (AK)rulers and authorities, He (AL)made a public display of them, having (AM)triumphed over them through [o]Him.

16 Therefore, no one is to [p](AN)act as your judge in regard to (AO)food and (AP)drink, or in respect to a (AQ)festival or a (AR)new moon, or a (AS)Sabbath [q]day— 17 things which are only a (AT)shadow of what is to come; but the [r]substance [s]belongs to Christ. 18 Take care that no one keeps [t](AU)defrauding you of your prize by (AV)delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, [u]taking his stand on visions he has seen, [v](AW)inflated without cause by his (AX)fleshly mind, 19 and not holding firmly to (AY)the head, from whom (AZ)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and [w]ligaments, grows with a growth [x]which is from God.

20 (BA)If you have died with Christ [y]to the (BB)elementary principles of the world, (BC)why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to (BD)decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer (BE)to things destined to perish [z]with use)—in accordance with the (BF)commandments and teachings of man? 23 These are matters which do have the [aa]appearance of wisdom in [ab](BG)self-made religion and humility and (BH)severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against (BI)fleshly indulgence.

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:1 Lit in the flesh
  2. Colossians 2:2 Lit of the full assurance
  3. Colossians 2:5 Lit and seeing
  4. Colossians 2:5 Or your good order
  5. Colossians 2:6 Or lead your life
  6. Colossians 2:7 Or by
  7. Colossians 2:7 Or the faith
  8. Colossians 2:7 One early ms in it with
  9. Colossians 2:8 Lit and not
  10. Colossians 2:10 Lit full
  11. Colossians 2:10 Lit of
  12. Colossians 2:13 Or although
  13. Colossians 2:13 Or by reason of
  14. Colossians 2:15 Or divested Himself of
  15. Colossians 2:15 Or it; i.e., the cross
  16. Colossians 2:16 Lit judge you
  17. Colossians 2:16 Or days
  18. Colossians 2:17 Lit body
  19. Colossians 2:17 Lit of Christ
  20. Colossians 2:18 Or deciding against you
  21. Colossians 2:18 Or going into detail about
  22. Colossians 2:18 Or conceited
  23. Colossians 2:19 Lit bonds
  24. Colossians 2:19 Lit of God
  25. Colossians 2:20 Lit from
  26. Colossians 2:22 Or by being consumed
  27. Colossians 2:23 Lit report; Gr logos
  28. Colossians 2:23 Or would-be religion
Close ISV

Colossians 2
International Standard Version

2 For I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have never seen me face to face.[a] 2 Because they are united in love, I pray[b] that their hearts may be encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of the full knowledge of the Messiah,[c] who is[d] the mystery of God. 3 In him are stored all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will mislead you with nice-sounding rhetoric. 5 For although I am physically absent, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how stable you are and how firm your faith in the Messiah[e] is.

Fullness of Life

6 So then, just as you have received the Messiah[f] Jesus the Lord, continue to live dependent on him. 7 For you have been rooted in him and are being built up and strengthened in the faith, just as you were taught, while you continue to be thankful. 8 See to it that no one enslaves you through philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the basic principles of the world,[g] and not according to the Messiah,[h] 9 because all the essence[i] of deity inhabits him in bodily form. 10 And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. 11 In union with him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without human[j] hands by stripping off the corrupt nature by the circumcision performed by the Messiah.[k] 12 When you were buried with the Messiah[l] in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 Even when you were dead because of your offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God[m] made you alive with him when he forgave us all of our offenses, 14 having erased the charges that were brought against us, along with their obligations that were hostile to us. He took those charges away when he nailed them to the cross. 15 And when he had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.[n]

16 Therefore, let no one judge you in matters of food and drink or with respect to a festival, a New Moon, or Sabbath days.[o] 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality[p] belongs to the Messiah.[q] 18 Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels cheat you out of the prize by rejoicing about what he has seen.[r] Such a person is puffed up for no reason by his carnal mind. 19 He does not hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, which is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God enables it.

The New Life in the Messiah

20 If you have died with the Messiah[s] to the basic principles of the world,[t] why are you submitting to its decrees as though you still lived in the world? 21 “Don’t handle this! Don’t taste or touch that!” 22 All of these things will be destroyed as they are used, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 These things have the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion, humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they have no value against self-indulgence.

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:1 Lit. my face in the flesh
  2. Colossians 2:2 The Gk. lacks I pray
  3. Colossians 2:2 Or Christ
  4. Colossians 2:2 The Gk. lacks who is
  5. Colossians 2:5 Or Christ
  6. Colossians 2:6 Or Christ
  7. Colossians 2:8 Or the elemental spirits of the universe
  8. Colossians 2:8 Or Christ
  9. Colossians 2:9 Lit. all of the fullness
  10. Colossians 2:11 The Gk. lacks human
  11. Colossians 2:11 Or Christ
  12. Colossians 2:12 Lit. with him
  13. Colossians 2:13 Lit. he
  14. Colossians 2:15 Lit. in it
  15. Colossians 2:16 Lit. or Sabbaths
  16. Colossians 2:17 Or substance
  17. Colossians 2:17 Or Christ
  18. Colossians 2:18 Other mss. read what he has not seen
  19. Colossians 2:20 Or Christ
  20. Colossians 2:20 Or the elemental spirits of the universe
Next
Colossians 1
Colossians 3
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

ISV Bible