Colossians 2

King James Version

2 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

²That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

³In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

⁵For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

⁶As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

⁷Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

⁹For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

¹⁰And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

¹¹In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

¹²Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

¹³And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

¹⁴Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

¹⁵And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

¹⁷Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

¹⁸Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

¹⁹And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

²⁰Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

²¹(Touch not; taste not; handle not;

²²Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

²³Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Colossians 2

EasyEnglish Bible

2 I want you to know that I am doing a difficult work on your behalf. I am also working to help the people at Laodicea and other people who have never met me. ²I want all the believers to become strong in their spirits. I want them to help each other because they love one another. Then God will bless them very much, because they understand God's secret message very well. They will be completely sure of it. And they will know Christ himself, who is God's secret. ³Christ is the one who holds everything that makes people wise. He helps people to know the true message that God had hidden.

⁴I am telling you these things so that false teachers will not deceive you. They may teach ideas that seem good, but do not listen to them. ⁵My body is not there with you, but I think about you a lot. I hear that you are living and working well together. I also hear that you continue to trust Christ strongly. That makes me very happy.

How Christians should live

⁶You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. So remember that you belong to him as you live your lives. ⁷Get your strength from Christ himself, so that you become stronger and stronger.^[a] Continue to believe the true message that we taught you. And thank God very much for everything.

⁸Be careful that you do not believe any false teachers. The ideas that they teach may seem clever. But they really want to deceive you. They are ideas that have come from the human minds of our ancestors. Or ideas that come from spirits that belong to this world. They are not the true message about Christ. ⁹The whole nature of God himself lives in Christ, in his human body. ¹⁰And because you are united with Christ, you are now complete. He is the one who rules over everything that has power or authority.

¹¹Also, because you are united with Christ, you truly belong to God's people. No person has circumcised you to show this. It is like Christ himself has circumcised you, to show that you belong to God. It is like he has cut off your old nature which made you do bad things.^[b] ¹²When they baptized you, it was like God buried you with Christ.^[c] And God also raised you to a new life with Christ. You believed that God has great power to do that. You believed that God raised Jesus to life after he died. Because you believed, God raised you to have a new life.

¹³At one time, you were dead in your spirits, because of the wrong things that you did. God had not cut off your old nature. You did not belong to his people. But now God has caused you to become alive with Christ. He has forgiven us for all the wrong things that we have done. ¹⁴We are guilty of many wrong things that are against God's laws. But Christ died on the cross on our behalf. He paid the debt of our sins. It is like he has destroyed the list of all the debts that we should pay to God. ¹⁵On the cross, Christ took away the power of the bad spirits that have authority to rule people. He showed clearly that he himself has won against them. Now everyone can see that those bad spirits have no power.

Do not obey human ideas

¹⁶Some people may tell you that it is wrong for you to eat or to drink certain things. Or they make rules about special festival days, about new moons, or about the Jewish days for rest. Do not agree with people like that. ¹⁷Rules like that are only like shadows of real things that would happen later. But now we have what is real, Christ himself!

¹⁸Some people may tell you that you must always serve other people like a slave. They may tell you that you must worship angels. Do not let those people speak bad things against you. They like to talk a lot about the special things that God has shown them. They think that they are very clever. But their ideas only come from human minds. ¹⁹False teachers like that do not receive their message from Christ. As God's people, we are like a body and Christ is like our head. He is the one who causes the whole body to be strong. He helps us to work well together, like the different parts of a body. Then we can all grow properly, because it is God who is helping us to grow.

²⁰Remember that your old nature has died with Christ. So the powerful spirits that rule this world no longer have any authority over you. You do not need to serve them, because you do not belong to this world now. You do not need to obey their rules. ²¹They teach, ‘Do not touch things like that!’ Or, ‘Do not eat that kind of food!’ Or, ‘Keep away from that thing!’ ²²Rules like that are only about things that spoil when you use them.^[d] They are rules that come from human ideas. ²³They teach you ideas about what you must do to worship God. They teach you to serve other people like a slave. They say that you must hurt yourself. You must show that you control your body. Rules like that may seem to be wise, but really they are not worth anything. They cannot stop our weak human nature from doing the bad things that we want to do.

Footnotes

2:7 When Christians are united to Christ, he makes them grow stronger in their spirits.
2:11 Paul says that Christians have something better than a mark on their bodies. The Israelites circumcised their boys to show that they belonged to God's people. But Christians are God's people because Christ died to save them and has given them a new life. It is like he has circumcised them in their spirits, not in their bodies. He has ‘cut off’ their old nature. They are free to do things which please God.
2:12 Baptism shows what God has done when we believe in Jesus. We have been united with Christ. Our old life has died and God has given us a new life. When Christ died and they buried him, it is like our old nature also died with him. When God raised Christ after death, it is like he raised us to a new life. This is all true if we are united with Christ as believers. Then, what happened to him also happened to us. Now we have a new nature and a new life, because Christ died as a sacrifice on our behalf and he rose again after death. See also Romans 6:1-4.
2:22 Many of these rules were about what kinds of food people could eat. When we have eaten food, it is no longer there. These kinds of rules do not help us with the really important things. The important things are always there and they never finish. Our new life with God will never finish.

Colossians 2

New King James Version

Not Philosophy but Christ

2 For I want you to know what a great ^(A)conflict^[a] I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, ²that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, ^[b]both of the Father and of Christ, ³^(B)in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴Now this I say ^(C)lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. ⁵For ^(D)though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[c]to see ^(E)your good order and the ^(F)steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

⁶^(G)As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷^(H)rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding ^[d]in it with thanksgiving.

⁸Beware lest anyone ^[e]cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to ^(I)the tradition of men, according to the ^(J)basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹For ^(K)in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead ^[f]bodily; ¹⁰and you are complete in Him, who is the ^(L)head of all ^[g]principality and power.

Not Legalism but Christ

¹¹In Him you were also ^(M)circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by ^(N)putting off the body ^[h]of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹²^(O)buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through ^(P)faith in the working of God, ^(Q)who raised Him from the dead. ¹³And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴^(R)having wiped out the ^[i]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵^(S)Having disarmed ^(T)principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶So let no one ^(U)judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a ^[j]festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷^(V)which are a shadow of things to come, but the ^[k]substance is of Christ. ¹⁸Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has ^[l]not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹and not holding fast to ^(W)the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, ^(X)grows with the increase that is from God.

²⁰^[m]Therefore, if you ^(Y)died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, ^(Z)why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— ²¹^(AA)“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” ²²which all concern things which perish with the using—^(AB)according to the commandments and doctrines of men? ²³^(AC)These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and ^[n]neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Footnotes

Colossians 2:1 struggle
Colossians 2:2 NU omits both of the Father and
Colossians 2:5 Lit. and seeing
Colossians 2:7 NU omits in it
Colossians 2:8 Lit. plunder you or take you captive
Colossians 2:9 in bodily form
Colossians 2:10 rule and authority
Colossians 2:11 NU omits of the sins
Colossians 2:14 certificate of debt with its
Colossians 2:16 feast day
Colossians 2:17 Lit. body
Colossians 2:18 NU omits not
Colossians 2:20 NU, M omit Therefore
Colossians 2:23 severe treatment, asceticism

Colossians 2

New International Version

2 I want you to know how hard I am contending^(A) for you and for those at Laodicea,^(B) and for all who have not met me personally. ²My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart^(C) and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery^(D) of God, namely, Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.^(E) ⁴I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.^(F) ⁵For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit^(G) and delight to see how disciplined^(H) you are and how firm^(I) your faith in Christ^(J) is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

⁶So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,^(K) continue to live your lives in him, ⁷rooted^(L) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,^(M) and overflowing with thankfulness.

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

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

¹³When you were dead in your sins^(X) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(Y) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^(Z) ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(AA) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^(AB) ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(AC) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(AD) by the cross.^[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

¹⁶Therefore do not let anyone judge you^(AE) by what you eat or drink,^(AF) or with regard to a religious festival,^(AG) a New Moon celebration^(AH) or a Sabbath day.^(AI) ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come;^(AJ) the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸Do not let anyone who delights in false humility^(AK) and the worship of angels disqualify you.^(AL) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. ¹⁹They have lost connection with the head,^(AM) from whom the whole body,^(AN) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.^(AO)

²⁰Since you died with Christ^(AP) to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,^(AQ) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:^(AR) ²¹“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? ²²These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish^(AS) with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.^(AT) ²³Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility^(AU) and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Footnotes

Colossians 2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20
Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
Colossians 2:15 Or them in him

Colossians 2

English Standard Version

2 For I want you to know ^(A)how great a ^(B)struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, ²that ^(C)their hearts may be encouraged, being ^(D)knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of ^(E)God's mystery, which is Christ, ³^(F)in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴I say this in order ^(G)that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. ⁵For ^(H)though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your ^(I)good order and ^(J)the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Alive in Christ

⁶^(K)Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷^(L)rooted and ^(M)built up in him and ^(N)established in the faith, just ^(O)as you were taught, abounding ^(P)in thanksgiving.

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive by ^(Q)philosophy and ^(R)empty deceit, according to ^(S)human tradition, according to the ^(T)elemental spirits^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹For ^(U)in him the whole fullness of deity dwells ^(V)bodily, ¹⁰and ^(W)you have been filled in him, who is ^(X)the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹In him also ^(Y)you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by ^(Z)putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹²^(AA)having been buried with him in baptism, in which ^(AB)you were also raised with him through faith in ^(AC)the powerful working of God, ^(AD)who raised him from the dead. ¹³^(AE)And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God ^(AF)made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴by ^(AG)canceling ^(AH)the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵^(AI)He disarmed the rulers and authorities^[b] and ^(AJ)put them to open shame, by ^(AK)triumphing over them in him.^[c]

Let No One Disqualify You

¹⁶Therefore let no one ^(AL)pass judgment on you ^(AM)in questions of food and drink, or with regard to ^(AN)a festival or ^(AO)a new moon or a Sabbath. ¹⁷^(AP)These are a shadow of the things to come, but ^(AQ)the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸Let no one ^(AR)disqualify you, ^(AS)insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, ^(AT)going on in detail about visions,^[d] ^(AU)puffed up without reason by ^(AV)his sensuous mind, ¹⁹and ^(AW)not ^(AX)holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

²⁰If with Christ ^(AY)you died to the ^(AZ)elemental spirits of the world, ^(BA)why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ²¹^(BB)“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” ²²(^(BC)referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to ^(BD)human precepts and teachings? ²³These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in ^(BE)promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are ^(BF)of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Footnotes

Colossians 2:8 Or elementary principles; also verse 20
Colossians 2:15 Probably demonic rulers and authorities
Colossians 2:15 Or in it (that is, the cross)
Colossians 2:18 Or about the things he has seen

King James Version (KJV)

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EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)

New King James Version (NKJV)

New International Version (NIV)

Colossians 2

King James Version