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34 ¶ Nou menm moun tout nasyon yo, pwoche pou n' koute! Tout pèp sou latè, louvri zòrèy nou! Se pou tout moun ansanm ak tout bagay ki sou latè yo koute!

Seyè a fache sou tout nasyon yo nèt, ansanm ak lame sòlda yo. Li kondannen yo tout pou yo mouri, pou yo touye yo tankou bèt y'ap ofri pou touye pou li.

Yo p'ap antere kadav moun mouri yo. Y'ap kite yo pouri santi. Tout mòn yo pral wouj ak san.

Tou sa ki nan syèl la, solèy, lalin ak zetwal yo, pral disparèt. Yo pral woule syèl la tankou yon woulo papye pote ale. Tou sa ki nan syèl la pral tonbe tankou fèy pye rezen ak fèy pye fig frans lè y'ap jete fèy.

Nan syèl la, nepe Seyè a mande san. Men l'ap desann sou peyi Edon an pou l' pini moun mwen menm, Seyè a, mwen te kondannen pou mouri.

Nepe Seyè a pral benyen ak san yo tankou san mouton ak san bouk yo touye pou li. Li pral kouvri ak grès tankou grès wonyon belye yo touye pou li. Yo pral fè yon ofrann bèt pou Seyè a lavil Bozra. Yo pral fè yon gwo masak nan peyi Edon.

Moun pral mouri tankou gwo towo bèf mawon ak jenn ti towo. Tè a pral plen san, li pral kouvri ak grès.

Paske, se jou Seyè a pral pran revanj li sou lènmi peyi Siyon yo. Se jou li pral fè yo peye sa yo te fè a, pou l' ka delivre moun Siyon yo.

¶ Tout dlo larivyè nan peyi Edon pral tounen goudwon. Pousyè tè a ap tounen souf. Tout peyi a pral boule tankou goudwon.

10 L'ap boule lajounen kou lannwit. Lafimen pral soti ladan l' tout tan san rete. Tè a ap tounen savann pou tout tan tout tan. Moun p'ap janm pase la ankò.

11 Se la koukou ak frize pral fè nich yo. Se la kaou ak malfini pral rete. Seyè a pral fè l' tounen yon dezè san anyen ladan li.

12 P'ap gen grannèg pou chwazi wa ankò pou gouvènen peyi a, tout chèf yo ap disparèt.

13 Pikan pral pouse nan tout palè l' yo, kwòkachen ak chadwon pral pouse nan tout fò yo. Se la chen mawon pral rete. Se la otrich pral fè nich yo.

14 Bèt k'ap viv nan dezè yo pral kontre ak chen mawon. Mal yo, yonn pral rele lòt. Se la lagrandyab la pral rete. Se la l'a jwenn yon kote pou l' poze kò l'.

15 Se la koulèv pral fè nich yo, se la y'ap ponn. Se la y'ap kouve ze yo, se la y'ap okipe pitit yo. Se la malfini karanklou yo pral sanble.

16 Ale gade nan liv Bondye a. Li sa ki ladan l'. Pa manke yon sèl nan tout bèt li kreye yo. Yo yonn pa pèdi parèy yo. Se Seyè a menm ki bay lòd sa a. Se lespri li k'ap mete yo ansanm yonn ak lòt.

17 Se li menm menm ki pral separe tè a ba yo chak pòsyon pa yo. Y'ap rete nan peyi a pou tout tan. Peyi a va rele yo pa yo jouk sa kaba.

35 ¶ Dezè ak tè sèk pral kontan yon sèl kontan. Savann yo pral kontan tou, yo pral fleri.

Dezè pral kouvri ak flè, yo pral fè fèt. Yo pral chante. Yo pral gen gwo pyebwa tankou mòn Liban. Yo pral plen bèl pyebwa tankou mòn Kamèl ak mòn Sawon. Tout moun va wè gwo pouvwa Seyè a. Y'a wè bèl bagay Bondye nou an fè.

Ankouraje moun ki febli yo! Soutni moun ki gen jenou yo ap tranble!

Pale ak moun ki dekouraje yo. Di yo konsa: Pran kouraj! Pa pè! Men Bondye nou an ap vini! Li pral tire revanj sou lènmi nou yo, li pral fè yo peye sa yo fè. Se limenm menm ki pral fè sa pou l' ka delivre nou.

¶ Je avèg yo pral louvri. Zòrèy moun soudè yo pral debouche.

Moun enfim nan pye yo pral sote ponpe tankou kabrit. Lang bèbè yo pral lage. Yo pral chante. Sous dlo pral pete toupatou nan tout dezè. Dlo pral koule nan tout savann.

Kote sab la te cho a pral tounen yon letan. Tè sèk yo pral plen sous dlo. Kote chen mawon te konn rete a se la wozo ak jon pral pouse an kantite.

Pral gen yon bèl wout pase la. Y'ap rele l': Wout Bondye a! Moun k'ap fè sa ki mal p'ap pase nan wout sa a. Se va sèlman pou moun ki mache dwat yo. Wi, pou yo ase. Ankenn bakoulou p'ap ka detounen moun k'ap swiv chemen sa a.

P'ap gen lyon sou wout sa a. P'ap gen bèt bwa k'ap pase la. Se moun Seyè a delivre ase ki pral vwayaje sou li. P'ap gen lòt moun ankò!

10 Moun Seyè a te delivre yo pral tounen. Y'ap rive lavil Siyon ak chante nan bouch yo, ak kè kontan make sou figi yo. Tout moun pral kontan, yo pral fè fèt. Moun p'ap nan lapenn. Ou p'ap tande plenyen ankò!

36 ¶ Ezekyas te gen katòzan depi li t'ap gouvènen peyi Jida lè Senakerib, wa peyi Lasiri, vin atake tout lavil nan peyi Jida ki te gen gwo ranpa pou pwoteje yo. Li pran yo.

Apre sa, li bay chèf gad palè li a lòd pou li kite lavil lakis ak yon gwo lame pou l' moute lavil Jerizalèm ale bò kote wa Ezekyas. Chèf gad palè a rive sou wout ki mennen nan jaden kote yo rense twal ki fenk tenn yo, li moute kan li toupre gwo kannal ki bay dlo nan sitèn anwo lavil la.

Twa moun Jida soti vin jwenn li. Se te Elyakim, pitit Ilkija a, ki te chèf moun k'ap travay nan palè a, Chebna, sekretè a, ak Joak, pitit Asaf la, ki te reskonsab achiv leta a.

Chèf gad palè wa Lasiri a di yo konsa: -Ale di wa Ezekyas men mesaj gran wa a, wa peyi Lasiri a, voye ba li: Poukisa ou gen tout konfyans sa a?

Ou konprann ou ka fè lagè ak bèl pawòl ase san ou pa bezwen entèlijans ak bon sòlda? Sou ki moun ou apiye kò ou pou ou kenbe tèt ak mwen konsa?

Ou al mete konfyans ou nan peyi Lejip! Yon baton wozo tou kase! Anvan ou apiye sou li, l'ap antre nan men ou, l'ap blese ou. Farawon an, wa peyi Lejip ou wè a, se konsa li ye pou tout moun ki fè l' konfyans.

Nou pral di m' koulye a se nan Seyè a, Bondye nou an, nou mete konfyans nou! Atò, se pa kote nou te mete apa pou li yo ansanm ak tout lotèl li yo wa Ezekyas te fè disparèt nan peyi a, lèfini li mande pou tout moun peyi Jida ak moun lavil Jerizalèm vin adore devan yon sèl lotèl la?

Antann nou avèk mèt mwen an, wa peyi Lasiri a. Lèfini, m'ap ban nou demil chwal si nou ka jwenn demil sòlda pou moute yo.

Ou pa menm gen moun ase pou bat yonn nan pi piti chèf ki sou lòd wa mwen an! Epi, se sou peyi Lejip w'ap konte jwenn cha lagè ak kavalye pou fè lagè!

10 Epitou, pa konprann se san konsantman Seyè a mwen vin atake peyi a pou m' detwi l'. Se Seyè a menm ki di m' vin atake peyi ou la pou m' detwi l'.

11 ¶ Lè sa a, Elyakim, Chebna ansanm ak Joak di chèf gad palè a: -Tanpri, mèt. Pale lang arameyen ak nou. Nou konprann lang sa a. Men pa pale ebre. Tout moun ki sou miray la ap koute.

12 Men chèf gad palè a di yo an ebre: -An! Nou konprann se avè wa nou an ansanm ak nou twa la a ase wa mwen an voye m' vin pale pawòl sa yo? Non. Se ak tout moun ki chita sou miray la menm m'ap pale. Yo menm tou pral manje poupou yo, yo pral bwè pipi yo ansanm ak nou!

13 Lè sa a, chèf gad palè a kanpe, li pran pale byen fò an ebre, li di: -Koute sa gran wa a, wa peyi Lasiri a, voye di nou:

14 Li voye di nou pa kite Ezekyas twonpe nou. Li pa ka sove nou tande!

15 Pa kite l' pran tèt nou lè l'ap di nou nou mèt sèten Seyè a pral sove nou, li p'ap lage lavil la nan men wa peyi Lasiri a.

16 Pa koute wa Ezekyas! Wa peyi Lasiri a mande pou nou fè lapè avè l', pou nou rann tèt nou ba li. Konsa, nou tout n'a manje rezen nan jaden rezen nou, n'a manje fig frans nan pye fig frans nou, n'a bwè dlo nan pi nou.

17 Lè wa a va vin isit la, l'a pran nou, l'a mennen nou nan yon lòt peyi ki tankou peyi pa nou an, yon peyi kote ki gen anpil ble pou fè farin ak anpil rezen pou fè diven.

18 Pa kite Ezekyas pran tèt nou pou nou kwè Seyè a va delivre nou. Eske bondye lòt nasyon yo te delivre yo anba men wa peyi Lasiri a?

19 Kote bondye moun Amat yo ak bondye moun Apad yo? Kote bondye moun Sefavayim yo? Eske yo te sove peyi Samari anba men l'?

20 Nan tout bondye sa yo, kilès ki te rive sove yonn nan peyi sa yo anba men l'? Atò, se Seyè a ki ta ka sove lavil Jerizalèm anba men l'?

21 Men pèp la pa louvri bouch li reponn. Yo pa di yon mo paske wa a te bay lòd pou pesonn pa reponn.

22 Apre sa, Elyakim, pitit Ilkiya a, ki te chèf moun k'ap travay nan palè a, Chebna, sekretè a, ak Joak, pitit Asaf la, ki te reskonsab achiv leta a, chire rad sou yo sitèlman sa te fè yo lapenn. Yo tounen al jwenn Ezekyas, yo rapòte l' tou sa chèf gad palè wa Lasiri a te di.

Judgment Against the Nations

34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(A)
    pay attention, you peoples!(B)
Let the earth(C) hear, and all that is in it,
    the world, and all that comes out of it!(D)
The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath(E) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[a](F) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.(G)
Their slain(H) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies(I) will stink;(J)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(K)
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(L)
    and the heavens rolled up(M) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(N)
    like withered(O) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

My sword(P) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(Q)
    the people I have totally destroyed.(R)
The sword(S) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(T) in Bozrah(U)
    and a great slaughter(V) in the land of Edom.
And the wild oxen(W) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.(X)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(Y)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

For the Lord has a day(Z) of vengeance,(AA)
    a year of retribution,(AB) to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;(AC)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(AD) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.(AE)
From generation to generation(AF) it will lie desolate;(AG)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[b](AH) and screech owl[c] will possess it;
    the great owl[d] and the raven(AI) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(AJ)
    the measuring line of chaos(AK)
    and the plumb line(AL) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes(AM) will vanish(AN) away.
13 Thorns(AO) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.(AP)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(AQ)
    a home for owls.(AR)
14 Desert creatures(AS) will meet with hyenas,(AT)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(AU) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;(AV)
there also the falcons(AW) will gather,
    each with its mate.

16 Look in the scroll(AX) of the Lord and read:

None of these will be missing,(AY)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(AZ) that has given the order,(BA)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(BB)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.(BC)

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert(BD) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(BE)
Like the crocus,(BF) it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(BG)
The glory of Lebanon(BH) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel(BI) and Sharon;(BJ)
they will see the glory(BK) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.(BL)

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees(BM) that give way;
say(BN) to those with fearful hearts,(BO)
    “Be strong, do not fear;(BP)
your God will come,(BQ)
    he will come with vengeance;(BR)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save(BS) you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(BT)
    and the ears of the deaf(BU) unstopped.
Then will the lame(BV) leap like a deer,(BW)
    and the mute tongue(BX) shout for joy.(BY)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams(BZ) in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground(CA) bubbling springs.(CB)
In the haunts where jackals(CC) once lay,
    grass and reeds(CD) and papyrus will grow.

And a highway(CE) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;(CF)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(CG) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion(CH) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;(CI)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(CJ) will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued(CK) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(CL)
    everlasting joy(CM) will crown their heads.
Gladness(CN) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(CO)

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(CP)

36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s(CQ) reign, Sennacherib(CR) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(CS) Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish(CT) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,(CU) Eliakim(CV) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,(CW) Shebna(CX) the secretary,(CY) and Joah(CZ) son of Asaph the recorder(DA) went out to him.

The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel(DB) against me? Look, I know you are depending(DC) on Egypt,(DD) that splintered reed(DE) of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, “We are depending(DF) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(DG) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(DH)

“‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses(DI)—if you can put riders on them! How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt(DJ) for chariots(DK) and horsemen[e]?(DL) 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told(DM) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah(DN) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(DO) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

12 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?(DP)

13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,(DQ) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!(DR) 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(DS) you. He cannot deliver you! 15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver(DT) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’(DU)

16 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(DV) and drink water from your own cistern,(DW) 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own(DX)—a land of grain and new wine,(DY) a land of bread and vineyards.

18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?(DZ) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?(EA) Have they rescued Samaria(EB) from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods(EC) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(ED)

21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”(EE)

22 Then Eliakim(EF) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder(EG) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(EH) and told him what the field commander had said.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
  2. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  3. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  5. Isaiah 36:9 Or charioteers

¶ Mwen vle fè nou konnen ki kalite batay m'ap mennen pou nou, pou tout moun ki nan lavil Lawodise ak pou tout lòt moun yo ki poko konn figi mwen.

M'ap goumen pou yo ka gen fòs ak kouraj plen kè yo, pou yo fè yonn nan renmen Bondye a, pou yo gen yon bon konprann k'ap ba yo anpil konfyans devan Bondye. Konsa yo menm tou, y'a konnen sekrè travay Bondye a, ki vle di Kris la.

Se nan li tout richès ki nan bon konprann ak konesans Bondye a kache.

¶ Mwen di nou sa pou nou pa kite pesonn twonpe nou ak yon bann pawòl ki sanble verite.

Paske, si mwen pa la avèk nou nan kò m', mwen la nan lespri mwen. Mwen kontan wè jan nou rete nan lòd, jan nou kenbe fèm nan konfyans nou gen nan Kris la.

Se konsa, nou menm ki asepte Kris la pou Seyè nou an, se pou nou viv yon jan ki dakò ak li.

Se pou nou anrasinen nan li, se pou nou bati tout lavi nou sou li. Kenbe pi fèm toujou nan konfyans nou gen nan li, jan yo te moutre nou sa, san nou pa janm sispann di Bondye mèsi.

Fè atansyon pou nou pa kite pesonn twonpe nou ak bèl diskou filozòf yo, ak diskisyon ki pa vo anyen. Bagay sa yo soti nan koutim lèzòm, nan jan yo konprann bagay ki nan lemonn. Yo pa soti nan Kris la.

Se nan lavi Kris la t'ap mennen nan kò li a nou jwenn tou sa Bondye ye.

10 Nou menm tou, Bondye la nan tout lavi nou, paske n'ap viv nan Kris la ki chèf tout lespri ki gen otorite ak pouvwa.

11 Nou menm k'ap viv ansanm nan Kris la, nou te sikonsi tou. Men, se pa t' moun ki te sikonsi nou. Sikonsizyon sa a soti nan Kris la ki delivre nou anba pouvwa lachè ki t'ap fè nou fè sa ki mal.

12 Wi, lè yo te batize nou, nou te antere ansanm ak Kris la. Apre sa, nou leve soti vivan ansanm avè l' tou, paske nou te kwè nan pouvwa Bondye ki te fè l' leve soti vivan nan lanmò.

13 ¶ Nan tan lontan, nou te mouri paske nou t'ap viv nan peche nou yo, paske nou pa t' sikonsi nan kò nou dapre lalwa Moyiz. Men koulye a, gremesi Kris la, Bondye ban nou lavi ankò, li padonen tout peche nou yo.

14 Li chire papye kote tou sa nou te dwe l' yo ekri a. Papye sa a te kondannen nou devan lalwa. Kris la detwi l' nèt lè li kloure l' sou kwa a.

15 Avèk Kris la ki mouri sou kwa a, Bondye wete tout pouvwa ak tout otorite lespri yo te genyen nan lemonn. Li fè tout moun wè sa yo ye. Li fè yo mache tankou prizonye devan Kris la ki te genyen batay la.

16 ¶ Se sak fè, pa kite pesonn kritike nou pou sa n'ap manje, pou sa n'ap bwè, pou jou nou mete apa pou fè fèt, pou fèt lalin nouvèl, osinon pou jou repo.

17 Tou sa se lonbraj bagay ki te gen pou vini yo; bagay tout bon yo se nan Kris la yo ye.

18 Se poutèt sa, moun nou wè k'ap sèvi zanj epi ki swadizan p'ap vante tèt yo, pa kite moun konsa konprann pou yo wete rekonpans nou nan men nou. Moun konsa toujou ap rakonte vizyon yo te fè. Pou anyen, yo gonfle ak lògèy poutèt yon bann lide lèzòm yo mete nan tèt yo.

19 Moun konsa p'ap viv ansanm ak Kris la ki tèt kò a. Se Kris la k'ap nouri tout kò a, k'ap kenbe l' byen kanpe ak tout jwenti l' ak tout venn li yo byen solid. Se li menm k'ap fè l' grandi jan Bondye vle l' la.

20 Se konsa, si nou mouri ansanm ak Kris la ki te delivre nou anba pouvwa lespri k'ap donminen nan lemonn yo, poukisa pou n'ap viv tankou si nou te toujou anba pouvwa ki nan lemonn yo? Poukisa pou nou kite yo soumèt nou anba prensip tankou sa ki di:

21 pa pran sa, pa goute sa, pa manyen sa?

22 Tout bagay sa yo, fini ou fin fè yo, yo pa fè anyen pou ou. Se lèzòm ki mande bagay konsa, se yo ki moutre bagay sa yo.

23 Se vre, bagay sa yo sanble yo bon, paske sa mande moun anpil volonte pou yo pran pòz sèvi zanj yo konsa, pou yo pran pòz pa vante tèt yo, pou yo fè bagay pou swadizan kraze pouvwa lachè nan kò yo. Men, tou sa pa vo anyen. Paske, atousa, yo pa ka rive donmennen egzijans lachè a.

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. My 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, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.(E) I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.(F) For 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

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

See 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.

For in Christ all the fullness(P) of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head(Q) over every power and authority.(R) 11 In 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, 12 having 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)

13 When 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) 14 having 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) 15 And 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

16 Therefore 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) 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come;(AJ) the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do 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. 19 They 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)

20 Since 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!”? 22 These 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) 23 Such 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

  1. Colossians 2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20
  2. 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.
  3. Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
  4. Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
  5. Colossians 2:15 Or them in him