^4 (A)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

⁶ I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,^[a] that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may ^(A)be puffed up in favor of one against another.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

^23 (A)One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples ^(B)began to pluck heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, ^(C)why are they doing ^(D)what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ²⁵ And he said to them, ^(E)“Have you never read ^(F)what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: ²⁶ how he entered the house of God, in the time of^{[a] (G)}Abiathar the high priest, and ate ^(H)the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” ²⁷ And he said to them, ^(I)“The Sabbath was made for man, ^(J)not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So ^(K)the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by ^(A)philosophy and ^(B)empty deceit, according to ^(C)human tradition, according to the ^(D)elemental spirits^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ.

Let No One Disqualify You

¹⁶ Therefore let no one ^(A)pass judgment on you ^(B)in questions of food and drink, or with regard to ^(C)a festival or ^(D)a new moon or a Sabbath. ^17 (E)These are a shadow of the things to come, but ^(F)the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one ^(G)disqualify you, ^(H)insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, ^(I)going on in detail about visions,^{[a] (J)}puffed up without reason by ^(K)his sensuous mind, ¹⁹ and ^(L)not ^(M)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.

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