Christ, The Mystery Of God
1 For I want you to know what a fight I am putting up for you and for our brothers in Laodicea, and for all who do not know me personally,
1 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;
1 For I want you to know how great a (A)struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at (B)Laodicea, and for all those who have not (a)personally seen my face,
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle(A) I have for you, for those in Laodicea,(B) and for all who have not seen me in person.
1 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.
2 that your hearts may be cheered. I want you to be united by love, and to have all the benefit of assured knowledge in coming to know Christ??3 that divine mystery in which all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found.
2 That 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;
2 that their (C)hearts may be encouraged, having been (D)knit together in love, and attaining 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,
2 I want their hearts to be encouraged(C) and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery(D)—Christ.(a)(E)
2 Because they are united in love, I pray that their hearts may be encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of the full knowledge of the Messiah, who is the mystery of God.
Christ Versus The Colossian Heresy
4 For though I am absent from you in person I am with you in spirit, and I am glad to observe your harmony and the solidity of your faith in Christ.
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments.
4 I say this so that no one will mislead you with nice-sounding rhetoric.
Made Alive In Christ
5 So just as you once accepted the Christ, Jesus, as your Lord, you must live in vital union with him.
5 For 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.
5 For even though I am (K)absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing (c)to see (d)your (L)good discipline and the (M)stability of your faith in Christ.
5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit,(H) rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.
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 is.
6 You must be rooted and built up in him and made strong in faith, just as you were taught to be, overflowing with it in your gratitude.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
6 So then, just as you have received the Messiah Jesus the Lord, continue to live dependent on him.
Beware Of Requirements Invented By Humans
7 Take care that nobody exploits you through the pretensions of philosophy, guided by human tradition, following material ways of looking at things, instead of following Christ.
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
7 having been firmly (P)rooted and now being (Q)built up in Him and (R)established (f)in your faith, just as you (S)were instructed, and overflowing (g)with gratitude.
7 rooted and built up in Him(K) and established in the faith, just as you were taught,(L) overflowing with gratitude.
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 For it is in him that all the fulness of God's nature lives embodied,
8 Beware 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.
8 (T)See to it that no one takes you captive through (U)philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the (V)elementary principles of the world, (h)rather than according to Christ.
8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition,(M) based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.(N)
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, and not according to the Messiah,
10 Through your relation to him you have received not a physical circumcision, but a circumcision effected by Christ, in stripping you of your material nature,
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
10 and in Him you have been (X)made (i)complete, and (Y)He is the head (j)over all (Z)rule and authority;
10 And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
11 when in your baptism you were buried with him, and raised to life with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.
11 In 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:
11 and in Him (AA)you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of (AB)the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
11 You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh,(Q) in the circumcision of the Messiah.(d)(R)
11 In union with him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without human hands by stripping off the corrupt nature by the circumcision performed by the Messiah.
12 Yes, you who were dead through your misdeeds and physically uncircumcised, God raised to life with Christ. He forgave us all our misdeeds,
12 Buried 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.
12 having been (AC)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also (AD)raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who (AE)raised Him from the dead.
12 Having been buried with Him(S) in baptism, you were also raised with Him(T) through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.(U)
12 When you were buried with the Messiah in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 canceled the bond which stood against us, with its requirements, and put it out of our way when he nailed it to the cross.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
13 When you were (AF)dead (k)in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He (AG)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses.
13 Even when you were dead because of your offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with him when he forgave us all of our offenses,
14 He disarmed the principalities and dominions and displayed them openly, triumphing over them through him.
14 Blotting 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;
14 having canceled out (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.
14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross.(V)
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.
Do Not Be Judged By Human Religious Rules
15 So no one can call you to account for what you eat or drink, or do about annual or monthly feasts or Sabbaths.
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
15 When He had (l)(AJ)disarmed the (AK)rulers and authorities, He (AL)made a public display of them, having (AM)triumphed over them through (m)Him.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.(e)(W)
15 And when he had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.
16 That was all only the shadow of something that was to follow; the reality is found in Christ.
16 Let 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:
16 Therefore no one is to (n)(AN)act as your judge in regard to (AO)food or (AP)drink or in respect to a (AQ)festival or a (AR)new moon or a (AS)Sabbath (o)day—
16 Therefore, don’t let anyone judge(X) you in regard to food and drink(Y) or in the matter of a festival or a new moon(Z) or a Sabbath day.(f)
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.
17 No one can put you in the wrong by persisting in studied humility and the worship of angels, being absorbed in the visions he has seen, and groundlessly conceited over his mere human mind.
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
17 things which are (AT)a mere shadow of what is to come; but the (p)substance (q)belongs to Christ.
17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Messiah.
18 Such people lose their connection with the head, from which the whole body through its ligaments and sinews must be governed and united if it is to grow in the divine way.
18 Let 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,
18 Let no one keep (r)(AU)defrauding you of your prize by (AV)delighting in (s)self-abasement and the worship of the angels, (t)taking his stand on visions he has seen, (u)(AW)inflated without cause by his (AX)fleshly mind,
18 Let no one disqualify you,(h)(AD) insisting on ascetic practices(AE) and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated(AF) without cause by his unspiritual(i) mind.
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. Such a person is puffed up for no reason by his carnal mind.
19 If you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things, why do you act as though you still belonged to the world, and submit to rules like
19 And 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.
19 and not holding fast to (AY)the head, from whom (AZ)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and (v)ligaments, grows with a growth (w)which is from God.
19 He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body,(AG) nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, develops with growth from God.
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.
20 "You must not handle," "You must not taste," "You must not touch"??22 referring to things that are all meant to be used up and destroyed? This is to follow mere human rules and regulations.
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
20 (BA)If you have died with Christ (x)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,
20 If you died with the Messiah(AH) to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations:
20 If you have died with the Messiah to the basic principles of the world, why are you submitting to its decrees as though you still lived in the world?
21 Such practices pass for wisdom, with their self-imposed devotions, their self-humiliation, and their ascetic discipline, but they carry with them no real distinction, they are really only a catering to the flesh.
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
21 “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”?
21 "Don't handle this! Don't taste or touch that!"