Colossians 2

1 I want for you to know how great a struggle I am having (for *N+kO) you and those in Laodicea and as many as not have seen the face of me in [the] flesh,

I want you to know how hard I'm working for you, and for those at Laodicea—in fact for all those who haven't met me personally—

2 that may be encouraged the hearts of them (being knit together *N+kO) in love and to (all *N+kO) (the *o) (richness *N+kO) of the full assurance of understanding to [the] knowledge of the mystery of God (and *K) (Father *KO) (and *K) (the *KO) Christ,

so that you may be encouraged. May you be bound together in love, experiencing the great benefit of being completely sure in your understanding, for this is what the true knowledge of God brings. May you know the revealed mystery of God, which is Christ!

3 in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge hidden;

In him you can discover all the rich wisdom and knowledge of God.

4 This (now *ko) I say so that (no one *N+kO) you may delude by persuasive speech;

I'm telling you this so that no one will fool you by spinning you a tale.

5 If truly even in the flesh I am absent, yet in spirit with you I am, rejoicing and seeing your good order and the firmness of the in Christ faith of you.

Even though I'm not physically there with you, I'm with you in spirit. I'm so happy to see the way you stick together and how firm you are in your trust in Christ.

6 Just as therefore you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, in Him do walk

Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, go on following him,

7 rooted and being built up in Him and being strengthened in (in *ko) the faith even as you were taught, abounding (in to her *ko) with thanksgiving.

grounded in him and built up by him. May your trust in him continue to grow strong, following what you were taught, full of gratitude to God.

8 do take heed lest anyone you there will be who is taking captive through philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men, according to the principles of the world and not according to Christ;

Watch out that nobody enslaves you through their philosophy and worthless delusions, following human traditions and concepts of this world, and not following Christ.

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Deity bodily,

For the fullness of God's divine nature lives in Christ in bodily form,

10 and you are in Him completed, who is the head of all rule and authority;

and you have been made full in him. He is supreme over every ruler and authority.

11 in whom also you were circumcised with [the] circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body (of the sins *K) of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

You were “circumcised” in him but not by human hands. You have been set free from sinful human nature by the “circumcision” Christ performed.

12 having been buried with Him in (baptism *N+kO) in which also you were raised with [Him] through the faith of the working of God the [One who] having raised Him out from (the *k) dead.

You were buried with him in baptism, and you were raised with him through your trust in what God did by raising him from the dead.

13 And you dead being in the trespasses and in the uncircumcision of the flesh of you, He made alive together (you *NO) with Him having forgiven us all the transgressions;

And even though you were dead because of your sins and being physically “uncircumcised,” he brought you to life together with him. He has forgiven us all our sins.

14 having blotted out the against us handwriting in the decrees which was adverse to us, and it He has taken out of the way having nailed it to the cross;

He wiped out the record of our debts according to the Law that was written down against us; he took away this barrier by nailing it to the cross.

15 Having disarmed the rulers and the authorities He disgraced [them] in public, having triumphed over them in it.

He stripped away the power of spiritual rulers and authorities, and having publicly revealed what they were truly like, he led them captive behind him in victory.

16 Not therefore anyone you should judge in regard to food (or *N+kO) in regard to drink or in regard to a feast or a New Moon or Sabbaths,

So don't let anyone criticize you for what you eat or what you drink, or regarding which religious festival, new moon ritual, or ceremonial sabbaths you choose to observe.

17 which are a shadow of the [things] coming, the however body [is] of Christ.

These are just a shadow of what was to come, for the physical reality is Christ.

18 No one you should disqualify delighting in humility and [the] worship of the angels, which (not *K) he has seen detailing vainly being puffed up by the mind of the flesh of him,

Don't let anyone cheat you out of your prize by insisting you have to beat yourself, or worship angels. They think they are better than anyone else because of visions they say they've had, and become ridiculously conceited in their sinful minds.

19 and not holding fast to the head from whom all the body through the joints and ligaments being supplied and being knit together it increases with the increase of God.

Such people are not connected to the head that directs the body, nourished and joined together through the body's sinews and muscles. As the body is united together it grows the way God wants it to grow.

20 If (therefore *K) you have died with Christ away from the principles of the world, why as if living in [the] world do you submit to decrees?

If you died with Christ to the religious demands that this world insists upon, why would you make yourself subject to such demands as if you were still part of this world?

21 Not you may handle Not you may taste Not you may touch!

Things like: don't handle that, don't taste that, don't touch that!

22 which are all unto decay with the use according to the commandments and teachings of men;

These commands refer to things that don't last since they're used up, and they're based on man-made requirements and teachings.

23 which are an appearance indeed having of wisdom with self-imposed worship and with humility and with harsh treatment of [the] body, not of honor a certain against [the] indulgence of the flesh.

Such rules may make some kind of sense to those who practice self-centered piety, who are so proud of being humble, and who “mortify the body;” but in reality they don't help at all in dealing with sinful desires.