1 For I wish you to know how great a conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be comforted, being united in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of the understanding, to the full knowledge of the secret of the God and Father, and of the Christ, 3 in whom are all the treasures of the wisdom and the knowledge hid, 4 and this I say, that no one may deceive you with enticing words, 5 for if even in the flesh I am absent—yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in regard to Christ; 6 as, then, you received Christ Jesus the LORD, walk in Him, 7 being rooted and built up in Him, and confirmed in the faith, as you were taught—abounding in it in thanksgiving. 8 See that no one will be carrying you away as spoil through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ, 9 because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, 10 and you are made full in Him, who is the head of all principality and authority, 11 in whom you also were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of the Christ, 12 being buried with Him in the immersion, in which you also rose with [Him] through the faith of the working of God, who raised Him out of the dead. 13 And you—being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the trespasses, 14 having blotted out the handwriting in the ordinances that is against us, that was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross; 15 having stripped the principalities and the authorities, He made a show of them openly—having triumphed over them by it. 16 Let no one, then, judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a celebration, or of a new moon, or of Sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of the coming things, but the body [is] of the Christ; 18 let no one deceive you of your prize, delighting in humble-mindedness and [in] worship of the messengers, intruding into the things he has not seen, being vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh, 19 and not holding the Head, from which all the body—gathering supply through the joints and bands, and being knit together—may increase with the increase of God. 20 If, then, you died with the Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as living in the world, are you subject to ordinances— 21 you may not touch, nor taste, nor handle— 22 which are all for destruction with the using, after the commands and teachings of men, 23 which are, indeed, having a matter of wisdom in self-willed religion, and humble-mindedness, and neglecting of body—not of any value to satisfying the flesh.
Colossians · Literal Standard Version
Colossians 2 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (23)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Colossians 1:29; Philippians 1:30; Revelation 3:14–22; Colossians 4:12–13; Revelation 1:11
- 2 Colossians 1:27; Colossians 4:8; Romans 16:25; Colossians 3:14; Ephesians 6:22
- 3 1 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 11:33; 1 Corinthians 2:6–8; 2 Timothy 3:15–17
- 4 1 John 4:1; Ephesians 4:14; Romans 16:18–19; Matthew 24:4; 2 John 7
- 5 1 Corinthians 5:3–4; 1 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Peter 3:17–18; 1 Peter 5:9
- 6 Colossians 1:10; 1 John 2:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Ephesians 5:1–2; Galatians 2:20
- 7 Ephesians 3:17; Jeremiah 17:8; Ephesians 2:20–22; John 15:4–5; Colossians 1:23
- 8 1 Timothy 6:20; Ephesians 5:6; Matthew 7:15; Galatians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 3:18–19
- 9 Colossians 1:19; John 1:14; John 10:30; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 14:9–10
- 10 Ephesians 3:19; Colossians 1:16–18; 1 Corinthians 1:30–31; 1 Peter 3:22; Ephesians 1:20–23
- 11 Romans 2:29; Philippians 3:3; Romans 6:6; Deuteronomy 30:6; Galatians 5:24
- 12 Romans 6:3–5; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21; Ephesians 2:4–6; Colossians 3:1–2
- 13 Ephesians 2:5–6; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Hebrews 9:14
- 14 Ephesians 2:14–16; Isaiah 44:22; Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:13; 1 Peter 2:24
- 15 Hebrews 2:14; Ephesians 4:8; Matthew 12:29; John 12:31–32; Isaiah 53:12
- 16 Romans 14:5–6; Romans 14:10; Galatians 4:10; Romans 14:13–17; Romans 14:2–3
- 17 Hebrews 10:1; Hebrews 8:5; John 1:17; Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 4:1–11
- 18 Colossians 2:8; 1 John 4:1–2; Colossians 2:23; 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 Timothy 1:7
- 19 Ephesians 4:15–16; John 15:4–6; 1 Timothy 2:4–6; Romans 12:4–5; 1 Peter 3:8
- 20 Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:14; Colossians 2:16; Galatians 4:3; Romans 7:4–6
- 21 1 Timothy 4:3; Isaiah 52:11; Genesis 3:3; 2 Corinthians 6:17
- 22 Isaiah 29:13; Titus 1:14; 1 Corinthians 6:13; Mark 7:18–19; Mark 7:7–13
- 23 1 Timothy 4:8; Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:22; Colossians 2:18; Matthew 23:27–28
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Again, he takes hold on them beforehand with their own testimony, saying, "As therefore ye received." We introduce no strange addition, he saith, neither do ye. "Walk ye in Him," for He is the Way that leadeth to the Father: not in the Angels; this way leadeth not thither.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
And they state that it was clearly on this account that Paul said, "And He Himself is all things;" and again, "All things are to Him, and of Him are all things;" and further, "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead;" and yet again, "All things are gathered together by God in Christ." Thus do they interpret these …
… Thy Spirit, by Thy good and pious servant: "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: for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." And since at that time (as Thou, O Light of my heart, knowest) the words …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
For not otherwise than by the cross did He effect this; as Paul likewise said: "And the handwriting which was contrary to us, even it He took out of the way, nailing it to His cross." And his saying too, "He shall baptize you with the Spirit," is that of one who was foretelling the events after the resurrection.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
A most precious possession therefore is the knowledge of doctrines: also there is need of a wakeful soul, since there are many that make spoil through philosophy and vain deceit.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)