Porque quiero que sepáis qué gran lucha^a tengo por vosotros y por los que están en Laodicea^b, y por todos los que no me han visto en persona¹, 2 para que sean alentados sus corazones^a, y unidos^b en amor, alcancen todas las riquezas^c que proceden de una plena seguridad de comprensión, resultando en un verdadero conocimiento del misterio de Dios^1d, es decir, de Cristo^e, 3 en quien están escondidos todos los tesoros de la sabiduría y del conocimiento^a. 4 Esto lo digo^a para que nadie os engañe con razonamientos persuasivos^1b. 5 Porque aunque estoy ausente en el cuerpo¹, sin embargo estoy con vosotros en espíritu^a, regocijándome al ver² vuestra buena disciplina^3b y la estabilidad⁴ de vuestra fe^c en Cristo.

6 Por tanto, de la manera que recibisteis a Cristo Jesús^a el Señor, así andad¹ en Él^b; 7 firmemente arraigados^a y edificados en Él^b y confirmados en¹ vuestra fe^c, tal como fuisteis instruidos^d, rebosando de² gratitud³.

8 Mirad que nadie os haga cautivos^a por medio de su filosofía y vanas sutilezas, según la tradición de los hombres^b, conforme a los principios¹ elementales del mundo^c y no según Cristo. 9 Porque toda la plenitud de la Deidad reside^a corporalmente en Él, 10 y habéis sido hechos completos¹ en Él^a, que es la cabeza sobre² todo poder y autoridad^b; 11 en Él también fuisteis circuncidados con una circuncisión no hecha por manos^a, al quitar el cuerpo de la carne^b mediante la circuncisión de Cristo; 12 habiendo sido sepultados con Él en el bautismo, en el cual también habéis resucitado con Él^a por la fe en la acción del poder de Dios, que le resucitó de entre los muertos^b. 13 Y cuando estabais muertos en¹ vuestros delitos^a y en la incircuncisión de vuestra carne, os dio vida juntamente con Él, habiéndonos² perdonado todos los delitos^b, 14 habiendo cancelado el documento de deuda que consistía en decretos contra nosotros^a y que nos era adverso, y lo ha quitado de en medio, clavándolo en la cruz^b. 15 Y habiendo despojado^a a¹ los poderes y autoridades^b, hizo de ellos un espectáculo público, triunfando sobre ellos por medio de Él².

16 Por tanto, que nadie se constituya en vuestro juez¹ con respecto a comida o bebida^a, o en cuanto a día de fiesta, o luna nueva, o día de reposo^b; 17 cosas quesolo son sombra de lo que ha de venir^a, pero el cuerpo¹ pertenece a Cristo². 18 Nadie os defraude de vuestro premio^1a deleitándose en la humillación de sí mismo^2b y en la adoración de los ángeles, basándose en las visiones que ha visto, hinchado sin causa^c por su mente carnal^d, 19 pero no asiéndose a la Cabeza^a, de la cual todo el cuerpo, nutrido y unido por las coyunturas y ligamentos¹, crece con un crecimiento^b que es de Dios.

20 Si habéis muerto con Cristo a los principios¹ elementales del mundo^a, ¿por qué, como si aún vivierais en el mundo^b, os sometéis a preceptos tales^c como: 21 no manipules¹, no gustes, no toques 22 (todos los cuales se refieren a cosas destinadas a perecer con el uso^1a), según los preceptos y enseñanzas de los hombres^b? 23 Tales cosas tienen a la verdad, la apariencia de sabiduría en una religión humana¹, en la humillación de sí mismo^2a y en el trato severo del cuerpo^b, pero carecen de valor alguno contra los apetitos de la carne^c.

For I want you to know how great a ^astruggle I have for you and for those believers at ^1bLaodicea, and for all who like yourselves have never seen me face to face. 2 For my hope is that their ^ahearts may be encouraged as they are ^bknit together in unselfish ¹love, so that they may have all ^cthe riches that come from the full assurance of understanding the joy of salvation, resulting in a ^dtrue and more intimate knowledge of the ^2emystery of God, that is, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all ^athe treasures of wisdom and knowledge regarding the word and purposes of God. 4 ^aI say this so that no one will deceive you with ^bpersuasive but thoroughly deceptive arguments. 5 For even though I am ^aabsent from you in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, ¹delighted to see your ^bgood discipline as you stand shoulder to shoulder and form a solid front and to see the ^cstability of your faith in Christ your steadfast reliance on Him and your unwavering confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness.

6 Therefore as you have received ^aChrist Jesus the Lord, ^bwalk in union with Him reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin, 7 having been deeply ^arooted in Him and now being continually ^bbuilt up in Him and becoming increasingly more ^cestablished ¹in your faith, just as you ^dwere taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude.

8 ^aSee to it that no one takes you captive through ^bphilosophy and empty deception pseudo-intellectual babble, according to the tradition and musings of mere men, following the ^1celementary principles of this world, rather than following the truth—the teachings of Christ. 9 For in Him all the ^afullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form completely expressing the divine essence of God. 10 And in Him you have been ^amade complete achieving spiritual stature through Christ, and ^bHe is the head over all ^crule and authority of every angelic and earthly power. 11 In Him ^ayou were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but by the spiritual circumcision of Christ in the stripping off of ^bthe body of the flesh the sinful carnal nature, 12 having been ^aburied with Him in baptism and ^braised with Him to a new life through your faith in the working of God, as displayed when He ^craised Christ from the dead. 13 When you were ^adead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life) , God ^bmade you alive together with Christ, having freely forgiven us all our sins, 14 having canceled out the ^1acertificate of debt consisting of ²legal demands which were in force against us and which were hostile to us. And ^bthis certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross. 15 When He had ^adisarmed the ^brulers and authorities those supernatural forces of evil operating against us, He ^cmade a public example of them exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession, having ^dtriumphed over them through ¹the cross.

16 Therefore let no one ^ajudge you in regard to ^bfood and ^cdrink or in regard to the observance of a ^dfestival or a ^enew moon or a ^fSabbath day. 17 Such things are only ^aa shadow of what is to come and they have only symbolic value; but the substance the reality of what is foreshadowed belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one ^adefraud you of your prize your freedom in Christ and your salvation by ^binsisting on mock humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about visions he claims he has seen to justify his authority, ^cpuffed up in conceit by his ^dunspiritual mind, 19 and not holding fast to ^athe head of the body, Jesus Christ, from whom ^bthe entire body, supplied and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows with the growth that can come only from God.

20 ^aIf you have died with Christ to the ^1belementary principles of the world, ^cwhy, as if you were still living in the world, do you submit to ^drules and regulations, such as, 21 “Do not handle this, do not taste that, do not even touch!”? 22 (^athese things all perish with use)—in accordance with the ^bcommandments and teachings of men. Is 29:13 23 These practices indeed have the appearance that popularly passes as that of wisdom in ^aself-made religion and mock humility and ^bsevere treatment of the body (asceticism) , but are of no value against sinful ^cindulgence because they do not honor God.