Colossians 2

I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.

فَإِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ تَعْلَمُوا مِقْدَارَ جِهَادِي لأَجْلِكُمْ وَلأَجْلِ الَّذِينَ فِي مَدِينَةِ لاوُدِكِيَّةَ، وَلأَجْلِ جَمِيعِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْرِفُونَنِي بِالْوَجْهِ،

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

بِغَرَضِ أَنْ تَتَشَجَّعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَتَكُونَ كُلُّهَا مُتَّحِدَةً فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ، لِبُلُوغِ الإِدْرَاكِ التَّامِّ بِكُلِّ غِنَاهُ، لِمَعْرِفَةِ سِرِّ اللهِ، أَيِ الْمَسِيحِ،

in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

الْمَخْزُونَةِ فِيهِ كُنُوزُ الْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ كُلُّهَا.

I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

أَقُولُ هَذَا حَتَّى لَا يُضَلِّلَكُمْ أَحَدٌ بِكَلامٍ خَدَّاعٍ.

For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

فَمَعَ أَنِّي فِي الْجَسَدِ غَائِبٌ، إِلّا أَنِّي فِي الرُّوحِ حَاضِرٌ مَعَكُمْ، أَفْرَحُ إِذْ أُشَاهِدُ تَرْتِيبَكُمْ وَثَبَاتَكُمْ فِي الإِيمَانِ بِالْمَسِيحِ.

الحرية في المسيح

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

فَمِثْلَمَا قَبِلْتُمُ الْمَسِيحَ يَسُوعَ الرَّبَّ، فَفِيهِ اسْلُكُوا

rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

وَأَنْتُمْ مُتَأَصِّلُونَ وَمَبْنِيُّونَ فِيهِ وَرَاسِخُونَ فِي الإِيمَانِ الْمُوَافِقِ لِمَا تَعَلَّمْتُمْ وَفَائِضُونَ بِالشُّكْرِ.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world rather than on Christ.

احْذَرُوا أَنْ يُوقِعَكُمْ أَحَدٌ فَرِيسَةً بِالْفَلْسَفَةِ وَالْغُرُورِ الْبَاطِلِ، عَمَلاً بِتَقَالِيدِ النَّاسِ وَأَرْكَانِ الْعَالَمِ؛ مِمَّا لَا يُوَافِقُ الْمَسِيحَ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

فَفِيهِ، جَسَدِيًّا، يَحِلُّ اللهُ بِكُلِّ مِلْئِهِ،

and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

وَأَنْتُمْ مُكَمَّلُونَ فِيهِ. فَهُوَ رَأْسُ كُلِّ رَئَاسَةٍ وَسُلْطَةٍ؛

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b] was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ,

وَفِيهِ أَيْضاً خُتِنْتُمْ أَنْتُمْ خِتَاناً لَمْ تُجْرِهِ الأَيْدِي، إِذْ نُزِعَ عَنْكُمْ جَسَدُ الْخَطَايَا الْبَشَرِيُّ وَهَذَا هُوَ خِتَانُ الْمَسِيحِ:

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

فَقَدْ دُفِنْتُمْ مَعَهُ فِي الْمَعْمُودِيَّةِ، وَفِيهَا أَيْضاً أُقِمْتُمْ مَعَهُ، عَنْ طَرِيقِ إِيمَانِكُمْ بِقُدْرَةِ اللهِ الَّذِي أَقَامَهُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الأَمْوَاتِ.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

فَأَنْتُمْ، إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتاً فِي الْخَطَايَا وَعَدَمِ خِتَانِكُمُ الْجَسَدِيِّ، أَحْيَاكُمْ جَمِيعاً مَعَهُ؛ مُسَامِحاً لَنَا جَمِيعاً بِالْخَطَايَا كُلِّهَا.

having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

إِذْ قَدْ مَحَا صَكَّ الْفَرَائِضِ الْمَكْتُوبَ عَلَيْنَا وَالْمُنَاقِضَ لِمَصْلَحَتِنَا، بَلْ إِنَّهُ قَدْ أَزَالَهُ مِنَ الْوَسَطِ، مُسَمِّراً إِيَّاهُ عَلَى الصَّلِيبِ.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.^[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

وَإِذْ نَزَعَ سِلاحَ الرِّئَاسَاتِ وَالسُّلُطَاتِ، فَضَحَهُمْ جَهَاراً فِيهِ، وَسَاقَهُمْ فِي مَوْكِبِهِ ظَافِراً عَلَيْهِمْ.

الحرية من قوانين البشر

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

فَلا يَحْكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدٌ فِي قَضِيَّةِ الأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ، أَوْ فِي الْقَضَايَا الْمُتَعَلِّقَةِ بِالأَعْيَادِ وَرُؤُوسِ الشُّهُورِ وَالسُّبُوتِ؛

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

فَهَذِهِ كَانَتْ ظِلالاً لِمَا سَيَأْتِي، أَيْ لِلْحَقِيقَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ الْمَسِيحُ.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.

لَا يَحْرِمْكُمْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ جَائِزَتِكُمْ، بِحَمْلِكُمْ عَلَى مَا يَرْغَبُ فِيهِ مِنْ إِظْهَارِ التَّوَاضُعِ وَالتَّعَبُّدِ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ، دَاخِلاً فِي رُؤى يَتَوَهَّمُهَا، وَقَدْ نَفَخَهُ بَاطِلاً ذِهْنُهُ الْجَسَدِيُّ،

They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

وَهُوَ غَيْرُ مُمْسِكٍ بِالرَّأْسِ الَّذِي مِنْهُ يَتَلَقَّى الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ غِذَاءَهُ وَتَمَاسُكَهُ بِالْمَفَاصِلِ وَالأَوْصَالِ، فَيَنْمُو النُّمُوَّ الَّذِي يَمْنَحُهُ اللهُ.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:

فَمَادُمْتُمْ قَدْ مُتُّمْ مَعَ الْمَسِيحِ بِالنِّسْبَةِ لأَرْكَانِ الْعَالَمِ، فَلِمَاذَا، كَمَا لَوْ كُنْتُمْ عَائِشِينَ فِي الْعَالَمِ، تُخْضِعُونَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لِفَرَائِضَ مِثْلِ هذِهِ:

“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?

لَا تُمْسِكْ، لَا تَذُقْ، لَا تَلْمَسْ

These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.

وَهذِهِ أَشْيَاءُ تُسْتَهْلَكُ وَتَزُولُ. فَتِلْكَ الْفَرَائِضُ هِيَ وَصَايَا الْبَشَرِ وَتَعَالِيمُهُمْ.

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

لَهَا مَظَاهِرُ الْحِكْمَةِ لِمَا فِيهَا مِنْ إِفْرَاطٍ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ الْمُصْطَنَعَةِ، وَإِذْلالٍ لِلذَّاتِ، وَقَهْرٍ لِلْجَسَدِ؛ أُمُورٌ لَا قِيمَةَ لَهَا، وَمَا هِيَ إِلّا لإِرْضَاءِ الْمُيُولِ الْبَشَرِيَّةِ.