1 For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh;

2 So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ,

3 In whom are all the secret stores of wisdom and knowledge.

4 I say this so that you may not be turned away by any deceit of words.

5 For though I am not present in the flesh, still I am with you in the spirit, seeing with joy your order, and your unchanging faith in Christ.

6 As, then, you took Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on in him,

7 Rooted and based together in him, strong in the faith which the teaching gave you, giving praise to God at all times.

8 Take care that no one takes you away by force, through man's wisdom and deceit, going after the beliefs of men and the theories of the world, and not after Christ:

9 For in him all the wealth of God's being has a living form,

10 And you are complete in him, who is the head of all rule and authority:

11 In whom you had a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;

12 Having been put to death with him in baptism, by which you came to life again with him, through faith in the working of God, who made him come back from the dead.

13 And you, being dead through your sins and the evil condition of your flesh, to you, I say, he gave life together with him, and forgiveness of all our sins;

14 Having put an end to the handwriting of the law which was against us, taking it out of the way by nailing it to his cross;

15 Having made himself free from the rule of authorities and powers, he put them openly to shame, glorying over them in it.

16 For this reason let no man be your judge in any question of food or drink or feast days or new moons or Sabbaths:

17 For these are an image of the things which are to come; but the body is Christ's.

18 Let no man take your reward from you by consciously making little of himself and giving worship to angels; having his thoughts fixed on the things which he has seen, being foolishly lifted up in his natural mind,

19 And not joined to the Head, from whom all the body, being given strength and kept together through its joins and bands, has its growth with the increase of God.

20 If you were made free, by your death with Christ, from the rules of the world, why do you put yourselves under the authority of orders

21 Which say there may be no touching, tasting, or taking in your hands,

22 (Rules which are all to come to an end with their use) after the orders and teaching of men?

23 These things seem to have a sort of wisdom in self-ordered worship and making little of oneself, and being cruel to the body, not honouring it by giving it its natural use.

1 E mea ana hoki ahau kia mohio koutou ki te nui o toku uaua mo koutou, mo te hunga ano hoki o Raorikia, a mo te hunga katoa hoki kahore nei i kite noa i toku mata i te kikokiko;

2 Kia whakamarietia o ratou ngakau, kia tuhonohonoa i runga i te aroha, kia taea ai nga taonga katoa o te tino whakaunga o te ngakau mahara, kia matau ai ratou ki te mea ngaro a te Atua, ara ki a te Karaiti;

3 Kei roto nei i a ia nga taonga katoa o te mahara, o te matauranga e huna ana.

4 Na i korero ai ahau i tenei, kei kumea ketia koutou e te korero reka a te tangata.

5 No te mea ahakoa kei tawhiti toku kikokiko, kei a koutou na toku wairua, e hari ana, e titiro ana ki a koutou ritenga tika, ki te u ano hoki o to koutou whakapono ki a te Karaiti.

6 Na, kua riro na te Ariki, a Karaiti Ihu i a koutou, kia pena ano ta koutou haere i roto i a ia;

7 Kia whai pakiaka, ano he whare i hanga ki runga ki a ia, whakapumau rawa ki runga ki to koutou whakapono, kia pera me koutou i whakaakona ra, kia hira rawa ai te whakawhetai.

8 Kia tupato kei roro parau koutou i to te tangata whakaaro mohio, i te tinihanga huakore, e rite nei ki te whakarerenga iho a te tangata, ki nga mea timatanga o te ao, a kahore ki a te Karaiti.

9 Kei roto katoa hoki i a ia te tino o te Atua e noho a tinana ana.

10 A kua tino tangata ano koutou i roto i a ia, ko te nei ia o nga rangatiratanga, o nga mana katoa;

11 He mea kokoti koutou i roto i a ia, he kotinga kihai i meatia e te ringaringa, i te unuhanga atu i te tinana o nga hara o te kikokiko, i to te Karaiti kotinga;

12 He mea tanu tahi koutou me ia i te iriiringa, he mea whakaara ngatahi ano hoki me ia i reira, no te mea ka whakapono nei ki te mahi a te Atua, nana nei ia i whakaara ake i te hunga mate.

13 He tupapaku na hoki koutou i nga he, i te kotingakore hoki o to koutou kikokiko, na, whakaorangia ngatahitia ana koutou me ia, he mea whakarere noa atu nana o koutou he katoa;

14 Murua ake e ia nga tikanga i tuhituhia e te ringaringa, nga tikanga i hoariri ki a tatou, i tu ke mai i a tatou; tangohia ake e ia ki rahaki, he mea titi nana ki te ripeka;

15 Pauhua ake e ia ki raro nga rangatiratanga me nga mana, whakakitea nuitia ana e ia, a waiho ana e ia taua ripeka hei mea whakataka mana i a ratou.

16 Na, kaua tetahi e whakawa i a koutou mo te kai, mo te inu, mo nga meatanga ki te hakari, ki te kowhititanga marama, ki nga hapati;

17 He atarangi enei no nga mea i kiia e puta ana i muri; no te Karaiti ia te tinana.

18 Kei riro ta koutou taonga i te maminga a te tangata e mea ana ki te whakaiti i a ia, ki te karakia ki nga anahera, ka noho i roto i nga mea e kitea ana e ia, ka whakapehapeha kau noa, he mea na tona ngakau kikokiko;

19 A kahore e mau ki te Upoko, no roto nei i a ia te tinana katoa, he mea atawhai, he mea tuhonohono e nga hononga, e nga here, ka tupu ai, he tupu na te Atua.

20 Ki te mea kua tupapaku ngatahi koutou ko te Karaiti ki nga mea timatanga o te ao, he aha koutou, ano e ora ana ki te ao, ka pupuri tonu ai i nga tikanga,

21 Kei pa ringaringa, kei pa kai, kei rahurahu;

22 He mea pirau katoa nei aua mea i te meatanga iho ano, he whakahau, he ako na te tangata?

23 Ko te ahua o aua mea i whakaritea ki to te whakaaro nui, he karakia pokano, he whakaiti i a ia ake, he atawhaikore i te tinana; otira kahore he painga hei pehi i te kikokiko e torere ana kia makona ia.