1 P ois quero que saibais quão grande luta tenho por vós, e pelos que estão em Laodicéia, e por quantos não viram a minha pessoa;

I want you to know how hard I have worked for you and for the Christians in the city of Laodicea and for those who have never seen me.

2 p ara que os seus corações sejam animados, estando unidos em amor, e enriquecidos da plenitude do entendimento para o pleno conhecimento do mistério de Deus - Cristo,

May their hearts be given comfort. May they be brought close together in Christian love. May they be rich in understanding and know God’s secret. It is Christ Himself.

3 n o qual estão escondidos todos os tesouros da sabedoria e da ciência.

In Christ are hidden all the riches of wisdom and understanding.

4 D igo isto, para que ninguém vos engane com palavras persuasivas.

I tell you this so no one will try to change your mind with big sounding talk.

5 P orque ainda que eu esteja ausente quanto ao corpo, contudo em espírito estou convosco, regozijando-me, e vendo a vossa ordem e a firmeza da vossa fé em Cristo.

Even if I am far away from you in body, I am with you in spirit. I am happy to learn how well you are getting along. It is good to hear that your faith is so strong in Christ.

6 P ortanto, assim como recebestes a Cristo Jesus, o Senhor, assim também nele andai,

As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step.

7 a rraigados e edificados nele, e confirmados na fé, assim como fostes ensinados, abundando em ação de graças.

Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him. Wisdom of the World Is Empty

8 T endo cuidado para que ninguém vos faça presa sua, por meio de filosofias e vãs sutilezas, segundo a tradição dos homens, segundo os rudimentos do mundo, e não segundo Cristo;

Be careful that no one changes your mind and faith by much learning and big sounding ideas. Those things are what men dream up. They are always trying to make new religions. These leave out Christ.

9 p orque nele habita corporalmente toda a plenitude da divindade,

For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh.

10 e tendes a vossa plenitude nele, que é a cabeça de todo principado e potestade,

When you have Christ, you are complete. He is the head over all leaders and powers.

11 n o qual também fostes circuncidados com a circuncisão não feita por mãos no despojar do corpo da carne, a saber, a circuncisão de Cristo;

When you became a Christian, you were set free from the sinful things of the world. This was not done by human hands. You were set free from the sins of your old self by what was done in Christ’s body.

12 t endo sido sepultados com ele no batismo, no qual também fostes ressuscitados pela fé no poder de Deus, que o ressuscitou dentre os mortos;

When you were baptized, you were buried as Christ was buried. When you were raised up in baptism, you were raised as Christ was raised. You were raised to a new life by putting your trust in God. It was God Who raised Jesus from the dead.

13 e a vós, quando estáveis mortos nos vossos delitos e na incircuncisão da vossa carne, vos vivificou juntamente com ele, perdoando-nos todos os delitos;

When you were dead in your sins, you were not set free from the sinful things of the world. But God forgave your sins and gave you new life through Christ.

14 e havendo riscado o escrito de dívida que havia contra nós nas suas ordenanças, o qual nos era contrário, removeu-o do meio de nós, cravando-o na cruz;

We had broken the Law many ways. Those sins were held against us by the Law. That Law had writings which said we were sinners. But now He has destroyed that writing by nailing it to the cross.

15 e , tendo despojado os principados e potestades, os exibiu publicamente e deles triunfou na mesma cruz.

God took away the power of the leaders of this world and the powers of darkness. He showed them to the world. The battle was won over them through Christ. Watch for Those Who Want to Keep the Law

16 N inguém, pois, vos julgue pelo comer, ou pelo beber, ou por causa de dias de festa, ou de lua nova, ou de sábados,

Do not let anyone tell you what you should or should not eat or drink. They have no right to say if it is right or wrong to eat certain foods or if you are to go to religious suppers. They have no right to say what you are to do at the time of the new moon or on the Day of Rest.

17 q ue são sombras das coisas vindouras; mas o corpo é de Cristo.

These things are a picture of what is coming. The important thing is Christ Himself.

18 N inguém atue como árbitro contra vós, afetando humildade ou culto aos anjos, firmando-se em coisas que tenha visto, inchado vãmente pelo seu entendimento carnal,

Do not let anyone rob you of your crown. They will try to get you to bow down in worship of angels. They think this shows you are not proud. They say they were told to do this in a dream. These people are proud because of their sinful minds.

19 e não retendo a Cabeça, da qual todo o corpo, provido e organizado pelas juntas e ligaduras, vai crescendo com o aumento concedido por Deus.

Such people are not a part of Christ. Christ is the Head. We Christians make up His body. We are joined together as a body is held together. Our strength to grow comes from Christ.

20 S e morrestes com Cristo quanto aos rudimentos do mundo, por que vos sujeitais ainda a ordenanças, como se vivêsseis no mundo,

You have died with Christ and become dead to those old ways. Then why do you follow the old ways of worship? Why do you obey man-made rules?

21 t ais como: não toques, não proves, não manuseies

These rules say, “You must not put your hand on this.” “Do not put this into your mouth.” “You must not put your finger on that.”

22 ( as quais coisas todas hão de perecer pelo uso), segundo os preceitos e doutrinas dos homens?

All these things come to an end when they are used. You are following only man-made rules.

23 A s quais têm, na verdade, alguma aparência de sabedoria em culto voluntário, humildade fingida, e severidade para com o corpo, mas não têm valor algum no combate contra a satisfação da carne.

It looks as if it is wise to follow these rules in an act of worship, because they are hard on the body. It looks as if they are done without pride, but they are worth nothing. They do not take away a man’s desire to sin.