Galatians, 3

1. You stupid people in Galatia! After you have had a clear picture of Jesus Christ crucified, right in front of your eyes, who has put a spell on you?

1. O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

2. There is only one thing I should like you to tell me: How was it that you received the Spirit -- was it by the practice of the Law, or by believing in the message you heard?

2. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

3. Having begun in the Spirit, can you be so stupid as to end in the flesh?

3. Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?

4. Can all the favours you have received have had no effect at all -- if there really has been no effect?

4. Did you experience so many things in vain? -- if it really is in vain.

5. Would you say, then, that he who so lavishly sends the Spirit to you, and causes the miracles among you, is doing this through your practice of the Law or because you believed the message you heard?

5. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

6. Abraham, you remember, put his faith in God, and this was reckoned to him as uprightness.

6. Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

7. Be sure, then, that it is people of faith who are the children of Abraham.

7. So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

8. And it was because scripture foresaw that God would give saving justice to the gentiles through faith, that it announced the future gospel to Abraham in the words: All nations will be blessed in you.

8. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."

9. So it is people of faith who receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.

9. So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith.

10. On the other hand, all those who depend on the works of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Accursed be he who does not make what is written in the book of the Law effective, by putting it into practice.

10. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them."

11. Now it is obvious that nobody is reckoned as upright in God's sight by the Law, since the upright will live through faith;

11. Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live";

12. and the Law is based not on faith but on the principle, whoever complies with it will find life in it.

12. but the law does not rest on faith, for "He who does them shall live by them."

13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake since scripture says: Anyone hanged is accursed,

13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree" --

14. so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the gentiles in Christ Jesus, and so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

14. that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15. To put it in human terms, my brothers: even when a will is only a human one, once it has been ratified nobody can cancel it or add more provisions to it.

15. To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls even a man's will, or adds to it, once it has been ratified.

16. Now the promises were addressed to Abraham and to his progeny. The words were not and to his progenies in the plural, but in the singular; and to your progeny, which means Christ.

16. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many; but, referring to one, "And to your offspring," which is Christ.

17. What I am saying is this: once a will had been long ago ratified by God, the Law, coming four hundred and thirty years later, could not abolish it and so nullify its promise.

17. This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.

18. You see, if the inheritance comes by the Law, it no longer comes through a promise; but it was by a promise that God made his gift to Abraham.

18. For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

19. Then what is the purpose of the Law? It was added to deal with crimes until the 'progeny' to whom the promise had been made should come; and it was promulgated through angels, by the agency of an intermediary.

19. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained by angels through an intermediary.

20. Now there can be an intermediary only between two parties, yet God is one.

20. Now an intermediary implies more than one; but God is one.

21. Is the Law contrary, then, to God's promises? Out of the question! If the Law that was given had been capable of giving life, then certainly saving justice would have come from the Law.

21. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

22. As it is, scripture makes no exception when it says that sin is master everywhere; so the promise can be given only by faith in Jesus Christ to those who have this faith.

22. But the scripture consigned all things to sin, that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the Law, locked up to wait for the faith which would eventually be revealed to us.

23. Now before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed.

24. So the Law was serving as a slave to look after us, to lead us to Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.

24. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith.

25. But now that faith has come we are no longer under a slave looking after us;

25. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian;

26. for all of you are the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus,

26. for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

27. since every one of you that has been baptised has been clothed in Christ.

27. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither slave nor freeman, there can be neither male nor female -- for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29. And simply by being Christ's, you are that progeny of Abraham, the heirs named in the promise.

29. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.