Galatians, 3

1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

1. How foolish you are, Galatians! How could they bewitch you after Jesus Christ has been presented to you as crucified?

2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

2. I shall ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by the practice of the Law, or by believing the message?

3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

3. How can you be such fools: you begin with the Spirit and end up with the flesh!

4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if [it be] yet in vain.

4. So you have experienced all this in vain! Would that it were not so!

5. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, [doeth he it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

5. Did God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you, because of your observance of the Law or because you believed in his message?

6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

6. Remember Abraham: he believed God and because of this was held to be a just man.

7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

7. Understand then that those who follow the way of faith are sons and daughters of Abraham.

8. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.

8. The Scriptures foresaw that by the way of faith, God would give true righteousness to the non-Jewish nations. For God's promise to Abraham was this: In you shall all the nations be blessed.

9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

9. So now those who take the way of faith receive the same blessing as Abraham who believed;

10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

10. but those who rely on the practice of the Law are under a curse, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not always fulfill everything written in the Law.

11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

11. It is plainly written that no one becomes righteous, in God's way, by the Law: by faith the righteous shall live.

12. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

12. Yet the Law gives no place to faith, for according to it: the one who fulfills the commandments shall have life through them.

13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:

13. Now Christ rescued us from the curse of the Law by becoming cursed himself for our sake, as it is written: there is a curse on everyone who is hanged on a tree.

14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

14. So the blessing granted to Abraham reached the pagan nations in and with Christ, and we received the promised Spirit through faith.

15. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though [it be] but a man's covenant, yet [if it be] confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

15. Brothers, listen to this comparison. When anyone has made his will in the prescribed form, no one can annul it or add anything to it.

16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

16. Well now, what God promised Abraham was for his descendant. Scripture does not say: for the descendants, as if they were many. It means only one: this will be for your descendant, and this is Christ.

17. And this I say, [that] the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

17. Now I say this: if God has made a testament in due form, it cannot be annulled by the Law which came four hundred and thirty years later; God's promise cannot be cancelled.

18. For if the inheritance [be] of the law, [it is] no more of promise: but God gave [it] to Abraham by promise.

18. But if we now inherit for keeping the law, it is not because of the promise. Yet that promise was God's gift to Abraham.

19. Wherefore then [serveth] the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; [and it was] ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

19. Why then the Law? It was added with sin in mind; it was something added; that it was only valid until the descendant to whom the promise was addressed should come; and it was put into effect by the angels with Moses as a mediator

20. Now a mediator is not [a mediator] of one, but God is one.

20. between them: if it were given by God himself, he is one.

21. [Is] the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

21. Does the Law then compete with the promises of God? Not at all. Only if we had been given a Law capable of raising life, could righteousness be the fruit of the Law.

22. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

22. But the written Law actually closed out every viewpoint other than that of sin. So the believers receive the promise as the fruit of Christian faith.

23. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

23. Before the time of faith had come, the Law confined us and kept us in custody until the time in which faith would show up.

24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

24. The Law then brought us to Christ as a child to his master, so that we be set right with God through faith.

25. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

25. With the coming of faith, we are no longer submitted to this guidance.

26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

26. Now, in Christ Jesus, all of you are sons and daughters of God through faith.

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

27. All of you who were given to Christ through baptism, have put on Christ.

28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

28. Here there is no longer any difference between Jew or Greek, or between slave or freed, or between man and woman: but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

29. And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

29. And because you belong to Christ, you are of Abraham's race and you are to inherit God's promise.