Galaterne 3

1 O, I uforstandige Galatere! hvem har fortryllet eder, I, hvem Jesus Kristus blev malet for Øje som korsfæstet?

You Galatians, you've lost your heads! Who has put you under a spell? The death of Jesus Christ on a cross was clearly presented to you so you could see!

2 Kun dette vil jeg vide af eder: Var det ved Lovens Gerninger, I modtoge Aanden, eller ved i Tro at høre?

So tell me—did you receive the Spirit by keeping the law, or by placing your trust in what you heard?

3 Ere I saa uforstandige? ville I, som begyndte i Aand, nu ende i Kød?

You really have lost your heads! You began living in the Spirit. Do you really think you can now make yourselves perfect by your own human efforts?

4 Have I da prøvet saa meget forgæves? hvis det da virkelig er forgæves!

Did you go through so much suffering for nothing? (It really wasn't for nothing was it?)

5 Mon da han, som meddeler eder Aanden og virker kraftige Gerninger iblandt eder, gør dette ved Lovens Gerninger eller ved, at I høre i Tro?

Let me ask you: does God give you the Spirit and do so many miracles among you because you keep the law, or is it because you trust in what you heard?

6 ligesom jo „Abraham troede Gud, og det blev regnet ham til Retfærdighed”.

It's just like Abraham who “trusted God, and was considered to be right.”

7 Erkender altsaa, at de, som ere af Tro, disse ere Abrahams Børn.

So you should acknowledge that those who trust in God are the children of Abraham.

8 Men da Skriften forudsaa, at det er af Tro, at Gud retfærdiggør Hedningerne, forkyndte den forud Abraham det Evangelium: „I dig skulle alle Folkeslagene velsignes”,

In Scripture it's foreseen that God would make right the foreigners who trusted in him. The good news is revealed to Abraham beforehand with the words, “Through you all the nations will be blessed.”

9 saa at de, som ere af Tro, velsignes sammen med den troende Abraham.

Consequently those who trust in God are blessed along with Abraham who trusted God.

10 Thi saa mange, som holde sig til Lovens Gerninger, ere under Forbandelse; thi der er skrevet: „Forbandet hver den, som ikke bliver i alle de Ting, som ere skrevne i Lovens Bog, saa han gør dem.”

All those who rely on keeping the law are under a curse, for as Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who doesn't carefully obey everything that's written in the book of the law.”

11 Men at ingen bliver retfærdiggjort for Gud ved Lov, er aabenbart, thi „den retfærdige skal leve af Tro.”

Clearly nobody is made right with God by attempting to keep the law, for “Those who are made right will live by trusting God.”

12 Men Loven beror ikke paa Tro; men: „Den, som gør disse Ting, skal leve ved dem.”

Obedience to the law has nothing to do with trusting God. Scripture only says, “You will live if you observe everything the law requires.”

13 Kristus har løskøbt os fra Lovens Forbandelse, idet han blev en Forbandelse for os (thi der er skrevet: „Forbandet er hver den, som hænger paa et Træ”),

Christ has rescued us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. As Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

14 for at Abrahams Velsignelse maatte komme til Hedningerne i Kristus Jesus, for at vi kunde faa Aandens Forjættelse ved Troen.

so that through Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham could come to the foreigners as well, and we could receive the promise of the Spirit by trusting God.

15 Brødre! jeg taler paa Menneskevis: Ingen ophæver dog et Menneskes stadfæstede Arvepagt eller føjer noget dertil.

Brothers and sisters, here's an example from daily life. If a contract is drawn up and agreed, signed and sealed, nobody can ignore it or add to it.

16 Men Abraham og hans Sæd bleve Forjættelserne tilsagte; der siges ikke: „Og Sædene”, som om mange, men som om een: „Og din Sæd”, hvilken er Kristus.

Now the promises were given to Abraham, and to his son. It doesn't say, “sons” as if plural, but singular: “and to your son,” meaning Christ.

17 Jeg mener dermed dette: En Pagt, som forud er stadfæstet af Gud, kan Loven, som blev til fire Hundrede og tredive Aar senere, ikke gøre ugyldig, saa at den skulde gøre Forjættelsen til intet.

Let me explain. The law, coming four hundred and thirty years later, doesn't cancel the previous agreement that God made, breaking the promise.

18 Thi faas Arven ved Lov, da faas den ikke mere ved Forjættelse; men til Abraham har Gud skænket den ved Forjættelse.

If the inheritance is derived from obedience to the law, it no longer comes from the promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham by means of the promise.

19 Hvad skulde da Loven? Den blev føjet til for Overtrædelsernes Skyld (indtil den Sæd kom, hvem Forjættelsen gjaldt), besørget ved Engle, ved en Mellemmands Haand.

What was the point of the law, then? It was added to show what wrongdoing really is, until the son came to whom the promise had been made. The law was put in place by angels through the hand of a mediator.

20 Men en Mellemmand er ikke kun for een Part; Gud derimod er een.

But a mediator isn't needed when there's only one person involved. And God is one!

21 Er da Loven imod Guds Forjættelser? Det være langtfra! Ja, hvis der var givet en Lov, som kunde levendegøre, da var Retfærdigheden virkelig af Lov.

So does the law work against God's promises? Of course not! For if there was a law that could give life, then we could be made right by keeping it.

22 Men Skriften har indesluttet alt under Synd, for at Forjættelsen skulde af Tro paa Jesus Kristus gives dem, som tro.

But Scripture tells us that we all are prisoners of sin. The only way we can receive God's promises is by trusting in Jesus Christ.

23 Men førend Troen kom, holdtes vi indelukkede under Lovens Bevogtning til den Tro, som skulde aabenbares,

Before we trusted in Jesus we remained in the custody of the law until this way of trusting was revealed.

24 saa at Loven er bleven os en Tugtemester til Kristus, for at vi skulde blive retfærdiggjorte af Tro.

The law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we could be made right by trusting him.

25 Men efter at Troen er kommen, ere vi ikke mere under Tugtemester.

But now this way of trusting Jesus has come, we no longer need such a guardian.

26 Thi alle ere I Guds Børn ved Troen paa Kristus Jesus.

For you are all God's children through your trust in Christ Jesus.

27 Thi I, saa mange som bleve døbte til Kristus, have iført eder Kristus.

All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 Her er ikke Jøde eller Græker; her er ikke Træl eller fri; her er ikke Mand og Kvinde; thi alle ere I een i Kristus Jesus.

There's no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 Men naar I høre Kristus til, da ere I jo Abrahams Sæd, Arvinger ifølge Forjættelse.

If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's children, and you are heirs of the promise!