Galatians 3

1 Foolish Galatians! Who has been enchanting you – you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was depicted on the cross?

O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was earlier described among you, crucified?

2 Here is the one thing that I want to find out from you – Did you receive the Spirit as the result of obedience to Law, or of your having listened with faith?

I only want to learn this from you. Did ye receive the Spirit from works of law, or from a listening ear of faith?

3 Can you be so foolish? After beginning with what is spiritual, do you now end with what is external?

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

4 Did you go through so much to no purpose? – if indeed it really was to no purpose!

Did ye suffer so many things in vain? If it is indeed in vain.

5 He who supplies you abundantly with his Spirit and endows you with such powers – does he do this as the result of obedience to Law? Or as the result of your having listened with faith?

He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and who works miracles among you, is it from works of law or from a listening ear of faith?

6 It is just as it was with Abraham – he had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.

7 You see, then, that those whose lives are based on faith are the sons of Abraham.

Ye know therefore that those from faith, these are sons of Abraham.

8 And scripture, foreseeing that God would pronounce the Gentiles righteous as the result of faith, foretold the good news to Abraham in the words – “Through you all the Gentiles will be blessed.”

And the scripture having foreseen that God makes the Gentiles righteous from faith, proclaimed the good news in advance to Abraham: In thee all the nations will be blessed.

9 And, therefore, those whose lives are based on faith share the blessings bestowed on the faith of Abraham.

So then those from faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.

10 All who rely on obedience to Law are under a curse, for scripture says – “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all that is written in the book of the Law, and do it.”

For as many as are from works of law are under a curse, for it is written, Cursed is every man who does not continue in all things written in the book of the law, to do them.

11 Again, it is evident that no one is pronounced righteous before God through Law, for we read – “Through faith the righteous will find life.”

But that no man is made righteous by law before God, is evident, because, The righteous man will live from faith.

12 But the Law is not based on faith; no, its words are – “Those who practice these precepts will find life through them.”

And the law is not from faith, but the man who does them will live in them.

13 Christ ransomed us from the curse pronounced in the Law, by taking the curse on himself for us, for scripture says – “Cursed is anyone who is hanged on a tree.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is every man who hangs on a tree.

14 And this he did that the blessing given to Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through their union with Jesus Christ; that so, through our faith, we also might receive the promised gift of the Spirit.

So that the blessing of Abraham might occur for the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through the faith.

15 To take an illustration, friends, from daily life – No one sets aside even an agreement between two people, when once it has been confirmed, nor do they add conditions to it.

Brothers (I speak according to a man), in the same way of a man, no man annuls or adds to a contract that has been ratified.

16 Now it was to Abraham that the promises were made, “and to his offspring.” It was not said “to his offsprings,” as if many persons were meant, but the words were “to your offspring,” showing that one person was meant – and that was Christ.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, And to the seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, who is Christ.

17 My point is this – An agreement already confirmed by God cannot be canceled by the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to cause the promise to be set aside.

And I say this, a covenant previously confirmed by God in Christ, the law, which happened four hundred and thirty years after, does not annul in order to make the promise useless.

18 If our heritage is the result of Law, then it has ceased to be the result of a promise. Yet God conferred it on Abraham by a promise.

For if the inheritance is from law, it is no longer from promise. But God has given it to Abraham through promise.

19 What, then, you ask, was the use of the Law? It was a later addition, to make people conscious of their wrongdoings, and intended to last only until the coming of that offspring to whom the promise had been made; and it was delivered through angels by a mediator.

Why then the law? It was added on account of transgressions, until the seed would come to whom it was promised, which was arranged through agents in the hand of a mediator.

20 Now mediation implies more than one person, but God is one only.

Now a mediator is not of one, but God is one.

21 Does that set the Law in opposition to God’s promises? Heaven forbid! For, if a Law had been given capable of bestowing life, then righteousness would have actually owed its existence to Law.

Is the law therefore against the promises of God? May it not happen! For if a law was given that could make alive, truly righteousness would be from law.

22 But the words of scripture represent the whole world as being in bondage to sin, so that the promised blessing, dependent, as it is, on faith in Jesus Christ, may be given to those who have faith in him.

But scripture confined all things under sin, so that the promise from faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Before the coming of faith, we were kept under the guard of the Law, in bondage, awaiting the faith that was destined to be revealed.

But before faith came we were kept in custody under law, having been confined for faith that was going to be revealed.

24 Thus the Law has proved a guide to lead us to Christ, in order that we may be pronounced righteous as the result of faith.

So that the law became our schoolmaster for Christ, so that we might be made righteous from faith.

25 But now that faith has come we no longer need a guide.

But faith having come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

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

For ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For all of you who were baptized into union with Christ clothed yourselves with Christ.

For as many as were immersed into Christ have put on Christ.

28 All distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, have vanished; for in union with Christ Jesus you are all one.

There is no Jew nor Greek, there is no bondman nor freeman, there is no male and female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And, since you belong to Christ, it follows that you are Abraham’s offspring and, under the promise, sharers in the inheritance.

And if ye are Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.