Galatians 1-3 (English Standard Version)

Galatians 1

Greeting

 ¹Paul, an^(A) apostle—^(B) not from men nor through man, but^(C) through Jesus Christ and God the Father,^(D) who raised him from the dead— ²and all^(E) the brothers^[a] who are with me,

   

   To^(F) the churches of Galatia:

 ^3(G) Grace to you and peace^(H) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ^4(I) who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present^(J) evil age, according to the will of^(K) our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

 ⁶I am astonished that you are^(L) so quickly deserting^(M) him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to^(N) a different gospel— ^7(O) not that there is another one, but^(P) there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or^(Q) an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,^(R) let him be accursed. ⁹As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received,^(S) let him be accursed.

 ¹⁰For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying^(T) to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a^(U) servant^[b] of Christ.

Paul Called by God

 ¹¹For^(V) I would have you know, brothers, that^(W) the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.^{[c] 12(X)} For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it^(Y) through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³For you have heard of^(Z) my former life in Judaism, how^(AA) I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely^(AB) zealous was I for^(AC) the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when he^(AD) who had set me apart^(AE) before I was born,^[d] and who^(AF) called me by his grace, ¹⁶was pleased to reveal his Son to^[e] me, in order^(AG) that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;^{[f] 17}nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

 ¹⁸Then^(AH) after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I saw none of the other apostles except James^(AI) the Lord’s brother. ²⁰(In what I am writing to you,^(AJ) before God, I do not lie!) ^21(AK) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²²And I was still unknown in person to^(AL) the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

Galatians 2

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

 ¹Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. ²I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those^(AM) who seemed influential) the gospel that^(AN) I proclaim among the Gentiles,^(AO) in order to make sure I was not running or had not^(AP) run in vain. ³But even Titus, who was with me,^(AQ) was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. ^4(AR) Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who^(AS) slipped in to spy out^(AT) our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus,^(AU) so that they might bring us into slavery— ⁵to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that^(AV) the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. ⁶And from those^(AW) who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me;^(AX) God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential^(AY) added nothing to me. ⁷On the contrary, when they saw that I had been^(AZ) entrusted with^(BA) the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised ⁸(for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), ⁹and when James and Cephas and John,^(BB) who seemed to be^(BC) pillars, perceived the^(BD) grace that was given to me, they^(BE) gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰Only, they asked us to remember the poor,^(BF) the very thing I was eager to do.

Paul Opposes Peter

 ¹¹But^(BG) when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him^(BH) to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹²For before certain men came from James,^(BI) he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing^(BJ) the circumcision party. ¹³And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴But when I saw that their^(BK) conduct was not in step with^(BL) the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas^(BM) before them all, "If you, though a Jew,^(BN) live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

Justified by Faith

 ¹⁵We ourselves are Jews by birth and not^(BO) Gentile sinners; ¹⁶yet we know that^(BP) a person is not justified^[g] by works of the law^(BQ) but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law,^(BR) because by works of the law no one will be justified.

 ¹⁷But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found^(BS) to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. ¹⁹For through the law I^(BT) died to the law, so that I might^(BU) live to God. ²⁰I have been^(BV) crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives^(BW) in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,^(BX) who loved me and^(BY) gave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God, for^(BZ) if righteousness^[h] were through the law,^(CA) then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 3

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

 ¹O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?^(CB) It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly^(CC) portrayed as crucified. ²Let me ask you only this:^(CD) Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by^(CE) hearing with faith? ³Are you so foolish?^(CF) Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by^[i] the flesh? ^4(CG) Did you suffer^[j] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and^(CH) works miracles among you do so^(CI) by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶just as^(CJ) Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?

 ⁷Know then that it is^(CK) those of faith who are^(CL) the sons of Abraham. ⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that^(CM) God would justify^[k] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying,^(CN) "In you shall all the nations be blessed." ⁹So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

 ¹⁰For all who rely on works of the law are^(CO) under a curse; for it is written,^(CP) "Cursed be everyone who does not^(CQ) abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." ¹¹Now it is evident that^(CR) no one is justified before God by the law, for^(CS) "The righteous shall live by faith."^{[l] 12}But the law is not of faith, rather^(CT) "The one who does them shall live by them." ¹³Christ^(CU) redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,^(CV) "Cursed is everyone who is hanged^(CW) on a tree"— ¹⁴so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might^(CX) come to the Gentiles, so that^(CY) we might receive^(CZ) the promised Spirit^[m] through faith.

The Law and the Promise

 ^15(DA) To give a human example, brothers:^[n](DB) even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶Now^(DC) the promises were made^(DD) to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one,^(DE) "And to your offspring," who is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came^(DF) 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as^(DG) to make the promise void. ¹⁸For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but^(DH) God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

 ¹⁹Why then the law?^(DI) It was added because of transgressions,^(DJ) until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was^(DK) put in place through angels^(DL) by an intermediary. ²⁰Now^(DM) an intermediary implies more than one, but^(DN) God is one.

 ²¹Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For^(DO) if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²²But the Scripture^(DP) imprisoned everything under sin, so that^(DQ) the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given^(DR) to those who believe.

 ²³Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law,^(DS) imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴So then,^(DT) the law was our^(DU) guardian until Christ came,^(DV) in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus^(DW) you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷For as many of you as^(DX) were baptized^(DY) into Christ have^(DZ) put on Christ. ^28(EA) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[o] nor free,^(EB) there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And^(EC) if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring,^(ED) heirs according to promise.