Galatians 1:8-5:10

English Standard Version

⁸ But even if we or ^(A)an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, ^(B)let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, ^(C)let him be accursed.

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

Paul Called by God

¹¹ For ^(F)I would have you know, brothers, that ^(G)the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.^{[b] 12 (H)}For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it ^(I)through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of ^(J)my former life in Judaism, how ^(K)I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely ^(L)zealous was I for ^(M)the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when he ^(N)who had set me apart ^(O)before I was born,^[c] and who ^(P)called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to^[d] me, in order ^(Q)that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;^{[e] 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.

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

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. ² I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those ^(W)who seemed influential) the gospel that ^(X)I proclaim among the Gentiles, ^(Y)in order to make sure I was not running or had not ^(Z)run in vain. ³ But even Titus, who was with me, ^(AA)was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. ^4 (AB)Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who ^(AC)slipped in to spy out ^(AD)our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, ^(AE)so that they might bring us into slavery— ⁵ to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that ^(AF)the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. ⁶ And from those ^(AG)who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; ^(AH)God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential ^(AI)added nothing to me. ⁷ On the contrary, when they saw that I had been ^(AJ)entrusted with ^(AK)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), ⁹ and when James and Cephas and John, ^(AL)who seemed to be ^(AM)pillars, perceived the ^(AN)grace that was given to me, they ^(AO)gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ Only, they asked us to remember the poor, ^(AP)the very thing I was eager to do.

Paul Opposes Peter

¹¹ But ^(AQ)when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him ^(AR)to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, ^(AS)he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing ^(AT)the circumcision party.^{[f] 13} And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that their ^(AU)conduct was not in step with ^(AV)the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ^(AW)before them all, “If you, though a Jew, ^(AX)live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Justified by Faith

¹⁵ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not ^(AY)Gentile sinners; ¹⁶ yet we know that ^(AZ)a person is not justified^[g] by works of the law ^(BA)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, ^(BB)because by works of the law no one will be justified.

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

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ^(BL)It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly ^(BM)portrayed as crucified. ² Let me ask you only this: ^(BN)Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by ^(BO)hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? ^(BP)Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by^[i] the flesh? ^4 (BQ)Did you suffer^[j] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and ^(BR)works miracles among you do so ^(BS)by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶ just as ^(BT)Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

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

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁰ For all who rely on works of the law are ^(BY)under a curse; for it is written, ^(BZ)“Cursed be everyone who does not ^(CA)abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹ Now it is evident that ^(CB)no one is justified before God by the law, for ^(CC)“The righteous shall live by faith.”^{[l] 12} But the law is not of faith, rather ^(CD)“The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³ Christ ^(CE)redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ^(CF)“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^(CG)on a tree”— ¹⁴ so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^(CH)come to the Gentiles, so that ^(CI)we might receive ^(CJ)the promised Spirit^[m] through faith.

The Law and the Promise

^15 (CK)To give a human example, brothers:^{[n] (CL)}even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶ Now ^(CM)the promises were made ^(CN)to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, ^(CO)“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came ^(CP)430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^(CQ)to make the promise void. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but ^(CR)God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹ Why then the law? ^(CS)It was added because of transgressions, ^(CT)until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was ^(CU)put in place through angels ^(CV)by an intermediary. ²⁰ Now ^(CW)an intermediary implies more than one, but ^(CX)God is one.

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

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, ^(DC)imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, ^(DD)the law was our ^(DE)guardian until Christ came, ^(DF)in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus ^(DG)you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as ^(DH)were baptized ^(DI)into Christ have ^(DJ)put on Christ. ^28 (DK)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[o] nor free, ^(DL)there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(DM)if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, ^(DN)heirs according to promise.

Sons and Heirs

4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,^[p] though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, ^(DO)were enslaved to the elementary principles^[q] of the world. ⁴ But ^(DP)when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^(DQ)born ^(DR)of woman, born ^(DS)under the law, ^5 (DT)to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ^(DU)adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent ^(DV)the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^(DW)an heir through God.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

⁸ Formerly, when you ^(DX)did not know God, you ^(DY)were enslaved to those that by nature ^(DZ)are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather ^(EA)to be known by God, ^(EB)how can you turn back again to ^(EC)the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ^10 (ED)You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid ^(EE)I may have labored over you in vain.

¹² Brothers,^{[r] (EF)}I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. ^(EG)You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was ^(EH)because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^(EI)at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^(EJ)as an angel of God, ^(EK)as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by ^(EL)telling you the truth?^{[s] 17} They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and ^(EM)not only when I am present with you, ^19 (EN)my little children, ^(EO)for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ ^(EP)is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^(EQ)one by a slave woman and ^(ER)one by a free woman. ²³ But ^(ES)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while ^(ET)the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two ^(EU)covenants. ^(EV)One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;^[t] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But ^(EW)the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

²⁸ Now you,^[u] brothers, ^(EY)like Isaac, ^(EZ)are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh ^(FA)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(FB)so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? ^(FC)“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but ^(FD)of the free woman.

Christ Has Set Us Free

5 For ^(FE)freedom Christ has ^(FF)set us free; ^(FG)stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to ^(FH)a yoke of ^(FI)slavery.

² Look: I, Paul, say to you that ^(FJ)if you accept circumcision, ^(FK)Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³ I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that ^(FL)he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴ You are ^(FM)severed from Christ, ^(FN)you who would be justified^[v] by the law; ^(FO)you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly ^(FP)wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus ^(FQ)neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but ^(FR)only faith working through love.

^7 (FS)You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying ^(FT)the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from ^(FU)him who calls you. ^9 (FV)A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ^10 (FW)I have confidence in the Lord that you will ^(FX)take no other view, and ^(FY)the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.