Book of Common Prayer

He rebukes the unsteadfastness of the Galatians. He shows the imperfection of the law, but declares nevertheless that it was not given for nothing.

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, such that you should not believe the truth – you to whom Jesus Christ was described before the eyes, and among you crucified?

² This only would I learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the deeds of the law, or by the preaching of the faith? ³ Are you so unwise that after you have begun in the Spirit, you would now end in the flesh? ⁴ So many things then you have suffered in vain, if that be vain! ⁵ He who ministered to you the Spirit and works miracles among you, does he do it through the deeds of the law, or by preaching of the faith? ⁶ It is even as Abraham believed God, and it was ascribed to him for righteousness. ⁷ Understand therefore that it is those who are of faith who are the children of Abraham.

⁸ For the scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen through faith, and therefore showed beforehand glad tidings to Abraham: In you shall all nations be blessed. ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. ¹⁰ For as many as are under the deeds of the law are under malediction. For it is written: Cursed is every one who does not continue in all the things that are written in the book of the law, to fulfil them.

¹¹ That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for: The just shall live by faith. ¹² The law is not of faith. (But: The man who fulfils the things contained in the law, will live in them.) ¹³ But Christ has delivered us from the curse of the law, and was made accursed for us – for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree – ¹⁴ so that the blessing of Abraham may come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, and so that we may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

³⁰ And the apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. ³¹ And he said to them, Come apart into the countryside and rest awhile. For there were so many comers and goers that they had no time so much as to eat. ³² And they went by boat out of the way into an isolated place.

³³ But the people noticed them when they departed, and many recognized him. And they ran there by foot out of all the towns and got there before them, and came together to him. ³⁴ And Jesus went out and saw the crowds of people, and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

³⁵ And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him, saying, This is an isolated place, and now the day is far gone. ³⁶ Let the people depart so that they can go into the country round about and into the towns and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. ³⁷ He answered and said to them, You give them to eat. And they said to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them to eat? ³⁸ He said to them, How many loaves do you have? Go and look. And when they had searched, they said, Five, and two fishes.

³⁹ And Jesus directed them to make all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ And they sat down here a row and there a row, by hundreds and by fifties. ⁴¹ And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to put before the people. And he divided the two fishes among them all. ⁴² And they all did eat and were satisfied. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes. ⁴⁴ And those who ate were about 5,000 men.

⁴⁵ And straightaway he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead over the water to Bethsaida while he sent the people away. ⁴⁶ And as soon as he had sent them away, he went apart to a mountain to pray.