1 O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you, unto whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified?

¶ O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that ye should not trust in the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2 L et me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing and believing ?

This only would I learn of you, Did ye receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the obedient ear of faith?

3 A re you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now reaching perfection on the flesh?

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

4 H ave you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing (to no purpose)—if it really is to no purpose and in vain?

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

5 T hen does He Who supplies you with His marvelous Spirit and works powerfully and miraculously among you do so on what the Law demands, or because of your believing in and adhering to and trusting in and relying on the message that you heard?

He therefore that gives unto you the Spirit and does works of power among you, does he do it by the works of the law or by the obedient ear of faith?

6 T hus Abraham believed in and adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness (as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action).

¶ Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

7 K now and understand that it is the people by faith who are sons of Abraham.

Know ye therefore that those who are of faith, the same are the sons of Abraham.

8 A nd the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify (declare righteous, put in right standing with Himself) the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel to Abraham in the promise, saying, In you shall all the nations be blessed.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, evangelized Abraham in advance, saying, In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed.

9 S o then, those who are people of faith are blessed and made happy and favored by God with the believing and trusting Abraham.

So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

10 A nd all who depend on the Law are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11 N ow it is evident that no person is justified (declared righteous and brought into right standing with God) through the Law, for the Scripture says, The man in right standing with God shall live by and out of faith and he who through and by faith is declared righteous and in right standing with God shall live.

But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for The just shall live by faith.

12 B ut the Law does not rest on faith, for it itself says, He who does them shall live by them.

And the law is not of faith, but The man that does the commandments shall live by them.

13 C hrist purchased our freedom from the curse (doom) of the Law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified);

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree),

14 T o the end that through Christ Jesus, the blessing to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might receive the promise of the Spirit.

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15 T o speak in terms of human relations, brethren, even a man makes a last will and testament (a merely human covenant), no one sets it aside or makes it void or adds to it when once it has been drawn up and signed (ratified, confirmed).

Brethren, (I speak after the manner of men) Even when a covenant is of man, once it is confirmed, no one cancels it or adds to it.

16 N ow the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir). He does not say, And to seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is Christ (the Messiah).

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

17 T his is my argument: The Law, which began 430 years after the covenant, does not and cannot annul the covenant previously established (ratified) by God, so as to abolish the promise and make it void.

And this I say that regarding the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot cancel it, that it should make the promise of no effect.

18 F or if the inheritance the Law, it no longer on the promise; however, God gave it to Abraham by virtue of His promise.

For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19 W hat then was the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions and of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels by the hand (in the person) of a go-between.

¶ For what then serves the law? It was added because of rebellions until the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

20 N ow a go-between (intermediary) has to do with and implies more than one party. Yet God is one Person.

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

21 I s the Law then contrary and opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer life, then righteousness and right standing with God would certainly have come by Law.

Is the law then against the promises of God? No, in no wise, for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

22 B ut the Scriptures shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to those who believe.

But the scripture has concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to the believers.

23 N ow before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),

But before faith came, we were under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 S o that the Law served as our trainer until Christ, that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.

Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 B ut now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).

But when faith is come, we are no longer under the hand of the schoolmaster.

26 F or in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

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

27 F or as many as were baptized into Christ have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 T here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Here there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 A nd if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.

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