1 ق َدْ أطلَقَنا المَسِيحُ إلَى حَياةِ الحُرِّيَّةِ، فَحافِظُوا عَلَى ثَباتِكُمْ، وَلا تَعُودُوا ثانِيَةً إلَى قُيُودِ العُبُودِيَّةِ.

Christ made us free. Stay that way. Do not get chained all over again in the Law and its kind of religious worship.

2 ه ا أنا بُولُسُ أقُولُ لَكُمْ إنِ اختَتَنْتُمْ مُتَّكِلِينَ عَلَى الشَّرِيعَةِ، فَلَنْ يَنْفَعْكُمِ المَسِيحُ.

Listen to me! I, Paul, tell you that if you have the religious act of becoming a Jew done on you, Christ will be of no use to you at all.

3 و َمَرَّةً أُخْرَى أُعلِنُ لِكُلِّ شَخْصٍ سَمَحَ لِنَفْسِهِ بِأنْ يُختَنَ، بِأنَّهُ مُجبَرٌ عَلَى الِالْتِزامِ بِالشَّرِيعَةِ كُلِّها.

I say it again. Every man who has the religious act of becoming a Jew done on him must obey every Law.

4 و َإنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحاوِلُونَ أنْ تَكُونُوا أبْراراً بِالشَّرِيعَةِ، فَقَدْ قَطَعْتُمْ أنفُسَكُمْ عَنِ المَسِيحِ، وَأنتُمُ الآنَ خارِجَ النِّعمَةِ.

If you expect to be made right with God by obeying the Law, then you have turned away from Christ and His loving-favor.

5 أ مّا نَحنُ فَلَنا رَجاءٌ نابِعٌ مِنَ البِرِّ الَّذي بِالإيمانِ، وَنَحنُ نَنتَظِرُ ذَلِكَ الرَّجاءَ بِالرُّوحِ.

We are waiting for the hope of being made right with God. This will come through the Holy Spirit and by faith.

6 ف َفَي المَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ، لا فائِدَةَ لِلخِتانِ أوْ لِعَدَمِ الخِتانِ، وَلَكِنْ لِلإيمانِ الَّذِي يَعمَلُ بِالمَحَبَّةِ.

If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But faith working through love is important.

7 ق َدْ كُنْتُمْ تَركُضُونَ بِشَكلٍ جَيِّدٍ فِي سِباقِ الإيمانِ، فَمَنْ ذا الَّذِي أعاقَكُمْ عَنِ الخُضُوعِ لِلحَقِّ؟

You were doing well. Who stopped you from obeying the truth?

8 أ يّاً كانَ ذَلِكَ الشَّيءُ، فَهُوَ لَيسَ مِنَ اللهِ الَّذِي دَعاكُمْ.

Whatever he used did not come from the One Who chose you to have life.

9 إ نَّ «خَمِيرَةً صَغِيرَةً تُخَمِّرُ العَجِينَ كُلَّهُ.»

It only takes a little yeast to make the whole loaf of bread rise.

10 و َلِي ثِقَةٌ بِالرَّبِّ أنَّكُمْ سَتَقْتَنِعُونَ بِما قُلْتُهُ لَكُمْ، لا بِأيِّ شَيءٍ آخَرَ. وَلَكِنَّ الَّذِي يُربِكُكُمْ سَيَدفَعُ الثَّمَنَ كائِناً مَنْ كانَ.

I feel I can trust you because of what the Lord has done in your life. I believe you will not follow another way. Whoever is trying to lead you in the wrong way will suffer for it.

11 أ يُّها الإخوَةُ، لَو كُنْتُ لا أزالُ أُعَلِّمُ بِضَرورَةِ الخِتانِ، لَما كُنْتُ مُضْطَّهَداً، ولَما عادَ الصَّلِيبُ يُعْتَبَرُ عائِقاً أمامَ أحَدٍ.

Christian brothers, if I would still preach that people must go through the religious act of becoming a Jew to be a Christian, I would not be suffering from those who are making it hard for me. If I preached like that, the Jews would have no reason to be against the cross of Christ.

12 ف َلَيتَ الَّذِينَ يُزعِجُونَكُمْ بِهَذِهِ المَسْألَةِ يَقْطَعُونَ إلَى التَّمامِ!

I wish those who are so willing to cut your bodies would complete the job by cutting themselves off from you.

13 أ مّا أنتُمْ أيُّها الإخوَةُ، فَقَدْ دُعِيتُمْ إلَى حَياةِ الحُرِّيَّةِ. وَلَكِنْ لا تَجعَلُوا حُرِّيَتَكُمْ حُجَّةً لإرضاءِ رَغَباتِكُمُ الأنانِيَّةِ، بَلِ اخدِمُوا بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضاً بِالمَحَبَّةِ.

Christian brother, you were chosen to be free. Be careful that you do not please your old selves by sinning because you are free. Live this free life by loving and helping others.

14 ل ِأنَّ كُلَّ الشَّرِيعَةِ جُمِعَتْ فِي وَصِيَّةٍ واحِدَةٍ: «تُحِبُّ صاحِبَكَ كَما تُحِبُّ نَفسَكَ.»

You obey the whole Law when you do this one thing, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

15 و َلَكِنْ إنْ كُنْتُمْ تَنهَشُونَ وَتَفتَرِسُونَ بَعضُكُمْ بَعضاً، فَمِنَ الأفضَلِ أنْ تَحذَرُوا مِنْ أنْ تُفنُوا بَعْضُكُمْ بَعضاً. الرُّوحُ وَالطَّبِيعَةُ البَشَرِيَّة

But if you hurt and make it hard for each other, watch out or you may be destroyed by each other.

16 و َلَكِنِّي أقُولُ اسلُكُوا تَحْتَ قِيادَةِ الرُّوحِ، وَهَكَذا لَنْ تُشبِعُوا شَهَواتِ الطَّبِيعَةِ الجَسَديَّةِ.

I say this to you: Let the Holy Spirit lead you in each step. Then you will not please your sinful old selves.

17 ف َالطَّبِيعَةُ الجَسَدِيَّةُ تَشْتَهي ضِدَّ رَغَباتِ الرُّوحِ، وَالرُّوحُ تَشْتَهي ضِدَّ رَغَباتِ الطَّبِيعَةِ الجَسَدِيِّةِ. فَكُلٌّ مِنْها يَشْتَهي بِعَكْسِ الآخَرِ. وَهَكَذا لا تَستَطِيعُونَ أنْ تَفعَلُوا ما تُرِيدُونَ.

The things our old selves want to do are against what the Holy Spirit wants. The Holy Spirit does not agree with what our sinful old selves want. These two are against each other. So you cannot do what you want to do.

18 و َلَكِنْ، إنْ كُنْتُمْ تَنقادُونَ بِالرُّوحِ، فَلَسْتُمْ تَحتَ الشَّرِيعَةِ.

If you let the Holy Spirit lead you, the Law no longer has power over you.

19 إ نَّ أعمالَ الطَّبِيعَةِ البَشَرِيَّةِ وَاضِحَةٌ: وَهِيَ الزِّنَى، النَّجاسَةُ، الدَّعارَةُ،

The things your sinful old self wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living,

20 ع ِبادَةُ الأصنامِ، السِّحْرُ، مَشاعِرُ العَداءِ، المُنازَعاتُ، الغَيرَةُ، الغَضَبُ، التَّحَزُّبُ، الِانقِسامُ،

worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching,

21 ا لحَسَدُ، السُّكْرُ، اللَّهوُ المُنحَرِفُ، وَكُلُّ الأُمُورِ الَّتِي تُشبِهُ هَذِهِ. هَذِهِ هِيَ الأُمُورُ الَّتِي حَذَّرْتُكُمْ مِنْها، وَكُنْتُ قَدْ حَذَّرْتُكُمْ سابِقاً مِنْ أنَّ الَّذِينَ يُمارِسُونَها لَنْ يَرِثُوا مَلَكُوتَ اللهِ.

wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things will have no place in the holy nation of God.

22 أ مّا ثَمَرُ الرُّوحِ فَهُوَ: المَحَبَّةُ، الفَرَحُ، السَّلامُ، الصَّبْرُ، اللُّطْفُ، الصَّلاحُ، الأمانَةُ،

But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith,

23 ا لوَداعَةُ، ضَبْطُ النَّفْسِ. وَلا تُوجَدُ شَرِيعَةٌ تَمْنَعُ هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ.

being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.

24 ف َالَّذِينَ يَنتَمُونَ إلَى المَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ، قَدْ صَلَبُوا الجَسَدَ مَعَ الأهواءِ وَالرَّغَباتِ الشِّرِّيرَةِ.

Those of us who belong to Christ have nailed our sinful old selves on His cross. Our sinful desires are now dead.

25 ف َإنْ كُنّا نَحيا بِالرُّوحِ، فَلْنَسلُكْ أيضاً كَما يَقُودُنا الرُّوحُ.

If the Holy Spirit is living in us, let us be led by Him in all things.

26 ل ا تَكُونُوا مَغرُورِينَ، يَحْسِدُ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعضاً، وَيَغْضَبُ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ.

Let us not become proud in ways in which we should not. We must not make hard feelings among ourselves as Christians or make anyone jealous.