1 O H Gálatas insensatos! ¿quién os fascinó, para no obedecer á la verdad, ante cuyos ojos Jesucristo fué ya descrito como crucificado entre vosotros?

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?

2 E sto solo quiero saber de vosotros: ¿Recibisteis el Espíritu por las obras de la ley, ó por el oir de la fe?

Let 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 ?

3 ¿ Tan necios sois? ¿habiendo comenzado por el Espíritu, ahora os perfeccionáis por la carne?

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

4 ¿ Tantas cosas habéis padecido en vano? si empero en vano.

Have 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?

5 A quel, pues, que os daba el Espíritu, y obraba maravillas entre vosotros ¿hacíalo por las obras de la ley, ó por el oir de la fe?

Then 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?

6 C omo Abraham creyó á Dios, y le fué imputado á justicia.

Thus 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).

7 S abéis por tanto, que los que son de fe, los tales son hijos de Abraham.

Know and understand that it is the people by faith who are sons of Abraham.

8 Y viendo antes la Escritura que Dios por la fe había de justificar á los Gentiles, evangelizó antes á Abraham, diciendo: En ti serán benditas todas las naciones.

And 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.

9 L uego los de la fe son benditos con el creyente Abraham.

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

10 P orque todos los que son de las obras de la ley, están bajo de maldición. Porque escrito está: Maldito todo aquel que no permaneciere en todas las cosas que están escritas en el libro de la ley, para hacerlas.

And 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.

11 M as por cuanto por la ley ninguno se justifica para con Dios, queda manifiesto: Que el justo por la fe vivirá.

Now 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.

12 L a ley también no es de la fe; sino, El hombre que los hiciere, vivirá en ellos.

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

13 C risto nos redimió de la maldición de la ley, hecho por nosotros maldición; (porque está escrito: Maldito cualquiera que es colgado en madero:)

Christ 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);

14 P ara que la bendición de Abraham fuese sobre los Gentiles en Cristo Jesús; para que por la fe recibamos la promesa del Espíritu.

To 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.

15 H ermanos, hablo como hombre: Aunque un pacto sea de hombre, con todo, siendo confirmado, nadie lo cancela, ó le añade.

To 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).

16 A Abraham fueron hechas las promesas, y á su simiente. No dice: Y á las simientes, como de muchos; sino como de uno: Y á tu simiente, la cual es Cristo.

Now 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).

17 E sto pues digo: Que el contrato confirmado de Dios para con Cristo, la ley que fué hecha cuatrocientos treinta años después, no lo abroga, para invalidar la promesa.

This 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.

18 P orque si la herencia es por la ley, ya no es por la promesa: empero Dios por la promesa hizo la donación á Abraham.

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

19 ¿ Pues de qué sirve la ley? Fué puesta por causa de las rebeliones, hasta que viniese la simiente á quien fué hecha la promesa, ordenada aquélla por los ángeles en la mano de un mediador.

What 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.

20 Y el mediador no es de uno, pero Dios es uno.

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

21 ¿ Luego la ley es contra las promesas de Dios? En ninguna manera: porque si la ley dada pudiera vivificar, la justicia fuera verdaderamente por la ley.

Is 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.

22 M as encerró la Escritura todo bajo pecado, para que la promesa fuese dada á los creyentes por la fe de Jesucristo.

But 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.

23 E mpero antes que viniese la fe, estábamos guardados bajo la ley, encerrados para aquella fe que había de ser descubierta.

Now 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),

24 D e manera que la ley nuestro ayo fué para llevarnos á Cristo, para que fuésemos justificados por la fe.

So 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.

25 M as venida la fe, ya no estamos bajo ayo;

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

26 P orque todos sois hijos de Dios por la fe en Cristo Jesús.

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

27 P orque todos los que habéis sido bautizados en Cristo, de Cristo estáis vestidos.

For as many as were baptized into Christ have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.

28 N o hay Judío, ni Griego; no hay siervo, ni libre; no hay varón, ni hembra: porque todos vosotros sois uno en Cristo Jesús.

There 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.

29 Y si vosotros sois de Cristo, ciertamente la simiente de Abraham sois, y conforme á la promesa los herederos.

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