1 E STAD, pues, firmes en la libertad con que Cristo nos hizo libres, y no volváis otra vez á ser presos en el yugo de servidumbre.

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

2 H e aquí yo Pablo os digo, que si os circuncidareis, Cristo no os aprovechará nada.

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 Y otra vez vuelvo á protestar á todo hombre que se circuncidare, que está obligado á hacer toda la ley.

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

4 V acíos sois de Cristo los que por la ley os justificáis; de la gracia habéis caído.

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 P orque nosotros por el Espíritu esperamos la esperanza de la justicia por la fe.

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

6 P orque en Cristo Jesús ni la circuncisión vale algo, ni la incircuncisión; sino la fe que obra por la caridad.

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 V osotros corríais bien: ¿quién os embarazó para no obedecer á la verdad?

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

8 E sta persuasión no es de aquel que os llama.

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

9 U n poco de levadura leuda toda la masa.

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

10 Y o confío de vosotros en el Señor, que ninguna otra cosa sentiréis: mas el que os inquieta, llevará el juicio, quienquiera que él sea.

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 Y yo, hermanos, si aun predico la circuncisión, ¿por qué padezco pesecución todavía? pues que quitado es el escándalo de la cruz.

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 O jalá fuesen también cortados los que os inquietan.

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

13 P orque vosotros, hermanos, á libertad habéis sido llamados; solamente que no uséis la libertad como ocasión á la carne, sino servíos por amor los unos á los otros.

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 P orque toda la ley en aquesta sola palabra se cumple: Amarás á tu prójimo como á ti mismo.

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

15 Y si os mordéis y os coméis los unos á los otros, mirad que también no os consumáis los unos á los otros.

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

16 D igo pues: Andad en el Espíritu, y no satisfagáis la concupiscencia de la carne.

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

17 P orque la carne codicia contra el Espíritu, y el Espíritu contra la carne: y estas cosas se oponen la una á la otra, para que no hagáis lo que quisieres.

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 M as si sois guiados del Espíritu, no estáis bajo la ley.

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

19 Y manifiestas son las obras de la carne, que son: adulterio, fornicación, inmundicia, disolución,

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

20 I dolatría, hechicerías, enemistades, pleitos, celos, iras, contiendas, disensiones, herejías,

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 E nvidias, homicidios, borracheras, banqueteos, y cosas semejantes á éstas: de las cuales os denuncio, como ya os he anunciado, que los que hacen tales cosas no heredarán el reino de Dios.

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 M as el fruto del Espíritu es: caridad, gozo, paz, tolerancia, benignidad, bondad, fe,

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 M ansedumbre, templanza: contra tales cosas no hay ley.

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

24 P orque los que son de Cristo, han crucificado la carne con los afectos y concupiscencias.

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

25 S i vivimos en el Espíritu, andemos también en el Espíritu.

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

26 N o seamos codiciosos de vana gloria, irritando los unos á los otros, envidiándose los unos á los otros.

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.