Galatians 3-4

English Standard Version

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ^(A)It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly ^(B)portrayed as crucified. ² Let me ask you only this: ^(C)Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by ^(D)hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? ^(E)Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by^[a] the flesh? ^4 (F)Did you suffer^[b] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and ^(G)works miracles among you do so ^(H)by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶ just as ^(I)Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

⁷ Know then that it is ^(J)those of faith who are ^(K)the sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that ^(L)God would justify^[c] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ^(M)“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁰ For all who rely on works of the law are ^(N)under a curse; for it is written, ^(O)“Cursed be everyone who does not ^(P)abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹ Now it is evident that ^(Q)no one is justified before God by the law, for ^(R)“The righteous shall live by faith.”^{[d] 12} But the law is not of faith, rather ^(S)“The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³ Christ ^(T)redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ^(U)“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^(V)on a tree”— ¹⁴ so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^(W)come to the Gentiles, so that ^(X)we might receive ^(Y)the promised Spirit^[e] through faith.

The Law and the Promise

^15 (Z)To give a human example, brothers:^{[f] (AA)}even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶ Now ^(AB)the promises were made ^(AC)to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, ^(AD)“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came ^(AE)430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^(AF)to make the promise void. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but ^(AG)God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹ Why then the law? ^(AH)It was added because of transgressions, ^(AI)until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was ^(AJ)put in place through angels ^(AK)by an intermediary. ²⁰ Now ^(AL)an intermediary implies more than one, but ^(AM)God is one.

²¹ Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For ^(AN)if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²² But the Scripture ^(AO)imprisoned everything under sin, so that ^(AP)the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given ^(AQ)to those who believe.

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, ^(AR)imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, ^(AS)the law was our ^(AT)guardian until Christ came, ^(AU)in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus ^(AV)you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as ^(AW)were baptized ^(AX)into Christ have ^(AY)put on Christ. ^28 (AZ)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave^[g] nor free, ^(BA)there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(BB)if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, ^(BC)heirs according to promise.

Sons and Heirs

4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,^[h] though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, ^(BD)were enslaved to the elementary principles^[i] of the world. ⁴ But ^(BE)when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^(BF)born ^(BG)of woman, born ^(BH)under the law, ^5 (BI)to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ^(BJ)adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent ^(BK)the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^(BL)an heir through God.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

⁸ Formerly, when you ^(BM)did not know God, you ^(BN)were enslaved to those that by nature ^(BO)are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather ^(BP)to be known by God, ^(BQ)how can you turn back again to ^(BR)the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ^10 (BS)You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid ^(BT)I may have labored over you in vain.

¹² Brothers,^{[j] (BU)}I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. ^(BV)You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was ^(BW)because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^(BX)at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^(BY)as an angel of God, ^(BZ)as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by ^(CA)telling you the truth?^{[k] 17} They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and ^(CB)not only when I am present with you, ^19 (CC)my little children, ^(CD)for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ ^(CE)is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^(CF)one by a slave woman and ^(CG)one by a free woman. ²³ But ^(CH)the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while ^(CI)the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two ^(CJ)covenants. ^(CK)One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;^[l] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But ^(CL)the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

²⁸ Now you,^[m] brothers, ^(CN)like Isaac, ^(CO)are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh ^(CP)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(CQ)so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? ^(CR)“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but ^(CS)of the free woman.