Galatians 6

Common English Bible

Caring and sharing

6 Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. ²Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. ⁴Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. ⁵Each person will have to carry their own load.

⁶Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. ⁷Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. ⁸Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. ¹⁰So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith.

Final greeting

¹¹Look at the large letters I’m making with my own handwriting! ¹²Whoever wants to look good by human standards will try to get you to be circumcised, but only so they won’t be harassed for the cross of Christ. ¹³Those who are circumcised don’t observe the Law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised, so they can boast about your physical body.^[a]

¹⁴But as for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through him, and I have been crucified to the world. ¹⁵Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t mean anything. What matters is a new creation. ¹⁶May peace and mercy be on whoever follows this rule and on God’s Israel.

¹⁷From now on, no one should bother me because I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

¹⁸Brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Footnotes

Galatians 6:13 In Gk the word traditionally rendered as flesh is rendered here as physical body, but it has a wide range of meaning. Gal 5:13-25; 6:8, 12 contain nine close occurrences of the same word in Gk, but it is rendered as selfish in regard to impulses, desires, motives, or benefit, and human standards in 6:12.