Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by any man, but by Jesus Christ and by God the Father who raised him from the dead;

who are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: grace be to you, and peace from God the father,

Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age in accordance with the will of our God and Father,

to whom be glory from age to age. Amen.

I am surprised that you are being so quickly turned away from him whose word came to you in the grace of Christ, to good news of a different sort;

But even though I myself or an angel from heaven were to preach any gospel other than that which I did preach to you, let him be accursed.

As we have said before, even now, again, I say: If anyone is announcing unto you a glad-message aside from that which ye accepted, accursed, let him be!

For do I now use persuasions from men, or from God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

For I would like to clarify for you, brothers, the situation regarding the Gospel that I have preached: It did not originate from man.

for neither did I myself receive it from man, nor by man was I taught it, but by a revelation an apocalypse of Jesus Christ.

And I went farther in the Jews' religion than a number of my generation among my countrymen, having a more burning interest in the beliefs handed down from my fathers.

But when God who had set me apart from my very birth,

to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from any human being,

I did not go up to Jerusalem to [discuss it with] those who had become apostles before me either; instead I went away into Arabia. [Note: This is probably when Paul received supernatural power from the Holy Spirit]. Then afterward, I returned to Damascus. [Note: This was in Syria where Paul was converted].

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and get information from him, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

But from those who seemed to be important (whatever they were has no weight with me: God does not take man's person into account): those who seemed to be important gave nothing new to me;

For until certain men came from James he used to eat with the Gentile Christians, but when they came, he began to draw back and to separate himself, because he was afraid of the circumcision party.

But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?”

We, by nature Jews, and not sinners from among the nations,

knowing that a man is not made righteous from works of law, instead through faith of Jesus Christ. And we believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made righteous from faith of Christ, and not from works of law, because no fles

But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves also have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Far from it!

I do not nullify the grace of God; for if acquittal from guilt is obtainable through the Law, then Christ has died in vain."

Answer me this one question. "When you received the Spirit, was it from doing what the Law commands or from believing the message heard?"

He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and who works miracles among you, is it from works of law or from a listening ear of faith?

Ye know therefore that those from faith, these are sons of Abraham.

And the scripture having foreseen that God makes the Gentiles righteous from faith, proclaimed the good-news in advance to Abraham: In thee all the nations will be blessed.

So then those from faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.

For as many as are from works of law are under a curse, for it is written, Cursed is every man who does not continue in all things written in the book of the law, to do them.

But that no man is made righteous by law before God, is evident, because, The righteous man will live from faith.

But the law is not from faith, but "the one who does these [things] will live by them."

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is every one who is hanged upon a tree),

Let me illustrate, brothers, from every-day life. When once a human testament is made, and formally ratified, no one sets it aside or adds to it.

For if the inheritance comes from law, it no longer comes from a promise; but God did give it as a free gift to Abraham by a promise.

Is the Law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would actually have come from law;

But scripture confined all things under sin, so that the promise from faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

So that the law became our schoolmaster for Christ, so that we might be made righteous from faith.

What I mean is this. As long as the heir is a child, he differs in no respect from a slave, though he be the owner of the whole inheritance;

Instead he is under stewards and managers until the time appointed from the father.

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born from a woman, born under law,

to redeem from captivity those under law, in order that we might receive our sonship.

Believers, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I have become as you are [a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [when I first came to you; do not do it now].

They are not rightly zealous after you, but desire to shut you out from us, that ye may be zealous after them.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one from the servant girl, and one from the freewoman.

But in fact, the man from the servant girl was born according to flesh, but the man from the freewoman through promise.

Now all this is an allegory, for these women are the two covenants; one from Mount Sinai, which is Hagar bearing children into bondage

But the Jerusalem from above is free, who is the mother of us all.

Christ set us free [from condemnation under the law of Moses], so we could stay free! Remain where you are then, and do not get tangled up again in the enslaving harness [of the law of Moses].

Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you [for you will lack the faith in Christ that is necessary for salvation].

If you are being justified by law, you are cut off from Christ; you are fallen away from grace.

For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

For in [our relationship with] Christ neither the practice of circumcision nor refraining from its practice matters in any way; but [all that really matters is having a genuine] faith [in Christ] that causes us to work [for Him] out of a genuine love [for Him and others].

You were running your race nobly. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

The influence brought to bear does not come from him who is calling you.

I would to God they were separated from you, which trouble you.

For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.

For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

These men who are trying to force you to let yourselves be circumcised simply want to make a fine outward show, only to keep you from being persecuted for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But far be it from me to boast [in anything or anyone], except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

For it does not matter whether a person practices circumcision or refrains from practicing it; what really matters is [whether or not he is] a new creature [in the eyes of God].

To all those people who live by this rule, may there be peace and mercy [from God] in their lives; that is, upon [those people who are truly] God's "Israel" [i.e., the church].

From now on let no one trouble me [by making it necessary for me to justify my authority as an apostle, and the absolute truth of the gospel], for I bear on my body the branding-marks of Jesus [the wounds, scars, and other outward evidence of persecutions—these testify to His ownership of me].

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, Amen. {Unto the Galatians, Written from Rome}