who gave himself for our sins, so that he might rescue us, according to the will of our God and Father, out of the evil age that has come,

As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man is a preacher to you of any good news other than that which has been given to you, let there be a curse on him.

For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me, that it is not {of human origin}.

For news has come to you of my way of life in the past in the Jews' religion, how I was cruel without measure to the church of God, and did great damage to it:

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;

On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter has with the gospel for the circumcised

(for he who has equipped Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised, equipped me also for the apostleship to the Gentiles),

I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live, I, but Christ lives in me; but in that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me.

I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness is by law, then Christ has died for nothing.

O senseless Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose very eyes Jesus Christ was pictured as the crucified One?

Have you had all that experience for nothing (if it has really gone for nothing)?

Therefore, as God has provided you with the Holy Spirit and has produced miracles among you, [do you think He has done all this] as a result of your obeying the requirements of the law of Moses or as a result of hearing [and responding to the message of] the faith?

For as many as are of works of law are under a curse; for it has been written, "Cursed is every one who continues not in all the things written in the book of the law, to do them."

and the law has nothing to do with faith, but it says, "It is the man who does these things that will live by doing them."

Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one hanged upon a tree,)

Our freedom has been thus purchased in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing belonging to Abraham may come upon the nations, so that through faith we may receive the promised Spirit.

Brothers, I am going to use a human illustration: Even a human contract, once it has been ratified, no one can annul or change.

I mean to say that the testament which God has already ratified could not be annulled by the Law which came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to make the Promise void.

If our inheritance rests on the Law, it has nothing to do with the promise. Yet it was as a promise that God bestowed it upon Abraham.

What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

Now the mediator or go-between [in a transaction] is not [needed] for just one party; whereas God is only one [and was the only One giving the promise to Abraham, but the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity depended on both].

But the Scripture has captured everything by means of sin's net, so that what was promised by the faithfulness of the Messiah might be granted to those who believe.

So the law has been our attendant to lead us to Christ, so that we might through faith obtain right standing with God.

But now that this faith has come, we are no longer in the charge of the attendant.

But as long as the person who has an inheritance coming to him is a child, he is really no better off than a slave, even though he himself is [rightfully] entitled [to the inheritance].

He is subject to the control of guardians and stewards, during the period for which his father has power to appoint them.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, "Abba," that is, "Father."

But now that you have come to have knowledge of God, or more truly, God has knowledge of you, how is it that you go back again to the poor and feeble first things, desiring to be servants to them again?

I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.

What has become of that satisfaction of yours? For I can bear witness that you would have torn out your very eyes, if you could, and given them to me!

For it has been written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bond-woman, and one by the free-woman.

Now the son by the servant-woman has his birth after the flesh; but the son by the free woman has his birth through the undertaking of God.

All this is allegorical; for the women represent two Covenants. One has its origin on Mount Sinai, and bears children destined for slavery.

For the Scripture says: "Rejoice, you childless woman, who never bore a child; break forth into shouting, you who feel no birth pangs; for the desolate woman has many children, even more than the married one."

so then, my brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free-woman, by virtue of that freedom which Christ has procur'd for us.

This is the freedom with which Christ has made us free. So keep on standing in it, and stop letting your necks be fastened in the yoke of slavery again.

Christ has become nothing to any of you who are seeking acceptance with God through the Law: you have fallen away from grace.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision has any force, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.

Ye ran well; who has stopped you that ye should not obey the truth?

As for me, myself, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In such a case the hindrance done by the cross has presumably ceased!

For the whole Law has been fulfilled in this one precept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; because these are opposite the one to the other; so that you may not do the things which you have a mind to do.

Worship of images, use of strange powers, hates, fighting, desire for what another has, angry feelings, attempts to get the better of others, divisions, false teachings,

For if a man has an idea that he is something when he is nothing, he is tricked by himself.

Every man ought to test his own work, and then whatever satisfaction he has will be with reference to himself, and not in comparison with someone else.

But may it never be mine to boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world!

For neither circumcision nor the lack of it has any value, but only a new creation.