For this I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is manifested in thy weakness." With the greatest pleasure therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For what is it that ye were inferior in to the rest of the churches, unless it be that I myself was not burdensome to you?--- Forgive me this injury.

Be it so, that I did not burden you myself, yet, may some say, being crafty I over-reached you by subtilty.

Do ye then think that we are making apologies to you? No, we speak before God in Christ: and all, my beloved, for your edification.

I said before, and I again tell you beforehand, as if I were present the second time; and being absent I now write to those who have sinned heretofore, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare:

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove yourselves: do ye not know yourselves to be such that Jesus Christ is in you? unless ye are reprovable.

But I hope ye will soon know that we are not disapproved.

I pray to God that ye may do no evil: and not that we may appear to be approved by your punishment, but that ye may do that which is good, though we should seem to be disapproved.

Therefore I write these things while absent, that when present I may not use severity, according to the power which the Lord hath given me for edification, and not for destruction.

and all the brethren that are with me, to the churches of Galatia:

who gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from the present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father:

I wonder that ye are so soon removed from him who called you by the grace of Christ to another gospel: which is not another;

but there be some that disturb you, and would subvert the gospel of Christ.

But I assure you, brethren, that the gospel preached by me is not of human invention.

For ye have heard of my conversation formerly in Judaism, that I outragiously persecuted the church of God, and laid it waste:

to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach Him among the gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood,

nor went I up to Jerusalem to those that were apostles before me, but I departed into Arabia, and afterwards returned again to Damascus.

But only they had heard that he who persecuted us before, now preacheth the faith which he formerly would have destroyed.

and that because of the false brethren clandestinely introduced, who had crept in as spies upon our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

to whom we yielded no submission, not even for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

But on the contrary, seeing that I was intrusted with the gospel of uncircumcision, as Peter was with that of the circumcision;

and knowing the grace which was given to me; James, and Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars of the church, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go to the gentiles, and they to the circumcision.

Only desiring that we would remember the poor: which I also was forward to do.

And the rest of the Jews dissembled also with him; so that Barnabas too was carried away with their dissimulation.

But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all,---If thou, who art a Jew, livest sometimes after the manner of the gentiles, and not like the Jews, why dost thou now in a manner compel the gentiles to judaize?

knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

that I might live unto God.

O senseless Galatians, who hath so bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth as crucified.

He therefore that imparteth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doth he it by the works of the law, or by the doctrine of faith?

so ye know that they who believe, are the children of Abraham.

And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, preached the gospel to Abraham long ago, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed."

So then they that believe, are blessed with believing Abraham.

For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed be every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.

And that by the law no one is justified before God is evident; for it is written "The just shall live by faith:"

now the law is not of faith, but saith, "The man that doth them, shall live in them."

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us: for it is written, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

that the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles by Christ Jesus; that we through faith might receive the promise of the Spirit.

This then I say, that the law, which was given four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul the covenant, which was so long before confirmed by God unto Christ, to make void the promise.

But the scripture hath shut up all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

So that the law was our guide to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

that He might redeem those that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

So that thou art no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, an heir also of God through Christ.

But now that ye know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that ye turn again to the poor weak elements, to which ye desire again to be in bondage as before?

so that I am afraid for you, least I have indeed bestowed upon you labour in vain.

But ye know that in the infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel to you at first:

What then was your blessedness? for I bear you witness that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

They are zealous for you, but not as they ought: for they would exclude us, that ye may be zealous for them:

But it is good to be zealously affected always in that which is good, and not only when I am present with you.

Tell me, you that are so desirous to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

where it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by a servant, and one by a free-woman?

For it is written, Rejoice thou barren, that for a while didst not bear, break forth and cry aloud for joy, thou that didst not travail with child; for many more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath an husband."

But as then he that was born after the flesh, persecuted him who was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

And I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to the whole law.

This persuasion came not from him that called you: but a little leaven leaveneth the whole mass.

that ye will not think otherwise: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgement, whosoever he be.

I wish they were even cut off from your communion, that make such disturbance amongst you.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not destroyed by one another.

for the flesh desireth things contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit things contrary to the flesh: and these are opposite to each other; so that ye do not those things which ye would.

heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and the like: of which I forewarn you, as I have also told you before, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

And they, that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires.

For if any one thinketh that he is something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

And let him, that is instructed in the word, communicate in all good things to him that instructeth.

Be not deceived, God is not to be mocked: for whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

He then, who soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he, that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

They, who want to make a fair appearance in the flesh, would constrain you to be circumcised; only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

For they, who are circumcised, do not themselves keep the law: but they would have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

But God forbid that I should glory, unless in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

according as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unblameable before Him in love:

that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, He might reduce all things, both in heaven and on earth, under one head in Christ:

that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him,

and enlighten the eyes of your understanding; that ye may know, what is the hope of his calling, and how rich the glory of his inheritance in the saints;

far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

in which ye formerly walked after the manner of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that still operates in the children of disobedience:

That in the ages to come He might shew the superabundant riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace ye are saved, through faith: and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not by works, that no one may boast:

created in Christ Jesus unto good works, for which God before prepared us, that we might walk in them.

Wherefore remember that ye were formerly Gentiles in the flesh, called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision made by hands in the flesh;

and ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus,

having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that He might form the two into one new man, in Himself, so making peace;

and that He might reconcile both in one body unto God, by the cross, having thereby slain the enmity:

and He came and preached peace to you that were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

that by immediate revelation He made known to me the mystery, (as I wrote before in brief, by which,

which in other generations was not made known to men, as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be co-heirs,

On me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace bestowed, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly regions;

Wherefore I desire that ye would not be discouraged at my afflictions on your account, which is your glory.

that He would grant you, according to his glorious riches, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit, as to the inner man;

that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith: and be ye rooted and grounded in love,

that ye may be able, with all the saints, to comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth,

and height, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasseth knowledge; that ye may be filled according to the abundant fulness of God.

Now to Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power operating in us,

Now this expression "He ascended" what does it mean, but that He descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.

That we may be no longer children fluctuating and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the artful insinuations of men, and their crafty methods of deceiving;

This I say therefore, and charge you in the name of the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk,

in the vanity of their mind, darkened in their understanding, and alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, by reason of the hardness of their heart:

Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labour, doing some good with his hands, that he may have something to bestow on him that hath need of it.