Now this is playing the fool! But you forced me to it, instead of coming forward yourselves and vouching for me. That was what I deserved; for, 'nobody' as I am, I am not one whit inferior to these precious 'apostles.'

In what respect, then, were you inferior to the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Now I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, for I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

what, did I make a gain of you by any body I sent to you?

For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and I may not be found by you to be what you want; there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

And my prayer to God is that you may do no evil; not in order that I may appear approved, but that you may do what is noble, though I should seem unable to abide the proof.

Because we are able to do nothing against what is true, but only for it.

I am therefore glad when I am disarm'd by the strength of your integrity: and this is what I pray for, even your perfection.

Now brothers, goodbye! Be what you ought to be, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and God the source of love and peace will be with you.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!

As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

For am I seeking [to gain] the favor of men or of God? Or, am I striving to please people [by what I do]? If I were still [trying] to please people, I would not be a [true] servant of Christ.

no man put it into my hands, no man taught me what it meant, I had it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

you have heard of my former behaviour, whilst I was of the Jewish religion, with what excessive violence I persecuted the church of God, and laid it waste:

and how I surpassed many of my own age among my people in my devotion to Judaism, I was so fanatically devoted to what my forefathers had handed down.

(In what I am now writing, I call God to witness that I am telling the truth.)

So, they gave honor to God for [what He was doing through] me.

I went up [to Jerusalem] because of a [divine] revelation, and I put before them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so in private before those of reputation, for fear that I might be running or had run [the course of my ministry] in vain.

Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me.

For, before certain [leaders] came from James [i.e., Jesus' brother, a leader of the Jerusalem church, See Acts 12:17; 15:13-22], he had eaten [a social meal] with some Gentiles. But when these men came, he abruptly discontinued this practice out of fear of the circumcised ones [i.e., out of concern for what the Jews would think of him].

because we know that a man does not come into right standing with God by doing what the law commands, but by simple trust in Christ, we too have trusted in Christ Jesus, in order to come into right standing with God by simple trust in Christ and not by doing what the law commands, because by doing what the law commands no man can come into right standing with God.

on the contrary, if I re-establish what I have demolish'd, I show myself a prevaricator.

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And what I now live in flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I do not misapply God's grace, for if righteousness comes about by doing what the Law requires, then the Messiah died for nothing.

O foolish Galatians, by what strange powers have you been tricked, to whom it was made clear that Jesus Christ was put to death on the cross?

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

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now going to reach perfection through what is external?

Does he then who supplies you with his Spirit and works miracles among you, do it because you do what the law commands of because you believe the message heard?

For those who depend on what the law commands are under a curse, for the Scripture says, "Cursed be everyone who does not continue in all the commands that are written in the book of the law, to do them."

Brethren, I speak according to what is practised among men; no one sets aside even a human covenant, or makes additions to it, after it has been ratified.

What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to invalidate the promise.

To what purpose, then, was the Law? It was imposed later for the sake of transgressions, until the "Offspring" should come to whom the promise had been made. It was arranged through angels by the hand of a mediator.

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.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are [truly] Abraham's seed [i.e., his spiritual descendants] and thereby [you will] inherit what was promised to him [i.e., God's blessings].

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;

So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if you are a child, then you are also an heir because of what God did.

It is not you that have done me any injury: tho' you knew through what infirmity of the flesh I heretofore preached the gospel to you,

And you did not despise or disdain [what was] a trial for you in my flesh, but you welcomed me like an angel of God, like Christ Jesus.

What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.

These men [the Judaizers] eagerly seek you [to entrap you with honeyed words and attention, to win you over to their philosophy], not honorably [for their purpose is not honorable or worthy of consideration]. They want to isolate you [from us who oppose them] so that you will seek them.

Howbeit it is, honourable, to show zeal in what is honourable at all times, and not only when I am present with you; -

I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.

Tell me, you who want to be subject to law, will you not listen to what the law says?

But what does the Scripture say? Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave's son shall not be heir along with the son of the free woman.

Here is what I am saying to you: If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ can do you no good.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

You were going on well; who was the cause of your not giving ear to what is true?

This then is what I mean. Let your lives be guided by the Spirit, and then you will certainly not indulge the cravings of your lower natures.

For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

But, if you are led by [what] the Holy Spirit [wants you to do], you are not under [obligation to meet the requirements of] the law of Moses.

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,

But what the Spirit produces is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].

but let each prove his own work, and then he will have his boast in what belongs to himself alone, and not in what belongs to another.

But the person who is taught the word [of God] should provide his teacher with what he needs.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap.

Let's not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers).

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.

For both circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation.

God predetermined that we should be [considered] His adopted children through [fellowship with] Christ. This is what pleased God and is what He wanted,

in doing what He intended through Christ, to make known to us His secret plan, according to what pleased Him.

It is in [fellowship with] Christ that we [Jewish Christians] also were selected as [God's] inheritance [i.e., to receive His never ending blessings], having been predetermined according to the plan of God, who works out everything in harmony with what He wants.

and that the eyes of your heart may be flooded with light so that you may understand what is the hope of his calling, what the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what the surpassing greatness of his power unto us who believe, - according to the energy of the grasp of his might

among whom we also all once had our conversation in the lusts of our flesh, doing what the flesh and the thoughts willed to do, and were children, by nature, of wrath, even as the rest:

not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].

For He has made us what we are, because He has created us through our union with Christ Jesus for doing good deeds which He beforehand planned for us to do.

So, you Gentiles by birth should remember what you once were. You are called "Uncircumcision" by those who are called "Circumcision" [i.e., the Jews], (which refers to a physical procedure performed by people).

how the divine secret was disclosed to me by a revelation (if you read what I have already written briefly about this,

By reading what I have written, you can judge of my insight into that secret truth of Christ

The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah Jesus through the gospel.

And to bring to light - what is the administration of the sacred secret which had been hidden away from the ages in God, who did all things create:

So I ask you not to lose heart at my sufferings on your behalf, for they are your glory and honor.

In order that ye may be mighty enough to grasp firmly, with all the saints, - what is the breadth and length and depth and height,

and to know what is the love of Christ, which love passeth knowledge: that ye might be fulfilled with all manner of fullness which cometh of God.

and to Him who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us,

Now this, He ascended; what is it, - save - that he also descended into the under parts of the earth?

from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

So what I mean and insist upon in the Lord's name is this: You must no longer live like the heathen, with their frivolity of mind and darkened understanding.

But this is not the way you have learned what Christ means,

If in fact you gave ear to him, and were given teaching in him, even as what is true is made clear in Jesus:

Wherefore, stripping off what is false, be speaking truth each one with his neighbour, because we are members one of another;

The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands [what is] good, so that he may have [something] to share with the one who has need.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for giving necessary teaching, and for grace to those who give ear.

For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,??9 for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,??10 proving what is well pleasing to the Lord,

Putting to the test what is well-pleasing unto the Lord;

and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are.

For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret.

but all these things, when exposed, are by the light made manifest, and what is made manifest is light.

for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:

Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and the Messiah will shine on you.

For this cause, do not become foolish, but have discernment as to what is the will of the Lord;

Children, do what is ordered by your fathers and mothers in the Lord: for this is right.

Servants, do what is ordered by those who are your natural masters, having respect and fear for them, with all your heart, as to Christ;

Do not serve them only when you are being watched, just to gain their approval, but as slaves of Christ, doing what God wants from your heart.

And, the helmet of salvation, welcome ye, and the sword of the spirit, which is what God hath spoken,

In order, however, that, ye also, may know the things which relate to me - what I am accomplishing, - all things, shall Tychicus make known unto you, he the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord,

whom I sent unto you for the same purpose: that ye might know what case I stand in, and that he might comfort your hearts.

for what you have contributed to the gospel from the very first day down to this moment;

And what I pray for is this--that your love may grow yet stronger and stronger, with increasing knowledge and all discernment,