Being conscious that a man does not get righteousness by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we had faith in Christ Jesus, so that we might get righteousness by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law will no flesh get righteousness.

For if I try to build up again what I had already destroyed [i.e., by returning to depend on compliance with the law of Moses to become right with God, after having rejected this system by trusting in Christ to save me], I would certainly be guilty of sin.

O foolish Galatians, who hath deluded you, you that have had the crucifixion of Jesus Christ represented to your view?

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

Even as Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.

So that on the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; in order that we through faith might have the Spirit which God had undertaken to give.

I mean this: The law which was given four hundred and thirty years later could not annul the contract which had already been ratified by God, so as to cancel 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.

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;

Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith.

(for all of you who had yourselves baptized into Christ have taken on the character of Christ).

But when the time had come, God sent out his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

But once, when you Gentiles had no knowledge of God, you were slaves to gods which have no real being.

But you are aware [I am sure] that when I first came preaching the Gospel [message] to you, I had a physical handicap.

and yet the bodily infirmity which was such a trial to you, you did not regard with contempt or loathing, but you received me as if I had been an angel of God or Christ Jesus Himself!

Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman;

But, he that was of the bondmaid, after the flesh, had been born, whereas, he that was of the free woman, through means of a promise.

For it is in the Writings, You who have never given birth, be glad; give cries of joy, you who have had no birth-pains; for the children of her who has been given up by her husband are more than those of the woman who has a husband.

But as in those days he who had birth after the flesh was cruel to him who had birth after the Spirit, even so it is now.

This ready belief did not come from him who had made you his.

Brethren, if I yet preach circumcision: why do I then yet suffer persecution? For then had the offense which the cross giveth, ceased.

envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

But the last thing I want to do is brag [about such things]. For [if I had any bragging to do at all], it would be about [salvation through] the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is through Him that this [sinful] world has been crucified [i.e., died] as far as I am concerned and I have been crucified [i.e., died] as far as it is concerned.

according as he had chosen us in himself before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, free from vice, and devoted to virtue.

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,

so to order it in the fulness of the ages that all things in heaven and earth alike should be gathered up in Christ ??11 in the Christ in whom we have had our heritage allotted us (as was decreed in the design of him who carries out everything according to the counsel of his will),

In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,

So that his glory might have praise through us who first had hope in Christ:

In whom ye likewise believed, after ye had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom having believed, ye were also sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise,

For this cause I, having had news of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and which you make clear to all the saints,

who were dead in trespasses and sins, Wherein ye formerly walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in time past,

Among whom also, we all, had our behaviour, at one time, in the covetings of our flesh, doing the things desired by the flesh and the mind, and were children, by nature, of anger - even as the rest, -

But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us,

For it is by grace you have been saved, as you had faith; it is not your doing but God's gift,

for he hath made us a-new, and form'd us by Christ Jesus to do good works, for which God had before prepared us, that we might live in them.

remember that at that time you were separated from Christ [excluded from any relationship with Him], alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise [with no share in the sacred Messianic promise and without knowledge of God’s agreements], having no hope [in His promise] and [living] in the world without God.

to reconcile them both to God with His cross after He had killed the hostility through it.

Which, in other generations, had not been made known unto the sons of men, as it hath, now, been revealed by his holy apostles and prophets, in Spirit; -

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:

Such was the eternal purpose which He had formed in Christ Jesus our Lord,

There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.

(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had previously descended [from the heights of heaven] into the lower parts of the earth?

Who no longer having had feeling delivered themselves to licentiousness, to the work of all uncleanness in overreaching.

And be kind to one another, full of pity, having forgiveness for one another, even as God in Christ had forgiveness for you.

And be living in love, even as Christ had love for you, and gave himself up for us, an offering to God for a perfume of a sweet smell.

Husbands, have love for your wives, even as Christ had love for the church, and gave himself for it;

For no man ever had hate for his flesh; but he gives it food and takes care of it, even as Christ does for the church;

not with mere external service, as though you had only men to please, but like slaves of Christ, carrying out the will of God.

Because of the share that you have had in spreading the Good News, from the first day that you received it until now.

According as it is right in me to have this regard in behalf of you all, - because ye have had me in your hearts, both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the glad-message, all of you being, joint partakers of my favour.

For you have had the privilege granted you on behalf of Christ--not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf;

having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

Keep on fostering the same disposition that Christ Jesus had.

who, though from the beginning he had the nature of God, did not reckon equality with God something to be forcibly retained,

Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,

After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.

as you hold out [i.e., offer to people] the message of [never ending] life. Then I will have something to boast about on the day of Christ's [return, See 1:6], that I had not run the race for nothing nor had worked for nothing.

But ye know the proof I have had of him, that as son with a father he served with me in the gospel.

however I thought it necessary to send you Epaphroditus my brother, my collegue in the ministry, and my fellow-soldier, whom you had sent to supply my wants:

For he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

He certainly was sick and close to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in [your relationship to] the Lord. It does not trouble me to write the same things to you again, because you will be safer if I do. [Note: These "same things" may refer to warnings against false teachers which Paul had either spoken to them or written about previously].

although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life].

Not as if I had even now got the reward or been made complete: but I go on in the hope that I may come to the knowledge of that for which I was made the servant of Christ Jesus.

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord, that now at last you have renewed your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned about me before, but you had no opportunity to show it.

Howbeit ye did well that ye had fellowship with my affliction.

And you very well know, Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I had left Macedonia, no church but yourselves had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving.

I have all things and more than enough: I am made full, having had from Epaphroditus the things which came from you, a perfume of a sweet smell, an offering well pleasing to God.

Which has come to you; and which in all the world is giving fruit and increase, as it has done in you from the day when it came to your ears and you had true knowledge of the grace of God;

For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit,

The sacred secret which had been hidden away from the ages and from the generations, but, now, hath been made manifest unto his saints -

Since you have had the messiah, even Jesus the Lord, brought to you, lead your life in him,

In whom you had a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;

[When he] had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a display of [them] in public, triumphing over them by it.

among whom you had your conversation, when you followed their practices.

Being gentle to one another and having forgiveness for one another, if anyone has done wrong to his brother, even as the Lord had forgiveness for you:

You who are slaves must always obey your earthly masters, not with mere external service, as though you had only men to please, but with sincerity of heart, because you fear the Lord.

For, he that acteth unrighteously, shall get back what he had unrighteously done, and there is no respect of persons;

Aristarchus, my fellow-prisoner, wishes to be remembered to you, and so does Barnabas' cousin Mark. (About him you have had instructions; if he comes to see you, make him welcome.)

And you took us and the Lord as your example, after the word had come to you in much trouble, with joy in the Holy Spirit;

For from you the word of the Lord was proclaimed not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith with respect to God went into every place, so that we had no need to say any thing;

For they themselves report about us, telling what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

For ye know yourselves, brethren, our entering in which we had to you, that it has not been in vain;

but after we had already suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, yet in [the strength of] our God we summoned the courage to proclaim boldly to you the good news of God [regarding salvation] amid great opposition.

but as God had judged us worthy to be intrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who tries our hearts.

For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness—

we never sought honour from men, from you or from anybody else, though as apostles of Christ we had the power of claiming to be men of weight;

But we became gentle in your midst, - as though, a nursing mother, had been cherishing her own children:

Having such a deep affection for you, we were delighted to share with you not only God’s good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us.

This, too, is a reason why we, on our part, are continually thanking God--because, in receiving the teaching that you had from us, you accepted it, not as the teaching of man, but as what it really is--the teaching of God, which is even now doing its work within you who believe in Christ.

For you, brothers, followed the example of God's churches in Judea that are in union with Christ Jesus, for you in your turn had to bear the same ill-treatment from your neighbors as they did from the Jews,

But we, my brothers, being away from you for a short time, in body but not in heart, had all the more desire to see your face;

So, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that my labor had been in vain.

But now when Timotheus was come to us from you, and had brought us the good tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, as we also to see you:

Therefore, brethren, had we consolation in you, in all our adversity, and necessity through your faith.

For we say this to you by [the authority of] the word of the Lord [Note: Paul was either quoting what Jesus had previously said, or was giving a revelation he had received from the Lord. See I Cor. 14:37], that we [Christians] who are [still] alive, who are left [on earth] when the Lord returns, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Note: The point Paul is making is that the living will not be "changed" (I Cor. 15:51-52) and taken to heaven before the dead are raised].

At his coming, when he will have glory in his saints, and will be a cause of wonder in all those who had faith (because our witness among you had effect) in that day.