Galatians 3

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 You stupid people in Galatia! After you have had a clear picture of Jesus Christ crucified, right in front ofyour eyes, who has put a spell on you?	1 O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
2 There is only one thing I should like you to tel me: How was it that you received the Spirit -- was it bythe practice of the Law, or by believing in the message you heard?	2 I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?
3 Having begun in the Spirit, can you be so stupid as to end in the flesh?	3 Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?
4 Can al the favours you have received have had no effect at al -- if there real y has been no effect?	4 Did you experience so many things in vain?--if indeed it was in vain.
5 Would you say, then, that he who so lavishly sends the Spirit to you, and causes the miracles amongyou, is doing this through your practice of the Law or because you believed the message you heard?	5 Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from faith in what you heard?
6 Abraham, you remember, put his faith in God, and this was reckoned to him as uprightness.	6 Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
7 Be sure, then, that it is people of faith who are the children of Abraham.	7 Realize then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham.
8 And it was because scripture foresaw that God would give saving justice to the gentiles through faith,that it announced the future gospel to Abraham in the words: Al nations wil be blessed in you.	8 Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, "Through you shall all the nations be blessed."
9 So it is people of faith who receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.	9 Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith.
10 On the other hand, all those who depend on the works of the Law are under a curse, since scripturesays: Accursed be he who does not make what is written in the book of the Law effective, by putting it intopractice.	10 For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law."
11 Now it is obvious that nobody is reckoned as upright in God's sight by the Law, since the upright willlive through faith;	11 And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for "the one who is righteous by faith will live."
12 and the Law is based not on faith but on the principle, whoever complies with it will find life in it.	12 But the law does not depend on faith; rather, "the one who does these things will live by them."
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake since scripture says:Anyone hanged is accursed,	13 Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,"
14 so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the gentiles in Christ Jesus, and so that we mightreceive the promised Spirit through faith.	14 that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 To put it in human terms, my brothers: even when a will is only a human one, once it has been ratifiednobody can cancel it or add more provisions to it.	15 Brothers, in human terms I say that no one can annul or amend even a human will once ratified.
16 Now the promises were addressed to Abraham and to his progeny. The words were not and to hisprogenies in the plural, but in the singular; and to your progeny, which means Christ.	16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. It does not say, "And to descendants," as referring to many, but as referring to one, "And to your descendant," who is Christ.
17 What I am saying is this: once a wil had been long ago ratified by God, the Law, coming four hundredand thirty years later, could not abolish it and so nul ify its promise.	17 This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise.
18 You see, if the inheritance comes by the Law, it no longer comes through a promise; but it was by apromise that God made his gift to Abraham.	18 For if the inheritance comes from the law, it is no longer from a promise; but God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise.
19 Then what is the purpose of the Law? It was added to deal with crimes until the 'progeny' to whom thepromise had been made should come; and it was promulgated through angels, by the agency of an intermediary.	19 Why, then, the law? It was added for transgressions, until the descendant came to whom the promise had been made; it was promulgated by angels at the hand of a mediator.
20 Now there can be an intermediary only between two parties, yet God is one.	20 Now there is no mediator when only one party is involved, and God is one.
21 Is the Law contrary, then, to God's promises? Out of the question! If the Law that was given had beencapable of giving life, then certainly saving justice would have come from the Law.	21 Is the law then opposed to the promises (of God)? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could bring life, then righteousness would in reality come from the law.
22 As it is, scripture makes no exception when it says that sin is master everywhere; so the promise canbe given only by faith in Jesus Christ to those who have this faith.	22 But scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the Law, locked up to wait for the faith whichwould eventual y be revealed to us.	23 Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed.
24 So the Law was serving as a slave to look after us, to lead us to Christ, so that we could be justified byfaith.	24 Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come we are no longer under a slave looking after us;	25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.
26 for al of you are the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus,	26 For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
27 since every one of you that has been baptised has been clothed in Christ.	27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither slave nor freeman, there can be neithermale nor female -- for you are all one in Christ Jesus.	28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And simply by being Christ's, you are that progeny of Abraham, the heirs named in the promise.	29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendant, heirs according to the promise.