Galatians 3

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 senseless Galatians, who has so fascinated you that you would not obey the truth, even though Jesus Christ has been presented before your eyes, crucified among you?
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 wish to know only this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Having begun in the Spirit, can you be so stupid as to end in the flesh?	3 Are you so foolish that, though you began with the Spirit, you would now end 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 Have you been suffering so much without a reason? If so, then it is 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 Therefore, does he who distributes the Spirit to you, and who works miracles among you, act by the works of the law, or by the hearing of the faith?
6 Abraham, you remember, put his faith in God, and this was reckoned to him as uprightness.	6 It is just as it was written: “Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.”
7 Be sure, then, that it is people of faith who are the children of Abraham.	7 Therefore, know that those who are of faith, these are the sons 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 Thus Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold to Abraham: “All nations shall be blessed in you.”
9 So it is people of faith who receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.	9 And so, those who are of faith shall be blessed with faithful Abraham.
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 as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it has been written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things that have been written in the book of the Law, so as to do them.”
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, since in the law no one is justified with God, this is manifest: “For the just man lives by faith.”
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 is not of faith; instead, “he who does these things shall 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 has redeemed us from the curse of the law, since he became a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is anyone who hangs from 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 This was so that the blessing of Abraham might reach the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, in order 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 (I speak according to man), if a man’s testament has been confirmed, no one would reject it or add to it.
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 The promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. He did not say, “and to descendents,” as if to many, but instead, as if to one, he said, “and to your offspring,” 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 But I say this: the testament confirmed by God, which, after four hundred and thirty years became the Law, does not nullify, so as to make the promise empty.
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 is of the law, then it is no longer of the promise. But God bestowed it to Abraham through the 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, was there a law? It was established because of transgressions, until the offspring would arrive, to whom he made the promise, ordained by Angels through the hand of a mediator.
20 Now there can be an intermediary only between two parties, yet God is one.	20 Now a mediator is not of one, yet 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 So then, was the law contrary to the promises of God? Let it not be so! For if a law had been given, which was able to give life, truly justice would be of 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 has enclosed everything under sin, so that the promise, by the faith of Jesus Christ, 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 But before the faith arrived, we were preserved by being enclosed under the law, unto that faith which 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 And so the law was our guardian in Christ, in order 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 arrived, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 for al of you are the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus,	26 For you are all sons of God, through the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
27 since every one of you that has been baptised has been clothed in Christ.	27 For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have become clothed 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 servant nor free; there is neither male nor 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 are Christ’s, then are you the offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.