Galatians 3

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?	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?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?	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?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?	3 Having begun in the Spirit, can you be so stupid as to end in the flesh?
4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.	4 Can al the favours you have received have had no effect at al -- if there real y has been no effect?
5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?	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?
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.	6 Abraham, you remember, put his faith in God, and this was reckoned to him as uprightness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.	7 Be sure, then, that it is people of faith who are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.	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.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.	9 So it is people of faith who receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.	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.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.	11 Now it is obvious that nobody is reckoned as upright in God's sight by the Law, since the upright willlive through faith;
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.	12 and the Law is based not on faith but on the principle, whoever complies with it will find life in it.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:	13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake since scripture says:Anyone hanged is accursed,
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.	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.
15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.	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.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.	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.
17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.	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.
18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by 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.
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.	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.
20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.	20 Now there can be an intermediary only between two parties, yet God is one.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.	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.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.	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.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.	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.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.	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.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.	25 But now that faith has come we are no longer under a slave looking after us;
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.	26 for al of you are the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus,
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.	27 since every one of you that has been baptised has been clothed in Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.	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.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.	29 And simply by being Christ's, you are that progeny of Abraham, the heirs named in the promise.