1O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you not be persuaded by the Truth ²⁸—Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as having been crucified, before your very eyes! ²⁹

2Just tell me one thing: Did you receive the Spirit by works of law, or by hearing of faith?

3Can you be so foolish? Having begun in spirit, do you finish in flesh?

4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing?

5Furthermore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, is He activated by works of law, or by hearing of faith? ³⁰—

6just as Abraham ‘believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ ³¹

7Now you must know that only those who are of faith are ‘sons’ of Abraham.

8Further, the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, ³²proclaimed the Gospel in advance to Abraham: “All the nations will be blessed through you.” ³³

9So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the faithful.

The curse of the law

10Now as many as are ‘by works of law’ are under a curse; because it stands written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things written in the Book of the Law, to do them.” ³⁴

11Further, it is evident that no one is justified by law before God, because “the righteous one will live by faith.” ³⁵

12While the law is not of faith but, “the man who does them will live by them.” ³⁶

13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse in our place—because it stands written, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” ³⁷—

14so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations/Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through the faith.

The covenant with Abraham

15Brothers: as a man I speak a covenant; though only of a man, once it has been ratified no one annuls or adds to it.

16But to Abraham were spoken the promises, ³⁸and to his Seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as about many, but “and to your seed,” as about one, who is Christ.

17Further, I say this: a covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ ³⁹cannot be annulled by the law that came four hundred and thirty years later, ⁴⁰so as to make the promise of no effect.

18For if the inheritance were of law, it would no longer be of promise, but God granted it to Abraham by promise.

The law was a guardian

19Why then the law? It was added on account of the transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the inheritance had been promised; and it was ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator. ⁴¹

20(Now that mediator is not for just one, but God is one.) ⁴²

21Is the law then against the promises of God? Of course not! Rather, if a law had been given that was capable of imparting life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.

22But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, ⁴³so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23Now before this faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, in confinement until the coming faith was revealed.

24So then, the law became our guardian until Christ, so that we might be justified by faith.

25Now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26So all of you are sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus.

27As many of you as were baptized into Christ ⁴⁴have clothed yourselves with Christ

28—there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no ‘male and female’; ⁴⁵all of you are one in Christ Jesus ⁴⁶—

29so if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed ⁴⁷and heirs according to the promise.