
{1}1{/}

[\u0095]_[*]_{R}_{I}1_{/}From Paul, an apostle sent not by humans nor by human 
mediation 
but by Christ Jesus and by God, the Father, who raised him from 
the dead; 
[=]_{I}2_{/}I and all the brothers and sisters who are with me greet 
the churches in Galatia: [*]_{R}_{I}3_{/}may you receive grace and peace 
from God our Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
[=]_[*]_{R}_{I}4_{/}He gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this 
evil world, in fulfillment of the will of God the Father:
{I}5_{/}Glory to him for ever and ever. Amen.

{N}THERE IS NO OTHER GOSPEL{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}6_{/}I am surprised at how quickly you have abandoned God who 
called you according to the grace of Christ, and have gone to 
another gospel. {I}7_{/}Indeed, there is no other gospel, but some 
people who are sowing confusion among you want to turn the Gospel 
of Christ upside down.
{I}8_{/}But even if we ourselves were giving you another gospel 
different from the one we preached to you, or if it were an angel 
from heaven, I would say: fire him! {I}9{/}As I have said I now say 
again: if anyone preaches the Gospel in a way other than you 
received it, fire that one. [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Are we to please humans 
or obey God? Do you think that I try to please people? If I were 
still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

{N}PAUL TEACHES WHAT HE RECEIVED FROM GOD{/}

[\u0095]_[*]_{I}11_{/}Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, that the Gospel 
we preached to you is not a human message, {R}_{I}12_{/}nor did I receive 
it from anyone, I was not taught of it but it came to me as a 
revelation from Christ Jesus. [=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}You have heard of my 
previous activity in the Jewish community; I furiously persecuted 
the Church of God and tried to destroy it. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}For I was 
more devoted to the Jewish religion than many fellow Jews of my 
age, and I defended the traditions of my ancestors more 
fanatically.
[=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}But one day God called me out of his great love, he who 
had chosen me from my mother's womb; and he was pleased 
[*]_{I}16_{/}to reveal in me his Son, that I might make him known 
among the pagan nations. Then I did not seek human advice 
[*]_{R}_{I}17_{/}nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles 
before me. I immediately went to Arabia, and from there I returned 
again to Damascus. [=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}Later, after three years, I went up 
to Jerusalem to meet Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen 
days. [*]_{R}_{I}19_{/}But I did not see any other apostle except James, 
the Lord's brother. {R}_{I}20_{/}On writing this to you, I affirm before 
God that I am not lying.
{I}21_{/}After that I went to Syria and Cilicia. {I}22_{/}The churches of 
Christ in Judea did not know me personally; [=]_{I}23_{/}they had only 
heard of me: "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith 
he tried to uproot." {R}_{I}24_{/}And they praised God because of me.

{N}PAUL WITH THE APOSTLES{/}

{1}2{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}After fourteen years I  again went up to Jerusalem with 
Barnabas, and Titus came with us. [=]_{I}2_{/}Following a revelation, 
I went to lay before them the Gospel that I am preaching to the 
pagans. I had a private meeting with the leaders - lest I should 
be working or have worked in a wrong way. {I}3_{/}But they did not 
impose circumcision, not even on Titus who is Greek and who was 
with me. [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}Because there were some intruders and false 
brothers who had gained access to watch over the way we live the 
freedom Christ has given us. They would have us enslaved by the 
Law, {I}5_{/}but we refused to yield even for a moment; so that the 
truth of the Gospel remain intact in you.
[=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}The others, the more respectable leaders - it does not 
matter what they were before: God pays no attention to the status 
of a person - gave me no new instructions. [=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}They 
recognized that I have been entrusted to give the Good News to the 
pagan nations, just as Peter has been entrusted to give it   to 
the Jews. {R}_{I}8_{/}In the same way that   God made Peter the apostle 
of the Jews, he made me the apostle of the pagans.
[=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}James, Peter and John acknowledged the graces God gave 
me. Those men who were regarded as the pillars of the Church 
stretched out their hand to me and Barnabas as a sign of 
fellowship; we would go to the pagans and they to the Jews. 
[=]_{I}10_{/}We should only keep in mind the poor among them. I have 
taken care to do this.

{N}THE CONFLICT WITH PETER{/}

[\u0095]_{I}11_{/}When later Cephas came to Antioch, I confronted him since 
he deserved to be blamed. {R}_{I}12_{/}Before some of James' people 
arrived, he used to eat with non-Jewish people. But when they 
arrived, he withdrew and did not mingle anymore with them, for 
fear of the Jewish group. {I}13_{/}The rest of the Jews followed him 
in this pretense, and even Barnabas was part of this double-
dealing. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}When I saw that they were not acting in line 
with the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas publicly: If you 
who are Jewish agreed to live like the non-Jews, setting aside the 
Jewish customs, why do you now compel the non-Jews to live like 
Jews?
[\u0095]_[*]_{I}15_{/}We are Jews by birth; we are not pagan sinners. 
[*]_{R}_{I}16_{/}Yet we know that no one is made just and holy by the 
observance of the Law but by faith in Christ Jesus. So we have 
believed in Christ Jesus that we may receive true righteousness 
from faith in Christ Jesus, and not from the practices of the Law, 
because no mortal will be set right with God in the field of the 
Law.
{I}17_{/}We thought we would find in Christ the way of righteousness; 
if in doing this we were in the wrong, then Christ would be 
working for sin. Not so! {I}18_{/}But look: if we do away with 
something and then restore it, we admit we did wrong.
[=]_[*]_{R}_{I}19_{/}As for me, the very Law brought me to die to the 
Law, that I may live for God. I am crucified with Christ. Do I 
live? It is no longer me, Christ lives in me. My life in this body 
is life through faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave 
himself for me. [=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}In this way I don't ignore the gift of 
God, [=]_{R}_{I}21_{/}for, if holiness were through the practice of the 
Law, Christ would have died for nothing.

{N}WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH{/}

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}How foolish you are, Galatians! How could they bewitch 
you after Jesus Christ has been presented to you as crucified? 
{R}_{I}2_{/}I shall ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by the 
practice of the Law, or by believing the message? {R}_{I}3_{/}How can you 
be such fools: you begin with the Spirit and end up with the 
flesh!
{I}4_{/}So you have experienced all this in vain! Would that it were 
not so! {R}_{I}5_{/}Did God give you the Spirit and work miracles among 
you, because of your observance of the Law or because you believed 
in his message? [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}Remember Abraham: he believed God and 
because of this was held to be a just man. {R}_{I}7_{/}Understand then 
that those who follow the way of faith are sons and daughters of 
Abraham.
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}The Scriptures foresaw that by the way of faith, God 
would give true righteousness to the non-Jewish nations. For God's 
promise to Abraham was this: In you shall all the nations be 
blessed. {R}_{I}9_{/}So now those who take the way of faith receive the 
same blessing as Abraham who believed; [=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}but those who 
rely on the practice of the Law are under a curse, for it is 
written: Cursed is everyone who does not always fulfill everything 
written in the Law.
[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}It is plainly written that no one becomes righteous, in 
God's way, by the Law: by faith the righteous shall live. 
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Yet the Law gives no place to faith, for according to 
it: the one who fulfills the commandments shall have life through 
them.
[=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}Now Christ rescued us from the curse of the Law by 
becoming cursed himself for our sake, as it is written: there is a 
curse on everyone who is hanged on a tree. {R}_{I}14_{/}So the blessing 
granted to Abraham reached the pagan nations in and with Christ, 
and we received the promised Spirit through faith.

{N}THE PROMISE, NOT THE LAW, WAS THE GIFT OF GOD{/}

[\u0095]_{I}15_{/}Brothers, listen to this comparison. When anyone has made 
his will in the prescribed form, no one can annul it or add 
anything to it. [=]_{R}_{I}16_{/}Well now, what God promised Abraham was 
for his descendant. Scripture does not say: for the descendants, 
as if they were many. It means only one: this will be for your 
descendant, and this is Christ. {R}_{I}17_{/}Now I say this: if God has 
made a testament in due form, it cannot be annulled by the Law 
which came four hundred and thirty years later; God's promise 
cannot be cancelled. [=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}But if we now inherit for keeping 
the law, it is not because of the promise. Yet that promise was 
God's gift to Abraham.

{N}THE LAW WAS PART OF GOD'S PEDAGOGY{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}19_{/}Why then the Law? It was added with sin in mind; it 
was something added; that it was only valid until the descendant 
to whom the promise was addressed should come; and it was put into 
effect by the angels with Moses as a mediator {R}_{I}20_{/}between them: 
if it were given by God himself, he is one.
{R}_{I}21_{/}Does the Law then compete with the promises of God? Not at 
all. Only if we had been given a Law capable of raising life, 
could righteousness be the fruit of the Law. [=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}But the 
written Law actually closed out every viewpoint other than that of 
sin. So the believers receive the promise as the fruit of 
Christian faith.

{N}WE ARE NOW SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD{/}

{R}_{I}23_{/}Before the time of faith had come, the Law confined us and 
kept us in custody until the time in which faith would show up. 
[=]_{R}_{I}24_{/}The Law then brought us to Christ as a child to his 
master, so that we be set right with God through faith. {I}25_{/}With 
the coming of faith, we are no longer submitted to this guidance.
[=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}Now, in Christ Jesus, all of you are sons and daughters 
of God through faith. {I}27_{/}All of you who were given to Christ 
through baptism, have put on Christ. [=]_{R}_{I}28_{/}Here there is no 
longer any difference between Jew or Greek, or between slave or 
freed, or between man and woman: but all of you are one in Christ 
Jesus. {R}_{I}29_{/}And because you belong to Christ, you are of 
Abraham's race and you are to inherit God's promise.

{1}4{/}

{I}1_{/}But listen, as long as the heir  of the host is a child, he 
has no advantage over the slaves, although he is the master of 
them all. [=]_{I}2_{/}He is subject to those who care for him and who 
are entrusted with his affairs until the time set by his father 
comes. [=]_{I}3_{/}In the same way we as children were first subjected 
to the created forces that govern the world. [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}But when the 
fullness of time came, God sent his Son. He came born of woman and 
subject to the Law, {R}_{I}5_{/}in order to redeem the subjects of the 
Law, that we may be given our full rights of sons and daughters of 
God. [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}And because you are sons, God has sent into your 
hearts the Spirit of his Son which cries out: Abba! that is, 
Father! 
[=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}You yourself are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, 
and yours is the inheritance by God's grace.
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}When you did not know God, you served those who are not 
gods. [=]_[*]_{R}_{I}9_{/}But now that you have known God - or rather he 
has known you - how can you turn back to weak and impoverished 
created things? Do you want to be enslaved again? {I}10_{/}Will you 
again observe this and that day, and the new moon, and this period 
and that year...? {I}11_{/}I fear I may have wasted my time with you.

{N}I STILL SUFFER FOR YOU{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}12_{/}I implore you, dearly beloved, do as I do, just as I 
became like you. You have not offended me in anything. 
[=]_{I}13_{/}Remember that I was sick when I first announced the 
Gospel to you. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}Although I was a trial to you, you did 
not despise or reject me, but received me as an angel of God, as 
Christ Jesus.
{I}15_{/}Where is this bliss? For I can testify that you would have 
even plucked out your eyes to give them to me. {I}16_{/}But now, have 
I become your enemy for telling you the truth?
{I}17_{/}Those who show consideration to you are not sincere; they 
want to separate you from me, so that you may show interest in 
them. {I}18_{/}Would that you were surrounded with sincere care at all 
times, and not only from me when I am with you!
[=]_{I}19_{/}My children! I still suffer the pains of childbirth until 
Christ is formed in you. {I}20_{/}How I would like to be with you now 
and speak to you personally, for I do not know what to say for the 
best.

{N}THE COMPARISON OF SARAH AND HAGAR{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}21_{/}Tell me, you who desire to submit yourselves to the Law, 
did you listen to it? {R}_{I}22_{/}It says that Abraham had two sons, one 
by a slave woman, the other by the free woman, his wife. 
[=]_{R}_{I}23_{/}The son of the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; 
but the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of God's 
promise.
{R}_{I}24_{/}Here we have an allegory and the figures of two covenants. 
The first is the one from Mount Sinai, represented through Hagar: 
her children have slavery for their lot. [=]_{R}_{I}25_{/}We know that 
Hagar was from Mount Sinai in Arabia: she stands for the present 
city of Jerusalem which is in slavery with her children.
{R}_{I}26_{/}But the Jerusalem above, who is our mother, is free. 
[=]_{I}27_{/}And Scripture says of her: Rejoice, barren woman without 
children, break forth in shouts of joy, you who do not know the 
pains of childbirth, for many shall be the children of the 
forsaken mother, more than of the married woman.
{R}_{I}28_{/}You, dearly beloved, are children of the promise, like 
Isaac. {R}_{I}29_{/}But as at that time the child born according to the 
flesh persecuted Isaac, who was born according to the spirit, so 
is it now. [=]_{I}30_{/}And what does Scripture say? Cast out the 
slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave cannot share the 
inheritance with the son of the free woman.
{I}31_{/}Brethren, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the 
free woman.

{1}5{/}

[\u0095]_[*]_[=]_{I}1_{/}Christ freed us to make  us really free. So remain 
firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. {R}_{I}2_{/}I, Paul, 
say this to you: if you receive circumcision, Christ can no longer 
help you. [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}Once more I say to whoever receives 
circumcision: you are now bound to keep the whole Law. {R}_{I}4_{/}All 
you who pretend to become righteous through the observance of the 
Law have separated yourselves from Christ and have fallen away 
from grace.
{R}_{I}5_{/}As for us, the Spirit imparts to us this hope that through 
faith we shall be set right with God. [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}In Christ Jesus it 
is irrelevant whether we be circumcised or not; what matters is 
faith working through love.
{I}7_{/}You had begun your race well, who then hindered you on the 
way? Why did you stop obeying the truth? {R}_{I}8_{/}This was not in 
obedience to God who calls you: [=]_{I}9_{/}in fact, a little leaven 
is affecting the whole of you. [*]_{I}10_{/}I am personally 
convinced that you will not go astray, but the one who confuses 
you, whoever he may be, shall receive punishment.
[=]_{I}11_{/}I myself, brothers, could I not preach circumcision? Then 
I would no longer be persecuted. But where would be the scandal of 
the cross? [=]_{I}12_{/}Would that those who confuse you might go as 
far as mutilating themselves!

{N}TRUE FREEDOM{/}

[\u0095]_{I}13_{/}You, brothers and sisters, were called to enjoy freedom; 
I am not speaking of that freedom which gives free rein to the 
desires of the flesh, but of that which makes you slaves of one 
another through love. {R}_{I}14_{/}For the whole Law is summed up in this 
sentence: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. {I}15_{/}But if 
you bite and tear each other to pieces, be careful lest you all 
perish.
[=]_{R}_{I}16_{/}Therefore I say to you: walk according to the Spirit and 
do not give way to the desires of the flesh! {R}_{I}17_{/}For the desires 
of the flesh war against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit 
are opposed to the flesh. Both are in conflict with each other, so 
that you cannot do everything you would like. {R}_{I}18_{/}But let the 
Spirit lead you: this has nothing to do with submitting to the 
Law.
[=]_{I}19_{/}You well know what comes from the flesh: immorality, 
impurity and shamelessness, {I}20_{/}idol worship and magic, hatred, 
jealousy and violence, anger, ambition, division, factions, 
{R}_{I}21_{/}and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I again say to 
you what I have already said: those who do these things shall not 
inherit the kingdom of God.
[=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy and peace, 
patience, understanding of others, kindness and fidelity, 
{R}_{I}23_{/}gentleness and self-control. For such things there is no Law 
or punishment. [=]_{I}24_{/}Those who belong to Christ have crucified 
the flesh with its vices and desires. 

{R}_{I}25_{/}If we live by the Spirit, let us live in a spiritual way. 
[=]_{I}26_{/}Let us not be conceited; let there be no rivalry or envy 
of one another.

{N}VARIOUS COUNSELS{/}

{1}6{/}

[=]_{I}1_{/}Brethren, in the event of someone falling into a sin, you 
who are spiritual shall set him aright with the spirit of 
kindness. Take care for you, too, may be tempted. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}Carry 
each other's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. {I}3_{/}If 
anyone thinks he is something, when in fact he is nothing, he 
deceives himself. [=]_{I}4_{/}Let each one examine his own conduct and 
boast for himself, if he wants to do so, but not before others. 
{I}5_{/}In this, let each one carry his own things.
[=]_{I}6_{/}He who receives the teaching of the Word ought to share 
the good things he has with the one who instructs him. [=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}Do 
not be fooled. God cannot be deceived. You reap what you sow. 
{R}_{I}8_{/}The person who sows for the benefit of his own flesh shall 
reap corruption and death from the flesh. He who sows in the 
spirit shall reap eternal life from the Spirit. {I}9_{/}Let us do good 
without being discouraged; in due time we shall reap the reward of 
our constancy. [=]_{I}10_{/}So while there is time, let us do good to 
all and especially to our family in the faith.

{N}I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}11_{/}See these large letters I use when I write to you in 
my own hand.
Who obliges you to be circumcised? {I}12_{/}Those who are most anxious 
to put up a good show in life: what if the cross of Christ should 
bring them some trouble! [=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}Not for being circumcised do 
they observe the Law: what interests them is the external rite. 
What a boast for them if they had you circumcised!
[=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}For me, I do not wish to take pride in anything except 
in the cross of Christ Jesus our Lord. Through him the world has 
been crucified to me and I to the world.
[=]_{I}15_{/}Let us no longer speak of the circumcised and of non-
Jews, but of a new creation. {R}_{I}16_{/}Let those who live according to 
this rule receive peace and mercy: they are the Israel of God! 
[=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}Let no one trouble me any longer: for my part, I bear in 
my body the marks of Jesus.
[=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with your 
spirit brothers and sisters. Amen.

