
{1}1{/}

{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: 
{I}3_{/}may you receive 
grace and peace from God 
our Father and from 
Christ Jesus our Lord.
{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.
THERE IS NO OTHER 
GOSPEL{/}

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

{I}11_{/}Let me remind 
you, brothers and 
sisters, that the Gospel 
we preached to you is not 
a human message, 
{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. {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. {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.
{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 
{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. {I}18_{/}Later, 
after three years, I went 
up to Jerusalem to meet 
Cephas, and I stayed with 
him for fifteen days. 
{I}19_{/}But I did not 
see any other apostle 
except James, the Lord's 
brother. {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." 
{I}24_{/}And they praised 
God because of me.
PAUL WITH THE APOSTLES{/}

{1}2{/}

{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. {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.
{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. 
{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. 
{I}8_{/}In the same way 
that   God made Peter the 
apostle of the Jews, he 
made me the apostle of 
the pagans.
{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.
THE CONFLICT WITH 
PETER{/}

{I}11_{/}When later 
Cephas came to Antioch, I 
confronted him since he 
deserved to be blamed. 
{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. 
{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?
{I}15_{/}We are Jews by 
birth; we are not pagan 
sinners. {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.
{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. 
{I}20_{/}In this way I 
don't ignore the gift of 
God, {I}21_{/}for, if 
holiness were through the 
practice of the Law, 
Christ would have died 
for nothing.
WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}How foolish you 
are, Galatians! How could 
they bewitch you after 
Jesus Christ has been 
presented to you as 
crucified? {I}2_{/}I 
shall ask you only this: 
Did you receive the 
Spirit by the practice of 
the Law, or by believing 
the message? {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! {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? 
{I}6_{/}Remember Abraham: 
he believed God and 
because of this was held 
to be a just man. 
{I}7_{/}Understand then 
that those who follow the 
way of faith are sons and 
daughters of Abraham.
{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. {I}9_{/}So now 
those who take the way of 
faith receive the same 
blessing as Abraham who 
believed; {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.
{I}11_{/}It is plainly 
written that no one 
becomes righteous, in 
God's way, by the Law: by 
faith the righteous shall 
live. {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.
{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. {I}14_{/}So the 
blessing granted to 
Abraham reached the pagan 
nations in and with 
Christ, and we received 
the promised Spirit 
through faith.
THE PROMISE, NOT THE LAW, 
WAS THE GIFT OF GOD{/}

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

{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 {I}20_{/}between 
them: if it were given by 
God himself, he is one.
{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. 
{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.
WE ARE NOW SONS AND 
DAUGHTERS OF GOD{/}

{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. {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.
{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. {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. 
{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. {I}4_{/}But when 
the fullness of time 
came, God sent his Son. 
He came born of woman and 
subject to the Law, 
{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. {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! 
{I}7_{/}You yourself are 
no longer a slave but a 
son or daughter, and 
yours is the inheritance 
by God's grace.
{I}8_{/}When you did not 
know God, you served 
those who are not gods. 
{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.
I STILL SUFFER FOR YOU{/}

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

{I}21_{/}Tell me, you who 
desire to submit 
yourselves to the Law, 
did you listen to it? 
{I}22_{/}It says that 
Abraham had two sons, one 
by a slave woman, the 
other by the free woman, 
his wife. {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.
{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. {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.
{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.
{I}28_{/}You, dearly 
beloved, are children of 
the promise, like Isaac. 
{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{/}

{I}1_{/}Christ freed us 
to make  us really free. 
So remain firm and do not 
submit again to the yoke 
of slavery. {I}2_{/}I, 
Paul, say this to you: if 
you receive circumcision, 
Christ can no longer help 
you. {I}3_{/}Once more I 
say to whoever receives 
circumcision: you are now 
bound to keep the whole 
Law. {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.
{I}5_{/}As for us, the 
Spirit imparts to us this 
hope that through faith 
we shall be set right 
with God. {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? {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!
TRUE FREEDOM{/}

{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. 
{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.
{I}16_{/}Therefore I say 
to you: walk according to 
the Spirit and do not 
give way to the desires 
of the flesh! 
{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. {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, {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.
{I}22_{/}But the fruit of 
the Spirit is charity, 
joy and peace, patience, 
understanding of others, 
kindness and fidelity, 
{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. 

{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.
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. 
{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. 
{I}7_{/}Do not be fooled. 
God cannot be deceived. 
You reap what you sow. 
{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.
I AM CRUCIFIED WITH 
CHRIST{/}

{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! {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!
{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. 
{I}16_{/}Let those who 
live according to this 
rule receive peace and 
mercy: they are the 
Israel of God! 
{I}17_{/}Let no one 
trouble me any longer: 
for my part, I bear in my 
body the marks of Jesus.
{I}18_{/}May the grace of 
Christ Jesus our Lord be 
with your spirit brothers 
and sisters. Amen.

