Justification by Faith(A)

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you [a]that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed [b]among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, (B)or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? (C)Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by (D)the flesh?

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 3:1 NU omits that you should not obey the truth
  2. Galatians 3:1 NU omits among you

Faith Brings Righteousness

[a]You foolish (A)Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ (B)was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of [b]the Law, or by (C)hearing [c]with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun [d]by the Spirit, are you now [e]being perfected by the flesh?

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 3:1 Lit O
  2. Galatians 3:2 Or law
  3. Galatians 3:2 Lit of faith
  4. Galatians 3:3 Or with
  5. Galatians 3:3 Or ending with

Faith Brings Righteousness

O you foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message]? This is all I want to ask of you: did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying [the requirements of] the Law, or was it the result of hearing [the message of salvation and] with faith [believing it]? Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]?

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Faith or Works of the Law

You foolish(A) Galatians!(B) Who has bewitched you?(C) Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.(D) I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit(E) by the works of the law,(F) or by believing what you heard?(G) Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 3:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

But now (A)after you have known God, or rather are known by God, (B)how is it that you turn again to (C)the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 (D)You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, (E)lest I have labored for you in vain.

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But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be (A)known by God, (B)how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless [a](C)elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? 10 You (D)meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [b]over you in vain.

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 4:9 Or rudimentary teachings
  2. Galatians 4:11 Or for

Now, however, since you have come to know [the true] God [through personal experience], or rather to be known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and worthless elemental principles [of religions and philosophies], to which you want to be enslaved all over again? 10 [For example,] you observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [to the point of exhaustion] over you in vain.

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But now that you know God—or rather are known by God(A)—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces[a]? Do you wish to be enslaved(B) by them all over again?(C) 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!(D) 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 4:9 Or principles