New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures — With References (Rbi8, en_US, 1984)
Galatians
To the Galatians, 3
1 O senseless Ga·laʹtians, who is it that brought YOU under evil influence, YOU before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed impaled?
2 This alone I want to learn from YOU: Did YOU receive the spirit due to works of law or due to a hearing by faith?*1
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3 Are YOU so senseless? After starting in spirit are YOU now being completed in flesh?
4 Did YOU undergo so many sufferings to no purpose? If it really was to no purpose.
5 He, therefore, who supplies YOU the spirit and performs powerful works*1 among YOU, does he do it owing to works of law or owing to a hearing by faith?
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6 Just as Abraham “put faith in Jehovah,*1 and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
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7 Surely YOU know that those who adhere to faith are the ones who are sons of Abraham.
8 Now the Scripture, seeing in advance that God would declare people of the nations righteous due to faith, declared the good news beforehand to Abraham, namely: “By means of you all the nations will be blessed.”
9 Consequently those who adhere to faith are being blessed together with faithful*1 Abraham.
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10 For all those who depend upon works of law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is every one that does not continue in all the things written in the scroll of the Law in order to do them.”
11 Moreover, that by law no one is declared righteous with God is evident, because “the righteous one will live by reason of faith.”
12 Now the Law does not adhere to faith, but “he that does them shall live by means of them.”
13 Christ by purchase released us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse instead of us, because it is written: “Accursed is every man hanged upon a stake.”*1
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14 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham might come to be by means of Jesus Christ for the nations, that we might receive the promised spirit*1 through our faith.
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15 Brothers, I speak with a human illustration: A validated covenant, though it is a man’s, no one sets aside or attaches additions to it.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It*1 says, not: “And to seeds,” as in the case of many such, but as in the case of one: “And to your seed,” who is Christ.
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17 Further, I say this: As to the covenant previously validated by God, the Law that has come into being four hundred and thirty years later does not invalidate it, so as to abolish the promise.
18 For if the inheritance is due to law, it is no longer due to promise; whereas God has kindly given it to Abraham through a promise.
19 Why, then, the Law? It was added to make transgressions manifest,*1 until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made; and it was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator.
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20 Now there is no mediator where only one person is concerned, but God*1 is only one.
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21 Is the Law, therefore, against the promises of God?*1 May that never happen! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, righteousness would actually have been by means of law.
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22 But the Scripture delivered up all things together to the custody of sin, that the promise resulting from faith toward Jesus Christ might be given to those exercising faith.
23 However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being delivered up together into custody, looking to the faith that was destined to be revealed.
24 Consequently the Law has become our tutor*1 leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith.
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25 But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 YOU are all, in fact, sons of God through YOUR faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of YOU who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.*1
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28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female; for YOU are all one [person] in union with Christ Jesus.
29 Moreover, if YOU belong to Christ, YOU are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.