Law or Faith
1 You foolish Galatians! Who put a spell on you? Before your very eyes you had a clear description of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross! 2 Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it? 3 How can you be so foolish! You began by God's Spirit; do you now want to finish by your own power? 4 Did all your experience mean nothing at all? Surely it meant something! 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it?
6 Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, “He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 7 You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith. 8 The scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: “Through you God will bless all people.” 9 Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was.
10 Those who depend on obeying the Law live under a curse. For the scripture says, “Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law is under God's curse!” 11 Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the scripture says, “Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live.” 12 But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, as the scripture says, “Whoever does everything the Law requires will live.”
13 But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God's curse.” 14 Christ did this in order that the blessing which God promised to Abraham might be given to the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God.
The Law and the Promise
15 My friends, I am going to use an everyday example: when two people agree on a matter and sign an agreement, no one can break it or add anything to it. 16 Now, God made his promises to Abraham and to his descendant. The scripture does not use the plural “descendants,” meaning many people, but the singular “descendant,” meaning one person only, namely, Christ. 17 What I mean is that God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to keep it. The Law, which was given four hundred and thirty years later, cannot break that covenant and cancel God's promise. 18 For if God's gift depends on the Law, then it no longer depends on his promise. However, it was because of his promise that God gave that gift to Abraham.
19 What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made. The Law was handed down by angels, with a man acting as a go-between. 20 But a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.
The Purpose of the Law
21 Does this mean that the Law is against God's promises? No, not at all! For if human beings had received a law that could bring life, then everyone could be put right with God by obeying it. 22 But the scripture says that the whole world is under the power of sin; and so the gift which is promised on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ is given to those who believe.
23 But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. 24 And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith. 25 Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us.
26 It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus. 27 You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself. 28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.
III.
Attaisnōšona caur ticeibu.
1 Ak jyus, nasaprateigī galatīši! Kas tad jyusus ir apstulbōjis (ka jyus nabyutu paklauseigi patīseibai), jyusus, kurim ocu prīškā tyka tālōts Jezus Kristus pi krysta? 2 Nu jums es grybātu zynōt tikai šytū: Vai jyus Goru sajēmet caur lykuma dorbim, vai arī caur ticeibas klauseišonu. 3 Cik jyus asat nasaprateigi: Jyus īsōcet Gorā, bet pabeigt grybat mīsā! 4 Vai tad tū vysu jyus veļti asot cītuši? Ka tikai par veļti nabyutu! 5 Vai tad tys, kas jums īdeve Goru un storp jums dora breinumus, dora tūs lykuma dorbu dēļ, vai arī ticeibas klauseišonas dēļ?
6 Te ir taipat kai Abraamam: Jys ticēja Dīvam un tys jam tyka īskaiteits taisneigumā. 7 Tai tad zinit, ka tī, kas dzeivoj nu ticeibas, ir Abraama pēcnōcēji. 8 Īprīkšparadzūt, ka Dīvs tautas attaisnōs caur ticeibu, Abraamam tyka pasludynōts: Tevī tiks svēteitas vysas tautas. 9 Tai tad, ticeigī tiks svēteiti reizē ar ticeigū Abraamu. 10 Bet visi, kas bolstōs uz lykuma dorbim, ir zam lōsta. Stōv raksteits: Lai ir nūlōdāts ikvins, kas uzcīteigi naīvāroj vysa, kas ir raksteits lykuma grōmotā. 11 Tūmār tys, ka nivins caur lykumu Dīva prīškā nateik attaisnōts, ir skaidrs; jo taisneigais dzeivōs nu ticeibas. 12 Un lykums ticeibā napastōv, bet gon: Kas tū dora, tys caur tū dzeivōs. 13 Nu lykuma lōsta myusus atpērka Kristus, myusu dēļ palykdams par lōstu, kai stōv raksteits: Kas pi kūka korōjōs, tys lai ir nūlōdāts. 14 Taidā kōrtā Abraama svēteiba caur Jezus Kristus nōks uz tautom, lai mes caur ticeibu sajimtu apsūleitū Goru.
15 Brōli, es runoju pēc ļaužu īroduma: Kaida cylvāka lykumeigā spākā īgōjušū testamentu navar nivīns ni atceļt, ni arī jū papyldynōt. 16 Bet Abraamam un jō pēcnōcējim beja pasludynōti apsūlejumi. Un tys nava teikts par daudzim: jō pēcnōcējim, bet gon par vīnu: jō pēcnōcējam, un tys ir Kristus. 17 Ar šytū es grybu pasaceit sekūšū: Lykums, kas četri simti trejsdesmit godu vēļōk nōce, navar nu Dīva īprīkš lykumeigi nūstateitō testamenta atceļt, un taidejaidi apsūleišonu iznycynōt. 18 Jo montōjums byutu atkareigs nu lykuma, tad jys nabyutu atkareigs nu apsūleišonas. Bet Dīvs Abraamam tū nūdrūšynōja caur apsūleišonu, kai dōvonu.
19 Kam tad ir lykums? — Jys nōce pōrkōpumu dēļ, koleidz nōks pēcnōcējs, kam ir apsūleišona. Jys tyka nūzeimōts caur engelim un nōce caur starpnīka rūku. 20 Bet vīnam starpnīks nav vajadzeigs. Un Dīvs ir tikai vins. 21 Vai tad lykums nūsastōj Dīva apsūleišonom pretim? Nimoz nē. Un tikai tūreiz, jo lykums byutu dūts ar dzeivi nasūšu spāku, nu lykuma eisti nōktu attaisnōšona. 22 Bet lykums vysu īslēdze zam grāka, lai ticeigī apsūleišonu montōtu nu ticeibas ikš Jezus Kristus.
23 Tamā laikā, koleidz nabeja atnōkuse ticeiba, mes bejom īslāgti un zam lykuma turāti paklauseibā deļ ticeibas, kurai vajadzēja pasarōdeit. 24 Tai lykums beja myusu pamōceitōjs pyrms Kristus, lai mes jū vairōk caur ticeibu byutu attaisnōti. 25 Nu tō laika, kai atnōce ticeiba, mes pamōceitōjam vairs padūti naasom. 26 Caur ticeibu ikš Jezus Kristus jyus visi asot Dīva bārni. 27 Jyus visi, kas ikš Kristus asot nūkristeiti, asot sevi apgārbuši Kristū. 28 Te vairs nakreit svorā ni jūds, ni pogōns, ni vērgs, ni breivais, ni veirīts, ni sīvīte. Ikš Kristus jyus visi asot vīns. 29 Bet jo jyus pīdarat Kristum, tad jyus asot Abraama pēcnōcēji un apsūleišonas mantinīki.