Galatians 2

1 Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.

Fourteen years later I returned to Jerusalem with Barnabas. I took Titus along with me.

2 I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

I went because of what God had shown me. I met with the recognized church leaders there in private and explained to them the good news I was sharing with the foreigners. I didn't want the course I had followed, and what I was working so hard for, to come to nothing.

3 But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

But as it turned out, nobody even insisted that Titus who was with me should be circumcised, though he was Greek.

4 This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,

(That issue only arose because some false Christians slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, trying to make us slaves.

5 to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

We never gave into them, not even for a moment. We wanted to make sure to keep the truth of the good news unchanged for you.)

6 But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

But those considered to be important didn't add anything to what I said. (It doesn't concern me what kind of leaders they were, because God doesn't judge people the way we do.)

7 but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised—

On the contrary, once they realized that I'd been given responsibility to share the good news with the foreigners just as Peter had been given the responsibility to share the good news with the Jews,

8 for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles—

(for the same God who worked through Peter as apostle to the Jews also worked through me as apostle to the foreigners),

9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.

and once they recognized the grace that had been given to me, then James, Peter, and John, who bore the responsibility of church leadership, shook Barnabas and me by the hand as their fellow-workers.

10 They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.

We were to work for the foreigners, while they would work for the Jews. Their only instruction was to remember to look after the poor, something I was already very committed to.

11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.

However, when Peter came to Antioch I did have to confront him directly, because he was clearly wrong in what he did.

12 For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

Before some of James' friends arrived, Peter used to eat with the foreigners. But when these people came he stopped doing this and stayed away from the foreigners. He was afraid of being criticized by those who insisted that men had to be circumcised.

13 And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

As well as Peter, other Jewish Christians became hypocritical too, to the extent that even Barnabas was persuaded to follow their hypocrisy.

14 But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?

When I realized that they weren't taking a firm stand for the truth of the good news, I said to Peter in front of everyone, “If you're a Jew yet live like the foreigners and not like Jews, why are you forcing the foreigners to live like Jews?

15 “We, being Jews by nature and not Gentile sinners,

We may be Jews by birth, and not ‘sinners’ like the foreigners,

16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

but we know that nobody is made right by doing what the law demands—it is only through trusting in Jesus Christ. We have trusted in Christ Jesus so that we could be made right by placing our confidence in Christ, and not through doing what the law says—because nobody is made right by observing the requirements of the law.”

17 But if while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not!

For if, as we look to be made right in Christ, we ourselves prove to be sinners, does that then mean that Christ is in the service of sin? Of course not!

18 For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.

For if I were to rebuild what I've destroyed, then I only demonstrate I'm a law-breaker.

19 For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God.

For through the law I died to the law in order that I could live for God.

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I've been crucified with Christ— so it's no longer I who lives, but it is Christ living in me. The life I now live in this body, I live by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me, and who gave himself for me.

21 I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”

How could I dismiss God's grace? For if we could be made right through keeping the law then Christ died a pointless death!