Galatians 5

1 It is for freedom that Christ set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not again be held under the yoke of slavery.

Stand firm therefore in the liberty in which Christ freed us, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.

2 Understand that I, Paul, myself tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will avail you nothing.

Behold, I Paul say to you, that if ye are circumcised, Christ will benefit you nothing.

3 I again declare to everyone who receives circumcision, that he binds himself to obey the whole Law.

And I solemnly declare again to every man who is circumcised, that he is obligated to do the whole law.

4 You have severed yourselves from Christ – you who are seeking to be pronounced righteous through Law; you have fallen away from love.

Ye were discharged from the Christ, ye who are made righteous by law. Ye have fallen from grace.

5 For we, by the help of the Spirit, are eagerly waiting for the fulfilment of our hope – that we may be pronounced righteous as the result of faith.

For we through Spirit, from faith, wait for a hope of righteousness.

6 If we are in union with Christ Jesus, neither is circumcision nor the omission of it anything, but faith, working through love, is everything.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.

7 You were once making good progress! Who has hindered you from obeying the truth?

Ye were running well. Who hindered you, not to obey the truth?

8 The persuasion brought to bear on you does not come from him who calls you.

This persuasion is not from him who calls you.

9 A little yeast leavens all the dough.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

10 I, through my union with the Lord, am persuaded that you will learn to think with me. But the man who is disturbing your minds will have to bear his punishment, whoever he may be.

I have confidence toward you in the Lord, that ye will think no other thing. But the man who troubles you will bear the verdict, whoever he may be.

11 If I, friends, am still proclaiming circumcision, why am I still persecuted? It seems that the cross has ceased to be an obstacle!

But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling-block of the cross has been abolished.

12 I could even wish that the people who are unsettling you would go further still and mutilate themselves.

O that those who trouble you would even cut it all off.

13 Remember, friends, to you the call came to give you freedom. Only, do not make your freedom an opportunity for self-indulgence but serve one another in a loving spirit.

For ye, brothers, were called to liberty, only not liberty for an opportunity to the flesh, but be servants to each other through love.

14 Indeed, the whole Law has been summed up in this one precept – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.

15 But, if you are continually wounding and preying on one another, take care that you are not destroyed by one another.

But if ye bite and devour each other, watch out that ye be not consumed by each other.

16 This is what I have to say – Let your steps be guided by the Spirit, and then you will never gratify the cravings of your earthly nature.

But I say, walk in Spirit and ye will, no, not fulfill a lust of flesh.

17 For these cravings of our earthly nature conflict with the Spirit, and the Spirit with our earthly nature – they are two contrary principles – so that you cannot do what you wish.

For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit is against the flesh. For these are hostile to each other, so that whatever these things are ye may want, ye may not do.

18 But, if you follow the guidance of the Spirit, you are not subject to Law.

But if ye are led by Spirit ye are not under law.

19 The sins of our earthly nature are unmistakable. They are sins like these – sexual immorality, impurity, indecency,

Now the works of the flesh are apparent, which are, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, quarrels, strife, jealousy, outbursts of passion, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strifes, jealousies, wraths, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions,

21 feelings of envy, drunkenness, revelry, and the like. And I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who indulge in such things will have no place in the kingdom of God.

envyings, murders, intoxications, revelings, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, as I also did forewarn, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit produced by the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindliness, generosity, trustfulness, gentleness, self-control.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 Against such things there is no law!

meekness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Jesus, the Christ, have already crucified their earthly nature, with its passions and its cravings.

And those of the Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and the lusts.

25 Since our life is due to the Spirit, let us rule our conduct also by the Spirit.

If we live in Spirit, we should also march in Spirit.

26 Do not let us grow vain, and provoke or envy one another.

Let us not become conceited, provoking each other, envying each other.