and all the brothers who are here with me -- to the churches of Galatia:

I am astonished that you are beginning so soon to turn away from Him who called you by the favor of Christ, to a different good news,

which is not really another one; only there are certain people who are trying to unsettle you and want to turn the good news of Christ upside down.

But when I saw that they were not living up to the truth of the good news, I said to Cephas, and that before them all, "If you are living like a heathen and not like a Jew, although you are a Jew yourself, why do you try to make the heathen live like Jews?"

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not heathen sinners, and yet,

Are you so senseless? Did you begin by the Spirit, but are now approaching perfection by fleshly means?

So you see, it is the men of faith who are the real descendants of Abraham.

So the men of faith are blessed as partners with trusting Abraham.

For those who depend on what the law commands are under a curse, for the Scripture says, "Cursed be everyone who does not continue in all the commands that are written in the book of the law, to do them."

But now that this faith has come, we are no longer in the charge of the attendant.

For all of you are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

There is no room for Jew or Greek, no room for slave or freeman, no room for male or female, for you are all one through union with Christ Jesus.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are real descendants of Abraham, and heirs in accordance with the promise made to him.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, "Abba," that is, "Father."

So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir by God's own act.

You are observing days, months, seasons, years.

These men are paying you special attention, but not sincerely. They want to shut you off from me, so that you may keep on paying them special attention.

This is spoken as an allegory. For these women are two covenants, one coming from Mount Sinai, bearing children that are to be slaves;

Now we, brothers, like Isaac, are children born to fulfill the promise.

So, brothers, we are children, not of a slave girl but of a free woman.

You people, whoever you are among you, who try to get into right standing with God, through law have cut yourselves off from Christ, you have missed the way of God's favor.

For we, by the Spirit, are awaiting the hoped-for blessing which our right standing with God will bring us.

I almost wish that these men who are upsetting you would go all the way, and have themselves mutilated.

But if you continue to bite and eat one another, beware lest you are destroyed by one another.

For the cravings of the lower nature are just the opposite to those of the Spirit, and the cravings of the Spirit are just the opposite of those of the lower nature; these two are opposed to each other, so that you cannot do anything you please.

But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.

Now the practices of the lower nature are clear enough: Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

Brothers, if anybody is caught in the very act of doing wrong, you who are spiritual, in the spirit of gentleness, must set him right; each of you continuing to think of yourself, for you may be tempted too.

Those who are taught the truth should share all their goods with the man who teaches them.

These men who are trying to force you to let yourselves be circumcised simply want to make a fine outward show, only to keep you from being persecuted for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.