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Psalms Chapter 90

Psalms Chapter 90

1 A Prayer of Moses the man of God. {N}
Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, {N}
even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man to contrition; and sayest: 'Return, ye children of men.'
4 For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, {N}
and as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep; in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed in Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we hurried away.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in Thy wrath; we bring our years to an end as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore years; {N}
yet is their pride but travail and vanity; {N}
for it is speedily gone, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of Thine anger, and Thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto Thee?
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD; how long? And let it repent Thee concerning Thy servants.
14 O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, according to the years wherein we have seen evil.
16 Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and Thy glory upon their children.
17 And let the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; {N}
establish Thou also upon us the work of our hands; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it. {P}

Psalms Chapter 59

Psalms Chapter 59

1 For the Leader; Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David; Michtam; when Saul sent, {N}
and they watched the house to kill him.
2 Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God; set me on high from them that rise up against me.
3 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from the men of blood.
4 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul; the impudent gather themselves together against me; {N}
not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
5 Without my fault, they run and prepare themselves; awake Thou to help me, and behold.
6 Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, arouse Thyself to punish all the nations; {N}
show no mercy to any iniquitous traitors. Selah
7 They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go round about the city.
8 Behold, they belch out with their mouth; swords are in their lips: 'For who doth hear?'
9 But Thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt have all the nations in derision.
10 Because of his strength, I will wait for Thee; for God is my high tower.
11 The God of my mercy will come to meet me; God will let me gaze upon mine adversaries.
12 Slay them not, lest my people forget, make them wander to and fro by Thy power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
13 For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, {N}
let them even be taken in their pride, and for cursing and lying which they speak.
14 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they be no more; {N}
and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob, unto the ends of the earth. Selah
15 And they return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go round about the city;
16 They wander up and down to devour, and tarry all night if they have not their fill.
17 But as for me, I will sing of Thy strength; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; {N}
for Thou hast been my high tower, and a refuge in the day of my distress.
18 O my strength, unto Thee will I sing praises; for God is my high tower, the God of my mercy. {P}

Job 1-3 (Amplified Bible)

Job 1-3 (Amplified Bible)
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Job 1
1THERE WAS a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from and shunned evil [because it was wrong].

2And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

3He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great body of servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.

4His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.(A)

5And when the days of their feasting were over, Job sent for them to purify and hallow them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed or disowned God in their hearts. Thus did Job at all [such] times.

6Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them.(B)

7And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.

8And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong]?

9Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job [reverently] fear God for nothing?

10Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

11But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.

12And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon the man himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

13And there was a day when [Job's] sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house [on his birthday],

14And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

15And the Sabeans swooped down upon them and took away [the animals]. Indeed, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

16While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The fire of God (lightning) has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

17While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The Chaldeans divided into three bands and made a raid upon the camels and have taken them away, yes, and have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

18While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,

19And behold, there came a great [whirlwind] from the desert, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

20Then Job arose and rent his robe and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped

21And said, Naked (without possessions) came I [into this world] from my mother's womb, and naked (without possessions) shall I depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed (praised and magnified in worship) be the name of the Lord!

22In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly.

Job 2
1AGAIN THERE was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

2And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan (the adversary and the accuser) answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.

3And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns all evil [because it is wrong]? And still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.

4Then Satan answered the Lord, Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has will he give for his life.

5But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse and renounce You to Your face.

6And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.

7So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with loathsome and painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

8And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes.

9Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast your blameless uprightness? Renounce God and die!

10But he said to her, You speak as one of the impious and foolish women would speak. What? Shall we accept [only] good at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune and what is of a bad nature? In [spite of] all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

11Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, for they had made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him.

12And when they looked from afar off and saw him [disfigured] beyond recognition, they lifted up their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe, and they cast dust over their heads toward the heavens.

13So they sat down with [Job] on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief and pain were very great.

Job 3
1AFTER THIS, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day (birthday).

2And Job said,

3Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which announced, There is a man-child conceived.

4Let that day be darkness! May not God above regard it, nor light shine upon it.

5Let gloom and deep darkness claim it for their own; let a cloud dwell upon it; let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).

6As for that night, let thick darkness seize it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.

7Yes, let that night be solitary and barren; let no joyful voice come into it.

8Let those curse it who curse the day, who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.

9Let the stars of the early dawn of that day be dark; let [the morning] look in vain for the light, nor let it behold the day's dawning,

10Because it shut not the doors of my mother's womb nor hid sorrow and trouble from my eyes.

11Why was I not stillborn? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bore me?

12Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck?

13For then would I have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then would I have been at rest [in death]

14With kings and counselors of the earth, who built up [now] desolate ruins for themselves,

15Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

16Or [why] was I not a miscarriage, hidden and put away, as infants who never saw light?

17There [in death] the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.

18There the [captive] prisoners rest together; they hear not the taskmaster's voice.

19The small and the great are there, and the servant is free from his master.(C)

20Why is light [of life] given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,

21Who long and wait for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

22Who rejoice exceedingly and are elated when they find the grave?

23[Why is the light of day given] to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?

24For my sighing comes before my food, and my groanings are poured out like water.

25For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me.

26I was not or am not at ease, nor had I or have I rest, nor was I or am I quiet, yet trouble came and still comes [upon me].


Cross references:
Job 1:4 : Gen 21:8; 40:20
Job 1:6 : Rev 12:10
Job 3:19 : Jer 20:14-18

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: {P}

2 {S} A time to be born, {S} and a time to die; {N}
{S} a time to plant, {S} and a time to pluck up that which is planted; {N}
3 {S} A time to kill, {S} and a time to heal; {N}
{S} a time to break down, {S} and a time to build up; {N}
4 {S} A time to weep, {S} and a time to laugh; {N}
{S} a time to mourn, {S} and a time to dance; {N}
5 {S} A time to cast away stones, {S} and a time to gather stones together; {N}
{S} a time to embrace, {S} and a time to refrain from embracing; {N}
6 {S} A time to seek, {S} and a time to lose; {N}
{S} a time to keep, {S} and a time to cast away; {N}
7 {S} A time to rend, {S} and a time to sew; {N}
{S} a time to keep silence, {S} and a time to speak; {N}
8 {S} A time to love, {S} and a time to hate; {N}
{S} a time for war, {S} and a time for peace. {N}
9 {S} What profit hath he that worketh in that he laboureth? 10 I have seen the task which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in its time; also He hath set the world in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to get pleasure so long as they live. 13 But also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy pleasure for all his labour, is the gift of God. 14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor any thing taken from it; and God hath so made it, that men should fear before Him. 15 That which is hath been long ago, and that which is to be hath already been; and God seeketh that which is pursued. 16 And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. 17 I said in my heart: 'The righteous and the wicked God will judge; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.' 18 I said in my heart: 'It is because of the sons of men, that God may sift them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.' 19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knoweth the spirit of man whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goeth downward to the earth? 22 Wherefore I perceived that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion; for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Galatians 1-5 (New Living Translation)

A A A A A


Galatians 1
Greetings from Paul
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

2 All the brothers and sisters[a] here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.

3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ[b] give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
There Is Only One Good News
6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.[c] You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Paul’s Message Comes from Christ
11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.[d]

13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me[e] so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.[f] 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter,[g] and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the Christians in the churches in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.
Galatians 2
The Apostles Accept Paul
1 Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. 3 And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.[h]

4 Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really[i]—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. 5 But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

6 And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 7 Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8 For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

9 In fact, James, Peter,[j] and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. 10 Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.
Paul Confronts Peter
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”[k]

17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[l] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
Galatians 3
The Law and Faith in Christ
1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced[m] so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[n] 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”[o] 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”[p] 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”[q] 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”[r]

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[s] 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[t] Holy Spirit through faith.
The Law and God’s Promise
15 Dear brothers and sisters,[u] here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.[v] And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,[w]” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.

21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?[x] Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.
God’s Children through Faith
23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children[y] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.[z] 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile,[aa] slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children[ab] of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
Galatians 4

1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles[ac] of this world.

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.[ad] 6 And because we[ae] are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”[af] 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.[ag] And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters,[ah] I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws.

You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.
Abraham’s Two Children
21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.[ai] 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia,[aj] because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”[ak]

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”[al] 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
Galatians 5
Freedom in Christ
1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

7 You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? 8 It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. 9 This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! 10 I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.

11 Dear brothers and sisters,[am] if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. 12 I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.[an]

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[ao] 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
Living by the Spirit’s Power
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Footnotes:
Galatians 1:2 Greek brothers; also in 1:11.
Galatians 1:3 Some manuscripts read God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:6 Some manuscripts read through loving mercy.
Galatians 1:12 Or by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:16 Or in me.
Galatians 1:16 Greek with flesh and blood.
Galatians 1:18 Greek Cephas.
Galatians 2:3 Greek a Greek.
Galatians 2:4 Greek some false brothers.
Galatians 2:9 Greek Cephas; also in 2:11, 14.
Galatians 2:16 Some translators hold that the quotation extends through verse 14; others through verse 16; and still others through verse 21.
Galatians 2:20 Some English translations put this sentence in verse 19.
Galatians 3:4 Or Have you suffered.
Galatians 3:6 Gen 15:6.
Galatians 3:8 Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18.
Galatians 3:10 Deut 27:26.
Galatians 3:11 Hab 2:4.
Galatians 3:12 Lev 18:5.
Galatians 3:13 Deut 21:23 (Greek version).
Galatians 3:14 Some manuscripts read the blessing of the.
Galatians 3:15 Greek Brothers.
Galatians 3:16 Greek seed; also in 3:16c, 19. See notes on Gen 12:7 and 13:15.
Galatians 3:16 Greek seeds.
Galatians 3:21 Some manuscripts read and the promises?
Galatians 3:26 Greek sons.
Galatians 3:27 Greek have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:28 Greek Jew or Greek.
Galatians 3:29 Greek seed.
Galatians 4:3 Or powers; also in 4:9.
Galatians 4:5 Greek sons; also in 4:6.
Galatians 4:6 Greek you.
Galatians 4:6 Abba is an Aramaic term for “father.”
Galatians 4:7 Greek son; also in 4:7b.
Galatians 4:12 Greek brothers; also in 4:28, 31.
Galatians 4:22 See Gen 16:15; 21:2-3.
Galatians 4:25 Greek And Hagar, which is Mount Sinai in Arabia, is now like Jerusalem; other manuscripts read And Mount Sinai in Arabia is now like Jerusalem.
Galatians 4:27 Isa 54:1.
Galatians 4:30 Gen 21:10.
Galatians 5:11 Greek Brothers; similarly in 5:13.
Galatians 5:12 Or castrate themselves, or cut themselves off from you; Greek reads cut themselves off.
Galatians 5:14 Lev 19:18.