O insensati Galatæ, quis vos fascinavit non obedire veritati, ante quorum oculos Jesus Christus præscriptus est, in vobis crucifixus?

O senseless Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been set forth, crucified among you?

Senseless Galatians, who is it that has cast a spell on you, that you should refuse your loyalty to the truth, you, before whom Jesus Christ has been exposed to view on his cross?

Hoc solum a vobis volo discere: ex operibus legis Spiritum accepistis, an ex auditu fidei?

This only would I learn of you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Let me be content with asking you one question, Was it from observance of the law that the Spirit came to you, or from obeying the call of faith?

sic stulti estis, ut cum Spiritu cœperitis, nunc carne consummemini?

Are you so foolish, that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now be made perfect by the flesh?

Are you so far out of your right senses? You dedicated your first beginnings to the spirit; and can you now find your completion in outward things?

tanta passi estis sine causa? si tamen sine causa.

Have you suffered so great things in vain? If it be yet in vain.

Was it to no purpose that you went through so much? Since it seems it was to no purpose.

Qui ergo tribuit vobis Spiritum, et operatur virtutes in vobis: ex operibus legis, an ex auditu fidei?

He therefore who giveth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you; doth he do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of the faith?

When God lavishes his Spirit on you and enables you to perform miracles, what is the reason for it? Your observance of the law, or your obedience to the call of faith?

Sicut scriptum est: Abraham credidit Deo, et reputatum est illi ad justitiam:

As it is written: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

Remember how Abraham put his faith in God, and it was reckoned virtue in him.

cognoscite ergo quia qui ex fide sunt, ii sunt filii Abrahæ.

Know ye therefore, that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

You must recognize, then, that Abraham’s real children are the children of his faith.

Providens autem Scriptura quia ex fide justificat gentes Deus, prænuntiavit Abrahæ: Quia benedicentur in te omnes gentes.

And the scripture, foreseeing, that God justifieth the Gentiles by faith, told unto Abraham before: In thee shall all nations be blessed.

There is a passage in scripture which, long beforehand, brings to Abraham the good news, Through thee all the nations shall be blessed; and that passage looks forward to God’s justification of the Gentiles by faith.

Igitur qui ex fide sunt, benedicentur cum fideli Abraham.

Therefore they that are of faith, shall be blessed with faithful Abraham.

It is those, then, who take their stand on faith that share the blessing Abraham’s faithfulness won.

Quicumque enim ex operibus legis sunt, sub maledicto sunt. Scriptum est enim: Maledictus omnis qui non permanserit in omnibus quæ scripta sunt in libro legis ut faciat ea.

For as many as are of the works of the law, are under a curse. For it is written: Cursed is every one, that abideth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Those who take their stand on observance of the law are all under a curse; Cursed be everyone (we read) who does not persist in carrying out all that this book of the law prescribes.

Quoniam autem in lege nemo justificatur apud Deum, manifestum est: quia justus ex fide vivit.

But that in the law no man is justified with God, it is manifest: because the just man liveth by faith.

And indeed, that the law cannot make a man acceptable to God is clear enough; It is faith, we are told, that brings life to the just man;

Lex autem non est ex fide, sed: Qui fecerit ea, vivet in illis.

But the law is not of faith: but, He that doth those things, shall live in them.

whereas the law does not depend on faith; no, we are told it is the man who carries out the commandments that will find life in them.

Christus nos redemit de maledicto legis, factus pro nobis maledictum: quia scriptum est: Maledictus omnis qui pendet in ligno:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written: Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

From this curse invoked by the law Christ has ransomed us, by himself becoming, for our sakes, an accursed thing; we read that, There is a curse on the man who hangs on a gibbet.

ut in gentibus benedictio Abrahæ fieret in Christo Jesu, ut pollicitationem Spiritus accipiamus per fidem.

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus: that we may receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

Thus, in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham was to be imparted to the Gentiles, so that we, through faith, might receive the promised gift of the Spirit.

Fratres (secundum hominem dico) tamen hominis confirmatum testamentum nemo spernit, aut superordinat.

Brethren (I speak after the manner of man,) yet a man’s testament, if it be confirmed, no man despiseth, nor addeth to it.

Brethren, let me take an argument from common life. A valid legal disposition made by an ordinary human being cannot afterwards be set aside; no one can make fresh provisions in it.

Abrahæ dictæ sunt promissiones, et semini ejus. Non dicit: Et seminibus, quasi in multis: sed quasi in uno: Et semini tuo, qui est Christus.

To Abraham were the promises made and to his seed. He saith not, And to his seeds, as of many: but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

The promises you know of were made to Abraham and his offspring; (it does not, by the way, say, To thy descendants, as if it meant a number of people; it says, To thy offspring, in the singular, meaning Christ).

Hoc autem dico, testamentum confirmatum a Deo: quæ post quadringentos et triginta annos facta est lex, non irritum facit ad evacuandam promissionem.

Now this I say, that the testament which was confirmed by God, the law which was made after four hundred and thirty years, doth not disannul, to make the promise of no effect.

And this is my contention; the law, coming into being four hundred and thirty years afterwards, cannot unmake the disposition which God made so long ago, and cancel the promise.

Nam si ex lege hæreditas, jam non ex promissione. Abrahæ autem per repromissionem donavit Deus.

For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise.

If our inheritance depends on observing the law, then it is not the inheritance secured to us by promise; that was promised to Abraham as a free gift.

Quid igitur lex? Propter transgressiones posita est donec veniret semen, cui promiserat, ordinata per angelos in manu mediatoris.

Why then was the law? It was set because of transgressions, until the seed should come, to whom he made the promise, being ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

What, then, is the purpose of the law? It was brought in to make room for transgression, while we waited for the coming of that posterity, to whom the promise had been made. Its terms were dictated by angels, acting through a spokesman;

Mediator autem unius non est: Deus autem unus est.

Now a mediator is not of one: but God is one.

(a spokesman represents more than one, and there is only one God).

Lex ergo adversus promissa Dei? Absit. Si enim data esset lex, quæ posset vivificare, vere ex lege esset justitia.

Was the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could give life, verily justice should have been by the law.

Is the law an infringement, then, of God’s promises? That is not to be thought of. Doubtless, if a law had been given that was capable of imparting life to us, it would have been for the law to bring us justification.

Sed conclusit Scriptura omnia sub peccato, ut promissio ex fide Jesu Christi daretur credentibus.

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by the faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe.

But in fact scripture represents us as all under the bondage of sin; it was faith in Jesus Christ that was to impart the promised blessing to all those who believe in him.

Prius autem quam veniret fides, sub lege custodiebamur conclusi in eam fidem quæ revelanda erat.

But before the faith came, we were kept under the law shut up, unto that faith which was to be revealed.

Until faith came, we were all being kept in bondage to the law, waiting for the faith that was one day to be revealed.

Itaque lex pædagogus noster fuit in Christo, ut ex fide justificemur.

Wherefore the law was our pedagogue in Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

So that the law was our tutor, bringing us to Christ, to find in faith our justification.

At ubi venit fides, jam non sumus sub pædagogo.

But after the faith is come, we are no longer under a pedagogue.

When faith comes, then we are no longer under the rule of a tutor;

Omnes enim filii Dei estis per fidem, quæ est in Christo Jesu.

For you are all the children of God by faith, in Christ Jesus.

through faith in Christ Jesus you are all now God’s sons.

Quicumque enim in Christo baptizati estis, Christum induistis.

For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ.

All you who have been baptized in Christ’s name have put on the person of Christ;

Non est Judæus, neque Græcus: non est servus, neque liber: non est masculus, neque femina. Omnes enim vos unum estis in Christo Jesu.

There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

no more Jew or Gentile, no more slave and freeman, no more male and female; you are all one person in Jesus Christ.

Si autem vos Christi, ergo semen Abrahæ estis, secundum promissionem hæredes.

And if you be Christ’s, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are indeed Abraham’s children; the promised inheritance is yours.