Law or Faith
1 You foolish Galatians! Who put a spell on you? Before your very eyes you had a clear description of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross! 2 Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it? 3 How can you be so foolish! You began by God's Spirit; do you now want to finish by your own power? 4 Did all your experience mean nothing at all? Surely it meant something! 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it?
6 Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, “He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 7 You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith. 8 The scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: “Through you God will bless all people.” 9 Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was.
10 Those who depend on obeying the Law live under a curse. For the scripture says, “Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law is under God's curse!” 11 Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the scripture says, “Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live.” 12 But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, as the scripture says, “Whoever does everything the Law requires will live.”
13 But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God's curse.” 14 Christ did this in order that the blessing which God promised to Abraham might be given to the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God.
The Law and the Promise
15 My friends, I am going to use an everyday example: when two people agree on a matter and sign an agreement, no one can break it or add anything to it. 16 Now, God made his promises to Abraham and to his descendant. The scripture does not use the plural “descendants,” meaning many people, but the singular “descendant,” meaning one person only, namely, Christ. 17 What I mean is that God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to keep it. The Law, which was given four hundred and thirty years later, cannot break that covenant and cancel God's promise. 18 For if God's gift depends on the Law, then it no longer depends on his promise. However, it was because of his promise that God gave that gift to Abraham.
19 What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made. The Law was handed down by angels, with a man acting as a go-between. 20 But a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.
The Purpose of the Law
21 Does this mean that the Law is against God's promises? No, not at all! For if human beings had received a law that could bring life, then everyone could be put right with God by obeying it. 22 But the scripture says that the whole world is under the power of sin; and so the gift which is promised on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ is given to those who believe.
23 But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. 24 And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith. 25 Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us.
26 It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus. 27 You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself. 28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.
Xristub* ǃnâ ǂgoms tamas ka io ǂHanuba ǁnâuǀnams
1 Sa ǁnâuǃāoǃnâ Galateǁîdo! Amase du kom ǃgaiǃgamhe hâo. Kaise ǂhaisase tsî ǃgāsase ta kom Jesub Xristub, ǃgâuhaib* ai ge ǁōba ge mâi-aiǃâ duo. 2 ǀGui xū-e ta ge sado xu ra ǂan ǂgao: ǃAnu Gagaba du kha Moseb ǂhanuba* ǁnâuǀnams ǃnâ-u tamas ka io ǃGâiǂhôasa ǁnâu tsî ǂgoms ǃnâ-u ge ǃkhōǃoa? 3 Tare xū-i ǃaroma du kha nēti a ǁnâuǃāoǃnâ? ǂGuro du ge ǃAnu Gagab ai gere ǂgomǃgâ, xawe du ge nēsi sadu di khoesi ǀgaib ǀguib ai ǂhanu-ai kaisensa ra ǂgomǃgâ. 4 Nēsa īǁkhās a, xū-i ama tama du ge nētikō ǂgui ǃâitsâga mâǃkharusa? Nēs ge ǁaudommi ai ī tama hâ i ǃkhaisa ta ge ra ǂgom. 5 Sadu ge ǂHanuba ǁnâuǀnam xui-aosa, Elob ge ǁîb di Gagaba mā du tsî buruxa dīna a dīsa? Hî-î, nē xūnab ge ge dī sadu ge ǃGâiǂhôasa ǁnâu tsî a ǂgom xui-ao.
6 Abrahammi ǀkhas tsîna i ge ǁnāti ge ī. “ǁÎb ge Elob ǃnâ ǂgom, tsî ǁîb di ǂgoms ǃaroma ge ǂhanu-ai kaihe” 7 Nēs ǃnâ da ra mû ǃkhais ge, ǁnān hîa ra ǂgomn amase Abrahammi di suriba xu hâsa. 8 Tsîs ge Xoasa ǀnai ge aimûǀgaru Elob nî Jodeǁî taman* tsîna ǂgoms ǃnâ-u ǂhanu-ai kai ǃkhaisa. ǁNā-amagab ge Eloba ǀnai ǃGâiǂhôasa Abrahamma nēti ge aoǁnâba: “Sats ǃnâ di ge ǃhūbaib di ǁaedi hoade nî ǀkhaehe.” 9 ǁNā-amagan ge ǁnān hîa Abrahammi ge ǂgom khami ra ǂgomna ǁîb ǁkhāb khami ra ǀkhaehe.
10 ǂHanuba ǁnâuǀnams ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûin hoan ge ǀâxareb ǃnaka ûi hâ, Xoas nēti ra mî xui-ao: “ǂHanub di ǂkhanis ǃnâ xoahe hâ xūn hoana ga ǁnâuǀnam tama i khoe-i ge nî ǀâxarexūhe!” 11 Nēsa xu a ǃgāsas ge, khoe-i xare-i Elob aiǃâ ǂHanub ǃnâ-u a ǂhanu-ai kaihe ǁoa ǃkhaisa. Xoas ra mî xui-ao: “Elob ǀkha ǂgoms ǃnâ-u ǂhanu-ai kaihe hâ khoe-i ǀgui-i ge nî ûi.” 12 ǂHanub ge ǂgomsa xu hâ tama hâ, ǁnā-amagas ge Xoasa ra mî: “ǂHanub ra mî khami ra dī khoe-i ge ǁîba xu nî ûi.”
13 Sada ǂHanub di ǀâxareba xu ǃnoraǃnoras ǃaromab ge Xristuba ǁî-aitsama sada ǀâxareba ǁîb ai ge ū, nētis Xoasa ra mî xui-ao: “Haib ai ǂgāmâihe hâ-i hoa-i ge ǀâxarexūsa.” 14 Xristub Jesub ge nēsa ge dī, Jodeǁî taman nî Elob ge Abrahamma mîmâiba ǀkhaeba ǃkhōǃoase, ǂgoms ǃnâ-u da nî Elob ge mîmâiba da Gagaba ǃkhōǃoase.
ǂHanub tsî Elob di mîmâis
15 ǃGâsado, khoesi ûib ǃoa da ga kō: ǀGam khoen ga ǃgaeǀhao-e a xoaǃgao, os ge ǁnāti ī mîǀguisa khoe-i xa ǃaruǀî khôahe tamas ka io xū-i xare-e ǀkharaǀkharahe tide. 16 Elob ge ǁîb di mîmâisa Abrahammi tsî ǁîb di surib ǀkha ge dī. Xoas ǃnâ i ge “surigu” ti ǂguiǀnōb ǃnâ xoahe tama i tsî ǀguiǀnōb ǃnâ “surib” ti ǀgui xoasa hîa ǀgui khoeb, Xristub xa ǀgui ra ǂâibasensa. 17 Nēs ǀkha ta ra ǂâibasens ge: Elob ge Abrahammi ǀkha ǃgaeǀhaosa dī tsî ǁîsab nî dīǀoaǀoa ǃkhaisa ge mîmâi. Tsîb ge hakakaidisiǃnonadisi kurixa ǂHanuba, Elob ge ǀnai mîmâi ǃgaeǀhaosa a ǁauǁau ǁoa. Nēs nî hana īs ka, os nî mîmâisa khôahe xui-ao. 18 ǀUmis ga ǂHanuba xu hâ hâ, os ge ǃaruǀî mîmâisa xu hâ tama hâ. Xawe ǁîb di mîmâisa xus ge Elob ge ǁîb ǀkhomma Abrahamma a māsa.
19 Tare-i ǃaromab ǂHanuba ǁnâi hâ? Mîmâisa ge dībahe hâ i surib di ǃûǂamdi ǃaromas ge. Tsîb ge ǂhanuba ǀhomǃgān ǃnâ-u ge māhe, tsî ǁaegumâ-ao-e ge ǂgomǃgâhe. 20 Xawe ǀgui khoe-i ǀgui-i ǃaroma i ge ǁaegumâ-ao-e ǂhâbasa tama hâ, Elob ge ǀguri sîsen xui-ao Abrahammi ǀkhab ge mîǀguisa a dīo.
ǂHanub di ǃaromas
21 O i kha ǂHanub Elob mîmâidi ǃoagu mâ ti ra ǂâibasen? Tātsē! ǂHanub ga ûiba mā hâ, ob kom ǂHanuba Elob ǀkha ga ǂhanu-ai kai da hâo. 22 Xawes ge Xoasa ra mî, hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǁoreb di ǀgaib xa ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ūhe hâ ǃkhaisa; Jesub Xristub ǃnâ hâ ǂgoms di mîmâis nî ǁnān hîa ǁîb ǃnâ ra ǂgomna māhese.
23 Xawe nē ǂgoms nî hās aiǃâb ge ǂHanuba ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ge ū da hâ i, ǂgoms ge ǂhaiǂhaihes kōse. 24 Tsî ǁnā ǀgaus ai da ge Xristub di hās kōse ǂHanub di gaosis ǃnaka ge hâ i, Xristub ǃnâ hâ ǂgoms ǃnâ-u da Elob ǀkha nî ǂhanu-ai kaihese. 25 Xawe nēsis go Xristub ǃnâ hâ ǂgomsa hā, o da ge ǃaruǀî ǂHanub di gaosis ǃnâ hâ tama.
26 ǁNā-amaga du ge hoado Xristub Jesub ǃnâ hâ ǂgoms ǃnâ-u a Elob ôa. 27 ǁNān hîa Xristub ǃnâ ge ǁāǁnâhen hoan ge Xristub di ûib ǀkha ge anahe. 28 ǁNā-amaga i ge ǃaruǀî ǃkharagagusi-i xare-e ǀkhai Jodeǁîn tsî Grikeǁîn ǁaegu, khobon tsî ǃnorasan ǁaegu, aorekhoeb tsî tarekhoes ǁaegu; hoadu Xristub Jesub ǃnâ a ǀgui xui-ao. 29 Tsî Xristub didu a xui-ao, du ge a Abrahammi di suri tsî du ge hoaraga ǀkhaegu Elob diga nî ǀumi, Elob ge Abrahammi ǀkha dī mîmâis ǃaroma.
