King James Version KJV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
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What the Messiah has freed us for is freedom! Therefore, stand firm, and don't let yourselves be tied up again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
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Mark my words - I, Sha'ul, tell you that if you undergo b'rit-milah the Messiah will be of no advantage to you at all!
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
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Again, I warn you: any man who undergoes b'rit-milah is obligated to observe the entire Torah!
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
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You who are trying to be declared righteous by God through legalism have severed yourselves from the Messiah! You have fallen away from God's grace!
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
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For it is by the power of the Spirit, who works in us because we trust and are faithful, that we confidently expect our hope of attaining righteousness to be fulfilled.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
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When we are united with the Messiah Yeshua, neither being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters; what matters is trusting faithfulness expressing itself through love.
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
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You were running the race well; who has stopped you from following the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
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Whatever means of persuasion he used was not from the One who calls you.
9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
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"It takes only a little hametz to leaven the whole batch of dough."
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
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I am confident that since you are united with the Lord, you will take no other view; and I am confident that the one who has been disturbing you, whoever he may be, will have to bear his punishment.
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
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And as for me, brothers, if I am still preaching that circumcision is necessary, why am I still being persecuted? If that were the case, my preaching about the execution-stake would cause no offense whatever.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
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I wish the people who are bothering you would go the whole way and castrate themselves!
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
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For, brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
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For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: "Love your neighbor as yourself";k
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
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but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other!
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
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What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
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For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
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But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
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And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency;
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
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involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
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humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
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Moreover, those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua have put their old nature to death on the stake, along with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
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Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
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Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.