Galatians 3:6–18

⁶So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^{a 7}Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”^{b 9}So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

¹⁰All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”^{c 11}Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”^{d 12}The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”^e

¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”^{f 14}He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham^g would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

¹⁵Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended. ¹⁶The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,”^h meaning One, who is Christ.

¹⁷What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God freely granted it to Abraham through a promise.