Galatians 6:12 - Easy To Read Version Some men are trying to force you to be circumcised. {\cf2\super [77]} They do these things so that other people (the Jews) will accept them. Those men are afraid they will be criticized if they follow only the cross of Christ. {\cf2\super [78]} Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Those who want to make a good impression and a fine show in the flesh would try to compel you to receive circumcision, simply so that they may escape being persecuted for allegiance to the cross of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). American Standard Version (1901) As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they compel you to be circumcised; only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Common English Bible Whoever wants to look good by human standards will try to get you to be circumcised, but only so they won’t be harassed for the cross of Christ. Catholic Public Domain Version For as many of you as they desire to please in the flesh, they compel to be circumcised, but only so that they might not suffer the persecution of the cross of Christ. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version For as many as desire to please in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer the persecution of the cross of Christ. |
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [347]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [348]} You are like tombs {\cf2\super [349]} that are painted white. The outside of those tombs looks fine. But inside, the tombs are full of the bones of dead people. And all kinds of unclean things are inside there.
It is the same with you. People look at you and think that you are good. But on the inside you are full of hypocrisy {\cf2\super [350]} and evil.
“The only reason they do good things is for other people to see them. They wear special boxes {\cf2\super [328]} full of Scriptures. {\cf2\super [329]} They make these boxes bigger and bigger. And they make their special prayer clothes very long \{so that people will see them\}.
What great blessings there are for the people that are treated badly for doing good!\par The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.\par
“When you fast, {\cf2\super [78]} don’t make yourselves look sad. The hypocrites {\cf2\super [79]} do that. Don’t be like the hypocrites. They make their faces look strange to show people that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.
“When you give to poor people, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t do like the hypocrites {\cf2\super [73]} do. They blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They do that in the synagogues {\cf2\super [74]} and on the streets. They want other people to give honor to them. I tell you the truth. Those hypocrites already have their full reward.
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. {\cf2\super [75]} The hypocrites love to stand in the synagogues {\cf2\super [76]} and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them pray. I tell you the truth. They already have their full reward.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. The things that people think are important are worth nothing to God.
But they are mean to widows {\cf2\super [328]} and steal their homes. Then they try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. God will punish these people very much.”
Any person that teaches his own ideas is trying to get honor for himself. But a person that tries to bring honor to the one that sent him—that person speaks the truth. There is nothing false in him.
Then some men came \{to Antioch\} from Judea. They began teaching the non-Jewish brothers: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised. {\cf2\super [296]} Moses taught us to do this.”
Some of the believers \{in Jerusalem\} had belonged to the Pharisees. {\cf2\super [301]} They stood up and said, “The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. {\cf2\super [302]} We must tell them to obey the law of Moses!”
We don’t dare to put ourselves in the same group with those people who think that they are very important. We don’t compare ourselves to them. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing.
These people are not true apostles. {\cf2\super [36]} They are workers who lie. And they change themselves to \{make people think they are\} apostles of Christ.
I saw what these Jews did. They were not following the truth of the Good News. {\cf2\super [17]} So I spoke to Peter in a way that all the other Jews could hear what I said. This is what I said: “Peter, you are a Jew. But you don’t live like a Jew. You live like a non-Jew. So why do you now force the non-Jewish people to live like Jews?”
My brothers and sisters, I don’t teach that people must be circumcised. {\cf2\super [66]} If I do teach circumcision, {\cf2\super [67]} then why am I still being persecuted? If I still taught that people must be circumcised, then my telling them about the cross would not be a problem.
Those men are circumcised, but they don’t obey the law {\cf2\super [79]} themselves. They want you to be circumcised. Then they can boast about what they forced you to do.
Some people preach about Christ because they are jealous and bitter. Other people preach about Christ because they want to help.
Don’t be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of other people, too.
Many people live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about these people. And it makes me cry to tell you about them now.
These rules seem to be wise. But these rules are only part of a man-made religion that makes people pretend to be humble and makes them punish their bodies. But these rules don’t help people to stop doing the evil things their sinful selves want to do.