A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise! ¹ 

See what big letters I make as I write to you with my own hand!

But from those who were influential ¹  (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people ² ) – those influential leaders ³  added ⁴  nothing to my message. ⁵ 

Those who want to make a good showing in external matters ¹  are trying to force you to be circumcised. They do so ²  only to avoid being persecuted ³  for the cross of Christ.

Now this matter arose ¹  because of the false brothers with false pretenses ²  who slipped in unnoticed to spy on ³  our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. ⁴ 

I went there ¹  because of ²  a revelation and presented ³  to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so ⁴  only in a private meeting with the influential people, ⁵  to make sure that I was not running – or had not run ⁶  – in vain.

They court you eagerly, ¹  but for no good purpose; ²  they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly. ³ 

But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, ¹  I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law. ² 

What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, ¹  so as to invalidate the promise.

Let us not become conceited, ¹  provoking ²  one another, being jealous ³  of one another.

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. ¹ 

Brothers and sisters, ¹  I offer an example from everyday life: ²  When a covenant ³  has been ratified, ⁴  even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.

Now ¹  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ²  that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ³ 

(for he who empowered ¹  Peter for his apostleship ²  to the circumcised ³  also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles) ⁴ 

to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. ¹ 

Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all!

You who are trying to be declared righteous ¹  by the law have been alienated ²  from Christ; you have fallen away from grace!

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love. ¹ 

For ¹  neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for ²  anything; the only thing that matters is a new creation! ³ 

But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ¹  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ²  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”