Bilingual reading

Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.

I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,

to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised—

for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles—

and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.

They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.

But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.

For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?

“We, being Jews by nature and not Gentile sinners,

yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

But if while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not!

For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.

For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”

ثُمَّ إِنِّي بَعدَ أَربَعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنة صَعِدتُ ثانِيَةً إِلى أُورَشَليمَ مع بَرنابا وٱستَصحَبتُ طيطُسَ أَيضًا

وكانَ صُعودي إِلَيها بِوَحْيٍ. وعَرَضتُ علَيهِمِ البِشارةَ الَّتي أُعلِنُها بَينَ الوَثَنِيِّين، وعَرَضتُها في ٱجتِماعٍ خاصٍّ على الأَعْيان، مَخافَةَ أَن أَسْعى أَو أَكونَ قد سَعَيتُ عَبَثًا

على أَنَّ رَفيقي طيطُسَ نَفْسَه، وهو يُونانِيّ، لم يُلزَمِ الخِتان

وإِلَّا لَكانَ ذٰلك بِسَبَبِ الإِخوَةِ الكَذَّابينَ المُتَطَفِّلينَ الَّذينَ دَسُّوا أَنفُسَهم بَيننا لِيتجَسَّسوا حُرِّيَّتَنا الَّتي نَحنُ علَيها في المَسيحِ يسوعَ فيَستَعبِدونا

ولَم نُذعِنْ لَهم خاضِعينَ ولَو حِينًا لِتَبْقى لَكم حَقيقةُ البِشارة

أَمَّا الأَعْيان – ولا يَهُمُّني ما كانَ شَأنُهم: إِنَّ اللهَ لا يُحابي أَحدًا مِنَ النَّاس – فإِنَّ الأَعْيانَ لم يَفرِضوا عَليَّ شَيئًا آخَر

بل رأَوا أَنَّه عُهِدَ إِلَيَّ في تَبْشيرِ القُلْفِ كما عُهِدَ إِلى بُطرُسَ في تَبْشيرِ المَختونين

لِأَنَّ الَّذي أَيَّدَ بُطرُسَ لِلرِّسالَةِ لَدى المَختونين أَيَّدَني أَنا أَيضًا في أَمرِ الوَثَنِيِّين

ولَمَّا عَرَف يَعْقوبُ وصَخْرُ ويُوحَنَّا، وهُم يُحسَبون أَعمِدَةَ الكَنيسة، ما وُهِبَ لي مِن نِعمَة، مَدُّوا إِلَيَّ وإِلى بَرنابا يُمنى المُشاركة، فنَذهَبُ نَحنُ إِلى الوَثَنِيِّين وهم إِلى المَخْتونين

بِشَرطٍ واحِدٍ وهو أَن نَتَذَكَّرَ الفُقَراء، وهٰذا ما ٱجتَهَدتُ أَن أَقومَ بِه

ولٰكِن، لَمَّا قَدِمَ صَخْرٌ إِلى أَنطاكِيَة، قاوَمتُه وَجْهًا لِوَجْهٍ لأَنَّه كان يَستَوجِبُ اللَّوم

ذٰلِكَ أَنَّه، قَبْلَ أَن يَقدَمَ قَومٌ مِن عِندِ يَعْقوب، كان يُؤاكِلُ الوَثَنِيِّين. فلَمَّا قَدِموا أَخَذَ يَتَوارى ويتَنحَّى خَوفًا مِن أَهْلِ الخِتان

فجاراه سائِرُ اليَهودِ في رِيائِه، حتَّى إِنَّ بَرنابا ٱنقادَ هو أَيضًا إِلى ريائِهِم

فلَمَّا رأَيتُ أَنَّهم لا يَسيرونَ سِيرةً قَويمة كما تَقْضي حَقيقةُ البِشارة، قُلتُ لِصَخْرٍ أَمامَ جَميعِ الإِخوَة: «إِذا كُنتَ أَنتَ اليَهودِيُّ تَعيشُ عيشَةَ الوَثَنِيِّينَ لا عيشةَ اليَهود، فكَيفَ تُلزِمُ الوَثَنِيِّينَ أَن يَسيروا سيرةَ اليَهود؟»

نَحنُ يَهودٌ بِالوِلادَة ولَسْنا مِنَ الوَثَنِيِّينَ الخاطِئِين

ومع ذٰلِك فنَحنُ نَعلَمُ أَنَّ الإِنسانَ لا يُبَرَّرُ بِالعَمَلِ بِأَحْكامِ الشَّريعة، بل بِالإِيمانِ بِيَسوعَ المسيح. ونَحنُ أَيضًا آمَنَّا بِالمَسيحِ يسوع لِكَي نُبَرَّر بالإِيمانِ بِالمسيح، لا بِالعَمَلِ بِأَحْكامِ الشَّريعة، فإِنَّه لا يُبَرَّرُ أَحَدٌ مِنَ البَشَرِ بِالعَمَلِ بِأَحْكامِ الشَّريعة

فإِذا كُنَّا نَطلُبُ أَن نُبَرَّرَ في المَسيح، ووُجِدْنا نَحنُ أَيضًا خاطِئين، أَفيَكونُ المسيحُ خادِمًا لِلخَطيئَة؟ حاشَ لَه!

فإِنِّي، إِذا عُدتُ إِلى بِناءِ ما هَدَمتُه، أَثبَتُّ على نَفْسي أَنِّي عاصٍ

لِأَنِّي بِالشَّريعَةِ مُتُّ عَنِ الشَّريعةِ لِأَحْيا للهِ، وقد صُلِبتُ مع المسيح

فما أَنا أَحْيا بَعدَ ذٰلِك، بلِ المسيحُ يَحْيا فِيَّ. وإِذا كُنتُ أَحْيا الآنَ حَياةً بَشَرِيَّة، فإِنِّي أَحْياها في الإِيمانِ بِٱبنِ اللهِ الَّذي أَحبَّني وجادَ بِنَفْسِه مِن أَجْلي

فلا أُبطِلُ نِعمَةَ الله. فإِذا كانَ البِرُّ يُنالُ بِالشَّريعة، فالمَسيحُ إِذًا قد ماتَ سُدًى