Then why was the law given at all? It was added because of human sin. And it was supposed to control us until the promised Seed had come. The law was given through angels, and a go- between was put in charge of it.

这样说来，律法是为什么有的呢？原是为过犯添上的，等候那蒙应许的子孙来到，并且是藉天使经中保之手设立的。

这样说来，为什么要有律法呢？律法是为过犯的缘故而加上去的，等候那蒙应许的子孙来到才结束，是藉着天使经中保之手而设立的。

这样说来，为什么要有律法呢？律法是为过犯的缘故而加上去的，等候那蒙应许的子孙来到才结束，是藉着天使经中保之手而设立的。

那么，为什么会有律法呢？律法是为了使人知罪而颁布的，等那位承受应许的后裔来到后，律法的任务就完成了。律法是通过天使交给一位中间人颁布的。

那么，为什么要有律法呢？是为了过犯的缘故才加上的，直到那得应许的后裔来到。律法是藉着天使经中保的手设立的；

那么，为什么要有律法呢？律法是为了过犯的缘故被加上的，直到那蒙应许的后裔来临；律法是藉着天使，通过中保的手所规定的。

這樣說來，律法是為甚麼有的呢？原是為過犯添上的，等候那蒙應許的子孫來到，並且是藉天使經中保之手設立的。

這樣說來，為甚麼要有律法呢？律法是為過犯的緣故而加上去的，等候那蒙應許的子孫來到才結束，是藉着天使經中保之手而設立的。

這樣說來，為甚麼要有律法呢？律法是為過犯的緣故而加上去的，等候那蒙應許的子孫來到才結束，是藉着天使經中保之手而設立的。

那麼，為什麼會有律法呢？律法是為了使人知罪而頒佈的，等那位承受應許的後裔來到後，律法的任務就完成了。律法是通過天使交給一位中間人頒佈的。

那麼，為甚麼要有律法呢？是為了過犯的緣故才加上的，直到那得應許的後裔來到。律法是藉著天使經中保的手設立的；

那麼、律法怎麼樣呢？律法是為顯明犯法之事而增設的；是臨時的措施、等所應許的後裔來到的；是藉着天使經中間人之手規定的。

那麼，為什麼要有律法呢？律法是為了過犯的緣故被加上的，直到那蒙應許的後裔來臨；律法是藉著天使，通過中保的手所規定的。

然則律何為耶、乃為罪而設、待受許之裔至、又由天使於中保之手而訂、

然則律法何以、曰、律法為有罪者設、待所應許之裔至、且律法藉天使賜中保以傳、

然則律法何益、曰、為罪愆而設、待受應許之裔至焉、且律法傳授、藉天使、託中保之手、

然則律法何為而作乎？蓋人多為非作惡、乃有律法之添設、以俟承受嗣業者之來臨。且律法之制、乃由主之使者授之於居間人之手。

Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.

Why the Law then? It was added on account of the violations, having been ordered through angels at the hand of a mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made; and it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.

Wherefore then[ serveth] the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;[ and it was] ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary.

Then why is there the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

The law you received was given by angels. But you haven’t obeyed it.”

What should we say then? That the law is sinful? Not at all! Yet I wouldn’t have known what sin was unless the law had told me. The law says,“ Do not want what belongs to other people.”( Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) If the law hadn’t said that, I would not have known what it was like to want what belongs to others.But the commandment gave sin an opportunity. Sin caused me to want all kinds of things that belong to others. A person can’t sin by breaking a law if that law doesn’t exist.Before I knew about the law, I was alive. But then the commandment came. Sin came to life, and I died.I found that the commandment that was supposed to bring life actually brought death.When the commandment gave sin the opportunity, sin tricked me. It used the commandment to put me to death.So the law is holy. The commandment also is holy and right and good.Did what is good cause me to die? Not at all! Sin had to be recognized for what it really is. So it used what is good to bring about my death. Because of the commandment, sin became totally sinful.

The promises were given to Abraham. They were also given to his seed. Scripture does not say,“ and to seeds.” That means many people. It says,“ and to your seed.”( Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 24:7) That means one person. And that one person is Christ.

The law was given so that sin would increase. But where sin increased, God’s grace increased even more.Sin ruled and brought death. But grace rules in the lives of those who are right with God. The grace of God brings eternal life. That’s because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done.

Even the message God spoke through angels had to be obeyed. Every time people broke the Law, they were punished. Every time they didn’t obey, they were punished.

At that time I stood between the Lord and you. I announced to you the Lord’ s message. I did it because you were afraid of the fire. You didn’t go up the mountain. The Lord said,

The law brings God’s anger. Where there is no law, the law can’t be broken.

Hearing the law does not make a person right with God. People are considered to be right with God only when they obey the law.

Moses was with the Israelites in the desert. He was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. Moses was with our people of long ago. He received living words to pass on to us.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

We know that the law is good if it is used properly.We also know that the law isn’t made for godly people. It is made for those who break the law. It is for those who refuse to obey. It is for ungodly and sinful people. It is for those who aren’t holy and who don’t believe. It is for those who kill their fathers or mothers. It is for murderers.

What the law says, it says to those who are ruled by the law. Its purpose is to shut every mouth and make the whole world accountable to God.So no one will be considered right with God by obeying the law. Instead, the law makes us more aware of our sin.

In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ.

God has not put angels in charge of the world that is going to come. We are talking about that world.

He said,“ The Lord came from Mount Sinai. Like the rising sun, he shone on his people from Mount Seir. He shone on them from Mount Paran. He came with large numbers of angels. He came from his mountain slopes in the south.

So is the law opposed to God’s promises? Certainly not! What if a law had been given that could give life? Then people could become right with God by obeying the law.But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin. It does so in order that what was promised might be given to those who believe. The promise comes through faith in Jesus Christ.Before faith in Christ came, we were guarded by the law. We were locked up until this faith was made known.So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came. He came so that we might be made right with God by believing in Christ.But now faith in Christ has come. So the law is no longer in charge of us.

Is there any advantage in being a Jew? Is there any value in being circumcised?There is great value in every way! First of all, the Jews have been given the very words of God.

So he said he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stood up for them. He kept God’s anger from destroying them.

The Lord said to Moses,“ You and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel must come to worship the Lord. Do not come close when you worship.Only Moses can come close to me. The others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.”Moses went and told the people all the Lord’ s words and laws. They answered with one voice. They said,“ We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.”Then Moses wrote down everything the Lord had said. Moses got up early the next morning. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up 12 stone pillars. They stood for the 12 tribes of Israel.Then he sent young Israelite men to sacrifice burnt offerings. They also sacrificed young bulls as friendship offerings to the Lord.Moses put half of the blood in bowls. He splashed the other half against the altar.Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They answered,“ We will do everything the Lord has told us to do. We will obey him.”Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people. He said,“ This is the blood that puts the covenant into effect. The Lord has made this covenant with you in keeping with all these words.”Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel went up.They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a street made out of lapis lazuli. It was as bright blue as the sky itself.But God didn’t destroy those Israelite leaders when they saw him. They ate and drank.The Lord said to Moses,“ Come up to me on the mountain. Stay here. I will give you the stone tablets. They contain the law and commandments I have written to teach the people.”

“ Do not think I will bring charges against you in front of the Father. Moses is the one who does that. And he is the one you build your hopes on.Do you believe Moses? Then you should believe me. He wrote about me.But you do not believe what he wrote. So how are you going to believe what I say?”

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must listen to him.At Mount Horeb you asked the Lord your God for a prophet. You asked him on the day you gathered together. You said,“ We don’t want to hear the voice of the Lord our God. We don’t want to see this great fire anymore. If we do, we’ll die.”The Lord said to me,“ What they are saying is good.I will raise up for them a prophet like you. He will be one of their own people. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him to say.The prophet will speak in my name. But someone might not listen to what I say through the prophet. I will hold that person responsible for not listening.

Here is what I have been saying. As long as your own children are young, they are no different from slaves in your house. They are no different, even though they will own all the property.People are in charge of the property. And other people are in charge of the children. The children remain under their care until they become adults. At that time their fathers give them the property.It is the same with us. When we were children, we were slaves to the basic spiritual powers of the world.But then the chosen time came. God sent his Son. A woman gave birth to him. He was born under the authority of the law.

“ Abraham said to him,‘ They do not listen to Moses and the Prophets. So they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

These are the commandments the Lord announced in a loud voice to your whole community. He gave them to you there on the mountain. He spoke out of the fire, cloud and deep darkness. He didn’t add anything else. Then he wrote the commandments on two stone tablets. And he gave them to me.The mountain was blazing with fire. You heard the voice coming out of the darkness. So your elders and all the leaders of your tribes came to me.You said,“ The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty. We have heard his voice coming out of the fire. Today we have seen that a person can still stay alive even if God speaks with them.But why should we die? This great fire will burn us up. We’ll die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God again.We have heard the voice of the living God. We’ve heard him speaking out of the fire. Has any other human being ever heard him speak like that and stayed alive?Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then tell us what he tells you. We will listen and obey.”The Lord heard you when you spoke to me. He said to me,“ I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good.But I wish they would always have respect for me in their hearts. I wish they would always obey all my commands. Then things would go well with them and their children forever.“ Go and tell them to return to their tents.But you stay here with me. Then I will give you all my commands, rules and laws. You must teach the people to obey them in the land I am giving them as their very own.”So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Don’t turn away from his commands to the right or the left.Live exactly as the Lord your God has commanded you to live. Then you will enjoy life in the land you will soon own. Things will go well with you there. You will live there for a long time.

These are the rules for a man who has liquid waste flowing out of his body. They apply to a man made“ unclean” by semen that flows from his body.

They said to Moses,“ Speak to us yourself. Then we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us. If he does, we’ll die.”Moses said to the people,“ Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you. He wants you to have respect for him. That will keep you from sinning.”Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. But the people remained a long way off.Then the Lord said to Moses,“ Here is what you must tell the people of Israel. Say to them,‘ You have seen for yourselves what I said to you from heaven.

Then the Lord said to Moses,“ Write down the words I have spoken. I have made a covenant with you and with Israel in keeping with those words.”Moses was there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights. He didn’t eat any food or drink any water. The Lord wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant law. Those words are the Ten Commandments.Moses came down from Mount Sinai. He had the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. His face was shining because he had spoken with the Lord. But he didn’t realize it.Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses. His face was shining. So they were afraid to come near him.But Moses called out to them. So Aaron and all the leaders of the community came to him. And Moses spoke to them.After that, all the Israelites came near him. And he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.Moses finished speaking to them. Then he covered his face with a veil.But when he would go to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil. He would keep it off until he came out. Then he would tell the people what the Lord had commanded.They would see that his face was shining. So Moses would cover his face with the veil again. He would keep it on until he went in again to speak with the Lord.

I lay down in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground for 40 days and 40 nights. I did it because the Lord had said he would destroy you.I prayed to him.“ Lord and King,” I said,“ don’t destroy your people. They belong to you. You set them free by your great power. You used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt.Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Forgive the Israelites for being so stubborn. Don’t judge them for the evil and sinful things they’ve done.If you do, the Egyptians will say,‘ The Lord wasn’t able to take them into the land he had promised to give them. He hated them. So he brought them out of Egypt to put them to death in the desert.’But they are your people. They belong to you. You used your great power to bring them out of Egypt. You reached out your mighty arm and saved them.”

The Lord also said to me,“ I have seen these people. They are so stubborn!Do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy them. I will wipe them out from the earth. Then I will make you into a great nation. Your people will be stronger than they were. There will be more of you than there were of them.”So I turned and went down the mountain. It was blazing with fire. I was carrying the two tablets of the covenant law.When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a metal statue of a god. It looked like a calf. You had quickly turned away from the path the Lord had commanded you to follow.So I threw the two tablets out of my hands. You watched them break into pieces.Then once again I fell down flat in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground. I lay there for 40 days and 40 nights. I didn’t eat any food or drink any water. You had committed a terrible sin. You had done an evil thing in the Lord’ s sight. You had made him angry.I was afraid of the Lord’ s great anger. He was so angry with you he wanted to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me again.And he was so angry with Aaron he wanted to destroy him too. But at that time I prayed for Aaron.

I’m giving you the laws of the Lord today. What other nation is great enough to have rules and laws as fair as these?Don’t be careless. Instead, be very careful. Don’t forget the things your eyes have seen. As long as you live, don’t let them slip from your mind. Teach them to your children and their children after them.

He has made his word known to the people of Jacob. He has made his laws and rules known to Israel.He hasn’t done that for any other nation. They don’t know his laws. Praise the Lord.