1:1 | From Paul,* an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead) |
1:2 | and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia. |
1:3 | Grace and peace to you* from God the Father and our* Lord Jesus Christ, |
1:4 | who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, |
1:5 | to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen. |
1:6 | I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one* who called you by the grace of Christ* and are following* a different* gospel – |
1:7 | not that there really is another gospel,* but* there are some who are disturbing you and wanting* to distort the gospel of Christ. |
1:8 | But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach* a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,* let him be condemned to hell!* |
1:9 | As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!* |
1:10 | Am I now trying to gain the approval of people,* or of God? Or am I trying to please people?* If I were still trying to please* people,* I would not be a slave* of Christ! |
1:11 | Now* I want you to know, brothers and sisters,* that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.* |
1:12 | For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source;* instead I received it* by a revelation of Jesus Christ.* |
1:13 | For you have heard of my former way of life* in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. |
1:14 | I* was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation,* and was* extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.* |
1:15 | But when the one* who set me apart from birth* and called me by his grace was pleased |
1:16 | to reveal his Son in* me so that I could preach him* among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from* any human being,* |
1:17 | nor did I go up to Jerusalem* to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia,* and then returned to Damascus. |
1:18 | Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem* to visit Cephas* and get information from him,* and I stayed with him fifteen days. |
1:19 | But I saw none of the other apostles* except James the Lord’s brother. |
1:20 | I assure you* that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!* |
1:21 | Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. |
1:22 | But I was personally* unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. |
1:23 | They were only hearing, “The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news* of the faith he once tried to destroy.” |
1:24 | So* they glorified God because of me.* |