< Galatians 1 >
1 Paul, an apostle—appointed not by men nor through man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. (aiōn )
5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (aiōn )
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel,
7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed!
9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed!
10 Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11 But I make known to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached did not originate with man.
12 For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, being far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when God, who set me apart before I was born and called me by his grace, was pleased
16 to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach good news about him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.
19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the brother of the Lord.
20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.)
21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
22 But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
23 They were only hearing people say, “The man who once persecuted us is now preaching the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy.”
24 So they were glorifying God because of me.
