To the Galatians
1 Paul, an apostle, neither from men nor through a man, but through Jesus Christ+ and God the Father,+ who raised him up from the dead, 2 and all the brothers with me, to the congregations of Ga·laʹti·a:+
3 May you have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 He gave himself for our sins+ so that he might rescue us from the present wicked system of things+ according to the will of our God and Father,+ 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you with Christ’s undeserved kindness to another sort of good news.+ 7 Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are causing you trouble+ and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed.+ 9 As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed.
10 Is it, in fact, men I am now trying to persuade or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be Christ’s slave. 11 For I want you to know, brothers, that the good news I declared to you is not of human origin;+ 12 for neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it was through a revelation by Jesus Christ.
13 Of course, you heard about my conduct formerly in Juʹda·ism,+ that I kept intensely persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it;+ 14 and I was making greater progress in Juʹda·ism than many of my own age in my nation, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.+ 15 But when God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his undeserved kindness,+ thought good 16 to reveal his Son through me so that I might declare the good news about him to the nations,+ I did not immediately consult with any human; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before I was, but I went to Arabia, and then I returned to Damascus.+
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem+ to visit Ceʹphas,+ and I stayed with him for 15 days. 19 But I did not see any of the other apostles, only James+ the brother of the Lord. 20 Now regarding the things I am writing you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.
21 After that I went into the regions of Syria and Ci·liʹcia.+ 22 But I was personally unknown to the congregations of Ju·deʹa that were in union with Christ. 23 They only used to hear: “The man who formerly persecuted us+ is now declaring the good news about the faith that he formerly devastated.”+ 24 So they began glorifying God because of me.