Galatians 1

¹ Paul an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--

² and all the brethren who are 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;

⁵ to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel--

⁷ not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed.

⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.

¹¹ For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel.

¹² For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it;

¹⁴ and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵ But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace,

¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood,

¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days.

¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.

²⁰ (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)

²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

²² And I was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea;

²³ they only heard it said, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

²⁴ And they glorified God because of me.