Galatians 1-2:10

1Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3Grace to you and peace from [1] God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil [1] age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

6I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you [1] by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel [1] contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be [2] accursed! 9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel [1] contrary to what you received, he is to be [2] accursed!

10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

11For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my [1] countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. 15But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with [1] flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

18Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to [1] become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19But I did not see any other of the apostles except [1] James, the Lord’s brother. 20(Now in what I am writing to you, [1] I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22I was still unknown by [1] sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24And they were glorifying God [1] because of me.

2:1Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 [1] It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. 3But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. 5But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. 6But from those who [1] were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God [2] shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. 7But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel [1] to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been [2] to the circumcised 8(for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship [1] to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), 9and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, [1] James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right [2] hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.