1 T his letter is from Paul. I am a missionary sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father Who raised Jesus from the dead. I am not sent by men or by any one man.

Paul, 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),

2 A ll the Christians join me in writing to you who are in the churches in the country of Galatia.

and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

3 M ay you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4 H e gave Him-self to die for our sins. He did this so we could be saved from this sinful world. This is what God wanted Him to do.

who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5 M ay He have all the honor forever. Let it be so. Men Must Not Change the Good News

to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. Perversion of the Gospel

6 I am surprised you are leaving Christ so soon. You were chosen through His loving-favor. But now you are turning and listening to another kind of good news.

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

7 N o! There is not another kind of good news. There are some who would like to lead you in the wrong way. They want to change the Good News about Christ.

which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 E ven if we or an angel from heaven should preach another kind of good news to you that is not the one we preached, let him be cursed.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

9 A s we said before, I will say it again. If any man is preaching another good news to you which is not the one you have received, let him be cursed. This Good News Is from God

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

10 D o you think I am trying to get the favor of men, or of God? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant owned by Christ.

For 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. Paul Defends His Ministry

11 C hristian brothers, I want you to know the Good News I preached to you was not made by man.

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

12 I did not receive it from man. No one taught it to me. I received it from Jesus Christ as He showed it to me.

For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 Y ou have heard of my old life when I followed the Jewish religion. I made it as hard as I could for the Christians and did everything I could to destroy the Christian church.

For 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;

14 I had learned more about the Jewish religion than many of the Jews my age. I had a much stronger desire than they to follow the ways of our early fathers.

and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

15 B ut God chose me before I was born. By His loving-favor He called me to work for Him.

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased

16 H is Son was to be seen in me. He did this so I could preach about Christ to the people who are not Jews. When this happened, I did not talk to men.

to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,

17 I did not even go to Jerusalem to talk to those who were missionaries before me. Instead, I went to the country of Arabia. Later I returned to the city of Damascus.

nor 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.

18 T hree years later I went to Jerusalem to meet Peter. I stayed with him fifteen days.

Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

19 I did not see any of the other missionaries except James, the Lord’s brother.

But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

20 I am writing the truth. God knows I am not lying.

(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.)

21 I went from Jerusalem to the countries of Syria and Cilicia.

Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22 N one of the Christians in the churches in the country of Judea had ever seen me.

I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ;

23 T he only thing they heard was, “The one who tried to destroy the Christian church is now preaching the Good News!”

but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

24 A nd they gave thanks to God because of me.

And they were glorifying God because of me.