1 P aul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead --

This 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.

2 a nd all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:

All the Christians join me in writing to you who are in the churches in the country of Galatia.

3 G race to you, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,

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

4 w ho did give himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of God even our Father,

He 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.

5 t o whom the glory to the ages of the ages. Amen.

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

6 I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news;

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.

7 t hat is not another, except there be certain who are troubling you, and wishing to pervert the good news of the Christ;

No! 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.

8 b ut even if we or a messenger out of heaven may proclaim good news to you different from what we did proclaim to you -- anathema let him be!

Even 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.

9 a s we have said before, and now say again, If any one to you may proclaim good news different from what ye did receive -- anathema let him be!

As 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

10 f or now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please -- Christ's servant I should not be.

Do 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.

11 A nd I make known to you, brethren, the good news that were proclaimed by me, that it is not according to man,

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

12 f or neither did I from man receive it, nor was I taught, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ,

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.

13 f or ye did hear of my behaviour once in Judaism, that exceedingly I was persecuting the assembly of God, and wasting it,

You 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.

14 a nd I was advancing in Judaism above many equals in age in mine own race, being more abundantly zealous of my fathers' deliverances,

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.

15 a nd when God was well pleased -- having separated me from the womb of my mother, and having called through His grace --

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

16 t o reveal His Son in me, that I might proclaim him good news among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood,

His 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.

17 n or did I go up to Jerusalem unto those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus,

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.

18 t hen, after three years I went up to Jerusalem to enquire about Peter, and remained with him fifteen days,

Three years later I went to Jerusalem to meet Peter. I stayed with him fifteen days.

19 a nd other of the apostles I did not see, except James, the brother of the Lord.

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

20 A nd the things that I write to you, lo, before God -- I lie not;

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

21 t hen I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia,

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

22 a nd was unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea, that in Christ,

None of the Christians in the churches in the country of Judea had ever seen me.

23 a nd only they were hearing, that `he who is persecuting us then, doth now proclaim good news -- the faith that then he was wasting;'

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

24 a nd they were glorifying God in me.

And they gave thanks to God because of me.