Galatians 1
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Paul, an Apostle (not from men, and not through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who made him come back from the dead), |
And all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: |
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, |
Who gave himself for our sins, so that he might make us free from this present evil world, after the purpose of our God and Father: |
To whom be the glory for ever and ever. So be it. |
I am surprised that you are being so quickly turned away from him whose word came to you in the grace of Christ, to good news of a different sort; |
Which is not another sort: only there are some who give you trouble, desiring to make changes in the good news of Christ. |
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, were to be a preacher to you of good news other than that which we have given you, let there be a curse on him. |
As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man is a preacher to you of any good news other than that which has been given to you, let there be a curse on him. |
Am I now using arguments to men, or God? or is it my desire to give men pleasure? if I was still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ. |
Because I say to you, my brothers, that the good news of which I was the preacher is not man's. |
For I did not get it from man, and I was not given teaching in it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. |
For news has come to you of my way of life in the past in the Jews' religion, how I was cruel without measure to the church of God, and did great damage to it: |
And I went farther in the Jews' religion than a number of my generation among my countrymen, having a more burning interest in the beliefs handed down from my fathers. |
But when it was the good pleasure of God, by whom I was marked out even from my mother's body, through his grace, |
To give the revelation of his Son in me, so that I might give the news of him to the Gentiles; then I did not take the opinion of flesh and blood, |
And I went not up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me; but I went away into Arabia, and again I came back to Damascus. |
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Cephas, and was there with him fifteen days. |
But of the other Apostles I saw only James, the Lord's brother. |
Now God is witness that the things which I am writing to you are true. |
Then I came to the parts of Syria and Cilicia. |
And the churches of Judaea which were in Christ still had no knowledge of my face or person: |
Only it came to their ears that he who at one time was cruel to us is now preaching the faith which before had been attacked by him; |
And they gave glory to God in me. |