1:11 Now ¹  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ²  that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ³  1:12 For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; ⁴  instead I received it ⁵  by a revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁶ 

1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life ⁷  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 1:14 I ⁸  was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, ⁹  and was ¹⁰  extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ¹¹  1:15 But when the one ¹²  who set me apart from birth ¹³  and called me by his grace was pleased 1:16 to reveal his Son in ¹⁴  me so that I could preach him ¹⁵  among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from ¹⁶  any human being, ¹⁷  1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem ¹⁸  to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, ¹⁹  and then returned to Damascus.

1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem ²⁰  to visit Cephas ²¹  and get information from him, ²²  and I stayed with him fifteen days. 1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles ²³  except James the Lord’s brother. 1:20 I assure you ²⁴  that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you! ²⁵  1:21 Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 1:22 But I was personally ²⁶  unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 1:23 They were only hearing, “The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news ²⁷  of the faith he once tried to destroy.” 1:24 So ²⁸  they glorified God because of me. ²⁹ 

2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem ³⁰  again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too. 2:2 I went there ³¹  because of ³²  a revelation and presented ³³  to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so ³⁴  only in a private meeting with the influential people, ³⁵  to make sure that I was not running – or had not run ³⁶  – in vain. 2:3 Yet ³⁷  not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 2:4 Now this matter arose ³⁸  because of the false brothers with false pretenses ³⁹  who slipped in unnoticed to spy on ⁴⁰  our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. ⁴¹  2:5 But ⁴²  we did not surrender to them ⁴³  even for a moment, ⁴⁴  in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. ⁴⁵ 

2:6 But from those who were influential ⁴⁶  (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people ⁴⁷ ) – those influential leaders ⁴⁸  added ⁴⁹  nothing to my message. ⁵⁰  2:7 On the contrary, when they saw ⁵¹  that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised ⁵²  just as Peter was to the circumcised ⁵³  2:8 (for he who empowered ⁵⁴  Peter for his apostleship ⁵⁵  to the circumcised ⁵⁶  also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles) ⁵⁷  2:9 and when James, Cephas, ⁵⁸  and John, who had a reputation as ⁵⁹  pillars, ⁶⁰  recognized ⁶¹  the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me ⁶²  the right hand of fellowship, agreeing ⁶³  that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ⁶⁴  2:10 They requested ⁶⁵  only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.

2:11 But when Cephas ⁶⁶  came to Antioch, ⁶⁷  I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong. ⁶⁸  2:12 Until ⁶⁹  certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this ⁷⁰  and separated himself ⁷¹  because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision. ⁷²  2:13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them ⁷³  by their hypocrisy. 2:14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ⁷⁴  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ⁷⁵  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

2:15 We are Jews by birth ⁷⁶  and not Gentile sinners, ⁷⁷  2:16 yet we know ⁷⁸  that no one ⁷⁹  is justified by the works of the law ⁸⁰  but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. ⁸¹  And ⁸²  we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ ⁸³  and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one ⁸⁴  will be justified. 2:17 But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages ⁸⁵  sin? Absolutely not! 2:18 But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, ⁸⁶  I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law. ⁸⁷  2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, ⁸⁸  and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So ⁸⁹  the life I now live in the body, ⁹⁰  I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, ⁹¹  who loved me and gave himself for me. 2:21 I do not set aside ⁹²  God’s grace, because if righteousness ⁹³  could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing! ⁹⁴ 

3:1 You ⁹⁵  foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell ⁹⁶  on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed ⁹⁷  as crucified! 3:2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law ⁹⁸  or by believing what you heard? ⁹⁹  3:3 Are you so foolish? Although you began ¹⁰⁰  with ¹⁰¹  the Spirit, are you now trying to finish ¹⁰²  by human effort? ¹⁰³  3:4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing? – if indeed it was for nothing. 3:5 Does God then give ¹⁰⁴  you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law ¹⁰⁵  or by your believing what you heard? ¹⁰⁶ 

3:6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, ¹⁰⁷  3:7 so then, understand ¹⁰⁸  that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. ¹⁰⁹  3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, ¹¹⁰  saying, “All the nations ¹¹¹  will be blessed in you.” ¹¹²  3:9 So then those who believe ¹¹³  are blessed along with Abraham the believer. 3:10 For all who ¹¹⁴  rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.” ¹¹⁵  3:11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. ¹¹⁶  3:12 But the law is not based on faith, ¹¹⁷  but the one who does the works of the law ¹¹⁸  will live by them. ¹¹⁹  3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming ¹²⁰  a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) ¹²¹  3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, ¹²²  so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.