1:1 From Paul, ¹  an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead) 1:2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia. 1:3 Grace and peace to you ²  from God the Father and our ³  Lord Jesus Christ, 1:4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, 1:5 to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.

1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one ⁴  who called you by the grace of Christ ⁵  and are following ⁶  a different ⁷  gospel – 1:7 not that there really is another gospel, ⁸  but ⁹  there are some who are disturbing you and wanting ¹⁰  to distort the gospel of Christ. 1:8 But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach ¹¹  a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, ¹²  let him be condemned to hell! ¹³  1:9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell! ¹⁴  1:10 Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, ¹⁵  or of God? Or am I trying to please people? ¹⁶  If I were still trying to please ¹⁷  people, ¹⁸  I would not be a slave ¹⁹  of Christ!

1:11 Now ²⁰  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ²¹  that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ²²  1:12 For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; ²³  instead I received it ²⁴  by a revelation of Jesus Christ. ²⁵ 

1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life ²⁶  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 1:14 I ²⁷  was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, ²⁸  and was ²⁹  extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ³⁰  1:15 But when the one ³¹  who set me apart from birth ³²  and called me by his grace was pleased 1:16 to reveal his Son in ³³  me so that I could preach him ³⁴  among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from ³⁵  any human being, ³⁶  1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem ³⁷  to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, ³⁸  and then returned to Damascus.

1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem ³⁹  to visit Cephas ⁴⁰  and get information from him, ⁴¹  and I stayed with him fifteen days. 1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles ⁴²  except James the Lord’s brother. 1:20 I assure you ⁴³  that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you! ⁴⁴  1:21 Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 1:22 But I was personally ⁴⁵  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 ⁴⁶  of the faith he once tried to destroy.” 1:24 So ⁴⁷  they glorified God because of me. ⁴⁸