Galatians

Goodspeed(i) 1 Paul, an apostle not from men nor sent by any man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are here with me, to the churches of Galatia; 3 blessing and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who to save us from the present wicked world gave himself for our sins at the will of our God and Father. 5 To him be glory forever and ever! Amen. 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the mercy of Christ, to some different good news— 7 not that there is any other, only that there are some people who are trying to unsettle you and want to turn the good news of the Christ around. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven preach to you good news that contradicts the good news we have preached to you, a curse upon him! 9 We have said it before, and I repeat it now—if anyone is preaching to you good news that contradicts the good news you have already received, a curse upon him! 10 Is that appealing to men's weaknesses, or to God? Is that trying to suit men? If I were still doing that, I would be no slave of Christ. 11 For I tell you plainly, brothers, that the good news that I preached is not a human affair. 12 I did not receive it from any man, and I was not taught it, but it came to me through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 You have heard of my former conduct when I was attached to the Jewish religion—how furiously I used to persecute the church of God and ravage it, 14 and how I surpassed many of my own age among my people in my devotion to Judaism, I was so fanatically devoted to what my forefathers had handed down. 15 And when God, who had set me apart from my birth and had called me in his mercy, saw fit 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the good news about him to the heathen, immediately, instead of consulting with any human being, 17 or going up to Jerusalem to see those who had been apostles before me, I went off to Arabia, and on my return came back to Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem, to become acquainted with Cephas, and I spent two weeks with him; 19 but I did not see any other apostle, except James, the Lord's brother. 20 (In writing you this, I call God to witness that I am telling the truth!) 21 After that, I went to the districts of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still personally unknown to the Christian churches of Judea; 23 they only heard people say, "The man who once persecuted us is now preaching the good news of the faith he tried to destroy," 24 and they praised God for me.