New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

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Paul's Greeting to the Galatians

Paul, apostle, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God [the] Father who raised him from among [the] dead,

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All the brothers and sistersa here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.

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and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia.

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May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christb give you grace and peace.

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Grace to you, and peace, from God [the] Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,

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Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.

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who gave himself for our sins, so that he should deliver us out of the present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father;

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All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

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to whom [be] glory to the ages of ages. Amen.

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There Is Only One Good News

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.c You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News

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No Other Gospel

I wonder that ye thus quickly change, from him that called you in Christ's grace, to a different gospel,

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but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

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which is not another [one]; but there are some that trouble you, and desire to pervert the glad tidings of the Christ.

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Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.

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But if even *we* or an angel out of heaven announce as glad tidings to you [anything] besides what we have announced as glad tidings to you, let him be accursed.

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I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

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As we have said before, now also again I say, If any one announce to you as glad tidings [anything] besides what ye have received, let him be accursed.

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Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

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For do I now seek to satisfy men or God? or do I seek to please men? If I were yet pleasing men, I were not Christ's bondman.

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Paul’s Message Comes from Christ

Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.

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Paul Defends his Ministry

But I let you know, brethren, [as to] the glad tidings which were announced by me, that they are not according to man.

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I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.d

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For neither did I receive them from man, neither was I taught [them], but by revelation of Jesus Christ.

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You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion — how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.

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For ye have heard [what was] my conversation formerly in Judaism, that I excessively persecuted the assembly of God, and ravaged it;

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I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

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and advanced in Judaism beyond many [my] contemporaries in my nation, being exceedingly zealous of the doctrines of my fathers.

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But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him

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But when God, who set me apart [even] from my mother's womb, and called [me] by his grace,

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to reveal his Son to mee so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.f

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was pleased to reveal his Son in me, that I may announce him as glad tidings among the nations, immediately I took not counsel with flesh and blood,

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Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

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nor went I up to Jerusalem to those [who were] apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus.

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Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter,g and I stayed with him for fifteen days.

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Paul Accepted by Apostles and Others

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to make acquaintance with Peter, and I remained with him fifteen days;

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The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother.

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but I saw none other of the apostles, but James the brother of the Lord.

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I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

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Now what I write to you, behold, before God, I do not lie.

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After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.

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Then I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.