Greeting

Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but (A)through Jesus Christ and God the Father (B)who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, (C)who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us (D)from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Only One Gospel

I marvel that you are turning away so soon (E)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, (F)which is not another; but there are some (G)who trouble you and want to (H)pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. But even if (I)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you (J)than what you have received, let him be accursed.

10 For (K)do I now (L)persuade men, or God? Or (M)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Call to Apostleship(N)

11 (O)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For (P)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came (Q)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how (R)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and (S)tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, (T)being more exceedingly zealous (U)for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased God, (V)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 (W)to reveal His Son in me, that (X)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with (Y)flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Contacts at Jerusalem(Z)

18 Then after three years (AA)I went up to Jerusalem to see [c]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But (AB)I saw none of the other apostles except (AC)James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

21 (AD)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which (AE)were in Christ. 23 But they were (AF)hearing only, “He who formerly (AG)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they (AH)glorified God in me.

Defending the Gospel(AI)

Then after fourteen years (AJ)I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. And I went up [d]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but (AK)privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means (AL)I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of (AM)false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our (AN)liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, (AO)that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that (AP)the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

But from those (AQ)who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; (AR)God [e]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something (AS)added nothing to me. But on the contrary, (AT)when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised (AU)had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the (AV)circumcised (AW)also (AX)worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), and when James, [f]Cephas, and John, who seemed to be (AY)pillars, perceived (AZ)the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, (BA)that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, (BB)the very thing which I also was eager to do.

No Return to the Law

11 (BC)Now when [g]Peter had come to Antioch, I [h]withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, (BD)he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing [i]those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about (BE)the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter (BF)before them all, (BG)“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, [j]why do you compel Gentiles to live as [k]Jews? 15 (BH)We who are Jews by nature, and not (BI)sinners of the Gentiles, 16 (BJ)knowing that a man is not [l]justified by the works of the law but (BK)by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not (BL)by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found (BM)sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I (BN)through the law (BO)died to the law that I might (BP)live to God. 20 I have been (BQ)crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh (BR)I live by faith in the Son of God, (BS)who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for (BT)if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died [m]in vain.”

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 1:7 distort
  2. Galatians 1:8 Gr. anathema
  3. Galatians 1:18 NU Cephas
  4. Galatians 2:2 because of
  5. Galatians 2:6 Lit. does not receive the face of a man
  6. Galatians 2:9 Peter
  7. Galatians 2:11 NU Cephas
  8. Galatians 2:11 opposed
  9. Galatians 2:12 Jewish Christians
  10. Galatians 2:14 NU how can you
  11. Galatians 2:14 Some interpreters stop the quotation here.
  12. Galatians 2:16 declared righteous
  13. Galatians 2:21 for nothing

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