Galatians 1:8-24

New International Version

⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,^(A) let them be under God’s curse!^(B) ⁹As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,^(C) let them be under God’s curse!

¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?^(D) If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul Called by God

¹¹I want you to know, brothers and sisters,^(E) that the gospel I preached^(F) is not of human origin. ¹²I did not receive it from any man,^(G) nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation^(H) from Jesus Christ.^(I)

¹³For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism,^(J) how intensely I persecuted the church of God^(K) and tried to destroy it.^(L) ¹⁴I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous^(M) for the traditions of my fathers.^(N) ¹⁵But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb^(O) and called me^(P) by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,^(Q) my immediate response was not to consult any human being.^(R) ¹⁷I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.^(S)

¹⁸Then after three years,^(T) I went up to Jerusalem^(U) to get acquainted with Cephas^[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹I saw none of the other apostles—only James,^(V) the Lord’s brother. ²⁰I assure you before God^(W) that what I am writing you is no lie.^(X)

²¹Then I went to Syria^(Y) and Cilicia.^(Z) ²²I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea^(AA) that are in Christ.^(AB) ²³They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith^(AC) he once tried to destroy.”^(AD) ²⁴And they praised God^(AE) because of me.