Paul's Greeting to the Galatians
(Ephesians 1:1-2)
1Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Paul Defends his Ministry
11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Paul Accepted by Apostles and Others
18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; 22And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: 23But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. 24And they glorified God in me.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Paul’s Greeting to the Galatians
1 Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead), 2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”; 7 and there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. 8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. 9 As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
Paul Preaches the Gospel
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.
11 But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God, and ravaged it. 14 I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace, 16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But of the other apostles I saw no one, except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. 21 Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, 23 but they only heard: “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.
Paul’s Greeting to the Galatians
1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, a 4 who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!
Paul Preaches the Gospel
10 Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man. b 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
18 Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, c and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.
21 Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
Footnotes:
3 a SBL, BYZ, and TR God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ
11 b Literally not according to man
18 c That is, Peter
Paul's Greeting to the Galatians
(Ephesians 1:1-2)
1Paul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead -- 2and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:
3Grace to you, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4who did give himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of God even our Father, 5to whom is the glory to the ages of the ages. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news; 7that is not another, except there be certain who are troubling you, and wishing to pervert the good news of the Christ; 8but even if we or a messenger out of heaven may proclaim good news to you different from what we did proclaim to you -- anathema let him be! 9as we have said before, and now say again, If any one to you may proclaim good news different from what ye did receive -- anathema let him be!
10for now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please -- Christ's servant I should not be.
Paul Defends his Ministry
11And I make known to you, brethren, the good news that were proclaimed by me, that it is not according to man, 12for neither did I from man receive it, nor was I taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ,
13for ye did hear of my behaviour once in Judaism, that exceedingly I was persecuting the assembly of God, and wasting it, 14and I was advancing in Judaism above many equals in age in mine own race, being more abundantly zealous of my fathers' deliverances, 15and when God was well pleased -- having separated me from the womb of my mother, and having called me through His grace -- 16to reveal His Son in me, that I might proclaim him good news among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem unto those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus,
Paul Accepted by Apostles and Others
18then, after three years I went up to Jerusalem to enquire about Peter, and remained with him fifteen days, 19and other of the apostles I did not see, except James, the brother of the Lord. 20And the things that I write to you, lo, before God -- I lie not; 21then I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia, 22and was unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea, that are in Christ, 23and only they were hearing, that 'he who is persecuting us then, doth now proclaim good news -- the faith that then he was wasting;' 24and they were glorifying God in me.
The Favor of God paraphrase
Introduction and Greetings
¹ From Paul, an apostle—not appointed by people nor sent from human authority, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—² and all the brothers and sisters with me, to the churches in Galatia: ³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel!
⁶ I am shocked that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul’s Calling from God
¹¹ I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any human source, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
¹³ For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. ¹⁷ I 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.
¹⁸ Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie. ²¹ Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.
Footnotes:
1.The greeting “grace and peace” (verse 3) reflects a common blessing in Paul’s letters. Grace emphasizes God’s unmerited favor, while peace signifies well-being and wholeness found in a restored relationship with God.
2.The phrase “this present evil age” (verse 4) refers to the spiritual and moral corruption of the world in opposition to God’s kingdom. Jesus’ sacrifice delivers believers from being enslaved to this world’s values and powers.
3.“Another gospel” (verse 6) is a warning against false teachings that distort the true message of salvation by faith in Christ. The Galatians were being swayed by a message that emphasized legalism and adherence to the Mosaic law.
4.Paul’s use of “God’s curse” (verse 8) emphasizes the seriousness of altering the gospel. In the original Greek, anathema denotes a form of divine judgment and exclusion from God’s favor.
5.Paul’s reference to his “previous way of life in Judaism” (verse 13) highlights his zealous persecution of early Christians before his conversion. This emphasizes the radical nature of his transformation by God’s grace.
6.The “revelation from Jesus Christ” (verse 12) underscores that Paul’s message was directly given to him by Christ Himself, not learned from human teachers. This solidifies his apostolic authority and the divine origin of his gospel.
7.Paul’s visit to Peter (verse 18) shows that even though he received his message directly from Jesus, he sought fellowship and confirmation from the apostles, demonstrating unity in the message they preached.
