1 Paul, an apostle^(A)—sent not from men nor by a man,^(B) but by Jesus Christ^(C) and God the Father,^(D) who raised him from the dead^(E)— ² and all the brothers and sisters^[a] with me,^(F)

To the churches in Galatia:^(G)

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,^{(H) 4} who gave himself for our sins^(I) to rescue us from the present evil age,^(J) according to the will of our God and Father,^{(K) 5} to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^(L)

No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called^(M) you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel^(N)— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion^(O) and are trying to pervert^(P) 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,^(Q) let them be under God’s curse!^{(R) 9} As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,^(S) 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?^(T) If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul Called by God

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

¹³ For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism,^(Z) how intensely I persecuted the church of God^(AA) and tried to destroy it.^{(AB) 14} I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous^(AC) for the traditions of my fathers.^{(AD) 15} But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb^(AE) and called me^(AF) by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,^(AG) my immediate response was not to consult any human being.^{(AH) 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.^(AI)

¹⁸ Then after three years,^(AJ) I went up to Jerusalem^(AK) to get acquainted with Cephas^[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ I saw none of the other apostles—only James,^(AL) the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I assure you before God^(AM) that what I am writing you is no lie.^(AN)

²¹ Then I went to Syria^(AO) and Cilicia.^{(AP) 22} I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea^(AQ) that are in Christ.^{(AR) 23} They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith^(AS) he once tried to destroy.”^{(AT) 24} And they praised God^(AU) because of me.

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,^(AV) this time with Barnabas.^(AW) I took Titus^(AX) along also. ² I went in response to a revelation^(AY) and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.^(AZ) I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race^(BA) in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus,^(BB) who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.^{(BC) 4} This matter arose because some false believers^(BD) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on^(BE) the freedom^(BF) we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵ We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel^(BG) might be preserved for you.

⁶ As for those who were held in high esteem^(BH)—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism^(BI)—they added nothing to my message.^{(BJ) 7} On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task^(BK) of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,^[c](BL) just as Peter^(BM) had been to the circumcised.^{[d] 8} For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle^(BN) to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle^(BO) to the Gentiles. ⁹ James,^(BP) Cephas^[e](BQ) and John, those esteemed as pillars,^(BR) gave me and Barnabas^(BS) the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.^(BT) They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,^(BU) and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,^(BV) the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Paul Opposes Cephas

¹¹ When Cephas^(BW) came to Antioch,^(BX) I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James,^(BY) he used to eat with the Gentiles.^(BZ) But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.^{(CA) 13} The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas^(CB) was led astray.

¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,^(CC) I said to Cephas^(CD) in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.^(CE) How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?^(CF)

¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth^(CG) and not sinful Gentiles^{(CH) 16} know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,^(CI) but by faith in Jesus Christ.^(CJ) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in^[f] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.^(CK)

¹⁷ “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,^(CL) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!^{(CM) 18} If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law^(CN) so that I might live for God.^{(CO) 20} I have been crucified with Christ^(CP) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.^(CQ) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,^(CR) who loved me^(CS) and gave himself for me.^{(CT) 21} I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,^(CU) Christ died for nothing!”^[g]

22 ¹ “Brothers and fathers,^(A) listen now to my defense.”

² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,^(B) they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³ “I am a Jew,^(C) born in Tarsus^(D) of Cilicia,^(E) but brought up in this city. I studied under^(F) Gamaliel^(G) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.^(H) I was just as zealous^(I) for God as any of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted^(J) the followers of this Way^(K) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,^{(L) 5} as the high priest and all the Council^(M) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(N) in Damascus,^(O) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^{(P) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,^(Q) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light,^(R) but they did not understand the voice^(S) of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’^{(T) 11} My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.^(U)

¹² “A man named Ananias came to see me.^(V) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.^{(W) 13} He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

¹⁴ “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors^(X) has chosen you to know his will and to see^(Y) the Righteous One^(Z) and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ You will be his witness^(AA) to all people of what you have seen^(AB) and heard. ¹⁶ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized^(AC) and wash your sins away,^(AD) calling on his name.’^(AE)

¹⁷ “When I returned to Jerusalem^(AF) and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance^{(AG) 18} and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’

¹⁹ “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison^(AH) and beat^(AI) those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr^[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’^(AJ)

²¹ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”^(AK)

Paul the Roman Citizen

²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!^(AL) He’s not fit to live!”^(AM)

²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks^(AN) and flinging dust into the air,^{(AO) 24} the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.^(AP) He directed^(AQ) that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”^(AR)

²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

²⁸ Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

²⁹ Those who were about to interrogate him^(AS) withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,^(AT) in chains.^(AU)

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

³⁰ The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.^(AV) So the next day he released him^(AW) and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin^(AX) to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.