New Living Translation | New International Version |
1This 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. | 1Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- |
2All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. | 2and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: |
3May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. | 3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, |
4Jesus 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. | 4who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, |
5All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. There Is Only One Good News | 5to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. |
6I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News | 6I am astonished 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-- |
7but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. | 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. |
8Let 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. | 8But 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! |
9I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. | 9As 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! |
10Obviously, 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. Paul’s Message Comes from Christ | 10Am 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. |
11Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. | 11I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. |
12I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. | 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. |
13You 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. | 13For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. |
14I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors. | 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. |
15But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him | 15But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased |
16to reveal his Son to me 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. | 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. |
17Nor 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. | 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. |
18Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. | 18Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. |
19The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. | 19I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother. |
20I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie. | 20I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. |
21After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. | 21Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. |
22And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. | 22I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. |
23All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” | 23They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." |
24And they praised God because of me. | 24And they praised God because of me. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
|