Galatians 1:11–24

THE ORIGIN OF PAUL’S GOSPEL

¹¹For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. ¹²For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation^o of Jesus Christ.^p

¹³For you have heard about my former way of life^q in Judaism:^r I intensely persecuted^s God’s church and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.^{t 15}But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called^u me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son^v in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.^{D 17}I did not go up to Jerusalem^w to those who had become apostles^x before me; instead I went to Arabia^y and came back to Damascus.^z

¹⁸Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem^aa to get to know Cephas,^Eab and I stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James,^ac the Lord’s brother. ²⁰I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.

²¹Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria^ad and Cilicia.^{ae 22}I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. ²³They simply kept hearing, “He who formerly persecuted^af us now preaches the faith^ag he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.^A