Galatians 1:11–24

How Paul Became an Apostle

¹¹Let me tell you, my brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preach is not of human origin. ¹²I did not receive it from any human being, nor did anyone teach it to me. It was Jesus Christ himself who revealed it to me.

^13*You have been told how I used to live when I was devoted to the Jewish religion, how I persecuted without mercy the church of God and did my best to destroy it. ^14*I was ahead of most fellow-Jews of my age in my practice of the Jewish religion, and was much more devoted to the traditions of our ancestors.

^15*But God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him. And when he decided ^16*to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the Gentiles, I did not go to anyone for advice, ¹⁷nor did I go to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went at once to Arabia, and then I returned to Damascus. ^18*It was three years later that I went to Jerusalem to obtain information from Peter, and I stayed with him for two weeks. ¹⁹I did not see any other apostle except James,^b the Lord’s brother.

²⁰What I write is true. God knows that I am not lying!

²¹Afterwards I went to places in Syria and Cilicia. ²²At that time the members of the churches in Judea did not know me personally. ²³They knew only what others were saying: “The man who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith that he once tried to destroy!” ²⁴And so they praised God because of me.