Galatians 1
Expanded Bible
1 From Paul, an ·apostle [messenger]. ·I was not chosen to be an apostle by human beings, nor was I sent from human beings [L …not from men/humans or by a man/human authority]. ·I was made an apostle [L …but] through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead. 2 This letter is also from all ·those of God’s family [L the brothers (and sisters)] who are with me.
To the churches in Galatia [C a Roman province in present-day central Turkey; Paul started churches in Galatia on his first missionary journey (Acts 13—14)]:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to ·free [rescue; deliver] us from this ·evil world we live in [present evil age], as God the Father ·planned [willed; desired]. 5 ·The glory belongs to God [L …to whom be glory] forever and ever. Amen.
The Only Good News
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly ·turning away from [deserting; forsaking] ·God [L the one] who called you by ·his grace given through Christ [L the grace of Christ], and are believing ·something different than the Good News [L a different Gospel]. 7 ·Really, there is no other Good News [L …which is not another]. But some people are ·confusing [troubling; disturbing] you; they want to ·change [distort] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ. 8 But even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven were to preach to you a different message than the Good News we preached, ·we should be [L let him be] ·judged guilty [condemned; accursed; L anathema]! 9 I said this before, and now I say it again: If anyone is preaching a different message than the one you received, ·that person should be [L let him be] ·judged guilty [condemned; accursed; L anathema]!
10 Do you think I am now trying to ·make people accept me [seek human favor/acceptance]? ·No, God is the One I am trying to please [L …or (the favor of) God?]. Am I trying to please people? If I still wanted to please people, I would not be a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Christ.
Paul’s Authority Is from God
11 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the ·Good News [Gospel] I preached to you was not ·made up by human beings [devised by man; of human origin]. 12 I did not get it from ·humans [a human source; man], nor did anyone teach it to me, but ·Jesus Christ showed it to me [L by a revelation of/from/about Jesus Christ; Acts 9].
13 [L For] You have heard about my past life in the Jewish religion. I ·attacked [intensely/severely persecuted] the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was ·becoming a leader in the Jewish religion [L advancing/progressing in Judaism], doing better than most other Jews of my age. I ·tried harder than anyone else [was exceedingly zealous] to follow the ·teachings handed down by our [traditions of my] ·ancestors [forefathers].
15 But God ·set me apart [or chose/appointed me] for his work ·even before I was born [L from my mother’s womb]. He called me through his grace 16 and ·showed [revealed] his son to me so that I might ·tell the Good News [preach the Gospel] about him to the Gentiles [Acts 9:15; 22:21]. When God called me, I did not ·get advice or help from [confer/consult with] ·any person [L flesh and blood]. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. ·But [Instead; Rather] I went away to Arabia [C probably the Nabatean kingdom south of Damascus] and later went back to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to ·meet [get to know; or confer with; gain information from] ·Peter [L Cephas, Peter’s name in Aramaic; John 1:42] and stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 I ·met [or saw] no other apostles, except James [Acts 12:17; 15:13–21; 21:18; James 1:1], the brother of the Lord. 20 ·God knows that [or I swear before God that; L Before God,] these things I write are not lies. 21 Later, I went to the areas of Syria [C a Roman province north of Israel] and Cilicia [C a Roman province in present-day southeastern Turkey; Paul’s hometown Tarsus was in Cilicia].
22 In Judea the churches in Christ had never met me. 23 They had only heard it said, “This man who was ·attacking [persecuting] us is now preaching the same faith that he once tried to destroy.” 24 And these believers ·praised [glorified] God because of me.
Galatians 1
New King James Version
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but (A)through Jesus Christ and God the Father (B)who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 (C)who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us (D)from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Only One Gospel
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon (E)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 (F)which is not another; but there are some (G)who trouble you and want to (H)pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if (I)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you (J)than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For (K)do I now (L)persuade men, or God? Or (M)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Call to Apostleship(N)
11 (O)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For (P)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came (Q)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how (R)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and (S)tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, (T)being more exceedingly zealous (U)for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when it pleased God, (V)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 (W)to reveal His Son in me, that (X)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with (Y)flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Contacts at Jerusalem(Z)
18 Then after three years (AA)I went up to Jerusalem to see [c]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But (AB)I saw none of the other apostles except (AC)James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
21 (AD)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which (AE)were in Christ. 23 But they were (AF)hearing only, “He who formerly (AG)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they (AH)glorified God in me.
Footnotes
- Galatians 1:7 distort
- Galatians 1:8 Gr. anathema
- Galatians 1:18 NU Cephas
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
