Paul Defends His Ministry

¹¹ For ^(A)I would have you know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel which was preached by me is ^(B)not ^[a]of human invention. ¹² For ^(C)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a ^(D)revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of ^(E)my former way of life in Judaism, how I ^(F)used to persecute ^(G)the church of God beyond measure and ^(H)tried to destroy it; ¹⁴ and I ^(I)was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my ^[b]countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ^(J)ancestral traditions. ¹⁵ But when ^[c]He who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and ^(K)called me through His grace was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might ^(L)preach Him among the Gentiles, ^(M)I did not immediately consult with ^[d](N)flesh and blood, ^17 (O)nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to ^(P)Damascus.

¹⁸ Then ^(Q)three years later I went up ^(R)to Jerusalem to ^[e]become acquainted with ^[f](S)Cephas, and stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I did not see another one of the apostles except ^[g](T)James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now in what I am writing to you, ^[h]I assure you ^(U)before God that I am not lying.) ²¹ Then ^(V)I went into the regions of ^(W)Syria and ^(X)Cilicia. ²² I was still unknown by ^[i]sight to ^(Y)the churches of Judea which are ^(Z)in Christ; ²³ but they only kept hearing, “The man who once persecuted us is now preaching ^(AA)the faith which he once ^(AB)tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they ^(AC)were glorifying God ^[j]because of me.