¹⁷ Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and ^[a]hindrances ^(A)contrary to the teaching which you learned, and ^(B)turn away from them.

⁴ For if ^[a]one comes and preaches ^(A)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a ^(B)different spirit which you have not received, or a ^(C)different gospel which you have not accepted, you ^(D)bear this ^(E)beautifully.

Perversion of the Gospel

⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting ^(A)Him who called you ^[a]by the grace of Christ, for a ^(B)different gospel; ⁷ which is really not another; only there are some who are ^(C)disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or ^(D)an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel ^[b]contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be ^[c](E)accursed! ⁹ As we ^(F)have said before, so I say again now, ^(G)if any man is preaching to you a gospel ^[d]contrary to what you received, he is to be ^[e](H)accursed!

¹⁰ For am I now ^(I)seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a ^(J)bond-servant of Christ.

Paul Defends His Ministry

¹¹ For ^(K)I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is ^(L)not according to man. ¹² For ^(M)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a ^(N)revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of ^(O)my former manner of life in Judaism, how I ^(P)used to persecute ^(Q)the church of God beyond measure and ^(R)tried to destroy it; ¹⁴ and I ^(S)was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my ^[f]countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ^(T)ancestral traditions. ¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and ^(U)called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might ^(V)preach Him among the Gentiles, ^(W)I did not immediately consult with ^[g](X)flesh and blood, ^17 (Y)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 ^(Z)Damascus.

¹⁸ Then ^(AA)three years later I went up ^(AB)to Jerusalem to ^[h]become acquainted with ^(AC)Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I did not see any other of the apostles except ^[i](AD)James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now in what I am writing to you, ^[j]I assure you ^(AE)before God that I am not lying.) ²¹ Then ^(AF)I went into the regions of ^(AG)Syria and ^(AH)Cilicia. ²² I was still unknown by ^[k]sight to ^(AI)the churches of Judea which were ^(AJ)in Christ; ²³ but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching ^(AK)the faith which he once ^(AL)tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they ^(AM)were glorifying God ^[l]because of me.

³ If anyone ^(A)advocates a different doctrine and does not ^[a]agree with ^(B)sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine ^(C)conforming to godliness,