¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how ^(A)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and ^(B)tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, ^(C)being more exceedingly zealous ^(D)for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵ But when it pleased God, ^(E)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, ^16 (F)to reveal His Son in me, that ^(G)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with ^(H)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^(I)

¹⁸ Then after three years ^(J)I went up to Jerusalem to see ^[a]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But ^(K)I saw none of the other apostles except ^(L)James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

^21 (M)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which ^(N)were in Christ. ²³ But they were ^(O)hearing only, “He who formerly ^(P)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they ^(Q)glorified God in me.

Defending the Gospel^(R)

2 Then after fourteen years ^(S)I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. ² And I went up ^[b]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but ^(T)privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means ^(U)I might run, or had run, in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ And this occurred because of ^(V)false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our ^(W)liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, ^(X)that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that ^(Y)the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

⁶ But from those ^(Z)who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; ^(AA)God ^[c]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something ^(AB)added nothing to me. ⁷ But on the contrary, ^(AC)when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised ^(AD)had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter ⁸ (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the ^(AE)circumcised ^(AF)also ^(AG)worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), ⁹ and when James, ^[d]Cephas, and John, who seemed to be ^(AH)pillars, perceived ^(AI)the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, ^(AJ)that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ They desired only that we should remember the poor, ^(AK)the very thing which I also was eager to do.

No Return to the Law

^11 (AL)Now when ^[e]Peter had come to Antioch, I ^[f]withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, ^(AM)he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing ^[g]those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about ^(AN)the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter ^(AO)before them all, ^(AP)“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, ^[h]why do you compel Gentiles to live as ^[i]Jews? ^15 (AQ)We who are Jews by nature, and not ^(AR)sinners of the Gentiles, ^16 (AS)knowing that a man is not ^[j]justified by the works of the law but ^(AT)by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not ^(AU)by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

¹⁷ “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found ^(AV)sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹ For I ^(AW)through the law ^(AX)died to the law that I might ^(AY)live to God. ²⁰ I have been ^(AZ)crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh ^(BA)I live by faith in the Son of God, ^(BB)who loved me and gave Himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for ^(BC)if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died ^[k]in vain.”