Thursday, September 19, 2030

^1:1Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ²and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: ³Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ⁶I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, ⁷but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

⁸But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. ⁹As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed. ¹⁰For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.

²⁰Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. ²¹Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²²I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, ²³but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴So they glorified God in me. ^2:1Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. ²I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

³But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, ⁵to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

^4:16He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, ¹⁹and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

²⁰He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²All testified about him and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

^1:1Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ²and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: ³Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ⁶I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, ⁷but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

⁸But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. ⁹As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed. ¹⁰For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.

²⁰Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. ²¹Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²²I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, ²³but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴So they glorified God in me. ^2:1Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. ²I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

³But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, ⁵to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

^5:1They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. ²When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs. ³He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains, ⁴because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him. ⁵Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.

⁶When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him, ⁷and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.” ⁸For he said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

¹¹Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding. ¹²All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.” ¹³At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea. ¹⁴Those who fed the pigs fled, and told it in the city and in the country. The people came to see what it was that had happened.

¹⁵They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid. ¹⁶Those who saw it declared to them what happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs. ¹⁷They began to beg him to depart from their region. ¹⁸As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you and how he had mercy on you.” ²⁰He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.