A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of the ^(A)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ^(B)ravenous wolves.

⁸ But even if we, or ^(A)an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you a gospel ^[a]contrary to the gospel we have proclaimed to you, let him be ^[b](B)accursed! ⁹ As we ^(C)have said before, so I say again now, ^(D)if any man is proclaiming to you a gospel ^[c]contrary to what you received, let him be ^[d](E)accursed!

¹⁰ For am I now ^(F)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 ^(G)slave of Christ.

Paul Called by God

¹¹ For ^(H)I make known to you, brothers, that the gospel which I am proclaiming as good news is ^(I)not according to man. ¹² For ^(J)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a ^(K)revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of ^(L)my former conduct in Judaism, how I ^(M)used to persecute ^(N)the church of God beyond measure and ^(O)tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I ^(P)was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being far more zealous for the traditions of my ^(Q)fathers. ¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart from my mother’s womb and ^(R)called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might ^(S)proclaim Him as good news among the Gentiles, ^(T)I did not immediately consult with ^[e](U)flesh and blood, ^17 (V)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 ^(W)Damascus.

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

⁶ Now we command you, brothers, ^(A)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you ^[a](B)keep away from every brother who walks in an ^[b](C)unruly manner and not according to ^(D)the tradition which ^[c]they received from us.

¹⁴ And if anyone does not obey our word ^[a](A)in this letter, take special note of that person ^(B)to not associate with him, so that he will be ^(C)put to shame.

^10 (A)Reject a ^(B)factious man ^(C)after a first and second warning,