The Jerusalem Council

¹yBut some men came down from Judea and were teaching zthe brothers, “Unless you are acircumcised baccording to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ²And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and cdebate with them, Paul and Barnabas and dsome of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to ethe apostles and the elders about this question. ³So, fbeing sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, gdescribing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and hbrought great joy to all ithe brothers.1 ⁴jWhen they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and kthe apostles and the elders, and gthey declared all that God had done with them. ⁵But some believers who belonged to lthe party of the Pharisees rose up and said, m“It is necessary nto circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

⁶oThe kapostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. ⁷And after there had been much pdebate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, qthat by my mouth the Gentiles should hear rthe word of sthe gospel and believe. ⁸And God, twho knows the heart, ubore witness to them, vby giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹and whe made no distinction between us and them, xhaving cleansed their hearts yby faith. ¹⁰Now, therefore, why zare you putting God to the test aby placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples bthat neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹But we cbelieve that we will be dsaved through ethe grace of the Lord Jesus, wjust as they will.”

¹²And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul fas they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³After they finished speaking, gJames replied, “Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴hSimeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them ia people for his name. ¹⁵And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

¹⁶j“‘After this I will return,

and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;

I will rebuild its ruins,

and I will restore it,

¹⁷that the remnant2 of mankind kmay seek the Lord,

and all the Gentiles lwho are called by my name,

says the Lord, who makes these things ¹⁸mknown from of old.’

¹⁹Therefore nmy judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who oturn to God, ²⁰but should write to them pto abstain from qthe things polluted by idols, and from rsexual immorality, and from swhat has been strangled, and from sblood. ²¹For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, tfor he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers

²²Then it seemed good to uthe apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called vBarsabbas, and wSilas, leading men among xthe brothers, ²³with the following letter: x“The brothers, both uthe apostles and the elders, to the brothers3 who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, ygreetings. ²⁴Since we have heard that zsome persons have gone out from us and atroubled you4 with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, ²⁵it has seemed good to us, having come bto one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our cbeloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶dmen who have erisked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷We have therefore sent fJudas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. ²⁸For it has seemed good gto the Holy Spirit and hto us ito lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: ²⁹jthat you abstain from kwhat has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

³⁰So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. ³²And Judas and Silas, who were themselves lprophets, encouraged and mstrengthened nthe brothers with many words. ³³And after they had spent some time, they were sent off oin peace by nthe brothers to those who had sent them.5 ³⁵But pPaul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

³⁶And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit nthe brothers qin every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷Now Barnabas wanted to take with them rJohn called Mark. ³⁸But Paul thought best not to take with them one swho had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹And there arose ta sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. uBarnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰but Paul chose Silas and departed, vhaving been commended by wthe brothers to xthe grace of the Lord. ⁴¹And he went through Syria and Cilicia, ystrengthening the churches.