Acts 15-17

English Standard Version

The Jerusalem Council

15 ^(A)But some men came down from Judea and were teaching ^(B)the brothers, “Unless you are ^(C)circumcised ^(D)according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and ^(E)debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and ^(F)some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to ^(G)the apostles and the elders about this question. ³ So, ^(H)being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(I)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and ^(J)brought great joy to all ^(K)the brothers.^{[a] 4 (L)}When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and ^(M)the apostles and the elders, and ^(N)they declared all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some believers who belonged to ^(O)the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ^(P)“It is necessary ^(Q)to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

^6 (R)The ^(S)apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. ⁷ And after there had been much ^(T)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, ^(U)that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear ^(V)the word of ^(W)the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, ^(X)who knows the heart, ^(Y)bore witness to them, ^(Z)by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹ and ^(AA)he made no distinction between us and them, ^(AB)having cleansed their hearts ^(AC)by faith. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, why ^(AD)are you putting God to the test ^(AE)by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples ^(AF)that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we ^(AG)believe that we will be ^(AH)saved through ^(AI)the grace of the Lord Jesus, ^(AJ)just as they will.”

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

¹⁹ Therefore ^(AS)my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who ^(AT)turn to God, ²⁰ but should write to them ^(AU)to abstain from ^(AV)the things polluted by idols, and from ^(AW)sexual immorality, and from ^(AX)what has been strangled, and from ^(AY)blood. ²¹ For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, ^(AZ)for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers

²² Then it seemed good to ^(BA)the 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 ^(BB)Barsabbas, and ^(BC)Silas, leading men among ^(BD)the brothers, ²³ with the following letter: ^(BE)“The brothers, both ^(BF)the apostles and the elders, to the brothers^[c] who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, ^(BG)greetings. ²⁴ Since we have heard that ^(BH)some persons have gone out from us and ^(BI)troubled you^[d] with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, ²⁵ it has seemed good to us, having come ^(BJ)to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our ^(BK)beloved Barnabas and Paul, ^26 (BL)men who have ^(BM)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ We have therefore sent ^(BN)Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. ²⁸ For it has seemed good ^(BO)to the Holy Spirit and ^(BP)to us ^(BQ)to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: ^29 (BR)that you abstain from ^(BS)what 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.”

³⁰ So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. ³² And Judas and Silas, who were themselves ^(BT)prophets, encouraged and ^(BU)strengthened ^(BV)the brothers with many words. ³³ And after they had spent some time, they were sent off ^(BW)in peace by ^(BX)the brothers to those who had sent them.^{[e] 35} But ^(BY)Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

³⁶ And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit ^(BZ)the brothers ^(CA)in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas wanted to take with them ^(CB)John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul thought best not to take with them one ^(CC)who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there arose ^(CD)a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. ^(CE)Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, ^(CF)having been commended by ^(CG)the brothers to ^(CH)the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, ^(CI)strengthening the churches.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul^[f] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named ^(CJ)Timothy, ^(CK)the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. ² He was well spoken of by ^(CL)the brothers^[g] at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he ^(CM)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance ^(CN)the decisions ^(CO)that had been reached by ^(CP)the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ^5 (CQ)So the churches were strengthened in ^(CR)the faith, and they increased in numbers ^(CS)daily.

The Macedonian Call

⁶ And ^(CT)they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but ^(CU)the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they went down ^(CV)to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ And when Paul^[h] had seen the vision, immediately ^(CW)we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

¹¹ So, setting sail from Troas, we ^(CX)made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to ^(CY)Philippi, which is a leading city of the^[i] district of Macedonia and ^(CZ)a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. ¹³ And ^(DA)on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate ^(DB)to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we ^(DC)sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, ^(DD)who was a worshiper of God. The Lord ^(DE)opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And after she was baptized, ^(DF)and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she ^(DG)prevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ As we were going to ^(DH)the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had ^(DI)a spirit of ^(DJ)divination and ^(DK)brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us, ^(DL)crying out, “These men are ^(DM)servants of ^(DN)the Most High God, who proclaim to you ^(DO)the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ^(DP)“I command you ^(DQ)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And ^(DR)it came out that very hour.

¹⁹ But ^(DS)when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and ^(DT)dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. ²⁰ And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. ²¹ They ^(DU)advocate customs that are not lawful for us ^(DV)as Romans to accept or practice.” ²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders ^(DW)to beat them with rods. ²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. ²⁴ Having received this order, he put them into the inner ^(DX)prison and fastened their feet in ^(DY)the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

^25 (DZ)About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and suddenly ^(EA)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately ^(EB)all the doors were opened, and ^(EC)everyone's bonds were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and ^(ED)was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ And the jailer^[j] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he ^(EE)fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, ^(EF)what must I do to be ^(EG)saved?” ³¹ And they said, ^(EH)“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you ^(EI)and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them ^(EJ)the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he ^(EK)was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he ^(EL)rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

³⁵ But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” ³⁶ And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, ^(EM)uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and ^(EN)they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and ^(EO)asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ So they went out of the prison and visited ^(EP)Lydia. And when they had seen ^(EQ)the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to ^(ER)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And Paul went in, ^(ES)as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them ^(ET)from the Scriptures, ^3 (EU)explaining and proving that it was necessary for ^(EV)the Christ to suffer and ^(EW)to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” ⁴ And ^(EX)some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did ^(EY)a great many of the devout ^(EZ)Greeks and not a few of the leading women. ^5 (FA)But the Jews^{[k] (FB)}were jealous, and taking ^(FC)some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. ⁶ And when they could not find them, ^(FD)they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, ⁷ and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against ^(FE)the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is ^(FF)another king, Jesus.” ⁸ And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. ⁹ And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

^10 (FG)The brothers^[l] immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they ^(FH)went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, ^(FI)examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ^12 (FJ)Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek ^(FK)women of high standing as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, ^(FL)agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then the brothers ^(FM)immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and ^(FN)Timothy remained there. ^15 (FO)Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as ^(FP)Athens, and after receiving a command ^(FQ)for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was ^(FR)provoked within him as he saw that the city was ^(FS)full of idols. ¹⁷ So ^(FT)he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, ^(FU)“What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because ^(FV)he was preaching ^(FW)Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him and brought him to ^(FX)the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this ^(FY)new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰ For you bring some ^(FZ)strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

²² So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ^(GA)‘To the unknown god.’ ^(GB)What therefore you worship ^(GC)as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ^24 (GD)The God who made the world and everything in it, being ^(GE)Lord of heaven and earth, ^(GF)does not live in temples made by man,^{[m] 25} nor is he served by human hands, ^(GG)as though he needed anything, since he himself ^(GH)gives to all mankind ^(GI)life and breath and everything. ²⁶ And ^(GJ)he made from one man every nation of mankind to live ^(GK)on all the face of the earth, ^(GL)having determined allotted periods and ^(GM)the boundaries of their dwelling place, ^27 (GN)that they should seek God, ^(GO)and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. ^(GP)Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for

as even some of ^(GR)your own poets have said,

^29 (GS)Being then God's offspring, ^(GT)we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ^30 (GU)The times of ignorance ^(GV)God overlooked, but ^(GW)now he ^(GX)commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed ^(GY)a day on which ^(GZ)he will judge the world ^(HA)in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and ^(HB)of this he has given assurance to all ^(HC)by raising him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of ^(HD)the resurrection of the dead, ^(HE)some mocked. But others said, ^(HF)“We will hear you again about this.” ³³ So Paul went out from their midst. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius ^(HG)the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.