Acts 15
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,
16 (AO)“‘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,
17 that the remnant[b] of mankind (AP)may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles (AQ)who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things 18 (AR)known from of old.’
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.
Footnotes
- Acts 15:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 22
- Acts 15:17 Or rest
- Acts 15:23 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 32, 33, 36
- Acts 15:24 Some manuscripts some persons from us have troubled you
- Acts 15:33 Some manuscripts insert verse 34: But it seemed good to Silas to remain there
Acts 15
Common English Bible
The Jerusalem Council
15 Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we’ve received from Moses, you can’t be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas took sides against these Judeans and argued strongly against their position.
The church at Antioch appointed Paul, Barnabas, and several others from Antioch to go up to Jerusalem to set this question before the apostles and the elders. 3 The church sent this delegation on their way. They traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling stories about the conversion of the Gentiles to everyone. Their reports thrilled the brothers and sisters. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, the church, the apostles, and the elders all welcomed them. They gave a full report of what God had accomplished through their activity. 5 Some believers from among the Pharisees stood up and claimed, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must be required to keep the Law from Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After much debate, Peter stood and addressed them, “Fellow believers, you know that, early on, God chose me from among you as the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and come to believe. 8 God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. 10 Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
12 The entire assembly fell quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through their activity. 13 When Barnabas and Paul also fell silent, James responded, “Fellow believers, listen to me. 14 Simon reported how, in his kindness, God came to the Gentiles in the first place, to raise up from them a people of God. 15 The prophets’ words agree with this; as it is written,
16 After this I will return,
and I will rebuild David’s fallen tent;
I will rebuild what has been torn down.
I will restore it
17 so that the rest of humanity will seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who belong to me.
The Lord says this, the one who does these things[a]
18 known from earliest times.
19 “Therefore, I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter, telling them to avoid the pollution associated with idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood. 21 After all, Moses has been proclaimed in every city for a long time, and is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue.”
Letter to the Gentile believers
22 The apostles and the elders, along with the entire church, agreed to send some delegates chosen from among themselves to Antioch, together with Paul and Barnabas. They selected Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who were leaders among the brothers and sisters. 23 They were to carry this letter:
The apostles and the elders, to the Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings! 24 We’ve heard that some of our number have disturbed you with unsettling words we didn’t authorize. 25 We reached a united decision to select some delegates and send them to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul. 26 These people have devoted their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore, we are sending Judas and Silas. They will confirm what we have written. 28 The Holy Spirit has led us to the decision that no burden should be placed on you other than these essentials: 29 refuse food offered to idols, blood, the meat from strangled animals, and sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid such things. Farewell.
30 When Barnabas, Paul, and the delegates were sent on their way, they went down to Antioch. They gathered the believers and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it, delighted with its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas were prophets, and they said many things that encouraged and strengthened the brothers and sisters. 33 Judas and Silas stayed there awhile, then were sent back with a blessing of peace from the brothers and sisters to those who first sent them.[b] 35 Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, where, together with many others, they taught and proclaimed the good news of the Lord’s word.
Paul and Barnabas part company
36 Some time later, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all the brothers and sisters in every city where we preached the Lord’s word. Let’s see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. 38 Paul insisted that they shouldn’t take him along, since he had deserted them in Pamphylia and hadn’t continued with them in their work. 39 Their argument became so intense that they went their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. 40 Paul chose Silas and left, entrusted by the brothers and sisters to the Lord’s grace. 41 He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Footnotes
- Acts 15:17 Amos 9:11-12
- Acts 15:33 Critical editions of the Gk New Testament do not include 15:34 Silas decided to remain there.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible