Acts 15
Legacy Standard Bible
The Jerusalem Council
15 (A)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching (B)the brothers, “Unless you are (C)circumcised according to (D)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had not a little dissension and (E)debate with them, (F)the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the (G)apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being (H)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both (I)Phoenicia and Samaria, (J)recounting in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all (K)the brothers. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and (L)the apostles and the elders, and they (M)reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of (N)the sect of the (O)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to (P)circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”
6 (Q)Both the apostles and the elders came together to [a]look into this [b]matter. 7 And after there had been much (R)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that [c]in the early days (S)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of (T)the gospel and believe. 8 And God, (U)who knows the heart, testified to them (V)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and (W)He made no distinction between us and them, (X)cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you (Y)put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which (Z)neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we are saved through (AA)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
12 And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were (AB)relating what (AC)signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
James Issues a Judgment
13 Now after they had stopped speaking, (AD)James answered, saying, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 (AE)Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of (AF)the Prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 ‘(AG)After these things (AH)I will return,
And I will rebuild the (AI)fallen [d]booth of David,
And I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will restore it,
17 (AJ)So that the rest of [e]mankind may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles [f](AK)who are called by My name,’
18 (AL)Says the [g]Lord, who [h](AM)makes these things known from long ago.
19 Therefore (AN)I judge that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from (AO)things contaminated by idols and from (AP)sexual immorality and from (AQ)what is strangled and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations, (AR)Moses has those who preach him in every city, since [i]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
22 Then it seemed good to (AS)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them—Judas called Barsabbas, and (AT)Silas, leading men among (AU)the brothers—to send to (AV)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, 23 and they [j]sent this letter by them,
“(AW)The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to (AX)the brothers in (AY)Antioch and (AZ)Syria and (BA)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, (BB)greetings.
24 Since we have heard that (BC)some of us, to whom we gave no instruction, have gone out and (BD)disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,
25 (BE)it seemed good to us, having [k]come to one accord, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 men who have [l](BF)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 Therefore we have sent (BG)Judas and (BH)Silas, and they themselves will report the same things by word of mouth.
28 For (BI)it seemed good to (BJ)the Holy Spirit and to (BK)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:
29 that you abstain from (BL)things sacrificed to idols and from (BM)blood and from (BN)things strangled and from (BO)sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent away, (BP)they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the [m]congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its [n]encouragement. 32 (BQ)And both Judas and (BR)Silas, also being (BS)prophets themselves, [o]encouraged and strengthened (BT)the brothers with a lengthy message. 33 And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers (BU)in peace to those who had (BV)sent them. 34 [p][But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] 35 But (BW)Paul and Barnabas spent a long time in Antioch, teaching and [q](BX)preaching with many others also, (BY)the word of the Lord.
Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas
36 Now after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in (BZ)every city in which we proclaimed (CA)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 And Barnabas wanted to take (CB)John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had (CC)deserted them [r]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there was such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took (CD)Mark with him and sailed away to (CE)Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose (CF)Silas and left, being (CG)committed by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was traveling through (CH)Syria and (CI)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Footnotes
- Acts 15:6 Lit see about
- Acts 15:6 Lit word
- Acts 15:7 Lit from days of old
- Acts 15:16 Or tent
- Acts 15:17 Gr anthropoi
- Acts 15:17 Lit upon whom My name is called
- Acts 15:18 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Amos 9:12
- Acts 15:18 Or does these things which were known
- Acts 15:21 The books of Moses, Gen-Deut
- Acts 15:23 Lit wrote by their hand
- Acts 15:25 Or met together
- Acts 15:26 Lit given over
- Acts 15:30 Or multitude
- Acts 15:31 Or exhortation
- Acts 15:32 Or exhorted
- Acts 15:34 Early mss omit this v
- Acts 15:35 Lit proclaiming as good news
- Acts 15:38 Lit from
Acts 15
Christian Standard Bible
Dispute in Antioch
15 Some men(A) came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised(B) according to the custom prescribed by Moses,(C) you cannot be saved.” 2 After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.(D) 3 When they had been sent on their way by the church,(E) they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.
4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.(F) 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
The Jerusalem Council
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you,[a] that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.(G) 9 He made no distinction between us and them,(H) cleansing their hearts by faith.(I) 10 Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks(J) that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace(K) of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”
12 The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.(L) 13 After they stopped speaking, James responded, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon[b] has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for his name.(M) 15 And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:
16 After these things I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
I will rebuild its ruins
and set it up again,
17 so that the rest of humanity
may seek the Lord—
even all the Gentiles
who are called by my name—
declares the Lord
who makes these things 18 known from long ago.[c][d](N)
19 Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,(O) from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”(P)
The Letter to the Gentile Believers
22 Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas,(Q) both leading men among the brothers. 23 They wrote:
“From the apostles and the elders, your brothers,
To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:(R)
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us(S) and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,[e](T) 25 we have unanimously(U) decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives(V) for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements:(W) 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.(X) You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.
Farewell.”
The Outcome of the Jerusalem Letter
30 So they were sent off and went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. 31 When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and sisters and strengthened them with a long message.(Y) 33 After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace(Z) by the brothers and sisters to those who had sent them.[f][g] 35 But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord.(AA)
Paul and Barnabas Part Company
36 After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town(AB) where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take along John who was called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark(AC) with him and sailed off to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended by the brothers and sisters to the grace of the Lord.(AD) 41 He traveled through Syria(AE) and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Footnotes
- 15:7 Other mss read us
- 15:14 Simon (Peter)
- 15:17–18 Other mss read says the Lord who does all these things. Known to God from long ago are all his works.
- 15:16–18 Am 9:11–12; Is 45:21
- 15:24 Other mss add by saying, ‘Be circumcised and keep the law,’
- 15:33 Other mss read the brothers to the apostles
- 15:33 Other mss add v. 34: But Silas decided to stay there.
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