Acts 15:19-35

Complete Jewish Bible

¹⁹“Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim who are turning to God. ²⁰Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood. ²¹For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat.”

²²Then the emissaries and the elders, together with the whole Messianic community, decided to select men from among themselves to send to Antioch with Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba. They sent Y’hudah, called Bar-Sabba, and Sila, both leading men among the brothers, ²³with the following letter:

From: The emissaries and the elders, your brothers

To: The brothers from among the Gentiles throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia

Greetings!

²⁴We have heard that some people went out from among us without our authorization, and that they have upset you with their talk, unsettling your minds. ²⁵So we have decided unanimously to select men and send them to you with our dear friends Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul, ²⁶who have dedicated their lives to upholding the name of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. ²⁷So we have sent Y’hudah and Sila, and they will confirm in person what we are writing.

²⁸For it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements: ²⁹to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing.

Shalom!

³⁰The messengers were sent off and went to Antioch, where they gathered the group together and delivered the letter. ³¹After reading it, the people were delighted by its encouragement. ³²Y’hudah and Sila, who were also prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. ³³After they had spent some time there, they were sent off with a greeting of “Shalom!” from the brothers to those who had sent them. ³⁴^[a] ³⁵But Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba stayed in Antioch, where they and many others taught and proclaimed the Good News of the message about the Lord.