“The apostles and the brothers who are the elders, to the brothers and sisters who are from the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, Greetings.

²⁴ Since we have heard that some of our men have troubled you with their teachings, causing distress and confusion—men to whom we gave no such orders or instructions— ²⁵ it has been decided by us, having met together, to select men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we decided in our meeting]. ²⁸ For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any greater burden than these essentials: ²⁹ that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from [consuming] blood, and from [eating the meat of] things that have been strangled, and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell.”