The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people^(A) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:^(B) “Unless you are circumcised,^(C) according to the custom taught by Moses,^(D) you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem^(E) to see the apostles and elders^(F) about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia^(G) and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.^(H) This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.^(I)

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party^(J) of the Pharisees^(K) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”^(L)

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.^{(M) 8} God, who knows the heart,^(N) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,^(O) just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them,^(P) for he purified their hearts by faith.^{(Q) 10} Now then, why do you try to test God^(R) by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke^(S) that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace^(T) of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^(U) God had done among the Gentiles through them.^{(V) 13} When they finished, James^(W) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^{(X) 15} The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^(AA) from sexual immorality,^(AB) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^{(AC) 21} For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(AD)

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and elders,^(AE) with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch^(AF) with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas,^(AG) men who were leaders among the believers. ²³ With them they sent the following letter:

³⁰ So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹ The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³² Judas and Silas,^(AQ) who themselves were prophets,^(AR) said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace^(AS) to return to those who had sent them. ^{[34] [d] 35} But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached^(AT) the word of the Lord.^(AU)

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

³⁶ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns^(AV) where we preached the word of the Lord^(AW) and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark,^(AX) with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them^(AY) in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas^(AZ) and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.^{(BA) 41} He went through Syria^(BB) and Cilicia,^(BC) strengthening the churches.^(BD)

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,^(BE) where a disciple named Timothy^(BF) lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer^(BG) but whose father was a Greek. ² The believers^(BH) at Lystra and Iconium^(BI) spoke well of him. ³ Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.^{(BJ) 4} As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders^(BK) in Jerusalem^(BL) for the people to obey.^{(BM) 5} So the churches were strengthened^(BN) in the faith and grew daily in numbers.^(BO)

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia^(BP) and Galatia,^(BQ) having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.^{(BR) 7} When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^(BS) would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.^{(BT) 9} During the night Paul had a vision^(BU) of a man of Macedonia^(BV) standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we^(BW) got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel^(BX) to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

¹¹ From Troas^(BY) we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. ¹² From there we traveled to Philippi,^(BZ) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district^[e] of Macedonia.^(CA) And we stayed there several days.

¹³ On the Sabbath^(CB) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira^(CC) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart^(CD) to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household^(CE) were baptized,^(CF) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(CG) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(CH) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God,^(CI) who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.^(CJ)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(CK) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(CL) and dragged^(CM) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^{(CN) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(CO) to accept or practice.”^(CP)

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^{(CQ) 23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer^(CR) was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴ When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.^(CS)

²⁵ About midnight^(CT) Paul and Silas^(CU) were praying and singing hymns^(CV) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.^(CW) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(CX) and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(CY) 27} The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.^{(CZ) 28} But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.^{(DA) 30} He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(DB)

³¹ They replied, “Believe^(DC) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved^(DD)—you and your household.”^{(DE) 32} Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night^(DF) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.^{(DG) 34} The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he^(DH) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer^(DI) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(DJ)

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(DK) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.^{(DL) 39} They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^{(DM) 40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(DN) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(DO) and encouraged them. Then they left.