Acts 15-16

New American Standard Bible

The Council in Jerusalem

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 after Paul and Barnabas had ^[a]a heated argument 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, after being ^(H)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both ^(I)Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(J)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all ^(K)the brothers and sisters. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, ^(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 ^[b]them and to direct them to keep the Law of Moses.”

^6 (Q)The apostles and the elders came together to ^[c]look into this ^[d]matter. ⁷ After there had been much ^(R)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “^[e]Brothers, you know that ^[f]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 Since this is the case, why are you ^(Y)putting God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which ^(Z)neither our forefathers 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 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were ^(AB)relating all the ^(AC)signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’ Judgment

¹³ After they stopped speaking, ^[g](AD)James responded, saying, “^[h]Brothers, listen to me. ^14 (AE)Simeon has described how God first concerned Himself about taking a people for His name from among the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of ^(AF)the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written:

¹⁹ Therefore, it is ^(AM)my judgment that we do not cause trouble for those from the Gentiles who are turning to God, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from ^[l](AN)things contaminated by idols, from ^(AO)acts of sexual immorality, from ^(AP)what has been ^[m]strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For ^(AQ)from ancient generations Moses has those who preach him in every city, since ^[n]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²² Then it seemed good to ^(AR)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to ^(AS)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and ^(AT)Silas, leading men among ^(AU)the brothers, ²³ and they ^[o]sent this letter with them:

³⁰ So when they were sent away, ^(BO)they went down to Antioch; and after gathering the ^[u]congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its ^[v]encouragement. ^32 (BP)Judas and ^(BQ)Silas, also being ^(BR)prophets themselves, ^[w]encouraged and strengthened ^(BS)the brothers and sisters with a lengthy message. ³³ After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers and sisters ^(BT)in peace to those who had ^(BU)sent them out.^{[x] 35} But ^(BV)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and ^(BW)preaching ^(BX)the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Second Missionary Journey

³⁶ After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return and visit the brothers and sisters in ^(BY)every city in which we proclaimed ^(BZ)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take ^(CA)John, called Mark, along with them also. ³⁸ But Paul was of the opinion that they should not take along with them this man who had ^(CB)deserted them ^[y]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Now it turned into such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took ^(CC)Mark with him and sailed away to ^(CD)Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose ^(CE)Silas, and left after being ^(CF)entrusted by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he was traveling through ^(CG)Syria and ^(CH)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The Macedonian Vision

16 Now Paul also came to ^(CI)Derbe and to ^(CJ)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named ^(CK)Timothy, the son of a ^(CL)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, ² and he was well spoken of by ^(CM)the brothers and sisters who were in ^(CN)Lystra and ^(CO)Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to leave with him; and he ^(CP)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering ^(CQ)the ordinances for them to follow which had been determined by ^(CR)the apostles and ^(CS)elders in Jerusalem. ⁵ So ^(CT)the churches were being strengthened ^[z]in the faith, and were ^(CU)increasing in number daily.

⁶ They passed through the ^[aa](CV)Phrygian and ^(CW)Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in ^[ab](CX)Asia; ⁷ and after they came to ^(CY)Mysia, they were trying to go into ^(CZ)Bithynia, and the ^(DA)Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; ⁸ and passing by ^(DB)Mysia, they went down to ^(DC)Troas. ^9 (DD)And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of ^(DE)Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen ^(DF)the vision, ^(DG)we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to ^(DH)preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So after setting sail from ^(DI)Troas, we ran ^(DJ)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis; ¹² and from there to ^(DK)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of ^(DL)Macedonia, ^(DM)a Roman colony; and we were spending some days in this city. ¹³ And on ^(DN)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were thinking that there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of ^(DO)Thyatira, and ^(DP)a worshiper of God. ^[ac]The Lord ^(DQ)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ Now when she and ^(DR)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

¹⁶ It happened that as we were going to ^(DS)the place of prayer, a slave woman who had ^(DT)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of ^(DU)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸ Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you ^(DV)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very ^[ad]moment.

¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^(DW)profit was suddenly gone, they seized ^(DX)Paul and Silas and ^(DY)dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, ²⁰ and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, ²¹ and they ^(DZ)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are ^(EA)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

²² The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their ^[ae]robes off them and proceeded to order ^[af]them to be ^(EB)beaten with rods. ²³ When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding ^(EC)the jailer to guard them securely; ^24 [ag]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in ^(ED)the ^[ah]stocks.

²⁵ Now about midnight ^(EE)Paul and Silas were praying and ^(EF)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly ^(EG)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately ^(EH)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s ^(EI)chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When ^(EJ)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ^(EK)to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹ And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before ^(EL)Paul and Silas; ³⁰ and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, ^(EM)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(EN)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(EO)your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them ^(EP)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ And he brought them into his house and set ^[ai]food before them, and was ^[aj]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with ^(EQ)his whole household.

³⁵ Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And ^(ER)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word that you be released. So come out now and go ^(ES)in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—^(ET)men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come ^[ak]in person and lead us out.” ³⁸ The officers reported these words to the chief magistrates. ^(EU)And they became fearful when they heard that they were Romans, ³⁹ and they came and pleaded with them, and when they had led them out, they repeatedly asked them ^(EV)to leave the city. ⁴⁰ They left the prison and entered the house of ^(EW)Lydia, and when they saw ^(EX)the brothers and sisters, they ^[al]encouraged them and departed.