Book of Common Prayer

²² Then the apostles, and the leaders, and all the church people chose men from among themselves. They sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, whose other name was Barsabbas, and Silas. They were leaders among the Christian brothers.

²³ They sent a letter with them. It said, `The apostles, the church leaders, and the Christian brothers send greetings to the Christians who are not Jews in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

²⁴ We have heard that some of our people visited you and talked to you. They taught things that troubled you and made you believe wrong things. They said, "You must be circumcised like the Jews and keep the law." We did not tell them to teach you this.

²⁵ All of us gathered here have chosen some men. We are sending them with our dear brothers, Barnabas and Paul.

²⁶ Barnabas and Paul have been willing to die for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷ We are sending Judas and Silas. They will tell you the same things that we have written in the letter.

²⁸ The Holy Spirit and we thought it was not good to give you a hard thing to do. But here is what you must not do.

²⁹ You must not eat food that has been given to idols. You must not eat the meat of animals that are killed by choking. You must not taste blood. You must not commit adultery. If you keep away from these things, you will do well. Goodbye.'

³⁰ So the men left and went to Antioch. There they called the people together and gave them the letter.

³¹ When the people read the letter, they were very glad. It helped them to become stronger in what they believed.

³² Judas and Silas were prophets. They said many things to the Christian brothers and helped them to believe more strongly.

³³ They stayed there for a while. Then the brothers sent them back to those who had sent them. They sent a greeting of peace with them.

³⁴ But Silas thought it was good to stay at Antioch.

³⁵ Paul and Barnabas stayed there too. They taught the people and told them the Lord's message. Many other men did this also.

⁴⁵ When they saw the things Jesus did, many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed on Him.

⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees met together. They said, `What are we going to do? This man is doing many big works.

⁴⁸ If we do not stop him, everybody will believe on him. Then the Roman rulers will come and break down our holy town and our nation.'

⁴⁹ One of them, Caiaphas, was high priest that year. He said to them, `You know nothing.

⁵⁰ You do not understand. It is better for us if one person dies for the people. Then the whole nation will not be broken down.'

⁵¹ He himself did not understand what he was saying. But he was the high priest that year. God spoke through him to say that Jesus should die for those people.

⁵² Jesus would die, not only for those people, but he would gather together all of God's people who are out in different places.

⁵³ So from that day on they planned to kill Jesus.

⁵⁴ That is why Jesus did not go among the Jews in the open. But he went to another part of the country, to a town called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.