1 And certain men coming down from :Judæa were teaching the brethren [that], Except ye be circumcised after the custom :of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 And when :Paul and :Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, to go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this :question. 3 They therefore, being brought on their way by the church, passed through both :Phœnicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the nations: and they caused great joy to all the brethren. 4 And when they came to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed what things :God had done with them. 5 But certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, rose up saying, that it is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this :matter. 7 And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, YE know that †a good while ago :God made choice among you, that by my :mouth the nations should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8 And :God, who knoweth the heart, bare witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as to us; 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their :hearts by :faith. 10 Now therefore why make ye trial of :God, by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our :fathers nor WE were able to bear? 11 But we believe we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they. 12 And all the multitude kept silent, and heard Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders :God had wrought among the nations through them. 13 And after they kept silent, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken to me: 14 Symeon hath rehearsed how first :God visited the nations, to take out a people for his :name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16 After these things I will return, And will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen; And I will build again the ruins thereof, And I will set it up:
17 That the residue of :men may seek after the Lord, And all the nations upon whom my :name is called [upon them], Saith the Lord,
18 who maketh these things known from the age.
19 Wherefore MY judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the nations turn to :God; 20 but that we enjoin them, to abstain from the pollutions of the idols and :fornication and what is strangled and :blood. 21 For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath. 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out from them, and send them to Antioch with :Paul and Barnabas: Judas :called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: 23 and they wrote by their hand, The apostles and the elder brethren to the brethren who are of the nations in :Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting: 24 Forasmuch as we have heard that certain from among us have troubled you with words, subverting your :souls; to whom we gave no commandment; 25 it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them unto you with our :beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men that have hazarded their :lives for the name of our :Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy :Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these :necessary things: 29 to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare well.
30 They therefore when dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude, delivered the epistle. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation. 32 And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted and confirmed the brethren with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time there, they were dismissed in peace from the brethren unto those that had sent them forth. 35 But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and preaching the gospel of the word of the Lord, with many others also.
36 And after some days Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they fare. 37 And Barnabas was minded to take with them :John also, :called Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take with them him who withdrew from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. 39 And a sharp contention arose, so that they parted from one another, and :Barnabas took :Mark along, and sailed away unto Cyprus: 40 but Paul chose Silas, and went forth, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through :Syria and :Cilicia, confirming the churches.
