Acts 15:14-41

¹⁴Symeon has given an account of how God was first pleased to take from among the Gentiles a people for himself.

¹⁵And this is in agreement with the words of the prophets, as it is said,

¹⁶After these things I will come back, and will put up the tent of David which has been broken down, building up again its broken parts and making it complete:

¹⁷So that the rest of men may make search for the Lord, and all the Gentiles on whom my name is named,

¹⁸Says the Lord, who has made these things clear from the earliest times.

¹⁹For this reason my decision is, that we do not put trouble in the way of those who from among the Gentiles are turned to God;

²⁰But that we give them orders to keep themselves from things offered to false gods, and from the evil desires of the body, and from the flesh of animals put to death in ways against the law, and from blood.

²¹For Moses, from times long past, has his preachers in every town, reading his law in the Synagogues every Sabbath.

²²Then it seemed good to the Apostles and the rulers and all the church, to send men from among them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; Judas, named Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers:

²³And they sent a letter by them, saying, The Apostles and the older brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, may joy be with you:

²⁴Because we have knowledge that some who went from us have been troubling you with their words, putting your souls in doubt; to whom we gave no such order;

²⁵It seemed good to us, having come to an agreement together, to send these men to you, with our well loved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶Men who have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷And so we have sent Judas and Silas, who will say the same things to you themselves, by word of mouth.

²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to put on you nothing more than these necessary things;

²⁹To keep from things offered to false gods, and from blood, and from things put to death in ways which are against the law, and from the evil desires of the body; if you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. May you be happy.

³⁰So they, being sent away, came down to Antioch, and having got the people together, they gave them the letter.

³¹And after reading it, they were glad of its comfort.

³²And Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, gave teaching to the brothers and made them strong in the faith.

³³And when they had been there for some time, they were sent back in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.

³⁵But Paul and Barnabas kept on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of God, with a number of others.

³⁶And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, Let us go back and see the brothers in every town where we have given the word of God, and see how they are.

³⁷And Barnabas had a desire to take with them John, named Mark.

³⁸But Paul was of the opinion that it was not right to take with them one who had gone away from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone on with the work.

³⁹And there was a sharp argument between them, so that they were parted from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and went by ship to Cyprus;

⁴⁰But Paul took Silas and went away with the blessing of the brothers.

⁴¹And he went through Syria and Cilicia, making the churches stronger in the faith.