Acts 15:1–16:40
15 And acertain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, b“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that cPaul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
3 So, dbeing sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, edescribing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. 4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: f“Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, gwho knows the heart, 1acknowledged them by hgiving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 iand made no distinction between us and them, jpurifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God kby putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But lwe believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus 2Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had mworked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had 3become silent, nJames answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 oSimon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 ‘After pthis I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the 4Lord who does all these things.’
18 5“Known to God from eternity are all His works. 19 Therefore qI judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who rare turning to God, 20 but that we swrite to them to abstain tfrom things polluted by idols, ufrom 6sexual immorality, vfrom things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, wbeing read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named xBarsabas, 7and Silas, leading men among the brethren.
23 They wrote this letter by them:
The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that ysome who went out from us have troubled you with words, zunsettling your souls, 8saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment—25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one 9accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 amen who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report 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 bthat you abstain from things offered to idols, cfrom blood, from things strangled, and from dsexual 1immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.
30 So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. 32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being eprophets also, fexhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. 33 And after they had stayed there for a time, they were gsent back with greetings from the brethren to 2the apostles.
34 3However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. 35 hPaul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” 37 Now Barnabas 4was determined to take with them iJohn called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them jthe one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to kCyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, lbeing 5commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, mstrengthening the churches.
16 Then he came to aDerbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, bnamed Timothy, cthe son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he dtook him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the edecrees to keep, fwhich were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 gSo the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of hGalatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in 1Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the 2Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they icame down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A jman of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go kto Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to lPhilippi, which is the 3foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of mThyatira, who worshiped God. nThe Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So oshe persuaded us.
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl ppossessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters qmuch profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, rgreatly 4annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” sAnd he came out that very hour. 19 But twhen her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and udragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, vexceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes wand commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 xSuddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately yall the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, z“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, a“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, bhe set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly
35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the 5officers, saying, “Let those men go.”
36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have …