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The Jerusalem Council

^1 (C1)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching ^(C2)the brothers, "Unless you are ^(C3)circumcised according to ^(C4)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."² And when Paul and Barnabas had not a little dissension and ^(C1)debate with them, ^(C2)the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the ^(C3)apostles and elders concerning this issue.³ Therefore, being ^(C1)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both ^(C2)Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(C3)recounting in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all ^(C4)the brothers.⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and ^(C1)the apostles and the elders, and they ^(C2)reported all that God had done with them.⁵ But some of ^(C1)the sect of the ^(C2)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to ^(C3)circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses."

^6 (C1)Both the apostles and the elders came together to ^(F1)look into this ^(F2)matter.⁷ And after there had been much ^(C1)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that ^(F1)in the early days ^(C2)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of ^(C3)the gospel and believe.⁸ "And God, ^(C1)who knows the heart, testified to them ^(C2)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;⁹ and ^(C1)He made no distinction between us and them, ^(C2)cleansing their hearts by faith.¹⁰ "Now therefore why do you ^(C1)put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which ^(C2)neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?¹¹ "But we believe that we are saved through ^(C1)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are."

¹² And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were ^(C1)relating what ^(C2)signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James Issues a Judgment

¹⁶ '^(C1)AFTER THESE THINGS ^(C2)I will return,
AND I WILL REBUILD THE ^(C3)FALLEN ^(F1)BOOTH OF DAVID,
AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,
AND I WILL RESTORE IT,

^17 (C1)SO THAT THE REST OF ^(F1)MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD,
AND ALL THE GENTILES ^(F2)(C2)WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,'

^18 (C1)SAYS THE ^(F1)LORD, WHO ^(F2)(C2)MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.

²² Then it seemed good to ^(C1)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them—Judas called Barsabbas, and ^(C2)Silas, leading men among ^(C3)the brothers—to send to ^(C4)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas,²³ and they ^(F1)sent this letter by them, "^(C1)The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to ^(C2)the brothers in ^(C3)Antioch and ^(C4)Syria and ^(C5)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, ^(C6)greetings.²⁴ "Since we have heard that ^(C1)some of us, to whom we gave no instruction, have gone out and ^(C2)disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,^25 (C1)it seemed good to us, having ^(F1)come to one accord, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,²⁶ men who have ^(F1)(C1)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.²⁷ "Therefore we have sent ^(C1)Judas and ^(C2)Silas, and they themselves will report the same things by word of mouth.²⁸ "For ^(C1)it seemed good to ^(C2)the Holy Spirit and to ^(C3)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:²⁹ that you abstain from ^(C1)things sacrificed to idols and from ^(C1)blood and from ^(C1)things strangled and from ^(C1)sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, you will do well. Farewell."

³⁰ So when they were sent away, ^(C1)they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the ^(F1)congregation together, they delivered the letter.³¹ And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its ^(F1)encouragement.^32 (C1)And both Judas and ^(C2)Silas, also being ^(C3)prophets themselves, ^(F1)encouraged and strengthened ^(C4)the brothers with a lengthy message.³³ And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers ^(C1)in peace to those who had ^(C2)sent them.^34 (F1)[But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.]³⁵ But ^(C1)Paul and Barnabas spent a long time in Antioch, teaching and ^(F1)(C2)preaching with many others also, ^(C3)the word of the Lord.

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

³⁶ Now after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brothers in ^(C1)every city in which we proclaimed ^(C2)the word of the Lord, and see how they are."³⁷ And Barnabas wanted to take ^(C1)John, called Mark, along with them also.³⁸ But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had ^(C1)deserted them ^(F1)in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.³⁹ And there was such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took ^(C1)Mark with him and sailed away to ^(C2)Cyprus.⁴⁰ But Paul chose ^(C1)Silas and left, being ^(C2)committed by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.⁴¹ And he was traveling through ^(C1)Syria and ^(C2)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.