Acts 15-16

Acts 15

¹And certain having come down from Judea, were teaching the brethren -- ‘If ye be not circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved;'

²there having been, therefore, not a little dissension and disputation to Paul and Barnabas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, to go up unto the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this question,

³they indeed, then, having been sent forward by the assembly, were passing through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the nations, and they were causing great joy to all the brethren.

⁴And having come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly, and the apostles, and the elders, they declared also as many things as God did with them;

⁵and there rose up certain of those of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying -- ‘It behoveth to circumcise them, to command them also to keep the law of Moses.'

⁶And there were gathered together the apostles and the elders, to see about this matter,

⁷and there having been much disputing, Peter having risen up said unto them, ‘Men, brethren, ye know that from former days, God among us did make choice, through my mouth, for the nations to hear the word of the good news, and to believe;

⁸and the heart-knowing God did bare them testimony, having given to them the Holy Spirit, even as also to us,

⁹and did put no difference also between us and them, by the faith having purified their hearts;

¹⁰now, therefore, why do ye tempt God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

¹¹but, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, even as also they.'

¹²And all the multitude did keep silence, and were hearkening to Barnabas and Paul, declaring as many signs and wonders as God did among the nations through them;

¹³and after they are silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men, brethren, hearken to me;

¹⁴Simeon did declare how at first God did look after to take out of the nations a people for His name,

¹⁵and to this agree the words of the prophets, as it hath been written:

¹⁶After these things I will turn back, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, that is fallen down, and its ruins I will build again, and will set it upright --

¹⁷that the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the nations, upon whom My name hath been called, saith the Lord, who is doing all these things.

¹⁸‘Known from the ages to God are all His works;

¹⁹wherefore I judge: not to trouble those who from the nations do turn back to God,

²⁰but to write to them to abstain from the pollutions of the idols, and the whoredom, and the strangled thing; and the blood;

²¹for Moses from former generations in every city hath those preaching him -- in the synagogues every sabbath being read.'

²²Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, chosen men out of themselves to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas -- Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren --

²³having written through their hand thus: ‘The apostles, and the elders, and the brethren, to those in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, brethren, who [are] of the nations, greeting;

²⁴seeing we have heard that certain having gone forth from us did trouble you with words, subverting your souls, saying to be circumcised and to keep the law, to whom we did give no charge,

²⁵it seemed good to us, having come together with one accord, chosen men to send unto you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul --

²⁶men who have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ --

²⁷we have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, and they by word are telling the same things.

²⁸‘For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, no more burden to lay upon you, except these necessary things:

²⁹to abstain from things offered to idols, and blood, and a strangled thing, and whoredom; from which keeping yourselves, ye shall do well; be strong!'

³⁰They then, indeed, having been let go, went to Antioch, and having brought the multitude together, did deliver the epistle,

³¹and they having read, did rejoice for the consolation;

³²Judas also and Silas, being themselves also prophets, through much discourse did exhort the brethren, and confirm,

³³and having passed some time, they were let go with peace from the brethren unto the apostles;

³⁴and it seemed good to Silas to remain there still.

³⁵And Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming good news -- with many others also -- the word of the Lord;

³⁶and after certain days, Paul said unto Barnabas, ‘Having turned back again, we may look after our brethren, in every city in which we have preached the word of the Lord -- how they are.'

³⁷And Barnabas counseled to take with [them] John called Mark,

³⁸and Paul was not thinking it good to take him with them who withdrew from them from Pamphylia, and did not go with them to the work;

³⁹there came, therefore, a sharp contention, so that they were parted from one another, and Barnabas having taken Mark, did sail to Cyprus,

⁴⁰and Paul having chosen Silas, went forth, having been given up to the grace of God by the brethren;

⁴¹and he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the assemblies.

Acts 16

¹And he came to Derbe and Lystra, and lo, a certain disciple was there, by name Timotheus son of a certain woman, a believing Jewess, but of a father, a Greek,

²who was well testified to by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium;

³this one did Paul wish to go forth with him, and having taken [him], he circumcised him, because of the Jews who are in those places, for they all knew his father -- that he was a Greek.

⁴And as they were going on through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep, that have been judged by the apostles and the elders who [are] in Jerusalem,

⁵then, indeed, were the assemblies established in the faith, and were abounding in number every day;

⁶and having gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,

⁷having gone toward Mysia, they were trying to go on toward Bithynia, and the Spirit did not suffer them,

⁸and having passed by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

⁹And a vision through the night appeared to Paul -- a certain man of Macedonia was standing, calling upon him, and saying, ‘Having passed through to Macedonia, help us;' --

¹⁰and when he saw the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go forth to Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord hath called us to preach good news to them,

¹¹having set sail, therefore, from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, on the morrow also to Neapolis,

¹²thence also to Philippi, which is a principal city of the part of Macedonia -- a colony. And we were in this city abiding certain days,

¹³on the sabbath-day also we went forth outside of the city, by a river, where there used to be prayer, and having sat down, we were speaking to the women who came together,

¹⁴and a certain woman, by name Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, worshipping God, was hearing, whose heart the Lord did open to attend to the things spoken by Paul;

¹⁵and when she was baptized, and her household, she did call upon us, saying, ‘If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, having entered into my house, remain;' and she constrained us.

¹⁶And it came to pass in our going on to prayer, a certain maid, having a spirit of Python, did meet us, who brought much employment to her masters by soothsaying,

¹⁷she having followed Paul and us, was crying, saying, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who declare to us a way of salvation;'

¹⁸and this she was doing for many days, but Paul having been grieved, and having turned, said to the spirit, ‘I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come forth from her;' and it came forth the same hour.

¹⁹And her masters having seen that the hope of their employment was gone, having caught Paul and Silas, drew [them] to the market-place, unto the rulers,

²⁰and having brought them to the magistrates, they said, ‘These men do exceedingly trouble our city, being Jews;

²¹and they proclaim customs that are not lawful for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.'

²²And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates having torn their garments from them, were commanding to beat [them] with rods,

²³many blows also having laid upon them, they cast them to prison, having given charge to the jailor to keep them safely,

²⁴who such a charge having received, did put them to the inner prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks.

²⁵And at midnight Paul and Silas praying, were singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were hearing them,

²⁶and suddenly a great earthquake came, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, opened also presently were all the doors, and of all -- the bands were loosed;

²⁷and the jailor having come out of sleep, and having seen the doors of the prison open, having drawn a sword, was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to be fled,

²⁸and Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Thou mayest not do thyself any harm, for we are all here.'

²⁹And, having asked for a light, he sprang in, and trembling he fell down before Paul and Silas,

³⁰and having brought them forth, said, ‘Sirs, what must I do -- that I may be saved?'

³¹and they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved -- thou and thy house;'

³²and they spake to him the word of the Lord, and to all those in his household;

³³and having taken them, in that hour of the night, he did bathe [them] from the blows, and was baptized, himself and all his presently,

³⁴having brought them also into his house, he set food before [them], and was glad with all the household, he having believed in God.

³⁵And day having come, the magistrates sent the rod-bearers, saying, ‘Let those men go;'

³⁶and the jailor told these words unto Paul -- ‘The magistrates have sent, that ye may be let go; now, therefore, having gone forth go on in peace;'

³⁷and Paul said to them, ‘Having beaten us publicly uncondemned -- men, Romans being -- they did cast [us] to prison, and now privately do they cast us forth! why no! but having come themselves, let them bring us forth.'

³⁸And the rod-bearers told to the magistrates these sayings, and they were afraid, having heard that they are Romans,

³⁹and having come, they besought them, and having brought [them] forth, they were asking [them] to go forth from the city;

⁴⁰and they, having gone forth out of the prison, entered into [the house of] Lydia, and having seen the brethren, they comforted them, and went forth.