Acts 15 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Then some people came down from Judea and started teaching the brothers, "Unless you get circumcised following Moses' custom, you can't be rescued."

This created a huge argument. Paul and Barnabas clashed with them hard. So the group decided to send Paul and Barnabas, along with some others, up to Jerusalem to bring this question to the apostles and elders.

So the gathered community sent them on their way, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told the full story of how non-Jewish people were turning to God. This news made everyone incredibly happy.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, the gathered community and the apostles and elders welcomed them, and Paul and Barnabas reported everything God had done through them.

But some believers who belonged to the Pharisee party stood up and said, "They have to be circumcised. They need to be told to follow the Law of Moses."

So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter.

After a long, heated discussion, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that a while back God chose me from among you to be the one through whom non-Jewish people would hear the good news and come to trust it.

And God, who knows what's in every heart, backed them up by giving them the Breath of God just like he gave it to us.

He made no distinction between us and them — he made their hearts clean through trust.

So why are you testing God now by putting a heavy load on these students' necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to carry?

No — we trust that we are rescued through the generous favor of the Lord Jesus, and so are they."

The whole crowd went quiet. Then they listened as Barnabas and Paul described all the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the non-Jewish people.

After they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me.

Simon has described how God first stepped in to take from among the non-Jewish peoples a people for his own name.

The words of the prophets line up with this. As it's written:

"After this I will come back and rebuild David's fallen shelter. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it,

so that the rest of humanity will look for the Lord — all the non-Jewish people who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has been making this known from the very beginning."

James continued, "So here's my judgment:

We should stop making it hard for non-Jewish people who are turning to God.

Instead, we should write and tell them to stay away from food contaminated by idols, from sexual corruption, from meat of strangled animals, and from blood.

After all, Moses has been read aloud in synagogues every Sabbath in every city for generations."

Then the apostles and elders, together with the whole gathered community, decided to choose some men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas — both respected leaders among the brothers.

They sent this letter with them: "From the apostles and elders, your brothers. To the non-Jewish brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.

We've heard that some people from our group troubled you with their words and unsettled your minds — though we never authorized them to do that.

So we all agreed unanimously to choose some men and send them to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul —

people who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus, The One.

So we're sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same things in person.

It seemed good to the Breath of God and to us not to put any burden on you beyond these essentials:

Stay away from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from sexual corruption. You'll do well to keep yourselves from these things. Take care of yourselves."

So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch. They gathered the whole community together and delivered the letter.

When the people read it, they were thrilled by the encouragement.

Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, said a lot to encourage and strengthen the brothers and sisters.

After spending some time there, they were sent off in peace by the brothers and sisters back to those who had sent them.

[Some manuscripts add: But Silas decided to stay there.]

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and spreading the Lord's message along with many others.

After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every city where we spread the Lord's message, and see how they're doing."

Barnabas wanted to bring John, who was also called Mark, along with them.

But Paul didn't think it was a good idea to bring someone who had abandoned them in Pamphylia and hadn't continued with them in the work.

This created such a sharp disagreement that they split up. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus,

while Paul chose Silas and left, handed over to the Lord's generous favor by the brothers and sisters.

He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the gathered communities.