The Message Bible MSG
New International Version NIV
13 The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop.
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When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me.
14 Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included.
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Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.
15 This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:
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The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 After this, I'm coming back; I'll rebuild David's ruined house; I'll put all the pieces together again; I'll make it look like new
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“ ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
17 So outsiders who seek will find, so they'll have a place to come to, All the pagan peoples included in what I'm doing.
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that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ —
18 It's no afterthought; he's always known he would do this.
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things known from long ago.
19 "So here is my decision: We're not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master.
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“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
20 We'll write them a letter and tell them, 'Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians - blood, for instance.'
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Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
21 This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath."
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For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.