The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers
22 Then it seemed good to
1the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called
2Barsabbas, and
3Silas, leading men among
4the brothers,
23
with the following letter:
5"The brothers, both
6the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia,
7greetings.
24
Since we have heard that
8some persons have gone out from us and
9troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,
25
it has seemed good to us, having come
10to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our
11beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26
12men who have
13risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27
We have therefore sent
14Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.
28
For it has seemed good
15to the Holy Spirit and
16to us
17to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
29
18that you abstain from
19what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
30
So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.
31
And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.
32
And Judas and Silas, who were themselves
20prophets, encouraged and
21strengthened
22the brothers with many words.
33
And after they had spent some time, they were sent off
23in peace by
24the brothers to those who had sent them.
35
But
25Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.