23 November - Acts 15-16

Jude Sat Oct 27, 2018 7:15 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

ACTS 15

1And certain men came down from Yehuḏah and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the practice of Mosheh, you are unable to be saved.”

2So when Sha’ul and Barnaḇah had no small dissension and dispute with them, they arranged for Sha’ul and Barnaḇah and certain others of them to go up to Yerushalayim, to the emissaries and elders, about this question.

3So, being sent on their way by the assembly, they passed through Phoenicia and Shomeron, relating the conversion of the gentiles. And they were causing great joy to all the brothers.

4And having arrived in Yerushalayim, they were received by the assembly and the emissaries and the elders. And they reported all that Elohim had done with them.

5And some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Torah of Mosheh.”

6And the emissaries and elders came together to look into this matter.

7And when there had been much dispute, Kĕpha rose up and said to them, “Men, brothers, you know that a good while ago Elohim chose among us, that by my mouth the gentiles should hear the word of the Good News and believe.

8“And Elohim, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Set-apart Spirit, as also to us,

9and made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by belief.

10“Now then, why do you try Elohim by putting a yoke on the neck of the taught ones which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11“But through the favour of the Master יהושע Messiah we trust to be saved, in the same way as they.”

12And all the crowd was silent and were listening to Barnaḇah and Sha’ul declaring how many miracles and wonders Elohim did among the gentiles, through them.

13And after they were silent, Ya‛aqoḇ answered, saying, “Men, brothers, listen to me:

14“Shim‛on has declared how Elohim first visited the gentiles to take out of them a people for His Name.

15“And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it has been written:

16‘After this I shall return and rebuild the Booth of Dawiḏ which has fallen down. And I shall rebuild its ruins, and I shall set it up,

17so that the remnant of mankind shall seek יהוה, even all the gentiles on whom My Name has been called, says יהוה who is doing all this,’

18who has made this known from of old.

19“Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who are turning to Elohim,

20but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood.a

21“For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.”

22Then it seemed good to the emissaries and elders, with all the assembly, to send chosen men from among them to Antioch with Sha’ul and Barnaḇah: Yehuḏah being called Barsabba, and Sila, leading men among the brothers,

23having written by their hand this: The emissaries and the elders and the brothers, To the brothers who are of the gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and Kilikia: Greetings.

24Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your lives, to whom we gave no command –

25it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnaḇah and Sha’ul,

26men who have given up their lives for the Name of our Master יהושע Messiah.

27We have therefore sent Yehuḏah and Sila, who are also confirming this by word of mouth.

28For it seemed good to the Set-apart Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessities:

29that you abstain from what is offered to idols, and blood, and what is strangled, and whoring.a If you keep yourselves from these, you shall do well. Be strong!

30They, therefore, being sent off, went to Antioch. And having gathered the crowd together, they delivered the letter.

31And having read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.

32And Yehuḏah and Sila, being themselves also prophets, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them.

33And having spent some time, they were sent back in peace from the brothers to the emissaries.

34But it seemed good to Sila to remain.

35And Sha’ul and Barnaḇah continued in Antioch, teaching and bringing, with many others also, the Good News: the Word of יהוה!

36And after some days Sha’ul said to Barnaḇah, “Let us now go back and visit our brothers in every city where we proclaimed the Word of יהוה, and see how they are.”

37And Barnaḇah purposed to take with them Yoḥanan called Mark.

38But Sha’ul thought it not fit to take with them the one who withdrew from them in Pamphulia, and had not gone with them to the work.

39A sharp feeling therefore came to be, so that they parted from one another. And so Barnaḇah took Mark and sailed to Cyprus.

40And Sha’ul chose Sila and went off, being committed by the brothers to the favour of Elohim.

41And he went through Syria and Kilikia, strengthening the assemblies.

ACTS 16

1And he came to Derbe and Lustra. And see, a certain taught one was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Yehuḏite woman who believed – but his father was Greek –

2who was well spoken of by the brothers who were at Lustra and Ikonion.

3Sha’ul wished to have this one go with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Yehuḏim who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

4And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the regulations to keep, which were decided by the emissaries and elders at Yerushalayim.

5Then, indeed, the assemblies were strengthened in the belief, and increased in number every day.

6And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, they were forbidden by the Set-apart Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

7When they came to Musia, they tried to go into Bithunia, but the Spirit did not allow them.

8And having passed by Musia, they came down to Troas.

9And in the night a vision appeared to Sha’ul: A man of Makedonia was standing, begging him and saying, “Come over to Makedonia and help us.”

10And when he saw the vision, immediately we sought to go to Makedonia, concluding that the Master had called us to bring the Good News to them.

11Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrake, and the next day came to Neapolis,

12and from there to Philippi, which is the principal city of that part of Makedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the city by a river, where there used to be prayer. And having sat down we were speaking to the women who met there.

14And a certain woman named Ludia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, worshipping Elohim, was hearing, whose heart the Master did open to pay attention to what Sha’ul said.

15And when she was immersed, and her household, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be believing in the Master, come to my house and stay.” And she urged us.

16And it came to be, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of Puthon, did meet us, who brought her masters much profit by foretelling.

17Having followed Sha’ul and us, she cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High Elohim, who proclaim to us the way of deliverance.”

18And she was doing this for many days. But Sha’ul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the Name of יהושע Messiah to come out of her.” And it came out that same hour.

19But when her masters saw that their anticipation of money-making was gone, they seized Sha’ul and Sila and dragged them into the market-place to the rulers.

20And having brought them to the captains, they said, “These men, being Yehuḏim, greatly disturb our city,

21and they proclaim practices which are not right for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.”

22And the crowd rose up together against them. And the captains tore off their garments and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

23And having laid many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them safely,

24who, having received such a command, put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25And at midnight Sha’ul and Sila were praying and singing songs to Elohim, and the prisoners were listening to them.

26And suddenly a great earthquake took place, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and all the chains came loose.

27And the jailer, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, thinking the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

28But Sha’ul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do no harm to yourself, for we are all here.”

29And asking for a light, he ran in, and fell down trembling before Sha’ul and Sila.

30And having led them outside he said, “Masters, what do I have to do to be saved?”

31And they said, “Believe on the Master יהושע Messiah, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”

32And they spoke the Word of יהוה to him and to all who were in his house.

33And taking them in that hour of the night, he washed their wounds, and immediately he was immersed, he and all that were his.

34And having brought them into his house, he set food before them. And he rejoiced with all his household, having believed in Elohim.

35And when day came, the authorities sent the officers, saying, “Let these men go.”

36And the jailer reported these words to Sha’ul, saying, “The captains have sent to let you go. Now then, come out and go in peace.”

37But Sha’ul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, being Romans. They have thrown us into prison, and now, do they throw us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and bring us out.”

38And the officers reported these words to the authorities, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.

39And having come, they pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to leave the city.

40So coming out of the prison they went to Ludia, and seeing the brothers, they encouraged them, and went forth.