Acts of the Apostles (11-20) for the ALT Bible

Third Edition

The Acts of the Apostles

Sample passage from chapters 11-20

The full text of the ALT is available in hardcopy and eBook formats.
Click here for details.

Acts 15

¹And certain [men] having come down from Judea began teaching the brothers, “Unless you* are circumcised [according to] the custom of Moses, you* are not able to be saved.” ²Therefore, [there] having occurred not a little [fig, a serious] conflict and debate with Paul and Barnabas against them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them to be going up to the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this point of disagreement. ³So they indeed having been sent on their journey by the assembly, were passing through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were causing great joy to all the brothers [and sisters]. ⁴Now having arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported as many things as God did with them.

⁵But some of the ones having believed from the sect of the Pharisees stood up, saying, “It is necessary to be circumcising them and to be giving strict orders [to them] to be keeping the Law of Moses.” ⁶So the apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.

⁷Now much debate having taken place, having risen up, Peter said to them, “Men, brothers, you* know that from former days God chose among us [for] the Gentiles to hear the word of the Gospel through my mouth and to believe. ⁸And the heart-knowing God testified to them by having given the Holy Spirit to them, just as also to us, [see Acts 10:44] ⁹and also distinguished nothing between us and them, having purified [or, purged] their hearts by faith. ¹⁰Now therefore, why are you* testing God [by trying] to put a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹But we believe [we are] saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, according to which manner they also [are].”

¹²Then all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul explaining how many signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through them.

¹³Now after they became silent, James answered, saying, “Men, brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴Simon [i.e., Peter] explained how God first visited [them] to take out of [the] Gentiles a people for His name. ¹⁵And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it has been written:

¹⁶After these [things] I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, the one having fallen down, and the [things] having been torn down from it I will rebuild, and I will restore it, ¹⁷in order that the remaining peoples [i.e., non-Jews] shall diligently seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles on whom My name has been called on them, says the Lord, the One doing all these things. [Amos 9:11,12, LXX]

¹⁸“Known from [the] ages [fig., from eternity] to God is all His works.

¹⁹“For this reason, I judge not to be troubling the [ones] turning to God from the Gentiles, ²⁰but to write instructions to them to be abstaining from the pollutions of the idols and from sexual sin [or, fornication] and from the strangled [animal] and from blood. ²¹For Moses from ancient generations has in every city the ones preaching him, being read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²²Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, having chosen men from them, to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, Judas (the one being called Barsabbas) and Silas, leading men among the brothers, ²³having written by their hand these [things]:

The apostles and the elders and the brothers, to the brothers [and sisters], the [ones] from the Gentiles, in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings!

²⁴Since we heard that some having gone out from us disturbed you* with words, unsettling your* souls, saying [for you*] to continue being circumcised and to be keeping the Law, to whom we did not give [such] orders, ²⁵it seemed good to us, having come to be of one mind, to send to you* having been chosen men, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶men having given up their souls [or, lives] for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas, and they are telling [you*] the same [things] by [the spoken] word.

²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no more burden on you*, except [for] these necessary things: ²⁹to be abstaining from meats sacrificed to idols and from blood and from [anything] strangled and from sexual sin [or, fornication]. From which keeping yourselves, you* will do well.

Farewell!

³⁰So indeed, having been sent off, they went to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹Then having read [it] aloud, they rejoiced over the encouragement. ³²And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers [and sisters] with a lengthy message. ³³So having spent time [there], they were sent away with [a blessing] of peace [or, with a greeting] from the brothers [and sisters] to the apostles. ³⁵But Paul and Barnabas were staying in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the Gospel of the word of the Lord, with many others also.

³⁶Then after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, “Having returned now, we should visit our brothers [and sisters] in every city in which we have preached the word of the Lord, [to see] how they have [it] [fig., how they are doing].” ³⁷And Barnabas decided to take along John, the one being called Mark. ³⁸But Paul was not considering it good to take this [one] along with [them], the one having withdrawn from them at Pamphylia and not having gone with them to the work. [see Acts 13:13]

³⁹So [there] came to be a sharp disagreement, with the result that they were separated from one another, and Barnabas, having taken Mark, sailed away to Cyprus. [cp. 2Tim 4:11; i.e., later Paul and Mark reconciled] ⁴⁰But Paul, having chosen Silas, went out, having been handed over [fig., committed] to the grace of God by the brothers [and sisters]. ⁴¹So he was passing through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.

Scripture taken from the Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament of the Holy Bible: Third Edition.
Copyright © 2007 by Gary F. Zeolla of Darkness to Light ministry (www.zeolla.org/christian).
Previously copyrighted © 1999, 2001, 2005 by Gary F. Zeolla.

The Acts of the Apostles (21-28)

Books and eBooks by Gary F. Zeolla, the Director of Darkness to Light

The above sample passage was posted on this Web site September 17, 2007.

ALT: Sample Passages
Analytical-Literal Translation: Main Page

ALT: Hardcopy and eBook Formats

Text Search Contact Information
Subject Index Alphabetical List of Pages

Darkness to Light Home Page
www.zeolla.org/christian

Click Here for Books and eBooks by Gary F. Zeolla