Sabor u Jeruzalemu
1Dok su Pavao i Barnaba bili u sirijskoj Antiohiji, dođu neki ljudi iz Judeje te počnu poučavati kršćane: “Ako se ne obrežete prema starome židovskom običaju kojemu vas je poučio Mojsije, ne možete se spasiti.” 2Pavao i Barnaba suprotstave se te nastane velika prepirka i uvelike se raspravljalo. Na koncu Pavao i Barnaba s nekolicinom tamošnjih vjernika odu u Jeruzalem da o tomu razgovaraju s apostolima i starješinama. 3Crkva ih dakle pošalje na put. Prolazeći kroz Feniciju i Samariju, braći su, na njihovu veliku radost, pripovijedali o obraćenju pogana.
4Kad su stigli u Jeruzalem, Crkva, apostoli i starješine lijepo ih dočekaju. Oni im ispripovijedaju što je sve Bog kroz njih učinio. 5Ali ustanu neki koji su prije obraćenja bili u farizejskoj sljedbi i kažu: “Treba ih obrezati i zapovjediti im da se drže Mojsijeva zakona!”
6Sastanu se dakle apostoli i starješine da to razmotre. 7Nakon dugačke rasprave Petar ustane i reče im: “Braćo, vi znate da me je Bog prije mnogo vremena izabrao između vas da propovijedam poganima Radosnu vijest i da oni uzvjeruju. 8Bog koji zna ljudska srca potvrdio je da prihvaća pogane darujući im Svetoga Duha, baš kao što ga je i nama dao. 9Nikakve razlike nije pravio između nas i njih—i njihova je srca očistio vjerom. 10Zašto onda sad iskušavate Boga tovareći na vjernike poganskoga podrijetla jaram koji ni mi ni naši preci nismo mogli nositi? 11Vjerujemo, naprotiv, da se svi spašavamo milošću našega Gospodina Isusa Krista.”
12Nato svi ušute. Slušali su Barnabu i Pavla koji su pripovijedali o čudesima i znacima koje je Bog kroz njih učinio među poganima.
13Kad su sve ispričali, Jakov reče: “Braćo, poslušajte me! 14Petar15:14 U grčkome: Šimun. vam je ispričao kako je Bog prvi put pohodio pogane da neke od njih pripoji svojemu narodu. 15A obraćenje pogana u skladu je s proroštvima. U Svetome pismu piše:
16‘Poslije ću se vratiti
i obnoviti Davidov srušeni šator.
Podignut ću ga iz ruševina
i obnoviti
17da i ostali ljudi potraže Gospodina—
i pogani koje sam pozvao da budu moji.
Tako govori Gospodin,
18koji je to odavna obznanio.’15:16-18 Amos 9:11-12; Izaija 45:21.
19Zato smatram da ne treba dodijavati poganima koji se obrate Bogu, 20nego im reći da ne jedu meso žrtvovano idolima, meso udavljenih životinja i krv te da se suzdržavaju od bluda. 21Jer ti se Mojsijevi zakoni odavna propovijedaju u židovskim sinagogama po svim gradovima svake subote.”
Pismo vjernika poganskog podrijetla
22Zatim apostoli i starješine skupa s cijelom Crkvom odluče između sebe izabrati nekolicinu i poslati ih s Pavlom i Barnabom u sirijsku Antiohiju da izvijeste o toj odluci. Izaberu za to crkvene starješine: Judu zvanog Barsaba i Silu. 23Po njima pošalju ovo pismo:
Ovo je pismo od apostola i starješina, vaše braće iz Jeruzalema. Upućeno je vjernicima poganskoga podrijetla u Antiohiji, Siriji i Ciliciji. Pozdravljamo vas!
24Čujemo da su vas neki ljudi zbunili i uznemirili svojim učenjem. Ali to su učinili bez našega naloga. 25Odlučili smo zato jednodušno izabrati nekolicinu ljudi i poslati ih k vama skupa s ljubljenom braćom Barnabom i Pavlom, 26koji su svoje živote izložili pogibli zbog imena našega Gospodina Isusa Krista. 27Šaljemo vam zato Judu i Silu da vam kažu što smo odlučili. 28Sveti Duh i mi odlučili smo ne nametati vam nikakav nepotreban teret. Trebate se samo 29uzdržavati od mesa žrtvovanoga idolima, mesa udavljenih životinja i krvi te od bluda. Budete li tako činili, bit će dobro.
Pozdravljamo vas.
30Četvorica glasnika pozdrave se dakle s njima i odu u Antiohiju. Ondje sazovu svu Crkvu i predaju im pismo. 31Kad su ga pročitali, svi se ohrabre i razvesele. 32Juda i Sila, i sami proroci, mnogo su govorili braći ohrabrujući ih i utvrđujući njihovu vjeru. 33Ostali su ondje neko vrijeme, a onda se s mirom vratili onima koji su ih poslali. 35A Pavao i Barnaba ostanu u Antiohiji te su s mnogim drugima navješćivali i poučavali riječ Gospodnju.
Pavao i Barnaba kreću svaki svojim putem
36Nakon nekog vremena Pavao predloži Barnabi: “Vratimo se posjetiti braću u svim gradovima u kojima smo navješćivali Riječ Gospodnju da vidimo kako su novi obraćenici.” 37Barnaba pristane. Htio je povesti i Ivana Marka. 38Ali Pavao nije smatrao da bi bilo dobro povesti sa sobom Ivana Marka, koji ih je u Pamfiliji napustio i nije dovršio započeto djelo. 39Njihovo je neslaganje bilo tako žestoko da su se razdvojili. Barnaba je s Ivanom Markom otplovio na Cipar, 40a Pavao sebi za suputnika izabrao Silu te su ih braća ispratila povjerivši ih milosti Gospodnjoj. 41Proputovali su Siriju i Ciliciju utvrđujući crkve.
The council at Jerusalem
1Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’ 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.’
6The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles should hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’
12The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13When they finished, James spoke up. ‘Brothers,’ he said, ‘listen to me. 14Simon15:14 Greek Simeon, a variant of Simon; that is, Peter has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16‘ “After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things”15:17 Amos 9:11,12 (see Septuagint) –
18things known from long ago.15:17,18 Some manuscripts things’ – / 18 the Lord’s work is known to him from long ago
19‘It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead 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. 21For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.’
The council’s letter to Gentile believers
22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23With them they sent the following letter:
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorisation and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul – 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
30So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. 3415:34 Some manuscripts include here But Silas decided to remain there. 35But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Disagreement between Paul and Barnabas
36Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ 37Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
