1THEN AFTER FOURTEEN YEARS AGAIN I WENT UP TO JERUSALEM WITH BARNABAS HAVING TAKEN WITH [ME] ALSO TITUS; The Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:5–21) 1Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
2I WENT UP NOW ACCORDING TO A REVELATION AND SET BEFORE THEM THE GOSPEL THAT I PROCLAIM AMONG THE GENTILES — APART PRIVATELY HOWEVER TO THOSE ESTEEMED — LEST PERHAPS IN VAIN I MAY BE RUNNING OR HAVE RUN. 2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders, for fear that I was running or had already run in vain.
3BUT NOT EVEN TITUS WHO [WAS] WITH ME MYSELF, A GREEK BEING, WAS COMPELLED TO BE CIRCUMCISED; 3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
4BECAUSE OF EVEN THE BROUGHT IN SECRETLY FALSE BROTHERS, WHO CAME IN BY STEALTH TO SPY OUT THE FREEDOM OF US WHICH WE HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS, THAT US THEY WILL ENSLAVE, 4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
5TO WHOM NOT EVEN FOR AN HOUR DID WE YIELD <THE> IN SUBJECTION, SO THAT THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL MAY CONTINUE WITH YOU. 5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
6OF NOW THOSE ESTEEMED TO BE SOMETHING — WHATSOEVER FORMERLY THEY WERE NO [THING] TO ME MAKES A DIFFERENCE; [THE] FACE <THE> GOD OF A MAN NOT DOES TAKE [ACCOUNT OF]; TO ME MYSELF FOR THE ESTEEMED NO [THING] ADDED, 6But as for the highly esteemed whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism*NoteCloseLiterally God does not accept the face of man — those leaders added nothing to me.
7BUT ON THE CONTRARY, HAVING SEEN THAT I HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE GOSPEL OF THE UNCIRCUMCISION EVEN AS PETER [WITH THAT] OF THE CIRCUMCISION 7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
8THE [ONE] FOR HAVING WORKED IN PETER FOR APOSTLESHIP OF THE CIRCUMCISION DID ALSO IN ME MYSELF TOWARD THE GENTILES — 8For the One who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles.
9AND HAVING KNOWN THE GRACE WHICH HAVING BEEN GIVEN TO ME, JAMES AND CEPHAS AND JOHN, THOSE ESTEEMED PILLARS TO BE, [THE] RIGHT HANDS GAVE TO ME MYSELF AND TO BARNABAS OF FELLOWSHIP, THAT WE OURSELVES [SHOULD GO] INDEED TO THE GENTILES, THEY HOWEVER TO THE CIRCUMCISION, 9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James Cephas,*NoteCloseThat is, Peter; also in verses 11 and 14 and John— those reputed to be pillars— gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
10ONLY [THEY ASKED] THE POOR THAT WE MAY REMEMBER; THAT ALSO I WAS EAGER [THE] SAME THING TO DO. 10They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
11WHEN HOWEVER CAME PETER TO ANTIOCH, TO FACE HIS I OPPOSED [HIM], BECAUSE CONDEMNED HE WAS STANDING. Paul Confronts Cephas 11When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12BEFORE <THE> FOR TO COME CERTAIN ONES FROM JAMES WITH THE GENTILES HE WAS EATING; WHEN HOWEVER THEY CAME, HE WAS DRAWING BACK AND HE WAS SEPARATING HIMSELF BEING AFRAID OF THOSE OF [THE] CIRCUMCISION; 12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.
13AND ACTED HYPOCRITICALLY WITH HIM ALSO THE REST OF [THE] JEWS SO THAT EVEN BARNABAS WAS CARRIED AWAY OF THEM BY THE HYPOCRISY. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
14BUT WHEN I SAW THAT NOT THEY ARE WALKING UPRIGHTLY ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL, I SAID <THE> TO PETER BEFORE ALL; IF YOU YOURSELF A JEW BEING LIKE A GENTILE AND NOT LIKE A JEW LIVE, WHY THE GENTILES DO YOU COMPEL TO JUDAIZE? 14When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”*NoteCloseSome translators close this quotation after verse 16 or 21.
15WE OURSELVES BY BIRTH JEWS AND NOT OF [THE] GENTILES SINNERS; 15We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile “sinners”
16KNOWING THEN THAT NOT IS JUSTIFIED A MAN BY WORKS OF LAW ONLY EXCEPT THROUGH FAITH FROM JESUS CHRIST EVEN WE OURSELVES IN CHRIST JESUS BELIEVED, THAT WE MAY BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH FROM CHRIST AND NOT BY WORKS OF THE LAW; SINCE BY WORKS OF THE LAW NOT WILL BE JUSTIFIED ANY FLESH. 16know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17IF HOWEVER SEEKING TO BE JUSTIFIED IN CHRIST HAVE BEEN FOUND ALSO WE OURSELVES SINNERS, SURELY NOT [IS] CHRIST OF SIN A MINISTER? NEVER WOULD IT BE! 17But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!
18IF FOR THAT I HAD TORN DOWN, THESE THINGS AGAIN I BUILD, A TRANSGRESSOR MYSELF I PROVE; 18If I rebuild what I have already torn down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker.
19I MYSELF FOR THROUGH [THE] LAW TO [THE] LAW DIED, THAT TO GOD I MAY LIVE. [20] TO CHRIST I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH; 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.
20I LIVE NOW NO LONGER I MYSELF, LIVES HOWEVER IN ME MYSELF CHRIST; THAT WHICH THEN NOW I LIVE IN [THE] FLESH, THROUGH FAITH I LIVE THAT FROM THE SON <THE> OF GOD AND CHRIST THE [ONE WHO] HAVING LOVED ME AND HAVING GIVEN UP HIMSELF FOR ME. 20I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21NOT I DO SET ASIDE THE GRACE <THE> OF GOD; IF FOR THROUGH [THE] LAW RIGHTEOUSNESS [IS], THEN CHRIST FOR NAUGHT DIED. 21I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.