< Acts 15 >

1 [Then] some [Jewish] believers went down from Judea [province] to Antioch. They started teaching the [non-Jewish] believers [there, and said], “[You] ([must] be circumcised/must have God’s mark put on you) [to indicate you belong to God], as Moses [commanded] in the laws that [he received from God]. If you do not do that, you will not be saved {[God] will not save you}.”
Pea ko e kau tangata niʻihi naʻe ʻalu hifo mei Siutea, ʻo ako ki he kāinga, [ʻo pehē], “Kapau ʻe ʻikai te mou kamu, ʻo fakatatau ki he tuʻutuʻuni ʻa Mōsese, ʻe ʻikai te mou faʻa moʻui.”
2 Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed with those Jews and started arguing [with them. So the believers at Antioch] appointed Paul and Barnabas and some of the other believers to go to Jerusalem, in order that they would/could discuss this matter with the apostles and [other spiritual] leaders.
Pea kuo fai ʻo lahi ʻae fetauʻaki lea mo e fakakikihi ʻa Paula mo Pānepasa mo kinautolu, pea pau honau loto ke ʻalu hake ki Selūsalema ʻa Paula mo Pānepasa, mo honau niʻihi, ki he kau ʻaposetolo mo e mātuʻa, koeʻuhi ko e meʻa ni.
3 After Paul, Barnabas, and the others were given things for their trip by the congregation [at Antioch] {After the congregation [at Antioch] gave Paul, Barnabas, and the others things for their trip}, they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria [provinces. When they stopped at different places in those provinces], they reported [to the believers] that [many] non-Jews [in Antioch] had become believers. As a result, all the believers [in those places] rejoiced greatly.
Pea kuo moimoiʻi ʻakinautolu ʻe he siasi, pea nau ō ʻi Finesi mo Samēlia, ʻonau fakahā ʻae liliu ʻoe Senitaile; pea naʻa nau fakafiefiaʻi ʻo lahi ʻae kāinga kotoa pē.
4 And when Paul, Barnabas, and the others arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the apostles, the [other] elders, and the [other members of the] congregation [there] {the apostles, the [other] elders, and the [other members of the] congregation [there] welcomed them}. Then Paul and Barnabas reported the things that God had enabled them to do [among non-Jewish people].
Pea ʻi heʻenau hoko ki Selūsalema, naʻa nau feʻiloaki mo e siasi mo e kau ʻaposetolo mo e mātuʻa, pea na fakahā kotoa pē ʻae meʻa kuo fai ʻe he ʻOtua ʻiate kinaua.
5 But some of the [Jewish] believers who belonged to the Pharisee sect stood up [among the other believers and] said to them, “The non-Jews [who have believed in Jesus] must be circumcised, and they must be told to obey the laws [that God gave to] Moses.”
Ka naʻe tuʻu hake ʻae niʻihi ʻoku tui ʻi he faʻahinga ʻoe Fālesi, ʻonau pehē, “ʻOku totonu ke kamu ʻakinautolu, mo fekau ke fai ki he fono ʻa Mōsese.”
6 Then the apostles and [the other] elders met together in order to talk about this matter.
Pea naʻe fakataha ʻae kau ʻaposetolo mo e mātuʻa, ke nau fakakaukau ki he meʻa ni.
7 After they had discussed it for a long time, Peter stood up and spoke to them. He said, “Fellow believers, you [all] know that a long time ago God chose me from among you [other apostles, in order that] the non-Jewish people might [also] hear me [SYN] tell [them] the good message [about the Lord Jesus], so that they could hear [it] and believe [in him. So Paul and Barnabas are not the first ones to tell non-Jews about Jesus].
Pea kuo lahi ʻenau alea, pea tuʻu hake ʻa Pita, ʻo ne pehē kiate kinautolu, “ʻAe kau tangata ko e kāinga, ʻoku mou ʻilo kuo fuoloange ʻae fili ʻe he ʻOtua ʻiate kitautolu, ke fanongo ʻi hoku ngutu ʻe he ngaahi Senitaile ki he lea ʻoe ongoongolelei, pea tui.
8 God knows [and judges] people according to what they think, [not according to who their ancestors were]. By sending the Holy Spirit to [the non-Jews], just like [he had] also done for us [(inc)] Jews, he showed [me and others] that he had accepted them [also to be his people].
Pea ko e ʻOtua ʻaia ʻoku ne ʻiloʻi ʻae loto, naʻa ne fakamoʻoni ʻakinautolu, ʻo ne foaki kiate kinautolu ʻae Laumālie Māʻoniʻoni, ʻo hangē ko kitautolu;
9 [God] saved us [Jews] and those [non-Jews] similarly, making them clean spiritually simply as a result of their believing [in the Lord Jesus. That was exactly how he has forgiven us].
Pea naʻe ʻikai fai kehekehe kiate kitautolu mo kinautolu, ʻo ne fakamaʻa honau loto ʻi he tui.
10 [You are wanting to force the non-Jewish believers to obey our Jewish rituals and laws]—laws that God has shown that he does not require them to obey [MET]. [Your doing that is like] putting a heavy burden on them! So then, (stop making God angry by doing that!/why are you making God angry by doing that?) [RHQ] Our ancestors and we [(inc) Jews] have never been able to bear [the burden of obeying those laws]!
Pea ko eni, ko e hā ʻoku mou ʻahiʻahi ai ki he ʻOtua, ke ʻai ki he kia ʻoe kau ākonga ʻae haʻamo, ʻaia naʻe ʻikai ke faʻa kātakiʻi ʻe heʻetau mātuʻa pē ko kitautolu?
11 But we [(inc) know that it is not because] we [(inc) try to obey those laws that God saves us(inc) Jews. On the contrary], we [(inc)] know that it is because of what the Lord Jesus did for us [(inc)] that we did not deserve that we [(inc)] are saved {that [God] saves us} [from the guilt of our sins. God saves non-Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus] exactly like [he saves] us Jews.”
Ka ʻoku tau pehē, ko e meʻa ʻi he ʻaloʻofa pē ʻae ʻEiki ko Sisu Kalaisi, ʻe moʻui ʻakitautolu, ʻo hangē ko kinautolu.”
12 All the people [there] became silent [after Peter had spoken]. Then they [all] listened to Barnabas and Paul, [as the two of] them told about the many great miracles that God had enabled them to do among the non-Jewish people, [miracles that showed that God had accepted the non-Jews].
Pea naʻe toki fakalongo ʻae fakataha kotoa pē, ke fakafanongo ki he fakamatala ʻa Pānepasa mo Paula, ʻae ngaahi mana mo e meʻa fakaofo kuo fai ʻe he ʻOtua ʻiate kinaua ki he ngaahi Senitaile.
13 When Barnabas and Paul had finished speaking, James, [the leader of the group of believers there in Jerusalem], spoke to all of them. [He said], “Fellow believers, listen to me.
Pea ʻi he tuku ʻena fakamatala, naʻe lea ʻa Semisi, ʻo pehē, “ʻAe kau tangata mo e kāinga, fanongo mai kiate au:
14 Simon [Peter] has told you how God previously blessed the non-Jews. God did that by choosing from among them a people who would belong to him [MTY].
Kuo fakahā ʻe Saimone ʻae muʻaki ʻaʻahi ʻae ʻOtua ki he kakai Senitaile, ke ne maʻu ʻiate kinautolu ha kakai koeʻuhi ko hono huafa.
15 [These] words that [God spoke], words that were written by [one of] the prophets {that one of the prophets wrote} [long ago], agree with that:
Pea ʻoku tatau mo ia ʻae lea ʻae kau palōfita; ʻo hangē ko ia kuo tohi,
16 Later on I will return and I will re-establish the kingdom [MET] that David [ruled] and that has been {that [people] have} destroyed. My [doing that will be like] rebuilding [a house] that has been {that [people] have} torn down.
‘Pea hili ia te u liliu mai, ʻo toe langa ʻae fale fehikitaki ʻo Tevita, ʻaia kuo hinga; pea te u toe langa hono potu naʻe maumau, pea te u fokotuʻu ia:
17 I will do that in order that all other people might seek [me], the Lord [God. I will do that in order that] all the non-Jews whom I have called [to belong] to me [MTY] might seek me. [You can be certain that this will happen because I] the Lord [God], who will do those things, have spoken [these words].
Koeʻuhi ke kumi ki he ʻEiki ʻae kakai ʻoku toe, pea mo e Senitaile kotoa pē, ʻoku takua ki ai hoku hingoa, ʻoku pehē ʻe he ʻEiki, ʻaia ʻoku ne fai ʻae meʻa ni kotoa pē.
18 I [caused my people to know about them] long ago.” (aiōn g165)
‌ʻOku ʻilo ʻe he ʻOtua ʻene ngāue kotoa pē talu mei he kamataʻanga ʻo māmani.’ (aiōn g165)
19 [James continued by saying], “Therefore I have decided [that we(inc)] should stop bothering the non-Jewish people who are turning [away from their sins and turning] to God. [That is, we should stop demanding that they obey] all [our laws] and rituals.
“Pea ko eni, ko hoku loto, ke ʻoua naʻa tau fakamamahiʻi ʻakinautolu kuo fakatafoki ki he ʻOtua mei he ngaahi Senitaile:
20 Instead, we should write [a letter] to them [requiring only four things: They should] not eat [meat/food that people] have offered to idols, they should not have sex with someone to whom they are not married, they should not [eat meat from animals that have been killed by] being strangled {[people have strangled]}, and [they should not eat] the blood [of animals].
Ka ke tau tohi kiate kinautolu, ke nau fakamamaʻo mei he fakalielia ʻoe ngaahi tamapua, mo e feʻauaki, mo e meʻa kuo sisina, mo e toto.
21 In many cities, for a very long time people have been proclaiming [the laws that] Moses [wrote] [MTY], [laws prohibiting those things]. And every (Sabbath/Jewish day of rest) [those laws] are read {someone reads [those laws]} in the Jewish meeting places. [So if the non-Jews want to know more about those laws, they can find out in our meeting houses].”
He ʻoku ai ʻi he kolo kotoa pē, talu mei muʻa, ʻakinautolu ʻoku malangaʻaki ʻa Mōsese, pea nau lau ia ʻi he ngaahi falelotu ʻi he ʻaho Sāpate kotoa pē.”
22 The apostles and the [other] elders, along with all the [other] members of the congregation, accepted [what James had said]. Then they decided that they should choose men from among themselves and that they should send them, along with Paul and Barnabas, to Antioch, to [let the believers there know what the leaders] at Jerusalem had decided. So they chose Judas, who was also called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders among the believers [at Jerusalem].
Pea naʻe lelei ki he kau ʻaposetolo mo e mātuʻa, pea mo e siasi kotoa pē, ke fili meiate kinautolu mo fekau atu ha ongo tangata, ke nau ō mo Paula mo Pānepasa ki ʻAniteoke; ko Siutasi ʻoku hingoa ko Pasapa, mo Sailosi, ko e ongo tangata takimuʻa ʻi he kāinga:
23 Then they wrote the following letter [that they asked Judas and Silas to take to the believers at Antioch]: “[We(exc)] apostles and [other] leaders who are your fellow believers [send our greetings to you as we write this to you] non-Jewish believers [who live] in Antioch and [other places in] Syria and Cilicia [provinces].
Pea naʻa nau fai ʻae tohi ke nau ʻave; ʻo pehē, “Ko e kau ʻaposetolo mo e mātuʻa pea mo e kāinga, ʻoku mau ʻofa atu ki he kāinga Senitaile ʻi ʻAniteoke mo Silia mo Silisia:
24 People have told us that some men from among us went [to you], although we had not told [them to do that]. They troubled/distressed you [SYN] [by telling you things] that confused your thinking.
Ko e meʻa ʻi heʻemau fanongo kuo fakamamahiʻi ʻakimoutolu ʻaki ʻae ngaahi lea, pea fakamaveuveuʻi homou loto, ʻe ha niʻihi, naʻe ʻalu atu ʻiate kimautolu, ʻi heʻenau pehē, Ke mou kamu, mo fai ki he fono: ka naʻe ʻikai te mau fekau kiate kinautolu:
25 So [while we(exc) met together here], we decided to choose some men and ask them to go to you, along with Barnabas and Paul, whom we [(exc)] love very much.
Kuo hā lelei kiate kimautolu, ʻi heʻemau fakataha ʻo loto taha, ke fekau atu kiate kimoutolu ʻae ongo tangata kuo fili, mo homau [kāinga ]ʻofeina ko Pānepasa mo Paula,
26 Those two have put their lives in danger because of their [serving] our Lord [MTY] Jesus Christ.
Ko e ongo tangata kuo na liʻaki ʻena moʻui koeʻuhi ko e huafa ʻo hotau ʻEiki ko Sisu Kalaisi.
27 We [(exc) have also chosen] Judas and Silas to go to you. They will tell you the same things [that we are writing].
Ko ia kuo mau fekau atu ai ʻa Siutasi mo Sailosi, pea ʻe fakamatala foki ʻekinaua ʻae ngaahi meʻa ni.
28 The Holy Spirit and [also] we decided that you should not be required {that we should not require you} to obey a lot of burdensome [Jewish] laws. Instead, [we] only [require you to obey] the following instructions,
Naʻe lelei ki he Laumālie Māʻoniʻoni, pea mo kimautolu, ke ʻoua naʻa ai ha kavenga mamafa kiate kimoutolu, ka ko e ngaahi meʻa totonu ni;
29 You should not eat food that people have sacrificed to idols. You should not eat blood from animals, and you should not eat meat from animals that people have killed by strangling them. Also, you should not have sex with someone to whom you are not married. Those things [especially offend Jewish believers. So if] you avoid doing them, you will be doing what is right. That is all.”
Ke mou fakamamaʻo mei he meʻakai kuo feilaulau ʻaki ki he ngaahi tamapua, pea mei he toto, mo e meʻa kuo sisina, pea mo e feʻauaki; ʻaia ka mou ka mavahe ʻakimoutolu mei ai, te mou lelei. Siʻotoʻofa atu kiate kimoutolu.”
30 The [four] men whom [they] had chosen went [from Jerusalem] to Antioch [city. When] all the believers [there] had assembled together, [Judas and Silas] gave the letter to them.
Pea kuo nau māvae, pea nau fononga ki ʻAniteoke: pea kuo nau fakataha ai ʻae kakai, naʻa nau tuku ʻae tohi [kiate kinautolu].
31 When the believers there read the letter, they rejoiced, [because its message] encouraged them.
Pea hili ʻenau lau ia, naʻa nau fiefia koeʻuhi ko e fakafiemālie.
32 [Just like Paul and Barnabas were] ([prophets/men who spoke messages from God]), Judas and Silas were also prophets. They spoke for a long time and encouraged the believers [there], and helped them to trust more strongly [in the Lord Jesus].
Pea naʻe ako ʻi he ngaahi lea lahi, mo tokoni ki he kāinga, ʻe Siutasi mo Sailosi, he ko e ongo palōfita foki ʻakinaua.
33 After [Judas and Silas] had stayed in Antioch for some time [and were ready to return to Jerusalem], the believers [there] wished them well, and the believers [prayed that God] would protect [them as they traveled. So the two men] started to go back to the leaders [in Jerusalem] who had asked them to go [to Antioch].
Pea hili ʻenau nofo ai ʻo fuoloa siʻi, naʻe tuku fiemālie atu ʻakinautolu mei he kāinga, [ke ō ]ki he kau ʻaposetolo.
Ka naʻe loto ʻa Sailosi ke nofo ai pe ia.
35 However, Paul and Barnabas continued to stay in Antioch. [While they were there], they, along with many others, were teaching [people] and preaching to them the message about the Lord [Jesus].
Pea naʻe nofo ʻa Paula mo Pānepasa ʻi ʻAniteoke, ʻo ako mo malangaʻaki ʻae folofola ʻae ʻEiki, pea mo e tokolahi kehe.
36 After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the fellow believers in every city where we [previously] proclaimed the message about the Lord [Jesus. In that way, we will know] how [well] they are continuing [to believe in the Lord Jesus].”
Pea hili ʻae ʻaho niʻihi, naʻe pehē ʻe Paula kia Pānepasa, “Ke ta toe ō, ʻo ʻaʻahi ki hota kāinga ʻi he kolo kotoa pē, naʻa ta malangaʻaki ai ʻae folofola ʻae ʻEiki, pē ʻoku nau fēfē.”
37 Barnabas [agreed with Paul, and said that he] wanted to take John, whose other name was Mark, along with them [again].
Pea naʻe loto ʻa Pānepasa ke na ʻave ʻa Sione, ʻoku hingoa ko Maʻake.
38 However, Paul [told Barnabas that he] thought that it would not be good to take Mark [with them, because] Mark had deserted them when they were previously in Pamphylia [region], and had not continued to work with them.
Ka naʻe ʻikai lelei kia Paula ke na ʻave ia, ʻaia naʻa ne liaki ʻakinaua ʻi Pamifilia, pea naʻe ʻikai ʻalu mo kinaua ki he ngāue.
39 Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed [with each other about that], so they separated. Barnabas took Mark [along with him and they got] on a ship and went to Cyprus.
Pea ʻi heʻena kikihi ʻo lahi, naʻa na māvae: pea naʻe ʻave ʻe Pānepasa ʻa Maʻake, ʻo na folau ki Saipalo;
40 Paul chose Silas, [who had returned to Antioch, to work with him]. The believers [there] asked the Lord [God] to graciously help [Paul and Silas. Then] the two of them departed [from Antioch].
Pea naʻe fili ʻe Paula ʻa Sailosi, pea na ō, kuo hūfia ʻe he kāinga ʻakinaua ki he ʻaloʻofa ʻae ʻOtua.
41 Paul continued traveling [with Silas] through Syria and Cilicia [provinces]. In those places he was helping the congregations to trust strongly [in the Lord Jesus].
Pea naʻe ʻalu ia ʻi Silia mo Silisia, ʻo ne tokoniʻi ʻae ngaahi siasi.

< Acts 15 >