Thematic Bible: Council


Thematic Bible



And Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your advice. What shall we do?

And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Please let me choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight. And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and I will make him tremble. And all the people with him will flee. And I will strike the king by himself. And I will bring back all the people to you, when all return, except the man whom you are seeking. All the people shall be in peace. read more.
And the saying pleased Absalom very much, and all the elders of Israel. And Absalom said, Please call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what is in his mouth. And Hushai came in to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him saying, Ahithophel has spoken in this way. Shall we do his word? If not, you speak. And Hushai said to Absalom, The advice which Ahithophel has given is not good at this time. For, Hushai said, you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are bitter of soul, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not stay the night with the people. Behold, he is hidden now in some pit, or in one of the places. And it shall be, at the falling among them at the first, whoever hears will say, There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom. And also he, the son of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and they who are with him are mighty men. Therefore I advise that all Israel be generally gathered to you, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude. And you yourself shall go into battle. And we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him like the dew falls upon the ground. And of all the men that are with him, not even one shall be left. And if he has gotten into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river until there is not one small stone found there. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Jehovah had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Jehovah might bring evil on Absalom. And Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, This and this Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this and this I have advised.


And certain ones who came down from Judea taught the brothers, saying, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore dissension and not a little disputation occurring by Paul and Barnabas, they appointed Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. And indeed being set forward by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the nations. And they caused great joy to all the brothers. read more.
And arriving in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, and by the apostles and elders. And they declared all things that God had done with them. But some of those from the sect of the Pharisees, having believed, rose up, saying, It was necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses. And the apostles and elders were assembled to see about this matter. And after much disputing, Peter rose up and said to them, Men, brothers, you recognize that from ancient days God chose among us that through my mouth the nations should hear the Word of the gospel, and believe. And God, who knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit even as to us. And He put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you tempt God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, a yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, according to which manner they also believed. And all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring what miracles and wonders God had worked among the nations through them. And after they were silent, James answered, saying, Men, brothers, listen to me. Even as Simon has declared how God at the first visited the nations to take out of them a people for His name. And the words of the Prophets agree to this; as it is written, "After this I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen down; and I will build again its ruins, and I will set it up, so those men who are left might seek after the Lord, and all the nations on whom My name has been called, says the Lord, who does all these things." All His works are known to God from eternity. Therefore my judgment is that we do not trouble those who have turned to God from among the nations, but that we write to them that they should abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses from ages past has those in every city proclaiming him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men from them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; Judas, whose last name was Barsabas; and Silas, chief men among the brothers. And they wrote these things by their hand: The apostles and elders and brothers send greeting to the brothers, from the nations in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Because we have heard that certain ones who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, Be circumcised and keep the law! (to whom we gave no such command); it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will also announce to you the same things by word. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.