Acts 15:13

New King James Version

And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers and sisters, listen to me.

King James Version (1611)
And after they had helde their peace, Iames answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken vnto me.

King James Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

English Standard Version
After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

New American Standard Bible
After they stopped speaking, James responded, saying, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Century Version
After they finished speaking, James said, "Brothers, listen to me.

Amplified Bible
When they had finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brothers, listen to me.

Berean Standard Bible
When they had finished speaking, James declared, "Brothers, listen to me!

Contemporary English Version
After they had finished speaking, James said: My friends, listen to me!

Complete Jewish Bible
Ya‘akov broke the silence to reply. "Brothers," he said, "hear what I have to say.

Darby Translation
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me:

Easy-to-Read Version
When they finished speaking, James said, "My brothers, listen to me.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when they helde their peace, Iames answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken vnto me.

George Lamsa Translation
And when they had ceased speaking, James rose up and said, Men and brethren, hear me:

Good News Translation
When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends!

Lexham English Bible
And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Men and brothers, listen to me!

Literal Translation
And after they were silent, James responded, saying, Men, brothers, hear me:

American Standard Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken unto me:

Bible in Basic English
And when they had come to an end, James, answering, said, My brothers, give ear to me:

Hebrew Names Version
After they were silent, Ya`akov answered, "Brothers, listen to me.

International Standard Version
After they had finished speaking, James responded by saying, "Brothers, listen to me.Acts 12:17;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
AND after they were silent, Jakub arose, and said, Men, brethren, hear me:

Murdock Translation
And after they ceased, James arose and said: Men, brethren, hearken to me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when they helde their peace, Iames aunswered, saying: Men and brethren, hearken vnto me.

English Revised Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken unto me:

World English Bible
After they were silent, James answered, "Brothers, listen to me.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And when they held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken to me.

Weymouth's New Testament
When they had finished speaking, James said, "Brethren, listen to me.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And aftir that thei helden pees, James answeride, and seide, Britheren, here ye me.

Update Bible Version
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men, brothers, listen to me:

Webster's Bible Translation
And after they held their peace, James answered, saying, Men, brethren, hearken to me.

New English Translation
After they stopped speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Living Translation
When they had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Life Bible
When they finished speaking, James said, "Brothers, listen to me.

New Revised Standard
After they finished speaking, James replied, "My brothers, listen to me.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, after they held their peace, James answered, saying - Brethren! hearken unto me.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying: Men, brethren, hear me.

Revised Standard Version
After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brethren, listen to me.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And when they helde their peace Iames answered sayinge: Men and brethren herken vnto me.

Young's Literal Translation
and after they are silent, James answered, saying, `Men, brethren, hearken to me;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Afterwarde whan they helde their peace, Iames answered, and sayde: Ye men and brethren, herke vnto me,

Mace New Testament (1729)
After they had done speaking, James assum'd the discourse, and said, my brethren, give me your attention.

Simplified Cowboy Version
When they were done, Jesus's brother James stood up and said, "Listen to me, boys.

Contextual Overview

⁶ Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. ⁷ And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ⁹ and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [fn] we shall be saved in the same manner as they." ¹² Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: ¹⁴ Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. ¹⁵ And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

after: 1 Corinthians 14:30-33, James 1:19

James: Acts 12:17, Acts 21:18, Mark 15:40, Galatians 1:19, Galatians 2:9, Galatians 2:12, James 1:1

Men: Acts 2:14, Acts 2:22, Acts 2:29, Acts 7:2, Acts 22:1

Reciprocal: Matthew 10:3 - James Mark 3:18 - James Luke 6:15 - James Acts 1:13 - James Acts 1:16 - Men

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
Hebrews 11:8-10">[xr] After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

Genesis 15:2
But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Genesis 15:6
And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:7
Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it."

Genesis 15:8
And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"

Genesis 15:11
And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Genesis 15:12
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.

Genesis 15:13
Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

Genesis 17:8
Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

Exodus 1:11
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And after they had held their peace,.... Meaning not the multitude, but Paul and Barnabas; when they had finished their account, and had done speaking:

James answered; or rose up, as the Syriac version reads, he stood up and began to speak. This was James the son of Alphaeus, one of the twelve apostles, sometimes called the brother of the Lord; for the other James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, was dead, being killed by Herod, Acts 12:2 but this was the brother of Jude, and the same that wrote the epistle that bears his name: whether he was now bishop or pastor of the church at Jerusalem, is not certain; nor whether he was president in this council; the speeches made in it do not appear to be directed to him: he began his oration thus,

saying, men and brethren, hearken to me; the titles he uses, and the manner of desiring audience, were what were common with the Jews; see Acts 2:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

James answered - James the Less, son of Alpheus. See the notes on Acts 12:1.

Hearken unto me - This whole transaction shows that Peter had no such authority in the church as the papists pretend, for otherwise his opinion would have been followed without debate. James had an authority not less than that of Peter. It is possible that he might have been next in age (compare 1 Corinthians 15:7); and it seems morally certain that he remained for a considerable part of his life in Jerusalem, Acts 12:17; Acts 21:18; Galatians 1:19; Galatians 2:9, Galatians 2:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 15:13. James answered — He was evidently president of the council, and is generally called bishop of Jerusalem. The rest either argued on the subject, or gave their opinion; James alone pronounced the definitive sentence. Had Peter been prince and head of the apostles, and of the Church, he would have appeared here in the character of judge, not of mere counsellor or disputant. Thy popish writers say that "James presided because the council was held in his own church." These men forget that there was not then what they term a Church on the face of the earth. The Church, or assembly of believers, then met in private houses; for there was no building for the exclusive purpose of Christian worship then, nor till long after. These writers also forget that the pope pretends to be the head of the catholic or universal Church; and, consequently, no man can preside where he is present, but himself. Peter did not preside here; and this was the first ecclesiastical council, and now, if ever, he should have assumed his character of prince and chief; but he did not; nor did any of the other apostles invite him to it, which they would have done had they thought that Jesus Christ constituted him head of the Church. From this very circumstance there is the most demonstrative evidence that Peter was no pope, and that the right of his pretended successor is a nonentity.