Acts 15:1–21

DISPUTE IN ANTIOCH

15Some men^ac came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised^ad according to the custom prescribed by Moses,^ae you cannot be saved.” ²After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.^{a 3}When they had been sent on their way by the church,^b they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

⁴When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.^{c 5}But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL

⁶The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. ⁷After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you,^B that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. ⁸And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.^{d 9}He made no distinction between us and them,^e cleansing their hearts by faith.^{f 10}Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks^g that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace^h of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”

¹²The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.^{i 13}After they stopped speaking, James responded, “Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴Simeon^A has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for his name.^{j 15}And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:

¹⁶After these things I will return

and rebuild David’s fallen tent.

I will rebuild its ruins

and set it up again,

¹⁷so that the rest of humanity

may seek the Lord—

even all the Gentiles

who are called by my name—

declares the Lord

who makes these things ¹⁸known from long ago.^BCk

¹⁹Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,^l from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. ²¹For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”^m