Acts 15:6–21

^6oThe ^kapostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. ⁷And after there had been much ^pdebate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, ^qthat by my mouth the Gentiles should hear ^rthe word of ^sthe gospel and believe. ⁸And God, ^twho knows the heart, ^ubore witness to them, ^vby giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹and ^whe made no distinction between us and them, ^xhaving cleansed their hearts ^yby faith. ¹⁰Now, therefore, why ^zare you putting God to the test ^aby placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples ^bthat neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹But we ^cbelieve that we will be ^dsaved through ^ethe grace of the Lord Jesus, ^wjust as they will.”

¹²And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul ^fas they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³After they finished speaking, ^gJames replied, “Brothers, listen to me. ^14hSimeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them ⁱa people for his name. ¹⁵And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

^16j“ ‘After this I will return,

and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;

I will rebuild its ruins,

and I will restore it,

¹⁷that the remnant² of mankind ^kmay seek the Lord,

and all the Gentiles ^lwho are called by my name,

says the Lord, who makes these things ^18mknown from of old.’

¹⁹Therefore ⁿmy judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who ^oturn to God, ²⁰but should write to them ^pto abstain from ^qthe things polluted by idols, and from ^rsexual immorality, and from ^swhat has been strangled, and from ^sblood. ²¹For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, ^tfor he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”