Acts 15:6–21

⁶The apostles and the elders met together to consider this question. ^7*After a long debate Peter stood up and said, “My brothers and sisters, you know that a long time ago God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, so that they could hear and believe. ^8*And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us. ⁹He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed. ¹⁰So then, why do you now want to put God to the test by laying a load on the backs of the believers which neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry? ¹¹No! We believe and are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”

¹²The whole group was silent as they heard Barnabas and Paul report all the miracles and wonders that God had performed through them among the Gentiles. ¹³When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: “Listen to me, my brothers and sisters! ¹⁴Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him. ¹⁵The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says:

^16*‘After this I will return, says the Lord,

and restore the kingdom of David.

I will rebuild its ruins

and make it strong again.

^17*And so all the rest of the human race will come to me,

all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own.

^18*So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.’

¹⁹“It is my opinion,” James went on, “that we should not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God. ^20*Instead, we should write a letter telling them not to eat any food that is ritually unclean because it has been offered to idols; to keep themselves from sexual immorality; and not to eat any animal that has been strangled, or any blood. ²¹For the Law of Moses has been read for a very long time in the synagogues every Sabbath, and his words are preached in every town.”