Acts 15:7–21

⁷And after^* there was much debate, Peter stood up and^* said to them, “Men and brothers, you know that in the early days^a God chose among you through my mouth that the Gentiles should hear the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by^* giving them^* the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. ⁹And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰So now why are you putting God to the test by^* placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹But we believe we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same^b way those also are.” ¹²And the whole group became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Men and brothers, listen to me! ¹⁴Simeon has described how God first concerned himself to take from among the Gentiles a people for his name. ¹⁵And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

¹⁶‘After these things I will return

and build up again the tent of David that has fallen,

and the parts of it that had been torn down I will build up again

and will restore it,

¹⁷so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord,

even all the Gentiles^c who are called by my name,^d

says the Lord,^e who makes these things ¹⁸known from of old.’^f

¹⁹Therefore I conclude we should not cause difficulty for those from among the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰but we should write a letter to them to abstain from the pollution of idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and from blood. ²¹For Moses has those who proclaim him in every city from ancient generations, because he^* is read aloud in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”