Acts 15:12–22

¹²The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^e God had done among the Gentiles through them.^{f 13}When they finished, James^g spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴Simon^a has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^{h 15}The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶“ ‘After this I will return

and rebuild David’s fallen tent.

Its ruins I will rebuild,

and I will restore it,

¹⁷that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,

even all the Gentiles who bear my name,

says the Lord, who does these things’^bi—

¹⁸things known from long ago.^cj

¹⁹“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^k from sexual immorality,^l from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^{m 21}For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”ⁿ

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

²²Then the apostles and elders,^o with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch^p with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas,^q men who were leaders among the believers.