Acts 15:1-18

¹Now certain men came down from Judaea, teaching the brothers and saying that without circumcision, after the rule of Moses, there is no salvation.

²And after Paul and Barnabas had had no little argument and discussion with them, the brothers made a decision to send Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them to the Apostles and the rulers of the church at Jerusalem about this question.

³So they, being sent on their way by the church, went through Phoenicia and Samaria, giving news of the salvation of the Gentiles, to the great joy of all the brothers.

⁴And when they came to Jerusalem, they had a meeting with the church and the Apostles and the rulers, and they gave an account of all the things which God had done through them.

⁵But some of the Pharisees, who were of the faith, got up and said, It is necessary for these to have circumcision and to keep the law of Moses.

⁶And the Apostles and the rulers of the church came together and gave thought to the question.

⁷And when there had been much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, My brothers, you have knowledge that some time back it was God's pleasure that by my mouth the good news might be given to the Gentiles so that they might have faith.

⁸And God, the searcher of hearts, was a witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit even as he did to us;

⁹Making no division between them and us, but making clean their hearts by faith.

¹⁰Why then are you testing God, by putting on the neck of the disciples a yoke so hard that not even our fathers or we were strong enough for it?

¹¹But we have faith that we will get salvation through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way as they.

¹²And all the people were quiet while Barnabas and Paul gave an account of the signs and wonders which God had done among the Gentiles by them.

¹³And when they had come to an end, James, answering, said, My brothers, give ear to me:

¹⁴Symeon has given an account of how God was first pleased to take from among the Gentiles a people for himself.

¹⁵And this is in agreement with the words of the prophets, as it is said,

¹⁶After these things I will come back, and will put up the tent of David which has been broken down, building up again its broken parts and making it complete:

¹⁷So that the rest of men may make search for the Lord, and all the Gentiles on whom my name is named,

¹⁸Says the Lord, who has made these things clear from the earliest times.