Acts 15:4-22

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were heartily welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they told them all that God had accomplished through them.

⁵ But some who believed [who ^[a]acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him] belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and they rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise [the Gentile converts] and to charge them to obey the Law of Moses.

⁶ The apostles and the elders were assembled together to look into and consider this matter.

⁷ And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice or selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the ^[b]attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it).

⁸ And God, Who is acquainted with and understands the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit as He also did to us;

⁹ And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith (^[c]by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God).

¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as neither our forefathers nor we [ourselves] were able to endure?

¹¹ But we believe that we are saved through the grace (the undeserved favor and mercy) of the Lord Jesus, just as they [are].

¹² Then the whole assembly remained silent, and they listened [attentively] as Barnabas and Paul rehearsed what signs and wonders God had performed through them among the Gentiles.

¹³ When they had finished talking, James replied, Brethren, listen to me.

¹⁴ Simeon [Peter] has rehearsed how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people [to bear and honor] His name.

¹⁵ And with this the predictions of the prophets agree, as it is written,

¹⁶ After this I will come back, and will rebuild the house of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its [very] ruins, and I will set it up again,

¹⁷ So that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom My name has been invoked,

¹⁸ Says the Lord, Who has been making these things known from the beginning of the world.^(A)

¹⁹ Therefore it is my opinion that we should not put obstacles in the way of and annoy and disturb those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

²⁰ But we should send word to them in writing to abstain from and avoid anything that has been polluted by being offered to idols, and all sexual impurity, and [eating meat of animals] that have been strangled, and [tasting of] blood.

²¹ For from ancient generations Moses has had his preachers in every town, for he is read [aloud] every Sabbath in the synagogues.

²² Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, resolved to select men from among their number and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, [both] leading men among the brethren, and sent them.