Acts 15:6-21

6 aThe bapostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7And after there had been much cdebate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, dthat by my mouth the Gentiles should hear ethe word of fthe gospel and believe. 8And God, gwho knows the heart, hbore witness to them, iby giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9and jhe made no distinction between us and them, khaving cleansed their hearts lby faith. 10Now, therefore, why mare you putting God to the test nby placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples othat neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11But we pbelieve that we will be qsaved through rthe grace of the Lord Jesus, sjust as they will.”

12And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul tas they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13After they finished speaking, uJames replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 vSimeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them wa people for his name. 15And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

16 x“‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
17that the remnant
Or rest
of mankind zmay seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles aawho are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things
18 abknown from of old.’
19Therefore acmy judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who adturn to God, 20but should write to them aeto abstain from afthe things polluted by idols, and from agsexual immorality, and from ahwhat has been strangled, and from aiblood. 21For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, ajfor he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

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