Acts 15:1-10

The Jerusalem Council

1 ¹But some men came down from Judea and were teaching ²the brothers, "Unless you are ³circumcised ⁴according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and ⁵debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and ⁶some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to ⁷the apostles and the elders about this question.

3 So, ⁸being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, ⁹describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and ¹⁰brought great joy to all ¹¹the brothers.^[a]

4 ¹²When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and ¹³the apostles and the elders, and ¹⁴they declared all that God had done with them.

5 But some believers who belonged to ¹⁵the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ¹⁶"It is necessary ¹⁷to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses."

6 ¹⁸The ¹⁹apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

7 And after there had been much ²⁰debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, ²¹that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear ²²the word of ²³the gospel and believe.

8 And God, ²⁴who knows the heart, ²⁵bore witness to them, ²⁶by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

9 and ²⁷he made no distinction between us and them, ²⁸having cleansed their hearts ²⁹by faith.

10 Now, therefore, why ³⁰are you putting God to the test ³¹by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples ³²that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?