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And certain men which came downfromJudaeataught the brethren, and said,Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot* be saved.
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When thereforePaulandBarnabashadnosmalldissensionanddisputationwiththem, they determined that PaulandBarnabas,andcertainotherofthem, should go uptoJerusalemunto the apostlesandeldersaboutthisquestion.
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Andbeing brought on their wayby the church, they passed throughPheniceandSamaria,declaring the conversion of the Gentiles:and they causedgreatjoy unto all the brethren.
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And when they were cometoJerusalem, they were receivedof the church,and of the apostlesandelders,and they declared all things that God had donewiththem.
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But there rose upcertainof the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcisethem,and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
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And the apostlesandelders came together for to considerofthismatter.
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And when there had beenmuchdisputing,Peter rose up, and saiduntothem,Men and brethren,yeknow how that a goodwhileagoGod made choiceamongus, that the Gentilesbymymouth should hear the word of the gospel,andbelieve.
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AndGod, which knoweth the hearts, bare themwitness, givingthem the HolyGhost,evenas he did unto us;
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Andputnodifferencebetween*usandthem,purifyingtheirhearts by faith.
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Nowthereforewhy tempt yeGod, to put a yokeupon the neck of the disciples,whichneitherourfathersnorwe were able to bear?
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But we believe that through the grace of the LordJesusChrist we shall be saved, even*asthey.
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Thenall the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to BarnabasandPaul,declaringwhatmiraclesandwondersGod had wroughtamong the Gentilesbythem.
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Andafter they had heldtheirpeace, Jamesanswered, saying, Men and brethren,hearken unto me:
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Simeon hath declaredhowGod at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a peopleforhisname.
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And to thisagree the words of the prophets;as it is written,
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Afterthis I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David,which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruinsthereof,and I will setitup:
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Thattheresidue of men might seek after the Lord,andall the Gentiles,uponwhommyname is called*, saith the Lord,whodoethall these things.
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Known unto Godareallhisworksfrom the beginning of the world.
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Whereforemy sentence is, that we troublenot them, which from among the Gentiles are turnedtoGod:
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But that we write unto them, that they abstainfrompollutions of idols,and from fornication,and from things strangled,and from blood.
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ForMosesofoldtimehath in everycity them that preachhim, being readin the synagogueseverysabbathday.
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Then pleased it the apostlesandelders,with the wholechurch, to sendchosenmenof their own companytoAntiochwithPaulandBarnabas; namely, JudassurnamedBarsabas,andSilas,chiefmenamong the brethren:
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And they wrote letters bythemafter this manner; The apostlesandeldersandbrethren send greeting unto the brethrenwhich are of the GentilesinAntiochandSyriaandCilicia:
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Forasmuch as we have heard, thatcertain which went outfromus have troubledyou with words,subvertingyoursouls,saying, Ye must be circumcised, andkeep the law: to whom we gaveno such commandment:
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It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to sendchosenmenuntoyouwithourbelovedBarnabasandPaul,
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Men that have hazardedtheirlivesfor the name of ourLordJesusChrist.
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We have sentthereforeJudasandSilas,whoshallalsotell you the same thingsbymouth.[a]
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For it seemed good to the HolyGhost,and to us, to lay uponyounogreaterburdenthanthese necessary things;
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That ye abstain from meats offered to idols,and from blood,and from things strangled,and from fornication:fromwhich if ye keepyourselves, ye shall dowell. Fare ye well.
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Sowhen they were dismissed, they cametoAntioch:and when they had gathered the multitudetogether, they delivered the epistle:
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Which when they had read, they rejoicedfor the consolation.[b]
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And JudasandSilas,beingprophetsalsothemselves,exhorted the brethrenwithmanywords,andconfirmed them.
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And after they had tarried there a space, they were let goinpeacefrom the brethrenunto the apostles.
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Notwithstanding it pleasedSilas to abidetherestill.
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PaulalsoandBarnabascontinuedinAntioch,teachingandpreaching the word of the Lord,withmanyothersalso.