¹And certain men came down from Judaea and were teaching the brothers as follows: “Unless you are circumcised in the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ²So with a not insignificant standpoint and argument with Paul and Barnabas having arisen against them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of their company to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this dispute. ³So they were seen off on their way by the church, and they went through Phoenicia and Samaria, relating the conversion of the Gentiles in detail, and they gave great joy to all the brothers. ⁴And when they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received favourably by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported on all the things God had done with them. ⁵Then some of the sect of the Pharisees, believers, stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” ⁶Then the apostles and elders gathered together to look into this matter. ⁷And after much disputing had taken place, Peter stood up and said to them, “Men and brothers, you understand that from early days God made a choice among us that the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel through my mouth and believe. ⁸And God, who knows our hearts, witnessed to them by giving them the holy spirit, as he also did to us, ⁹and he did not discriminate between us and them in any respect, and he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰So now, why are you putting God to the test, by putting a yoke on the disciples' neck, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹But it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we believe that we have been saved in the same way that they do.” ¹²And the whole company went silent and heard Barnabas and Paul relating in detail all the signs and miracles which God had performed among the Gentiles through them. ¹³And after they had become silent, James answered and said, “Men and brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴Simeon has described how God first deigned to take a people out of the Gentiles in his name. ¹⁵And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it stands written: ¹⁸All his works have been known to God since the beginning of time. ¹⁹Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, ²⁰but should write to them to refrain from the polluted accompaniments of the idols, and from fornication, and anything strangled, and from blood. ²¹For Moses from early generations has had those who preach him in various cities, he being read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” ²²Then the apostles and the elders with all the church decided to send some men selected from among them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who is surnamed Barsabbas, and Silas – leading men among the brothers. ²³They wrote as follows, to be taken by hand personally: “From the apostles and the elders and the brothers to the Gentile brothers throughout Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. ²⁴In view of the fact that we have heard that some of us have gone out and disturbed you with words, upsetting your spiritual condition, telling you to be circumcised and to keep the law, to whom we have given no such instructions, ²⁵we, reaching unanimity, have decided to send some selected men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶who are men who have committed themselves to the cause of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷So we have sent Judas and Silas with them to report on the same things verbally. ²⁸For it seemed good to the holy spirit and to us not to lay anything heavier on you except these necessary things: ²⁹to refrain from things sacrificed to idols, and blood, and anything strangled, and fornication. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will be doing well. May you be strong.” ³⁰So these were sent on their way, and they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the group together, they handed over the epistle. ³¹And when they had read it, they rejoiced over the encouragement. ³²And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and invigorated the brothers with many words. ³³And when they had spent some time there, they were sent on their way with peace from the brothers to the apostles. ^{34 35}Then Paul and Barnabas spent time in Antioch, teaching and preaching the gospel, with many others also, the word of the Lord. ³⁶And after several days Paul said to Barnabas, “Now then, let us return and visit our brothers in every city in which we declared the word of the Lord and see how they are.” ³⁷And Barnabas had resolved to take John who was called Mark with him, ³⁸but Paul did not think it proper that they should take this man with them, who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them for the work. ³⁹So a bitter dispute arose, with the result that they took leave of each other, and that Barnabas took Mark with him to sail off to Cyprus. ⁴⁰And Paul chose Silas and departed, after being committed to the grace of God by the brothers. ⁴¹And he crossed through Syria and Cilicia, invigorating the churches.

Reference(s) in Chapter 15: v.16 ↔ Amos 9:11 ● v.17 ↔ Amos 9:12.