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¹ And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, [saying], Except you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can't be saved.² And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, [the brothers] appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.³ They therefore, being brought on their way by the church, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy to all the brothers.⁴ And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed all things that God had done with them.⁵ But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying, It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.

⁶ And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter.⁷ And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said to them, Men, brothers, you know that a good while ago God chose among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did to us;⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.¹⁰ Now therefore why do you make trial of God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?¹¹ But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.¹² And all the multitude kept silent; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.¹³ And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men, brothers, listen to me:¹⁴ Symeon has rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.¹⁵ And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,¹⁶ "After these things I will return, And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen; And I will build again the ruins thereof, And I will set it up:¹⁷ That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, on whom my name is called, says the Lord, [who is] doing these things¹⁸ known from of old."¹⁹ Therefore my judgment is, that we not trouble those that from among the Gentiles turn to God;²⁰ but that we write to them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.²¹ For Moses from generations of old has in every city those that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.

²² Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; [namely], Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers:²³ and they wrote [thus] by them, The apostles and the elders, brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings:²⁴ Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment;²⁵ it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,²⁶ men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.²⁷ We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth.²⁸ For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things:²⁹ that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if you keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Farewell.³⁰ So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle.³¹ And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation.³² And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brothers with many words, and confirmed them.³³ And after they had spent some time [there], they were dismissed in peace from the brothers to those that had sent them forth.³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

³⁶ And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brothers in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the Lord, [and see] how they fare.³⁷ And Barnabas was minded to take with them John also, who was called Mark.³⁸ But Paul thought it not good to take with them him who withdrew from them from Pamphylia, and didn't go with them to the work.³⁹ And there arose a sharp contention, so that they separated apart one from the other, and Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away to Cyprus;⁴⁰ but Paul choose Silas, and went forth, being commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.