15:6 Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate ¹  about this matter. 15:7 After there had been much debate, ²  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago ³  God chose ⁴  me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message ⁵  of the gospel ⁶  and believe. ⁷  15:8 And God, who knows the heart, ⁸  has testified ⁹  to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ¹⁰  15:9 and he made no distinction ¹¹  between them and us, cleansing ¹²  their hearts by faith. 15:10 So now why are you putting God to the test ¹³  by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke ¹⁴  that neither our ancestors ¹⁵  nor we have been able to bear? 15:11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through ¹⁶  the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are.” ¹⁷ 

15:12 The whole group kept quiet ¹⁸  and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs ¹⁹  and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 15:13 After they stopped speaking, ²⁰  James replied, ²¹  “Brothers, listen to me. 15:14 Simeon ²²  has explained ²³  how God first concerned himself ²⁴  to select ²⁵  from among the Gentiles ²⁶  a people for his name. 15:15 The ²⁷  words of the prophets agree ²⁸  with this, as it is written,

15:16 ‘After this ²⁹  I ³⁰  will return,

and I will rebuild the fallen tent ³¹  of David;

I will rebuild its ruins and restore ³²  it,

15:17 so that the rest of humanity ³³  may seek the Lord,

namely, ³⁴  all the Gentiles ³⁵  I have called to be my own,’ ³⁶  says the Lord, ³⁷  who makes these things 15:18 known ³⁸  from long ago. ³⁹ 

15:19 “Therefore I conclude ⁴⁰  that we should not cause extra difficulty ⁴¹  for those among the Gentiles ⁴²  who are turning to God,