7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” 1 7:2 So he replied, 2 “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather 3 Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ 4 7:4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God 5 made him move 6 to this country where you now live. 7:5 He 7 did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, 8 not even a foot of ground, 9 yet God 10 promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, 11 even though Abraham 12 as yet had no child. 7:6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your 13 descendants will be foreigners 14 in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. 15 7:7 But I will punish 16 the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there 17 and worship 18 me in this place.’ 19 7:8 Then God 20 gave Abraham 21 the covenant 22 of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, 23 and Isaac became the father of 24 Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 25 7:9 The 26 patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold 27 him into Egypt. But 28 God was with him, 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made 29 him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout 30 Egypt and Canaan, causing 31 great suffering, and our 32 ancestors 33 could not find food. 7:12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain 34 in Egypt, he sent our ancestors 35 there 36 the first time. 7:13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family 37 became known to Pharaoh. 7:14 So Joseph sent a message 38 and invited 39 his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people 40 in all. 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, 41 along with our ancestors, 42 7:16 and their bones 43 were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money 44 from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
7:17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, 45 the people increased greatly in number 46 in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about 47 Joseph ruled 48 over Egypt. 49 7:19 This was the one who exploited 50 our people 51 and was cruel to our ancestors, 52 forcing them to abandon 53 their infants so they would die. 54 7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful 55 to God. For 56 three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, 57 Pharaoh’s daughter adopted 58 him and brought him up 59 as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained 60 in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful 61 in his words and deeds. 7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind 62 to visit his fellow countrymen 63 the Israelites. 64 7:24 When 65 he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, 66 Moses 67 came to his defense 68 and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. 7:25 He thought his own people 69 would understand that God was delivering them 70 through him, 71 but they did not understand. 72 7:26 The next day Moses 73 saw two men 74 fighting, and tried to make peace between 75 them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 7:27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed 76 Moses 77 aside, saying, ‘Who made 78 you a ruler and judge over us? 7:28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ 79 7:29 When the man said this, 80 Moses fled and became a foreigner 81 in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
7:30 “After 82 forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert 83 of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 84 7:31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, 7:32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers, 85 the God of Abraham, Isaac, 86 and Jacob.’ 87 Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. 88 7:33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 89 7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering 90 of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. 91 Now 92 come, I will send you to Egypt.’ 93 7:35 This same 94 Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ 95 God sent as both ruler and deliverer 96 through the hand of the angel 97 who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs 98 in the land of Egypt, 99 at 100 the Red Sea, and in the wilderness 101 for forty years. 7:37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 102 ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ 103 7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation 104 in the wilderness 105 with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, 106 and he 107 received living oracles 108 to give to you. 109 7:39 Our 110 ancestors 111 were unwilling to obey 112 him, but pushed him aside 113 and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 7:40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt 114 – we do not know what has happened to him!’ 115 7:41 At 116 that time 117 they made an idol in the form of a calf, 118 brought 119 a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing 120 in the works of their hands. 121 7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over 122 to worship the host 123 of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices 124 forty years in the wilderness, was it, 125 house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle 126 of Moloch 127 and the star of the 128 god Rephan, 129 the images you made to worship, but I will deport 130 you beyond Babylon.’ 131 7:44 Our ancestors 132 had the tabernacle 133 of testimony in the wilderness, 134 just as God 135 who spoke to Moses ordered him 136 to make it according to the design he had seen. 7:45 Our 137 ancestors 138 received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, 139 until the time 140 of David. 7:46 He 141 found favor 142 with 143 God and asked that he could 144 find a dwelling place 145 for the house 146 of Jacob. 7:47 But Solomon built a house 147 for him. 7:48 Yet the Most High 148 does not live in houses made by human hands, 149 as the prophet says,
7:49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and earth is the footstool for my feet.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is my resting place? 150
7:50 Did my hand 151 not make all these things?’ 152
7:51 “You stubborn 153 people, with uncircumcised 154 hearts and ears! 155 You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors 156 did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors 157 not persecute? 158 They 159 killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, 160 whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! 161 7:53 You 162 received the law by decrees given by angels, 163 but you did not obey 164 it.” 165
7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious 166 and ground their teeth 167 at him. 7:55 But Stephen, 168 full 169 of the Holy Spirit, looked intently 170 toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing 171 at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. 172 “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, 173 shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When 174 they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, 175 and the witnesses laid their cloaks 176 at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They 177 continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell 178 to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” 179 When 180 he had said this, he died. 181 8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing 182 him.
Now on that day a great 183 persecution began 184 against the church in Jerusalem, 185 and all 186 except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions 187 of Judea and Samaria. 8:2 Some 188 devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation 189 over him. 190 8:3 But Saul was trying to destroy 191 the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off 192 both men and women and put them in prison. 193
8:4 Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 8:5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria 194 and began proclaiming 195 the Christ 196 to them. 8:6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, 197 as they heard and saw the miraculous signs 198 he was performing. 8:7 For unclean spirits, 199 crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, 200 and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8:8 So there was 201 great joy 202 in that city.
8:9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic 203 and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 8:10 All the people, 204 from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” 205 8:11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God 206 and the name of Jesus Christ, 207 they began to be baptized, 208 both men and women. 8:13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to 209 Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. 210
8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem 211 heard that Samaria had accepted the word 212 of God, they sent 213 Peter and John to them. 8:15 These two 214 went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 8:16 (For the Spirit 215 had not yet come upon 216 any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 217 8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, 218 and they received the Holy Spirit. 219
8:18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit 220 was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money, 8:19 saying, “Give me this power 221 too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 8:20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, 222 because you thought you could acquire 223 God’s gift with money! 8:21 You have no share or part 224 in this matter 225 because your heart is not right before God! 8:22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord 226 that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. 227 8:23 For I see that you are bitterly envious 228 and in bondage to sin.” 8:24 But Simon replied, 229 “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to 230 me.”
8:25 So after Peter and John 231 had solemnly testified 232 and spoken the word of the Lord, 233 they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming 234 the good news to many Samaritan villages 235 as they went. 236
8:26 Then an angel of the Lord 237 said to Philip, 238 “Get up and go south 239 on the road that goes down from Jerusalem 240 to Gaza.” (This is a desert 241 road.) 242 8:27 So 243 he got up 244 and went. There 245 he met 246 an Ethiopian eunuch, 247 a court official of Candace, 248 queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He 249 had come to Jerusalem to worship, 250 8:28 and was returning home, sitting 251 in his chariot, reading 252 the prophet Isaiah. 8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 8:30 So Philip ran up 253 to it 254 and heard the man 255 reading Isaiah the prophet. He 256 asked him, 257 “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 8:31 The man 258 replied, “How in the world can I, 259 unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 8:32 Now the passage of scripture the man 260 was reading was this:
“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did 261 not open his mouth.
8:33 In humiliation 262 justice was taken from him. 263
Who can describe his posterity? 264
For his life was taken away 265 from the earth.” 266
8:34 Then the eunuch said 267 to Philip, “Please tell me, 268 who is the prophet saying this about – himself or someone else?” 269 8:35 So Philip started speaking, 270 and beginning with this scripture 271 proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 8:36 Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to stop me 272 from being baptized?” 8:37 [[EMPTY]] 273 8:38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, 274 and Philip baptized 275 him. 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but 276 went on his way rejoicing. 277 8:40 Philip, however, found himself 278 at Azotus, 279 and as he passed through the area, 280 he proclaimed the good news 281 to all the towns 282 until he came to Caesarea. 283
9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats 284 to murder 285 the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues 286 in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, 287 either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners 288 to Jerusalem. 289 9:3 As he was going along, approaching 290 Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed 291 around him. 9:4 He 292 fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, 293 why are you persecuting me?” 294 9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up 295 and enter the city and you will be told 296 what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men 297 who were traveling with him stood there speechless, 298 because they heard the voice but saw no one.) 299 9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, 300 he could see nothing. 301 Leading him by the hand, his companions 302 brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For 303 three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. 304
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The 305 Lord 306 said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, 307 Lord.” 9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ 308 and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 9:12 and he has seen in a vision 309 a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 9:13 But Ananias replied, 310 “Lord, I have heard from many people 311 about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison 312 all who call on your name!” 313 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument 314 to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. 315 9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 316 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed 317 his hands on Saul 318 and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, 319 has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 320 9:18 Immediately 321 something like scales 322 fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He 323 got up and was baptized, 9:19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.
For several days 324 he was with the disciples in Damascus, 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, 325 saying, “This man is the Son of God.” 326 9:21 All 327 who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not 328 the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging 329 those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners 330 to the chief priests?” 9:22 But Saul became more and more capable, 331 and was causing consternation 332 among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving 333 that Jesus 334 is the Christ. 335
9:23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted 336 together to kill him, 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. 337 They were also watching 338 the city gates 339 day and night so that they could kill him. 9:25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening 340 in the wall by lowering him in a basket. 341
9:26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, 342 he attempted to associate 343 with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe 344 that he was a disciple. 9:27 But Barnabas took 345 Saul, 346 brought 347 him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that 348 the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly 349 in the name of Jesus. 9:28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them 350 in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 9:29 He was speaking and debating 351 with the Greek-speaking Jews, 352 but they were trying to kill him. 9:30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea 353 and sent him away to Tarsus.
9:31 Then 354 the church throughout Judea, Galilee, 355 and Samaria experienced 356 peace and thus was strengthened. 357 Living 358 in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church 359 increased in numbers.
9:32 Now 360 as Peter was traveling around from place to place, 361 he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda. 362 9:33 He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for eight years because 363 he was paralyzed. 9:34 Peter 364 said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ 365 heals you. Get up and make your own bed!” 366 And immediately he got up. 9:35 All 367 those who lived in Lydda 368 and Sharon 369 saw him, and they 370 turned 371 to the Lord.
9:36 Now in Joppa 372 there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means 373 Dorcas). 374 She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity. 375 9:37 At that time 376 she became sick 377 and died. When they had washed 378 her body, 379 they placed it in an upstairs room. 9:38 Because Lydda 380 was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Come to us without delay.” 381 9:39 So Peter got up and went with them, and 382 when he arrived 383 they brought him to the upper room. All 384 the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him 385 the tunics 386 and other clothing 387 Dorcas used to make 388 while she was with them. 9:40 But Peter sent them all outside, 389 knelt down, 390 and prayed. Turning 391 to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 392 9:41 He gave 393 her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called 394 the saints and widows and presented her alive. 9:42 This became known throughout all 395 Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 396 9:43 So 397 Peter 398 stayed many days in Joppa with a man named 399 Simon, a tanner. 400
10:1 Now there was a man in Caesarea 401 named Cornelius, a centurion 402 of what was known as the Italian Cohort. 403 10:2 He 404 was a devout, God-fearing man, 405 as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people 406 and prayed to God regularly. 10:3 About three o’clock one afternoon 407 he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God 408 who came in 409 and said to him, “Cornelius.” 10:4 Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius 410 replied, 411 “What is it, Lord?” The angel 412 said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity 413 have gone up as a memorial 414 before God. 10:5 Now 415 send men to Joppa 416 and summon a man named Simon, 417 who is called Peter. 10:6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, 418 whose house is by the sea.” 10:7 When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius 419 called two of his personal servants 420 and a devout soldier from among those who served him, 421 10:8 and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
10:9 About noon 422 the next day, while they were on their way and approaching 423 the city, Peter went up on the roof 424 to pray. 10:10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. 425 10:11 He 426 saw heaven 427 opened 428 and an object something like a large sheet 429 descending, 430 being let down to earth 431 by its four corners. 10:12 In it 432 were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles 433 of the earth and wild birds. 434 10:13 Then 435 a voice said 436 to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter 437 and eat!” 10:14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” 438 10:15 The voice 439 spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider 440 ritually unclean!” 441 10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. 442
10:17 Now while Peter was puzzling over 443 what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was 444 and approached 445 the gate. 10:18 They 446 called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, 447 was staying there as a guest. 10:19 While Peter was still thinking seriously about 448 the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 10:20 But get up, 449 go down, and accompany them without hesitation, 450 because I have sent them.” 10:21 So Peter went down 451 to the men and said, “Here I am, 452 the person you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, 453 a righteous 454 and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, 455 was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message 456 from you.” 10:23 So Peter 457 invited them in and entertained them as guests.
On the next day he got up and set out 458 with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa 459 accompanied him. 10:24 The following day 460 he entered Caesarea. 461 Now Cornelius was waiting anxiously 462 for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 10:25 So when 463 Peter came in, Cornelius met 464 him, fell 465 at his feet, and worshiped 466 him. 10:26 But Peter helped him up, 467 saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.” 468 10:27 Peter 469 continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together. 470 10:28 He said to them, “You know that 471 it is unlawful 472 for a Jew 473 to associate with or visit a Gentile, 474 yet God has shown me that I should call no person 475 defiled or ritually unclean. 476 10:29 Therefore when you sent for me, 477 I came without any objection. Now may I ask why 478 you sent for me?” 10:30 Cornelius 479 replied, 480 “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, 481 I was praying in my house, and suddenly 482 a man in shining clothing stood before me 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity 483 have been remembered before God. 484 10:32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, 485 by the sea.’ 10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. 486 So now we are all here in the presence of God 487 to listen 488 to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” 489
10:34 Then Peter started speaking: 490 “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, 491 10:35 but in every nation 492 the person who fears him 493 and does what is right 494 is welcomed before him. 10:36 You know 495 the message 496 he sent to the people 497 of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace 498 through 499 Jesus Christ 500 (he is Lord 501 of all) – 10:37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 502 10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, 503 that 504 God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He 505 went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, 506 because God was with him. 507 10:39 We 508 are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea 509 and in Jerusalem. 510 They 511 killed him by hanging him on a tree, 512 10:40 but 513 God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, 514 10:41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, 515 who ate and drank 516 with him after he rose from the dead. 10:42 He 517 commanded us to preach to the people and to warn 518 them 519 that he is the one 520 appointed 521 by God as judge 522 of the living and the dead. 10:43 About him all the prophets testify, 523 that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins 524 through his name.”
10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on 525 all those who heard the message. 526 10:45 The 527 circumcised believers 528 who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished 529 that 530 the gift of the Holy Spirit 531 had been poured out 532 even on the Gentiles, 10:46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising 533 God. Then Peter said, 10:47 “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, 534 can he?” 535 10:48 So he gave orders to have them baptized 536 in the name of Jesus Christ. 537 Then they asked him to stay for several days.
11:1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted 538 the word of God. 539 11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, 540 the circumcised believers 541 took issue with 542 him, 11:3 saying, “You went to 543 uncircumcised men and shared a meal with 544 them.” 11:4 But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, 545 saying, 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, 546 an object something like a large sheet descending, 547 being let down from heaven 548 by its four corners, and it came to me. 11:6 As I stared 549 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, 550 and wild birds. 551 11:7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; slaughter 552 and eat!’ 11:8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean 553 has ever entered my mouth!’ 11:9 But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider 554 ritually unclean!’ 11:10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again. 11:11 At that very moment, 555 three men sent to me from Caesarea 556 approached 557 the house where we were staying. 558 11:12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers 559 also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 11:13 He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, 11:14 who will speak a message 560 to you by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 11:15 Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on 561 them just as he did 562 on us at the beginning. 563 11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, 564 as he used to say, 565 ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 566 11:17 Therefore if God 567 gave them the same gift 568 as he also gave us after believing 569 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 570 who was I to hinder 571 God?” 11:18 When they heard this, 572 they ceased their objections 573 and praised 574 God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance 575 that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” 576
11:19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen 577 went as far as 578 Phoenicia, 579 Cyprus, 580 and Antioch, 581 speaking the message 582 to no one but Jews. 11:20 But there were some men from Cyprus 583 and Cyrene 584 among them who came 585 to Antioch 586 and began to speak to the Greeks 587 too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 11:21 The 588 hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed 589 turned 590 to the Lord. 11:22 A report 591 about them came to the attention 592 of the church in Jerusalem, 593 and they sent Barnabas 594 to Antioch. 595 11:23 When 596 he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true 597 to the Lord with devoted hearts, 598 11:24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people 599 were brought to the Lord. 11:25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul, 11:26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. 600 So 601 for a whole year Barnabas and Saul 602 met with the church and taught a significant number of people. 603 Now it was in Antioch 604 that the disciples were first called Christians. 605
11:27 At that time 606 some 607 prophets 608 came down 609 from Jerusalem 610 to Antioch. 611 11:28 One of them, named Agabus, got up 612 and predicted 613 by the Spirit that a severe 614 famine 615 was about to come over the whole inhabited world. 616 (This 617 took place during the reign of Claudius.) 618 11:29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, 619 decided 620 to send relief 621 to the brothers living in Judea. 11:30 They did so, 622 sending their financial aid 623 to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
12:1 About that time King Herod 624 laid hands on 625 some from the church to harm them. 626 12:2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. 627 12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, 628 he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) 629 12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads 630 of soldiers to guard him. Herod 631 planned 632 to bring him out for public trial 633 after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly 634 praying to God for him. 635 12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, 636 Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while 637 guards in front of the door were keeping watch 638 over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly 639 an angel of the Lord 640 appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck 641 Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s 642 wrists. 643 12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt 644 and put on your sandals.” Peter 645 did so. Then the angel 646 said to him, “Put on your cloak 647 and follow me.” 12:9 Peter 648 went out 649 and followed him; 650 he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, 651 but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, 652 they came to the iron 653 gate leading into the city. It 654 opened for them by itself, 655 and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, 656 when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When 657 Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued 658 me from the hand 659 of Herod 660 and from everything the Jewish people 661 were expecting to happen.”
12:12 When Peter 662 realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, 663 where many people had gathered together and were praying. 12:13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. 664 12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told 665 them 666 that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” 667 But she kept insisting that it was Peter, 668 and they kept saying, 669 “It is his angel!” 670 12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door 671 and saw him, they were greatly astonished. 672 12:17 He motioned to them 673 with his hand to be quiet and then related 674 how the Lord had brought 675 him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. 676
12:18 At daybreak 677 there was great consternation 678 among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 12:19 When Herod 679 had searched 680 for him and did not find him, he questioned 681 the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. 682 Then 683 Herod 684 went down from Judea to Caesarea 685 and stayed there.
12:20 Now Herod 686 was having an angry quarrel 687 with the people of Tyre 688 and Sidon. 689 So they joined together 690 and presented themselves before him. And after convincing 691 Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, 692 to help them, 693 they asked for peace, 694 because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod 695 put on his royal robes, 696 sat down on the judgment seat, 697 and made a speech 698 to them. 12:22 But the crowd 699 began to shout, 700 “The voice of a god, 701 and not of a man!” 12:23 Immediately an angel of the Lord 702 struck 703 Herod 704 down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 705 12:24 But the word of God 706 kept on increasing 707 and multiplying.
12:25 So Barnabas and Saul returned to 708 Jerusalem 709 when they had completed 710 their mission, 711 bringing along with them John Mark. 712
13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: 713 Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, 714 Lucius the Cyrenian, 715 Manaen (a close friend of Herod 716 the tetrarch 717 from childhood 718 ) and Saul. 13:2 While they were serving 719 the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart 720 for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 13:3 Then, after they had fasted 721 and 722 prayed and placed their hands 723 on them, they sent them off.
13:4 So Barnabas and Saul, 724 sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, 725 and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 726 13:5 When 727 they arrived 728 in Salamis, 729 they began to proclaim 730 the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. 731 (Now they also had John 732 as their assistant.) 733 13:6 When they had crossed over 734 the whole island as far as Paphos, 735 they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 736 13:7 who was with the proconsul 737 Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul 738 summoned 739 Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear 740 the word of God. 13:8 But the magician Elymas 741 (for that is the way his name is translated) 742 opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul 743 away from the faith. 13:9 But Saul (also known as Paul), 744 filled with the Holy Spirit, 745 stared straight 746 at him 13:10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, 747 you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness – will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 748 13:11 Now 749 look, the hand of the Lord is against 750 you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness 751 and darkness came over 752 him, and he went around seeking people 753 to lead him by the hand. 13:12 Then when the proconsul 754 saw what had happened, he believed, 755 because he was greatly astounded 756 at the teaching about 757 the Lord.
13:13 Then Paul and his companions put out to sea 758 from Paphos 759 and came to Perga 760 in Pamphylia, 761 but John 762 left them and returned to Jerusalem. 763 13:14 Moving on from 764 Perga, 765 they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, 766 and on the Sabbath day they went into 767 the synagogue 768 and sat down. 13:15 After the reading from the law and the prophets, 769 the leaders of the synagogue 770 sent them a message, 771 saying, “Brothers, 772 if you have any message 773 of exhortation 774 for the people, speak it.” 775 13:16 So Paul stood up, 776 gestured 777 with his hand and said,
“Men of Israel, 778 and you Gentiles who fear God, 779 listen: 13:17 The God of this people Israel 780 chose our ancestors 781 and made the people great 782 during their stay as foreigners 783 in the country 784 of Egypt, and with uplifted arm 785 he led them out of it. 13:18 For 786 a period of about forty years he put up with 787 them in the wilderness. 788 13:19 After 789 he had destroyed 790 seven nations 791 in the land of Canaan, he gave his people their land as an inheritance. 792 13:20 All this took 793 about four hundred fifty years. After this 794 he gave them judges until the time of 795 Samuel the prophet. 13:21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled 796 forty years. 13:22 After removing him, God 797 raised up 798 David their king. He testified about him: 799 ‘I have found David 800 the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, 801 who will accomplish everything I want him to do.’ 802 13:23 From the descendants 803 of this man 804 God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised. 805 13:24 Before 806 Jesus 807 arrived, John 808 had proclaimed a baptism for repentance 809 to all the people of Israel. 13:25 But while John was completing his mission, 810 he said repeatedly, 811 ‘What do you think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet!’ 812 13:26 Brothers, 813 descendants 814 of Abraham’s family, 815 and those Gentiles among you who fear God, 816 the message 817 of this salvation has been sent to us. 13:27 For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize 818 him, 819 and they fulfilled the sayings 820 of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning 821 him. 822 13:28 Though 823 they found 824 no basis 825 for a death sentence, 826 they asked Pilate to have him executed. 13:29 When they had accomplished 827 everything that was written 828 about him, they took him down 829 from the cross 830 and placed him 831 in a tomb. 13:30 But God raised 832 him from the dead, 13:31 and 833 for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied 834 him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These 835 are now his witnesses to the people. 13:32 And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors, 836 13:33 that this promise 837 God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising 838 Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; 839 today I have fathered you.’ 840 13:34 But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus 841 from the dead, never 842 again to be 843 in a state of decay, God 844 has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you 845 the holy and trustworthy promises 846 made to David.’ 847 13:35 Therefore he also says in another psalm, 848 ‘You will not permit your Holy One 849 to experience 850 decay.’ 851 13:36 For David, after he had served 852 God’s purpose in his own generation, died, 853 was buried with his ancestors, 854 and experienced 855 decay, 13:37 but the one 856 whom God raised up did not experience 857 decay. 13:38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one 858 forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 13:39 and by this one 859 everyone who believes is justified 860 from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify 861 you. 862 13:40 Watch out, 863 then, that what is spoken about by 864 the prophets does not happen to you:
13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! 865
For I am doing a work in your days,
a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’” 866
13:42 As Paul and Barnabas 867 were going out, 868 the people 869 were urging 870 them to speak about these things 871 on the next Sabbath.