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