until the day he was taken up, [after he] had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen,

to whom he also presented himself alive after he suffered, with many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking the things about the kingdom of God.

who also said, "Men {of Galilee}, why do you stand there looking into the sky? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven like this will come back in the same way you saw him departing into heaven!"

"Men [and] brothers, it was necessary [that] the scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit proclaimed beforehand through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus,

And it became known to all who live in Jerusalem, so that that field was called in their own language "Akeldama," that is, "Field of Blood.")

Therefore it is necessary for [one] of the men who have accompanied us during all the time [in] which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,

And they proposed two [men], Joseph called Barsabbas (who was called Justus) and Matthias.

And they prayed [and] said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show clearly which one of these two you have chosen

And they were astounded and astonished, saying, "Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town,

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, "Judean men, and all those who live [in] Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words!

And it will be [that] everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt, that God has made him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified!"

For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those [who are] far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself."

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added.

And all who believed were in the same [place], and had everything in common.

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding every day to the total [of] those who were being saved.

And a certain man was being carried who was lame {from birth}. {He} was placed every day at the gate of the temple called "Beautiful," [so that he] could ask for charitable gifts from those who were going into the temple [courts].

And they recognized him, that this one was the one who used to sit [asking] for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, [after] he had decided to release [him].

And you killed the originator of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses!

And on the basis of faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith [that is] through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

whom heaven must receive until the times of the restoration of all [things], about which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times.

And it will be [that] every soul who does not listen to that prophet will be destroyed utterly from the people.'

And indeed, all the prophets from Samuel and all those who followed [him] have spoken [about] and proclaimed these days.

But many of those who listened to the message believed, and the number of the men was approximately five thousand.

and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all those who were from the high priest's family.

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man stands before you healthy!

And [because they] saw the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in return.

saying, "What should we do with these men? For that a remarkable sign has taken place through them [is] evident to all those who live [in] Jerusalem, and we are not able to deny [it]!

For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more [than] forty years [old].

And [when they] heard [it], they lifted [their] voices with one mind to God and said, "Master, you [are] the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them,

the one who said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant, 'Why do the nations rage, and the peoples conspire in vain?

For in truth both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, assembled together in this city against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,

Now the group of those who believed were one heart and soul, and no one said anything of what belonged to him was his own, but all [things] were theirs in common.

For there was not even anyone needy among them, because all those who were owners of plots of land or houses were selling [them] [and] bringing the proceeds of the things that were sold

So Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated "son of encouragement"), a Levite of Cyprus by nationality,

And [when] Ananias heard these words, he fell down [and] died. And great fear came on all those who heard about [it].

So Peter [said] to her, "How [is it] that it was agreed by you [two] to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband [are] at the door, and they will carry you out!"

And great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard about these [things].

And the people of the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, who were all being healed.

Now the high priest rose up and all those [who were] with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), [and] they were filled with jealousy.

But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned [and] reported,

But someone came [and] reported to them, "Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple [courts] and teaching the people!"

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed [by] hanging [him] on a tree.

And we are witnesses of these things, and [so is] the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

For before these days, Theudas rose up saying he was somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined {him}. {He} was executed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and {caused people to follow him in revolt}. And that one perished, and all who followed him were scattered.

So, brothers, select from among you seven men {of good reputation}, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will put in charge of this need.

whom they stood before the apostles. And they prayed [and] placed [their] hands on them.

Then they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!"

And they put forward false witnesses who said, "This man does not stop speaking words against the holy place and the law!

And [as they] looked intently at him, all those who were sitting in the Sanhedrin saw his face [was] like the face of an angel.

until another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.

And [when he] saw one of them being unjustly harmed, he defended [him] and {avenged} the one who had been oppressed [by] striking down the Egyptian.

But the one who was doing wrong to [his] neighbor pushed him aside, saying, 'Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?

{I have certainly seen} the mistreatment of my people [who are] in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.'

This Moses whom they had repudiated, saying, 'Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?'--this man God sent [as] both ruler and redeemer with {the help} of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.'

This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and who [with] our fathers received living oracles to give to us,

to whom our fathers were not willing to become obedient, but rejected [him] and turned [back] in their hearts to Egypt,

saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go on before us! For this Moses, who led us out from the land of Egypt--we do not know what has happened to him!'

The tabernacle of the testimony {belonged} to our fathers in the wilderness, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed [him] to make it according to the design that he had seen,

who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.

Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand about the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become,

[you] who received the law by directions of angels and have not observed [it]!"

Now those who had been scattered went about proclaiming the good news [of] the word.

For many of those who had unclean spirits, they were coming out [of them], crying out with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

who went down [and] prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.

And he got up [and] went, and behold, [there was] a man, an Ethiopian eunuch (a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury) who had come to worship in Jerusalem

In his humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his {descendants}? For his life was taken away from the earth."

And the eunuch answered [and] said to Philip, "I ask you, about whom does the prophet say this--about himself or about someone else?"

[and] asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, both men and women, he could bring [them] tied up to Jerusalem.

So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he [said], "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!

(Now the men who were traveling together with him stood speechless, [because they] heard the voice but saw no one.)

and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up all who call upon your name!"

So Ananias departed and entered into the house, and placing [his] hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain [your] sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

And all who heard [him] were amazed, and were saying, "Is this not the one who was wreaking havoc in Jerusalem [on] those who call upon this name, and had come here for this [reason], that he could bring them tied up to the chief priests?"

But Saul was increasing in strength even more, and was confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus [by] proving that this one is the Christ.

Now it happened that [as] Peter was traveling through all [the places], [he] also came down to the saints who lived [in] Lydda.

And he found there a certain man {named} Aeneas who was paralyzed, who had been lying on a mat for eight years.

And all those who lived [in] Lydda and Sharon saw him, who [all] indeed turned to the Lord.

And now, send men to Joppa and summon a certain Simon, who is also called Peter.

And when the angel who spoke to him departed, he summoned two of the household slaves and a devout soldier from those who attended him,

Now while Peter was greatly perplexed within himself [as to] what the vision that he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having found the house of Simon by asking around, stood at the gate.

And they called out [and] asked if Simon who was also called Peter was staying there as a guest.

So Peter went down to the men [and] said, "Behold, I am [he] whom you are looking for! What [is] the reason for which you have come?"

Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon who is also called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.

So Peter opened [his] mouth [and] said, "In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality,

but in every nation the one who fears him and who does what is right is acceptable to him.

Jesus of Nazareth--how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

And we [are] witnesses of all [the things] that he did both in the land of the Judeans and in Jerusalem, whom they also executed [by] hanging [him] on a tree.

not to all the people but to us who had been chosen beforehand by God [as] witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

To this one all the prophets testify, [that] through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins."

[While] Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message.

And those believers from the circumcision who had accompanied Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,

"Surely no one can withhold the water for these [people] to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as we also did!"

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had accepted the word of God.

saying, "You went to men {who were uncircumcised} and ate with them!"

And behold, at once three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea approached the house in which we were [staying].