The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

And he said to them, It is not for you to have knowledge of the time and the order of events which the Father has kept in his control.

But you will have power, when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Starting from the baptism of John till he went up from us, one will have to be a witness with us of his coming back from death.

They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know all hearts [their thoughts, motives, desires], show us which one of these two You have chosen

and how do we hear them each in our own dialect in which we have been born,

In Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and those who have come from Rome, Jews by birth and others who have become Jews,

Jews and converts, Greeks and Arabians: We have heard them speak with our own tongues the great works of God."

But there were some who said with a sneer: "They have had too much new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be explained to you; listen closely and pay attention to what I have to say.

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams;

And whoever makes his prayer to the Lord will have salvation.

'Men, Israelites! hear these words, Jesus the Nazarene, a man approved of God among you by mighty works, and wonders, and signs, that God did through him in the midst of you, according as also ye yourselves have known;

Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Indeed it was to him that David was referring when he said-- 'I have had the Lord ever before my eyes, For he stands at my right hand, that I should not be disquieted.

‘You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will fill me [infusing my soul] with joy with Your presence.’

"As to the patriarch David, I need hardly remind you, brethren, that he died and was buried, and that we still have his tomb among us.

And so, being lifted up to the right hand of God, and having the Father's word that the Holy Spirit would come, he has sent this thing, which now you see and have knowledge of.

until I have put thine enemies to be the footstool of thy feet.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

And Peter said, Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will have the Holy Spirit given to you.

and sold their possessions and substance, and distributed them to all, according as any one might have need.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

and Peter having seen, answered unto the people, 'Men, Israelites! why wonder ye at this? or on us why look ye so earnestly, as if by our own power or piety we have made him to walk?

The God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, God of our fathers, has honoured his child Jesus; whom ye have delivered up, and denied him before the face of Pilate, he having judged to loose.

But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you.

and on the faith of his name, this one whom ye see and have known, his name made strong, even the faith that is through him did give to him this perfect soundness before you all.

And now, brethren, I have known that through ignorance ye did it, as also your rulers;

But the things which God had made clear before, by the mouth of all the prophets, that the Christ would have to undergo, he has put into effect in this way.

Therefore, repent and turn to him to have your sins blotted out,

whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old.

Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazaraean, whom ye have crucified, whom God has raised from among the dead, by him this man stands here before you sound in body.

This is the Stone which you builders have counted worthless, and He has become the Head of the Corner.

And in no other is there salvation: for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, through which we may have salvation.

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

who hast said by the mouth of thy servant David, Why have the nations raged haughtily and the peoples meditated vain things?

For in truth against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou hadst anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations, and peoples of Israel, have been gathered together in this city

and laid it at the feet of the apostles; and distribution was made to each according as any one might have need.

"Ananias," Peter exclaimed, "how is it that Satan has so taken possession of your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit, and kept back a part of the money paid for the land?

As long as it remained [unsold], did it not remain your own [to do with as you pleased]? And after it was sold, was the money not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart? You have not [simply] lied to people, but to God.”

when Peter addressing himself to her, tell me, said he, have you sold the land for such a price? yes, said she, for so much.

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

so that people would carry their sick out into the streets, and lay them down on beds and mats, to have at least Peter's shadow fall on some of them as he went by.

"Go, stand in the Temple, and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life they can have."

And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

and sent to the prison, to have them brought, But when the officers came, they found them not in the prison; and returning they said,

When the commander of the Temple guards and the high priests heard these words, they were utterly at a loss as to what could have happened to them.

Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

But Peter and the Apostles, answering, said, We have to do the orders of God, not of man.

The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus, whom ye have slain, having hanged on a cross.

And now I say to you, Withdraw from these men and let them alone, for if this counsel or this work have its origin from men, it will be destroyed;

They left the Council, rejoicing to have been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.

So the Twelve called the disciples together and said, “It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food.

Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we'll put them in charge of this work.

Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

And, upon that, Stephen spoke as follows: "Brothers and Fathers, hear what I have to say. God, who manifests himself in the Glory, appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, and before he settled in Haran, and said to him--

And he did not give him an inheritance in it--not even a footstep--and he promised to give [it] to him for his possession, and to his descendants after him, {although he did not have} a child.

"Now a great famine occurred all over Egypt and Canaan, causing extreme hardships, and our forefathers did not have enough to live on.

For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

And Moses, seeing it, was full of wonder, and when he came up to have a nearer view of it, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying,

And the Lord said to him, 'Loose the sandals from your feet; for the place on which you have been standing is holy ground.

I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

This Moses, whom they would not have, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? him God sent to be a ruler and a saviour, by the hand of the angel whom he saw in the thorn-tree.

saying to Aaron, Make to us gods who shall go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what hath happened to him.

Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

Yet have ye taken up the tabernacle of Moloc, and the star of your god Remphan, those figures which ye made to pay adoration to them: and I will transport you beyond Babylon.

which found favour before God, and desired that he would faine have made a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

"'The sky 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 resting place shall I have?

"Ye stiffnecked and of uncircumcised hearts and ears: ye have always resisted the holy ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

for unclean spirits came forth from many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who have been paralytic and lame were healed,

for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, and only they have been baptized -- to the name of the Lord Jesus;

"Perish your money and yourself," replied Peter, "because you have imagined that you can obtain God's free gift with money!

You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart (motive, purpose) is not right before God.

Let your heart be changed, and make prayer to God that you may have forgiveness for your evil thoughts.

For I perceive that you have fallen into the bitterest bondage of unrighteousness."

Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

And he said, How is that possible when I have no guide? And he made Philip get up by his side.

And while they were going on their way, they came to some water, and the Ethiopian said, See, here is water; why may I not have baptism?

[Philip said to him, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]

And asked him to give him letters to the Jewish congregations at Damascus, authorizing him, if he found there any supporters of the Cause, whether men or women, to have them put in chains and brought to Jerusalem.

and he said, who art thou, Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. Then trembling with the fright Saul said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? and the Lord said to him,]

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

But the Lord replied to him, "Go on your way, for Saul is someone I have especially chosen to carry my name to the [unconverted] Gentiles, kings and the Israelites.

For I will make clear to him what troubles he will have to undergo for me.

So Ananias went, entered the house, and, placing his hands on Saul, said: "Saul, my Brother, I have been sent by the Lord--by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here--so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

About three o'clock one afternoon [Note: This is based on Jewish time calculations; if Roman time were employed, it would have been

But he, having fixed his eyes upon him, and become full of fear, said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Thy prayers and thine alms have gone up for a memorial before God.