but you are going to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you must be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and all over Judea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth."

Peter said to them, "You must repent -- and, as an expression of it, let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ -- that you may have your sins forgiven; and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,

And they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship with one another, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

There is no salvation by anyone else, for no one else in all the wide world has been appointed among men as our only medium by which to be saved."

When the day of Pentecost had now come, they were all meeting in one mind,

Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.

The Jews there were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with all eagerness and carried on a daily study of the Scriptures to see if Paul's message was true.

and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit granted them to utter divine things.

They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved."

So they accepted his message and were baptized, and about three thousand persons united with them on that day.

After saying this, He was taken up while they were looking at Him, and a cloud swept under Him and carried Him out of their sight.

On the first day of the week when we had met to break bread, Paul addressed them, since he was leaving the next day, and prolonged his speech till midnight.

and said to them, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This very Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in just the way you have seen Him go up into heaven."

So now repent and turn to Him, to have your sins wiped out, that times of revival may come from the presence of the Lord,

Though God overlooked those times of ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent,

In those days, as the number of the disciples was increasing, complaint was made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the native Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Now I really see that God shows no partiality,

That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue.

I wrote my first volume, Theophilus, about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning

From one forefather He made every nation of mankind, for living all over the face of the earth, fixing their appointed times and the limits of their lands,

Now Saul, as he was still breathing threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

"Fellow Israelites, listen to what I say. Jesus of Nazareth, as you yourselves well know, a man accredited to you by God through mighty deeds and wonders and wonder-works which God performed through Him right here among you,

And Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan so completely possessed your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and kept back for yourselves a part of the money received for the land?

When they heard this, they were stabbed to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

'It will occur in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will have visions. Your old men will have dreams.

And once while He was eating with them, He charged them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. "You have heard me speak of it," He said,

how God consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and then He went about doing good and curing all who were overpowered by the devil, because God was with Him.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who is called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen who was an intimate friend of the governor, and Saul.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south by the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza; this is the desert road."

Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.

Now there was but one heart and soul in the vast number of those who had become believers, and not one of them claimed that anything that he had was his own, but they shared everything that they had as common property.

So those who were present began to ask Him, "Lord, is this the time when you are going to set up the kingdom again for Israel?"

"Therefore, let all the descendants of Israel understand beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ."

But a man named Ananias, in partnership with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.'

The younger men, however, got up, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it.

It was while Apollos was in Corinth that Paul, by passing through the inland districts, came to Ephesus. He found a few disciples there

After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

and after he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. Now for a whole year their meeting with the church lasted, and they taught large numbers of people. It was at Antioch too that the disciples first came to be known as "Christians."

Some people came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom that Moses handed down, you cannot be saved."

And now, why are you waiting? Get up and be baptized and wash your sins away by calling on His name.'

The God who made the world and all that it contains, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands,

This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation."

After He had suffered, He had shown Himself alive to them, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days, and telling them the things about the kingdom of God.

constantly praising God and always having the favor of all the people. And every day the Lord continued to add to them the people who were being saved.

And all the believers lived together and held all they had as common goods to be shared by one another.

In everything I showed you that by working hard like this we must help those who are weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It makes one happier to give than to get.'"

Then Peter stood with the Eleven around him, and raising his voice he addressed them, "Men of Judea and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you, and give close attention to my words.

"for John baptized people in water, but in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit."

Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.'

With one mind they were all continuing to devote themselves to prayer, with the women and Mary and His brothers.

this very Jesus, I say, after He was betrayed, in accordance with the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you had wicked men kill by nailing Him to a cross;

But now I count as nothing the sacrifice of my life, if only I can finish my race and render the service entrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of faithfully telling the good news of God's favor.

Once as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had the gift of magical fortune-telling, and continued to make great profits for her owners by fortune-telling.

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

While Peter was still speaking these truths, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.

Day after day they regularly attended the temple; they practiced breaking their bread together in their homes, and eating their food with glad and simple hearts,

As they continued down the road, they came to some water, and the official said, "Look! here is some water! What is there to keep me from being baptized?"

strengthening the hearts of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith, and warning them that it is through enduring many hardships that we must get into the kingdom of God.

to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's power to God, so as to have their sins forgiven and have a possession among those that are consecrated by faith in me.'

Peter and John were on their way up to the temple at the three o'clock hour of prayer,

Now at Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a colonel in what was known as the Italian regiment,

They helped them select elders in each church, and after praying and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

since He has set a day on which He will justly judge the world through a man whom He has appointed. He has made this credible to all by raising Him from the dead."

He answered them, "It is not your business to learn times and dates which the Father has a right to fix,

But when the people came to believe the good news proclaimed by Philip about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were constantly baptized.

Saul heartily approved of his being put to death. So on that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all of them, except the apostles, were scattered over Judea and Samaria.

but constantly and earnestly I urged Greeks as well as Jews to turn with repentance to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus.

And now I commit you to the Lord, and to the message of His favor, which is able to build you up and to give you your proper possession among all God's consecrated people.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them."

So Paul stood up in the center of the auditorium and said: "Men of Athens, at every turn I make I see that you are very religious.

for he was one of our number, and he received a share in this ministry of ours.

Everybody, high and low, kept running after him, saying, "He is certainly what is known as the Great Power of God!"

Then they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. But because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia,

When they reached the city, they went to the room upstairs where they had been staying; they were: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul.

The heathen kept on listening and rejoicing and giving the glory to God's message, and all who had been destined to eternal life believed,

To this very One all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him is to receive the forgiveness of sins through His name."

At that time Peter got up among the brothers (there were about a hundred and twenty present) and said,

Because I know that after I have gone violent wolves will break in among you and will not spare the flock.

So they took him and brought him to the city auditorium and said, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is?

While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred to its depths to see the city completely steeped in idolatry.

The beggar looked at them, supposing that he was going to get something from them.

When they heard this, they had no answer to make, but gave God the glory, saying, "So God has given even the heathen the repentance that leads to life."

About three hours later, his wife came in, without having learned what had taken place.

for the promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are far away whom the Lord our God may call to Him."

While they were talking to the people, the high priests, the military commander of the temple, and the Sadducees came down upon them,

which contained all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and wild birds.

So He has been exalted to God's right hand and has received from His Father, as promised, and poured out upon us the Holy Spirit, as you see and hear.

At Joppa there was a woman, a disciple, whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek means Dorcas, that is, Gazelle. She had filled her life with good deeds and works of charity, which she was always doing.

"You people, stubborn in will, heathenish in hearts and ears, you are always resisting the Holy Spirit, as your forefathers did, too.

When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted God's message, they sent Peter and John there.

And the Spirit told me to go with them without any hesitation at all. These six brothers, too, went with me, and we all went into the man's house.

After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.

About that time Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, in order to do them violence.

They were surprised to see the courage shown by Peter and John and to find that they were uneducated men, and especially untrained in the schools, but they recognized the fact that they had been companions of Jesus,

Yet heaven must retain Him till the time for the universal restoration of which God in the early ages spoke through the lips of His holy prophets.

But about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

So that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord, Yes, all the heathen who are called by my name, says the Lord,

and I have the same hope in God that they cherish for themselves, that there is to be a resurrection of the upright and the wicked.

In a way of just such power as this the Lord's message kept on spreading and prevailing.

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up to the day when through the Holy Spirit He gave the apostles whom He had chosen their orders, and then was taken up to heaven.

Now they traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia until they reached Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue.

So God's message continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem continued to grow rapidly; a large number, even of priests, continued to surrender to the faith.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, only half a mile away.

you and all the people of Israel must know that it is by the authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead -- yes, I repeat it, it is by His authority that this man stands here before you well.

But since he was full of the Holy Spirit, he looked right into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.

So Paul, as he usually did, went to the synagogue, and for three sabbaths discussed with them the Scriptures,

Many signs and wonders were continuously performed by the apostles among the people. And by common consent they all used to meet in Solomon's portico.

There was a man named Simon in the city, who had kept the Samaritan people thrilled by practicing magic there and by claiming to be a great man.

Now the fugitives from the persecution that started over Stephen went all the way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to none but Jews.

When they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and continued courageously to speak God's message.

Now he went to Derbe and Lystra too. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Christian Jewess, but his father was a Greek.

"No one can refuse the use of water, can he, for these to be baptized, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did ourselves?"

and delivered him from all his troubles, and allowed him to win favor and to show wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and so he appointed Joseph governor of Egypt and of his whole household.

Now the apostles and the brothers all over Judea heard that the heathen too had accepted God's message.

God has exalted to His right hand this very One as our Leader and Saviour, in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

but God raised Him up by loosing Him from the pangs of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held by the power of death.

for I never shrank from telling you God's whole plan.

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name to the heathen and their kings, and to the descendants of Israel.

But Peter and John answered them, "You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you instead of Him,

For the Holy Spirit and we have decided not to lay upon you any burden but these essential requirements,

They had the men stand before them and repeatedly inquired of them, "By what sort of power and authority have you done this?"

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria, a learned man, and skillful in the use of the Scriptures.

So, brothers, you must select from your number seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit, and of good practical sense, and we will assign them to this business,

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, went on performing great signs and wonders among the people.

Moses, indeed, said: 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, as He did me. You must attentively listen to everything that He tells you.

But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

Peter said to her, "Tell me, did you sell the land for such and such a sum?" She answered, "Yes, that is it."

Now those who were scattered went from place to place preaching the good news of the message.

but they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they went to the synagogue and took seats.

I mean Jesus whom God raised from the dead, to which fact we are all witnesses,

They continued stoning Stephen as he continued praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

There Paul had a vision one night: a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him in these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

"Brothers, I may confidently say to you about the patriarch David, that he died and was buried, and that his grave is here among us to this very day.

It became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that this piece of land was called in their language Akeldamach, that is, The Field of Blood.)

So, my brothers, you must understand that through Him the forgiveness of your sins is now proclaimed to you,

The next day, while those men were traveling on and not far from the town, Peter went up on the housetop about noon to pray.

For some of the things you bring sound startling to us; so we want to know just what they mean."

and that through union with Him every one of you who believes is given right standing with God and freed from every charge from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

And they saw tongues like flames of fire separating and resting on their heads, one to each of them,

"Brothers, that Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit uttered by the mouth of David in the former times about Judas who became the guide to those who arrested Jesus;

Some days after this Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we preached the Lord's message, to see how they are."

We and the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who practice obedience to Him are witnesses to these things."

Symeon has told how God at first graciously visited the heathen to take from among them a people to bear His name.

When they heard this, with one united prayer to God they said: "O Lord, you are the Maker of heaven, earth, and sea, and everything that is in them, and the One

And while they were gazing after Him into heaven, two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them,

so that they might search for God, possibly they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is really not far from any of us.

This suggestion was approved by the whole body, and so they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Procorus, Nikanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, who was a convert to Judaism.

So Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began to preach the Christ to the Samaritans.

"For in this city they actually met against your holy Servant Jesus, whom you had consecrated -- Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the heathen and the peoples of Israel,

But Peter said, "Never by any means, sir, for I have never eaten anything common, or not ceremonially cleansed."

But Peter said, "No silver or gold have I, but what I do have I will give you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth start walking."

Then the apostles and elders in cooperation with the whole church passed a resolution to select and send some men of their number with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. These were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers.

This is the one who in the congregation in the desert went between the angel, who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and our forefathers, who also received, to be handed down to you, utterances that still live.

Then He deposed him and raised up for them David to be king, to whom He bore this testimony, 'I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all that my will requires.'

When he knocked at the outer door, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it,

When they were turned loose, the apostles went back to their companions and told them what the high priests and elders had said to them.

So the church all over Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, and as it continued to be built up spiritually and to live in reverence for the Lord, it continued to increase in numbers through the encouragement that the Holy Spirit gave.

For you will not forsake my soul to Hades. Nor will you let your Holy One experience decay.

but we should write them to abstain from everything that is contaminated by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from tasting blood.

A sense of reverence seized everyone, and many wonders and wonder-works were done by the apostles.

But Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt and sent our forefathers on their first visit down there.

Now the high priest took a stand, and all his friends, the party of the Sadducees; and being filled with jealousy,

So he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the official both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public and in private,

(This man bought a piece of land with the money which he took for his treachery, and he fell there face downward and his body broke in two, and all his intestines poured out.

They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too,

They kept running after him, because for a long time he had thrilled them with his magical performances.

As he traveled on he finally approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in this city, and carefully educated under the teaching of Gamaliel in the law of our forefathers. I was zealous for God, as all of you are today.

He answered: "Listen, brothers and fathers. The glorious God appeared to our forefather Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he ever made his home in Haran,

when suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a terrific blast of wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting,

With many more words he continued to testify and to plead with them to save themselves from that crooked age.

and not for a single day did they stop teaching in the temple square and in private houses the good news of Jesus the Christ.

He also ordered us to proclaim to the people and solemnly to testify that this is the One whom God has appointed to be the Judge of the living and the dead.

They were perfectly astounded, and in bewilderment they continued to say, "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

Then Peter, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders and elders of the people,

Then he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say to him, 'Send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is called Peter, to come over;

"So one of these men who have been associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us,

Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to suppose that His nature is like gold or silver or stone or anything carved by man's art and thought.

Now there were devout Jews from every part of the world living in Jerusalem.

So, as he was a prophet and knew that God with an oath had promised to put one of his descendants on his throne,

nor is He served by human hands as though He were in need of anything, for He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

He has sent His message to the descendants of Israel, by telling them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.

God also continued to do such wonder-works through Paul

while we will go on devoting ourselves to prayer and the word of God."

(Now all the Athenians and foreign visitors in Athens used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to the latest new thing out.)

The God of our forefathers raised Jesus to life after you had hanged Him on a cross and killed Him.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and starting from this passage, he told him the good news about Jesus.

and shouted, "Men, why are you doing this? We are merely men with natures like your own, who are telling you the good news, so that you may turn from these foolish things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that they contain.

While they were shouting and tossing their clothes about and flinging dust into the air,

He has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, to restore his sight."

For as I was going here and there and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So it is about the Being whom you are in ignorance already worshiping that I am telling you.

he foresaw the resurrection of the Christ and told of it, for He was not forsaken to Hades, and His body did not undergo decay.

though He did not fail to furnish evidences about Himself, in constantly showing His kindness to you, in sending you rain from heaven and fruit-producing seasons, in giving you food and happiness to your heart's content."

He is the stone that was thrown away by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.

to take a share in this service as an apostle, from which Judas fell away to go to his own place."

The high priest asked, "Are these statements true?"

but I began to preach first to the people of Damascus and Jerusalem, and all over Judea, and then to the heathen, to repent and turn to God, and to live lives consistent with such repentance.

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."

Peter said to her, "How could both of you agree in such a way to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door; they will carry you out, too."

On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and thus Joseph's race was revealed to Pharaoh.

In fact, we believe that it is through the favor of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow.

Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" And he answered, "Yes, Lord, I am here."

But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, and so did all his family, and from time to time many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized.

Now Joseph, a Levite, a native of Cyprus, who by the apostles was named Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement,

There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had issued an edict for all Jews to leave Rome. So Paul paid them a visit,

And now, Lord, give attention to their threats and help your slaves with perfect courage to continue to speak your message,

So Ananias left and went to that house, and there he laid his hands upon Saul, and said, "Saul, my. brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road on which you were coming here, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

and on recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she failed to open the door but ran and told them that Peter was standing at the door.

When he became conscious of his situation, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, were a large number of people had met and were praying.

So the Twelve called together the whole body of the disciples, and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave off preaching the word of God to wait on tables.

Because Paul knew that part of them were Sadducees and part of them Pharisees, he began to cry out in the council chamber, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a Pharisee's son, and now I am on trial for the hope of the resurrection of the dead."

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you yourselves betrayed and disowned before Pilate, although he had decided to set Him free.

Then a famine spread all over Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our forefathers could not find the simplest food.

For David did not go up to heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,

Then after He had fed them forty years in the desert,

At that time some prophets from Jerusalem came down to Antioch,

After a lengthy discussion Peter got up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose among you that through me the heathen should hear the message of the good news and believe it.

But I certainly admit this as a fact that in accordance with The Way -- that they call heresy -- I continue to worship the God of my forefathers, and I still believe in everything taught in the law and written in the prophets,

For none of them was in want, for as many of them as were owners of farms or houses proceeded to sell them, one by one, and continued to bring the money received for the things sold

The God of this people Israel chose our forefathers, and made this people important during their stay in Egypt, and then with an uplifted arm He led them out of it.

On arriving there they called the church together, and in detail reported to them all that God had done through them as instruments, and how He had opened to the heathen the door of faith.

and when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in foreign tongues and to prophesy.

He dropped to the ground; then he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent.

A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill something and eat it."

but they could not cope with his good practical sense and the spiritual power with which he usually spoke.

who has been making this known from ages past.'

So a strange awe seized the whole church and everybody who heard it.

But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard many people tell of this man, especially the great sufferings he has brought on your people in Jerusalem.

What is your duty, then? They will certainly hear that you have come.

except that in town after town the Holy Spirit emphatically assures me that imprisonment and sufferings are awaiting me.

She instantly fell dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his kinsmen, seventy-five in all;

if it is for a good deed to a helpless man, or to learn how he was cured, that we are today being tried,

So they instigated men to say, "We have heard him speaking abusive words against Moses and God."

He further told them to provide horses for Paul to ride, so as to bring him in safety to Felix, the governor, to whom

Now while Peter was still at a loss to know what the vision he had seen could mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked for the way to Simon's house and had stopped at the gate;

Then he took him by the right hand and lifted him, and his feet and ankles instantly grew strong,

With his hand he motioned to them to be quiet, and then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He added, "Tell all these things to James and the brothers." Then he left them and went somewhere else.

and at once he leaped to his feet and started walking; then he went into the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God.

By this means they excited the people, the elders, and the scribes, and so they rushed upon him, seized him, and brought him before the council.

And thus they all continued to be astounded and bewildered, and continued to say to each other, "What can this mean?"

This took place three times; then all at once the thing was taken up into the sky.

Now you must do just what we tell you. We have here four men who are under a vow.

They came and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

Then he took them up to his house and gave them food, and he and all the members of his household were happy in their faith in God.

and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town

So he sent off to Macedonia two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, while he stayed on for a while in Asia.

Now he is here and has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call upon your name."

When all the people saw him walking about and praising God,

Omitted Text.

But Peter, meanwhile, kept on knocking. So they opened the door, and when they saw him, they were astounded.

and to advocate practices which it is against the law for us Romans to accept or observe."

the colonel ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks, and told them to examine him by flogging, in order that he might find out why they were crying out against him in such a way.

They said to her, "You are crazy!" But she persistently insisted that it was so. Then they said, "It is his guardian angel!"

For I am going to show him how great are the sufferings he must endure for my name's sake."

But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.

Then they demanded a king, and for forty years God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin.

So if God had given them the same gift that He gave us when we believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to try -- and how could I if I tried -- to thwart God?"

and recognized him as the very man who used to sit at The Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg, they were completely astounded and bewildered at what occurred to him.

At the same time he was hoping to get money from Paul, and so he kept on sending for him and talking with him.

Even by saying this it was all that they could do to keep the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

and gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years. And after that He gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

and they called and inquired if Simon who was called Peter was staying there.

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who on reaching Antioch began to speak to the Greeks too, and proceeded to tell them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

He destroyed seven nations in Canaan

Then they put up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops saying things against this holy place and against the law,

Not one of those on the outside dared to associate with them, although the people continued to hold them in high regard,

Get up and go down, and without hesitation go on with them, for I have sent them."

Yet, I have nothing definite to write our Sovereign about him. So I have brought him before all of you, especially before you, King Agrippa, to get from your examination something to put in writing.

Now Herod cherished a bitter grudge against the people of Tyre and Sidon. So in a united body they came to meet him, and after winning the favor of Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended for its food supply upon the king's country.

They sent this letter by them: "The apostles and elders as brothers send greeting to the brothers from among the heathen in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

When morning came, there was no little commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

Herod had search made for him, and when he could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he left Judea for Caesarea, and stayed there.

he wrote the following letter:

Now the news about them came to the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and so they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch.

Even on my slaves, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will become prophets.

Because he had such strict orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

So, on a day appointed, Herod, dressed in his royal robes, took his seat on his throne, and made them a popular address,

Paul answered, "In brief or at length, I would to God that not only you but all my hearers today were what I am -- excepting these chains!"

After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them.

I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs upon the earth below, yes, blood and fire and smoky mist.

and Jacob came down to Egypt. There he and our forefathers died

and after taking some food he felt strong again. For several days he stayed with the disciples at Damascus,

and were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought with a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

But at the close of two whole years Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and as he wanted to gratify the Jews, Felix left Paul still in prison.

Even from the towns around Jerusalem crowds continued coming in to bring their sick ones and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.

and since they saw the man who had been cured standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

Then all who were seated in the council fixed their eyes upon him and saw that his face was like that of an angel.

A silversmith named Demetrius, by manufacturing silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing in great profits to his workmen.

It is from this man's descendants that God, as He promised, has brought to Israel a Saviour in the person of Jesus,

But the message of the Lord continued to grow and spread.

and the people shouted, "It is a god's voice, not a man's!"

Since they were afraid of our going on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and kept wishing for daylight to come.

for we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will tear this place down, and change the customs which Moses handed down to us."

As John was closing his career, he said, 'What do you take me to be? I am not the Christ; no, but He is coming after me, and I am not fit to untie the shoes on His feet.'

So my heart is glad and my tongue exults, and my body still lives in hope.

But they ordered the prisoners to step outside the council, and they conferred together

who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith. So a large number of people were united to the Lord.

When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch.

When he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. Thus

As the time approached for realizing the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people multiplied and became more numerous in Egypt,

While Peter was meditating on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "There are two men looking for you.

But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, "We will hear you again on this subject."

and repeated, "What shall we do with these men? For it is evident to everybody living in Jerusalem that an unmistakable wonder-work has been done by them; and we cannot deny it.

And all who heard him were astounded and said, "Is not this the man who harassed those who called upon this name in Jerusalem, and has come here expressly for the purpose of putting them in chains and taking them back to the high priests?"

Some men, however, joined him and came to believe, among them Dionysius, a member of the city council; also a woman named Damaris, and some others.

Take them along with you, purify yourself with them, and bear the expense for them of having their heads shaved. Then everybody will know that none of those things they have been told about you are so, but that you yourself are living as a constant observer of the law.

But to keep it from spreading farther among the people, let us severely threaten them not to say anything at all to anyone else about this person."

when a man crippled from his birth was being carried by, who used to be laid every day at what was called The Beautiful Gate of the temple, to beg from people on their way into the temple.

because they were very much disturbed over their continuing to teach the people and to declare in the case of Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

They answered, "Cornelius, a colonel in the army, an upright man and one who reveres God, and a man of high reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to listen to a message you would bring."

At this time Moses was born. He was a divinely beautiful child. For three months he was cared for in his father's house.

As we have heard that some of our number have disturbed you by their teaching, by continuing to unsettle your minds,

but his disciples took him one night and let him down through the city wall, by lowering him in a hamper-basket.

Some of the public officials in Asia, who were friendly to him, also sent word to him, begging him not to risk himself in the theatre.

until another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, ascended the throne.

and from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been committed to God's favor for the work which they had finished.

The next day, as he wished to learn the exact reason why the Jews accused him, he had him unbound, and ordered the high priest and the whole council to assemble, and took Paul down and brought him before them.

But when they had tied him for the flogging, Paul asked the captain who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman, and one who is uncondemned at that?"

as they kept shouting, "Men of Israel, help! help! This is the man who teaches everybody everywhere against our people and the law and this place; yea, more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and desecrated this sacred place."

After several days had gone by, the Jews laid a plot to murder him,

After getting out of jail, they went to Lydia's house; they saw the brothers and encouraged them, and then left town.

So Peter went down and said to the men, "I am the man you are looking for. What is the purpose of your coming?"

for he successfully refuted the Jews in public and proved by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

But in the night the angel of the Lord threw open the jail doors and let them out, and said to them,

For the people of Jerusalem and their leaders, because they were ignorant of Him, by condemning Him have actually fulfilled the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath,