And the thing was pleasing before all the multitude, and they did choose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch,

thus the word of God was spread; and the number of disciples encreased very much at Jerusalem; and a numerous body of priests embrac'd the faith.

Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

But some of those from the Synagogue of the Freedmen ({as it was called}), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up [and] disputed with Stephen.

and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking;

And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

“Brothers and fathers,” he said, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

"The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.'

Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

He didn’t give him an inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, but He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless.

This was what God said: 'His descendants will be strangers, living in a foreign land, and they will be enslaved and misused for four hundred years,

at length he gave him the covenant of circumcision: accordingly Abraham circumcised his son Isaac eight days after he was born, Isaac was father of Jacob, who was father of the twelve patriarchs.

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him

and God was with him, and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him grace and wisdom before Pharaoh the king of Egypt; and he placed him governor over Egypt and all his house.

Now there was no food to be had in all Egypt and Canaan, and there was great trouble: and our fathers were not able to get food.

When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors the first time.

The second time, Joseph was revealed to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.

Their bodies were carried back [from Egypt] to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had purchased in Shechem from the sons of Hamor for a sum of silver. [Note: "Shechem" was a town in Israel, the country which in New Testament times was known as Samaria].

“As the time was drawing near to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt

He, having evil designs against our nation, was cruel to our fathers, and they were forced to put out their young children, so that they might not go on living.

At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his father’s home three months,

and when he was left outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and raised him as her own son.

So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.

“As he was approaching the age of 40, he decided to visit his brothers, the Israelites.

And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

and he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and they did not understand.

And on the following day, he made an appearance to them [while they] were fighting and was attempting to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men [and] brothers, why are you doing wrong to one another?'

“But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him away, saying:

Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?

Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

And forty years completed, a messenger of the Lord was seen to him in the desert of mount Sina, in a flame of fire in a bramble.

When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came:

'I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses was so terrified that he did not dare to look at the bush.

That very Moses whom they refused, saying, 'Who made you our ruler and referee?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer, by the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush.

he it was, who delivered them by doing prodigies and miracles in the land of Egypt, in the red sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

It was this Moses who said to the descendants of Israel, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among you, just as He did me.'

He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us.

That was the time when they made the Calf and offered sacrifice to their idol, and held festivities in honor of their own handiwork!

But God was turned from them and let them give worship to the stars of heaven, as it says in the book of the prophets, Did you make offerings to me of sheep and oxen for forty years in the waste land, O house of Israel?

No, it was the tent of Moloch and the star-symbol of Rephan your god that you carried, figures that you manufactured for worship. So now I will transport you beyond Babylon!

'The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, according as He did direct, who is speaking to Moses, to make it according to the figure that he had seen;

which our fathers and Joshua having receiv'd, they carry'd it into the territory of those nations whom God drove out upon their arrival: where it staid to the time of David, who was favoured by God,

Who was pleasing to God; and he had a desire to make a holy tent for the God of Jacob.

But it was Solomon who built Him a house.

Was it not my hand that made them all?"'

was there ever any prophet whom your fathers did not persecute? have they not slain those who predicted the coming of that just person whom you have so lately betrayed and murder'd?

ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.

But he was full of the Holy Spirit, and looking up to heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus at the right hand of God.

And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

Thus they stoned Stephen, while he was calling upon God, and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep: And Saul was consenting to his death.

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.

And Philip having gone down to a city of Samaria, was preaching to them the Christ,

The crowds paid attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the signs he was performing.

So there was great joy in that city.

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

Everyone, from the least to the greatest [in importance], was being impressed by him. They were saying, "This man is being called Great [and has] power from God."

But when they believed Philip [as he] was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized.

Then even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he went around constantly with Philip and was astounded as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.

who when they were come down prayed for them that they might receive the holy Spirit: (for He was not yet fallen upon any of them,

(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem

and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.

And Philip, running up to him, saw that he was reading Isaiah the prophet, and said to him, Is the sense of what you are reading clear to you?

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

then Philip enter'd upon the subject, and show'd how the whole passage was applicable to Jesus.

and when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more, for he was going on his way rejoicing;

But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

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

to ask for letters [authorizing him to go] to Damascus and to enter [Jewish] synagogues looking for people of "the Way" [Note: This was a designation for Christians at that time]. And if he found any, whether men or women, he would tie them up and take them to Jerusalem.

As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.

"Who art thou, Lord?" he asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," was the reply.

And Saul got up from the earth, and when his eyes were open, he saw nothing; and he was guided by the hand into Damascus.

And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

And Ananias went away, and did enter into the house, and having put upon him his hands, said, 'Saul, brother, the Lord hath sent me -- Jesus who did appear to thee in the way in which thou wast coming -- that thou mayest see again, and mayest be filled with the Holy Spirit.'

And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.

and immediately in the synagogues he was preaching the Christ, that he is the Son of God.

But all who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

And Saul was still more strengthened, and he was confounding the Jews dwelling in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.

and Barnabas having taken him, brought him unto the apostles, and did declare to them how in the way he saw the Lord, and that he spake to him, and how in Damascus he was speaking boldly in the name of Jesus.

And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, he was both speaking and disputing with the Hellenists, and they were taking in hand to kill him,

So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied.

As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

And there he found a certain man named AEneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.

When everyone who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him [i.e., that the man was healed], they turned [their lives over] to the Lord.

Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.

And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.

And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

And he was living in Joppa for some time with Simon, a leather-worker.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.