But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcision disagreed with him.

for having visited and eaten with men who were not Jews.

Just at that moment three men, who had been sent from Caesarea for me, stopped at the house where we were staying.

And the Spirit told me to accompany them without any misgivings. There also went with me these six brethren who are now present, and we reached the Centurion's house.

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;

Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

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?"

Now the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

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.

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

Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

For Barnabas was a good man [privately and publicly—his godly character benefited both himself and others] and he was full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith [in Jesus the Messiah, through whom believers have everlasting life]. And a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

Then he went on to Tarsus to look for Saul [Note: Tarsus was the home town of Saul, who was later called Paul],

One of them, who was Agabus, rose up, and being instructed by the Spirit, predicted that a great famine was about to come upon the whole inhabited earth. (It came in the reign of Claudius.)

So the disciples decided to send a contribution, each in proportion to his prosperity, to help the brothers who lived in Judea.

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

whom also having seized, he did put in prison, having delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him, intending after the passover to bring him forth to the people.

Then when Peter realized what had actually happened, he said, "Now I know for certain that [it was] the Lord who sent His angel to rescue me from Herod's custody and from all that the Jewish people had planned [to do to me]."

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.

And when Peter knocked at the door of the porch, a servant named Rhoda came to ask who was there.

And Herod, who sought for him, and not having found, having examined the guards, he commanded them to be led away. And going down from Judea to Caesarea, he remained there.

And Herod was highly displeased with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and with one accord they came unto him, and having made a friend of Blastus, who is over the bed-chambers of the king, they were asking peace, because of their country being nourished from the king's;

When Barnabas and Saul had finished their helpful service, they returned from Jerusalem, and took along with them John who was called Mark.

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 as they travelled through the island as far as Paphos, they found a certain person who professed magic, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:

He was an intimate friend of the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor sent for Barnabas and Saul and in this way tried to hear God's message.

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, because he was full of the Holy Spirit, looked him straight in the eye

said, O thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, who art full of all deceit and craft, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

And now behold, the Lord's hand is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness; and going about he sought persons who should lead him by the hand.

Then the proconsul, who saw that which happened, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Hereupon sailing from Paphos, they who were about Paul came to Perga in Pamphylia: but John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

Then Paul got up and motioned with his hand and said: "Fellow Israelites, and you who reverence God, listen!

"Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen! The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made them a great people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with a public display of power he led them out of there.

For about four hundred and fifty years. In later times he gave them Judges, of whom the Prophet Samuel was the last.

Then at their request for a king, God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the family of Benjamin, who was their king for forty years.

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.'

It was from this man's descendants that God, as he promised, brought to Israel a Savior, who is Jesus.

His coming occurred after John [the Immerser] had preached to Israel that those who repented should be immersed [as evidence that they had done so].

And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.

Brothers, descendants of the race of Abraham, and all among you who reverence God, it is to us that the message of this salvation has been sent.

For the people who live in Jerusalem and their leaders, not knowing who Jesus was, condemned him and so fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now witnesses for Him to the people.

to you therefore we declare, that the promise which God had made to the fathers, he has now perform'd to us, who are their children, by his having raised up Jesus again.

Now David having served his own generation according to the will of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption: but He whom God raised,

but He whom God raised to life did not experience it.

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.

[Hab. 1:5 says], "Look, you people who despise [God], and be amazed [at what He can do] and be destroyed [for rejecting Him]; for I [i.e., God] will accomplish such a work during your days that you will not believe [it could happen, even] if someone told you about it."

Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

but Paul and Barnabas told them boldly, you indeed were the first, to whom the word of God was to be preach'd: but since you reject it, and judge your own selves unworthy of eternal life, be assur'd, we shall make the same offer to the Gentiles:

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,

Then the Jews stirred up the devout women, and those who were respectable, and the principal persons of the city, and raised up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their borders.

But the Jews who refused to accept their message aroused and exasperated the minds of the heathen against the brothers.

In spite of this, however, they stayed there a considerable time and continued to speak with courage from the Lord, who continued to bear testimony to His gracious message and kept on granting signs and wonders to be done by them.

But the large crowd in the city [who heard them] became divided [over how to respond to it]; some sided with the [unbelieving] Jews and some with the apostles.

Now in the streets of Lystra a man used to sit who had no strength in his feet, who had been crippled from his birth, and had never walked.

The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

But the crowds, who saw what Paul had done, lifted up their voices in Lycaonian, saying, The gods, having made themselves like men, are come down to us.

And they actually called Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the man who led the word.

Then the priest of Jupiter, who was the presiding deity of their city, brought bulls and garlands unto the gates of the city, and intended to offer a sacrifice with the people.

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.

Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

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

Arriving there, they gathered the church together and began to report [in great detail] everything that God had done with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior].

And certain ones who came down from Judea taught the brothers, saying, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

So, they were sent on their way with the backing of the [Antioch] church and traveled through both Phoenicia and Samaria, telling them about the conversion of the Gentiles. This brought great rejoicing to all the brothers [who heard about it].

and being arrived at Jerusalem, they were receiv'd by the church, by the apostles, and presbyters, to whom they related all that God had done by them.

But some members of the Pharisaic party, who had become believers, arose and said that such converts must be circumcised and told to keep the law of Moses.

After a lengthy debate, Peter stood up and told them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days, God chose me to be the one among you through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe.

And God who knows men's hearts testifies for them by giving them the Holy Spirit, as He did us,

and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus].

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

who has been making this known from ages past.'

So I give it as my opinion, we ought not to put difficulties in the way of the heathen who turn to God,

For Moses from ancient times has those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.

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.

having written through their hand thus: 'The apostles, and the elders, and the brethren, to those in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, brethren, who are of the nations, greeting;

Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

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

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

Then Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, said a lot to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

After spending some time there, they were sent back with a greeting to those who sent them.

Then after certain days said Paul to Barnabas, Let us now return and visit our brethren in every city among whom we have preached the word of the Lord, that we may see how they hold on.

But Barnabas persisted in wanting to take along John who was called Mark.

Paul, however, did not consider such a man fit to take along with them, the man who deserted them in Pamphylia and did not go on with them to the work.

THEN he came to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold! a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman, who believed; but his father was a Greek:

who was well testified to by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium;

this one did Paul wish to go forth with him, and having taken him, he circumcised him, because of the Jews who are in those places, for they all knew his father -- that he was a Greek.

And as they were going on through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep, that have been judged by the apostles and the elders who are in Jerusalem,

Here, one night, Paul saw a vision. There was a Macedonian who was standing, entreating him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."

On the sabbath we went outside the gate, to the bank of the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to talk with the women who had met there.

And a certain woman by the name of Lydia, a dealer in purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard, whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the [words] spoken by Paul.

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.

she having followed Paul and us, was crying, saying, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who declare to us a way of salvation;'

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities who met together in the public square.

And when they had taken them before the authorities, they said, These men, who are Jews, are greatly troubling our town;

which it is not lawful for us to receive, nor practise, who are Romans.

Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

And the jailor, who became awake and who saw the prison doors opened, having drawn out a sword was going to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to have fled.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all who were in his house.