As he said this, he was caught up before their eyes and a cloud took him up from their sight.

"Brothers, the prediction of the Scriptures had to come true that the holy Spirit uttered by the lips of David, about Judas, who acted as guide for the men that arrested Jesus??17 for he was one of our number and a share in this ministry of ours fell to his lot."

from his baptism by John to the time when he was caught up from us, must join us as a witness to his resurrection."

Then they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was known as Justus, and Matthias.

to take this place of service as an apostle which Judas left to go where he belonged."

These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only nine in the morning.

"Men of Israel, listen to what I say. Jesus of Nazareth, as you know, was a man whom God commended to you by the wonders, portents, and signs that God did right among you through him.

But as he was a prophet, and knew that God had promised him with an oath that he would put one of his descendants upon his throne,

So he has been exalted to God's right hand, and has received from his Father and poured over us the holy Spirit that had been promised, as you see and hear.

for the promise of it belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those far away whom the Lord our God calls to him."

when a man who had been lame from his birth was carried by. He used to be placed every day at what was known as the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, to beg from the people on their way into the Temple,

Peter fixed his eyes on him, as John did also, and said to him, "Look at us!"

and recognized him as the man who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, they were perfectly astonished and amazed at what had happened to him.

And as he still clung to Peter and John, all the people crowded about them in the utmost astonishment in what was known as Solomon's Colonnade.

When Peter saw this, he said to the people. "Men of Israel, why are you so surprised at this? Why do you stare so at us, as though it were some power or some piety of ours that had made him able to walk?

and killed the very source of life. But God raised him from the dead, as we can testify.

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

As they were talking in this way to the people, the high priests, the commander of the Temple, and the Sadducees came up to them,

They arrested them, and as it was already evening, they shut them up until next morning.

if it is for a benefit conferred upon a helpless man, and as to how he was cured, that we are called to account here today,

There is no salvation through anyone else, for there is no one else in the world who has been named to men as their only means of being saved."

They were amazed to see how outspoken Peter and John were, and to find that they were uneducated men with no advantages. They recognized them as companions of Jesus,

But after further threats they let them go, as they could find no way to punish them, on account of the people, who were all giving honor to God for what had happened,

There was but one heart and soul in the multitude who had become believers, and not one of them claimed anything that belonged to him as his own, but they shared everything they had with one another.

As long as it was unsold was it not yours, and after it was sold was not the money under your control? How could you think of doing such a thing? You did not lie to men but to God!"

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.

When the commander of the Temple and the high priests heard this report, they were very much at a loss as to what would come of it.

God took him up to his right hand as our leader and savior, in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

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

But members of the synagogue known as that of the Libyans, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia undertook to debate with Stephen,

As the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise God had made to Abraham, the people became more and more numerous in Egypt,

When he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him as the means of delivering them, but they did not.

Do you mean to kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday?'

This was the Moses who said to the descendants of Israel, 'God will make a prophet rise from among your brothers to teach you, just as he made me rise.'

for they said to Aaron, 'Make us gods to march in front of us, for as for this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!'

So God turned his back on them and left them to worship the starry host, just as the Book of the Prophets says, " 'Was it victims and sacrifices that you offered to me, O house of Israel, Those forty years in the desert?

In the desert our forefathers had the Tent of the Testimony built like the model Moses had seen, just as he who spoke to him told him to make it.

But the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says,

You stubborn people, with heathen hearts and ears, you are always opposing the holy Spirit, just as your forefathers did!

As they stoned Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

Everyone there, high and low, made much of him, and said, "He must be what is known as the Great Power of God!"

This was the passage of Scripture that he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led away to be slaughtered, And just as a lamb is dumb before its shearer, He does not open his mouth.

As they went on along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Here is some water! What is there to prevent my being baptized?"

But on his journey, as he was approaching Damascus, a sudden light flashed around him from heaven,

The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called the Straight Street, and ask at the house of Judas for a man named Saul, from Tarsus, for he is there praying.

As Peter was traveling about among them all, he happened to visit God's people at Lydda.

As Joppa was near Lydda, the disciples heard that Peter was there, and they sent two men to him, urging him to come over without delay.

There was at Caesarea a man named Cornelius, a captain in what was known as the Italian regiment.

He was a devout man, who feared God, as did all the members of his household. He was liberal in charities to the people, and always prayed to God.

and they called out to ask if Simon who was called Peter was staying there.

As Peter was pondering over his vision, the Spirit said to him, "There are two men looking for you.

That was why, when I was sent for, I came without any hesitation. And now I want to ask why you sent for me."

"Can anyone refuse the use of water to baptize these people when they have received the holy Spirit just as we did?"

When I began to speak to them, the holy Spirit fell upon them just as it did upon us at the beginning,

and found him and brought him to Antioch. The result was that for a whole year they met with the church, and taught large numbers of people, and it was at Antioch that the disciples first came to be known as Christians.

But when morning came, there was no little commotion among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.

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

When they reached Salamis, they proclaimed God's message in the Jewish synagogues. They had John with them as their assistant.

They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, and there they came across a Jewish magician and false prophet named Barjesus.

It is from his descendants that God has brought to Israel as he promised to do, a savior in Jesus,

that God has fulfilled to us, their children, the promise that he made to our forefathers, by raising Jesus to life, just as the Scripture says in the second psalm, You are my Son! Today I have become your Father!'

Now as evidence that he has raised him from the dead, never again to return to decay, he said this: 'I will fulfil to you my sacred promises to David.'

As they were going out, the people begged to have all this said to them again on the following Sabbath,

He was listening to Paul as he talked, when Paul looked at him and, seeing that he had faith that he would be cured,

Some people came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers that unless they were circumcised as Moses prescribed, they could not be saved.

The church saw them off upon their journey, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the heathen, and caused great rejoicing among all the brothers.

And God who knows men's hearts testified for them by giving them the holy Spirit just as he had done to us,

Why, we believe that it is by the mercy of the Lord Jesus that we are saved just as they are."

As we have heard that some of our number, without any instructions from us, have disturbed you by their teaching and unsettled your minds,

As they traveled on from one town to another, they passed on to the brothers for their observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

As soon as he had this vision, we made efforts to get on to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to tell them the good news.

Once as we were on our way to the praying place a slave-girl met us who had the gift of ventriloquism, and made her masters a great deal of money by her fortune-telling.

They are advocating practices which it is against the law for us as Romans to adopt or observe."

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

Paul went to it as he was accustomed to do, and for three Sabbaths he discussed the Scriptures with them,

As they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "The men who have made trouble all over the world have come here too,

The men who went with Paul took him all the way to Athens, and came back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him as soon as possible.

For as I was going about and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To an Unknown God.' So it is what you already worship in ignorance that I am now telling you of.

nor is he waited on by human hands as though he were in need of anything, for he himself gives all men life and breath and everything.

For it is through union with him that we live and move and exist, as some of your poets have said, " 'For we are also his offspring.'

and as they practiced the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together, for they were tent-makers.

But as they contradicted and abused him, he shook his clothes in protest, and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am not to blame for it! After this I will go to the heathen."

But as it is only a question of words and titles and your own law, you must look after it yourselves. I refuse to decide such matters."

As he wanted to cross to Greece, the brothers wrote to the disciples there, urging them to welcome him. On his arrival there he was of great service to those who through God's favor had become believers,

But as some of them were obstinate and refused to believe, finding fault with the Way before the people, he left them, and withdrew the disciples, and held daily discussions in the lecture-room of Tyrannus.

This went on for two years, so that everyone who lived in Asia, Greeks as well as Jews, heard the Lord's message.

This came to be known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, Greeks as well as Jews, and great awe came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus came to be held in high honor.

Some of the crowd called upon Alexander, as the Jews had pushed him to the front, and he made a gesture with his hand and was going to speak in defense of them to the people.

So as these facts are undeniable, you must be calm, and not do anything reckless.

where he stayed for three months. Just as he was going to sail for Syria, the Jews made a plot against him, and he made up his mind to return by way of Macedonia.

On the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread, Paul addressed them, as he was going away the next morning, and he prolonged his address until midnight.

and a young man named Eutychus, who was sitting at the window, became very drowsy as Paul's address grew longer and longer, and finally went fast asleep and fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up for dead.

We had already gone on board the ship and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there, for that was the arrangement he had made, as he intended to travel there by land.

but earnestly urged Greeks as well as Jews to turn to God in repentance and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

So as he would not yield, we gave up urging him, and said, "The Lord's will be done!"

As for the heathen who have become believers, we have written them our decision that they must avoid anything that has been contaminated by idols, the tasting of blood, the meat of strangled animals, and immorality."

Some of the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and as he could not find out the facts on account of the confusion, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.

Just as they were going to take him into the barracks, Paul said to the colonel, "May I say something to you?" "Do you know Greek?" the colonel asked.

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