Also, as he ate with them, he charged them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father promised ??"for what you have heard me speak of," said he;

"for John baptized with water, but not many days after this you shall be baptized with the holy Spirit."

But he told them, "It is not for you to know the course and periods of time that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

All were amazed and astonished. "Are these not all Galileans," they said, "who are speaking?

these men are not drunk, as you imagine. Why, it is only nine in the morning!

but God raised him by checking the pangs of death. Death could not hold him.

because thou wilt not forsake my soul in the grave, nor let thy holy one suffer decay.

so he spoke with a prevision of the resurrection of the Christ, when he said that he was not forsaken in the grave nor did his flesh suffer decay.

For it was not David who ascended to heaven; David says, The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand,

they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds among all, as anyone might be in need.

Any soul that will not listen to this prophet shall be exterminated from the People;

However, to keep things from going any further with the people, we had better threaten them that they are not to tell anyone in future about this Name."

So they called the men in and ordered them not to speak or teach a single sentence about the Name of Jesus.

[Relocated to before vs 34] Now there was but one heart and soul among the multitude of the believers; not one of them considered anything his personal property, they shared all they had with one another.

There was not a needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sale,

laying the money before the feet of the apostles; it was then distributed according to each individual's need.

When it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And even after the sale, was the money not yours to do as you pleased about it? How could you think of doing a thing like this? You have not defrauded men but God."

Though the people extolled them, not a soul from the outside dared to join them.

but an angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors during the night and brought them out, saying,

But as the attendants did not find them when they got to the prison, they came back to report,

"We strictly forbade you to teach about this Name, did we not? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine! You want to make us responsible for this man's death!"

They gave in to him, and after summoning the apostles and giving them a flogging, they released them with instructions that they were not to speak about the name of Jesus.

not for a single day did they cease to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus the Christ in the temple and at home.

So the twelve summoned the main body of the disciples and said: "It is not desirable that we should drop preaching the word of God and attend to meals.

but they could not meet the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

But he did not give him any inheritance in it, not even a foot of the land. All be did was to promise that he would give it as a possession to him and to his offspring after him (he at the time being childless).

Now a famine came over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, attended with great misery, so that our ancestors could not find provender.

(He thought his brothers would understand God was going to bring them deliverance by means of him, but they did not understand.)

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

But our fathers would not submit to him; they pushed him aside and hankered secretly after Egypt.

And yet the most High does not dwell in houses made by hands. As the prophet says,

Did not my hand make all this?

Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Just One. And here you have betrayed him, murdered him! ??53 you who got the Law that angels transmitted, and have not obeyed it!"

Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, let not this sin stand against them!" With these words he slept the sleep of death.

(As yet it had not fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

Now the passage of scripture which he was reading was as follows: ??he was led like a sheep to be slaughtered, and as a lamb is dumb before the shearer, so he opens not his lips.

His fellow-travellers stood speechless, for they heard the voice but they could not see anyone.

He lost no time in preaching throughout the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God ??21 to the amazement of all his hearers, who said, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem harried those who invoke this Name, the man who came here for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?"

But their plot came to the ears of Saul, and, although they kept watch on the gates day and night in order to make away with him,

his disciples managed one night to let him down over the wall by lowering him in a basket.

When the disciples heard that Peter was at Lydda (for Joppa is not far from Lydda), they sent two men to beg him to "Come on to us without delay."

Next day they were still on the road and not far from the town, when Peter went up to the roof of the house about noon to pray.

A second time the voice came back to him, "What God has cleansed, you must not regard as common."

To them Peter said, "You know yourselves it is illegal for a Jew to join or accost anyone belonging to another nation; but God has shown me that I must not call any man common or unclean,

not by all the People but by witnesses whom God had previously selected, by us who ate and drank with him after his resurrection from the dead,

But a voice answered me for the second time out of heaven, 'What God has cleansed, you must not regard as common.'

The very night before Herod meant to have him produced, Peter lay asleep between two soldiers; he was fastened by two chains, and sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.

And he followed him out, not realizing that what the angel did was real, but imagining that he saw a vision.

Herod made inquiries for him but could not find him; so, after cross-examining the guards, he ordered them off to death. He then went down from Judaea to Caesarea, where he spent some time.

The populace shouted, "It is a god's voice, not a man's!"

and in a moment an angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not given due glory to God; he was eaten up by worms and so expired.

And as John was closing his career he said, 'What do you take me for? I am not He; no, he is coming after me, and I am not fit to untie the sandals on his feet!'

And as a proof that he has raised him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has said this: I will give you the holiness of David that fails not.

Hence in another psalm he says, thou wilt not let thy holy One suffer decay.

but He whom God raised did not suffer decay.

Look, you disdainful folk, wonder at this and perish for in your days I do a deed, a deed you will never believe, not though one were to explain it to you."

though as the bountiful Giver he did not leave himself without a witness, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, giving you food and joy to your heart's content."

in cleansing their hearts by faith he made not the slightest distinction between us and them.

Hence, in my opinion, we ought not to put fresh difficulties in the way of those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,

The holy Spirit and we have decided not to impose any extra burden on you, apart from these essential requirements:

Paul held they should not take a man with them who had deserted them in Pamphylia, instead of accompanying them on active service.

when they got as far as Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them,

A vision appeared to Paul by night, the vision of a Macedonian standing and appealing to him with the words, "Cross to Macedonia and help us."

they are proclaiming customs which as Romans we are not allowed to accept or observe!"

but Paul shouted aloud, "Do not harm yourself, we are all here!"

Then he took them at that very hour of the night and washed their wounds and got baptized instantly, he and all his family.

Then the brothers at once sent off Paul and Silas by night to Beroea. When they arrived there, they betook themselves to the Jewish synagogue,

The God who made the world and all things in it, he, as Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in shrines that are made by human hands;

he is not served by human hands as if he needed anything, for it is he who gives life and breath and all things to all men.

Well, as the race of God, we ought not to imagine that the divine nature resembles gold or silver or stone, the product of human art and invention.

But as they opposed and abused him, he shook out his garments in protest, saying, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am not responsible! After this I will go to the Gentiles."

And the Lord said to Paul in a vision by night, "Have no fear, speak on and never stop,

who asked him to stay for a while. But he would not consent;

You also see and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost all over Asia this fellow Paul has drawn off a considerable number of people by his persuasions. He declares that hand-made gods are not gods at all.

Now the danger is not only that we will have our trade discredited but that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will fall into contempt and that she will be degraded from her majestic glory, she whom all Asia and the wide world worship."

(Paul wanted to enter the popular assembly, but the disciples would not allow him.

Some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, also sent to beg him not to venture into the amphitheatre.)

The secretary of state then got the mob calmed down, and said to them, "Men of Ephesus, who on earth does not know that the city of Ephesus is Warden of the temple of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven?

Indeed there is a danger of our being charged with riot over to-day's meeting; there is not a single reason we can give for this disorderly gathering."

but Paul went downstairs, threw himself upon him, and embraced him. "Do not lament," he said, "the life is still in him."

Now here I go to Jerusalem under the binding force of the Spirit. What will befall me there, I do not know.

I know to-day that not one of you will ever see my face again ??not one of you among whom I moved as I preached the Reign.

Therefore do I protest before you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you;

I know that when I am gone, fierce wolves will get in among you, and they will not spare the flock; yes.

So be on the alert, remember how for three whole years I never ceased night and day to watch over each one of you with tears.

We found out the local disciples and stayed there for seven days. These disciples told Paul by the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem;

Now when we heard this, we and the local disciples besought Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul replied, "What do you mean by weeping and disheartening me? I am ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

As he would not be persuaded, we acquiesced, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."

Now, they have heard that you teach all Jews who live among Gentiles to break away from Moses and not to circumcise their children, nor to follow the old customs.

Some of the crowd roared one thing, some another, and as he could not learn the facts owing to the uproar, he ordered Paul to be taken to the barracks.

"Then you are not the Egyptian who in days gone by raised the four thousand assassins and led them out into the desert?"

(My companions saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of him who talked to me.)

As I could not see owing to the dazzling glare of that light,. my companions took my hand and so I reached Damascus.

and saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, leave Jerusalem quickly, for they will not accept your evidence about me.'

Till he said that, they had listened to him. But at that they shouted, "Away with such a creature from the earth! He is not fit to live!"

"Brothers," said Paul, "I did not know he was high priest" (for it is written, You must not speak evil of any ruler of your people).

On the following night the Lord stood by Paul and said, "Courage! As you have testified to me at Jerusalem, so you must testify at Rome."

Now do not let them persuade you. More than forty of them are lying in ambush for him, and they have taken a solemn oath neither to eat nor to drink till they have murdered him. They are all ready at this moment, awaiting your consent."

He summoned two of the officers and said, "Get ready by nine o'clock to-night two hundred infantry to march as far as Caesarea, also seventy troopers, and two hundred spearmen."