Now those who had gathered together began to ask Jesus, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that this field is called in their language Hakeldama, that is, "The Field of Blood".)

"For in the Book of Psalms it is written, "Let his estate be desolate, and let no one live on it,' and, "Let someone else take over his office,'

who was one of the men associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us,

beginning when he was baptized by John until the day he was taken up from us. Therefore, someone like this must become a witness with us to his resurrection."

Then they prayed, "Lord, you know the hearts of all people. Show us which one of these two men you have chosen

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.

So how is it that each one of us hears them speaking in his own native language:

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

"Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand something, so pay close attention to my words. These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it's only nine o'clock in the morning.

Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

"Fellow Israelis, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a man authenticated to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know.

since David says about him, "I always keep my eyes on the Lord, for he is at my right hand so that I cannot be shaken.

That is why my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, yes, even my body still rests securely in hope.

"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and that his tomb is among us to this day.

Peter answered them, "Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.

For this promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are distant, whom the Lord our God may call to himself."

Peter, along with John, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look at us!"

When Peter saw this, he told the people: "Fellow Israelis, why are you wondering about this, and why are you staring at us as if by our own power or godliness we made him walk?

It is his name that is, by faith in his name that has healed this man whom you see and know. Yes, the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

This is how God fulfilled what he had predicted through the voice of all the prophets that his Messiah would suffer.

He is "the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.'

There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."

But to keep it from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in this name."

But Peter and John answered them, "You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God,

as you stretch out your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

As long as it remained unsold, wasn't it your own? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? So how could you have thought of doing what you did? You didn't lie only to men, but also to God!"

"How could you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?" Peter asked her. "Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and these men will carry you outside as well."

As a result, people kept carrying their sick into the streets and placing them on stretchers and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he went by.

When the commander of the Temple guards and the high priests heard these words, they were utterly at a loss as to what could have happened to them.

He said, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name, didn't we? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man's blood on us!"

God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to extend repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him."

"I'm telling you to keep away from these men for now. Leave them alone, because if this plan or movement is of human origin, it will fail.

Every day in the Temple and from house to house they kept teaching and proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah.

In those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

So the Twelve called the whole group of disciples together and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect messages from God in order to wait on tables.

But some men who belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), as well as some Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and began to debate with Stephen.

For we have heard him say that this Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us."

Then the high priest asked, "Is this true?"

God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child.

"This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years.

"Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him

"Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt.

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

"But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us?

Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.

Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.

It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.'

This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us,

They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!'

So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you?

You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.'

"Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.

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

""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest?

"You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!"

As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

Devout men buried Stephen as they mourned loudly for him.

Unclean spirits screamed with a loud voice as they came out of the many people they had possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.

As a result, there was great rejoicing in that city.

Everyone from the least to the greatest paid close attention to him, saying, "This is what we call the great power of God!"

Now an angel of the Lord told Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a deserted road."

Now he was returning home, seated in his chariot, and reading from the prophet Isaiah.

So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"

This was the passage of Scripture he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led away to be slaughtered, and like a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.

In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his descendants? For his life is taken away from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "I ask you, who is the prophet talking about? Himself? Or someone else?"

As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, there's some water. What keeps me from being baptized?"

But Philip found himself at Azotus. As he was passing through that region, he kept proclaiming the good news in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

As Saul traveled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.

He is here with authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call on your name."

So Ananias left and went to that house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were traveling, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

He immediately started to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This is the Son of God."

Everyone who heard him was astonished and said, "This is the man who harassed those who were calling on Jesus' name in Jerusalem, isn't it? Didn't he come here to bring them in chains to the high priests?"

So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace. As it continued to be built up and to live in the fear of the Lord, it kept increasing in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

Peter told him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Messiah is healing you. Get up and put away your mat!" At once he got up,

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was known for her good actions and acts of charity that she was always doing.

Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.

He was a devout man who feared God, as did everyone in his home. He gave many gifts to the poor among the people and always prayed to God.

He stared at the angel in terror and asked, "What is it, Lord?"

The angel answered him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have arisen as a reminder to God. Send men now to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter.

He is a guest of Simon, a leatherworker, whose house is by the sea."

But Peter said, "Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!"

The men replied, "Cornelius, a centurion and an upright and God-fearing man who is respected by the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his home to hear what you have to say."

So Peter welcomed them as his guests. The next day, he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along with him.

As Peter talked with him, he went in and found that many people had gathered.

He told them, "You understand how wrong it is for a Jew to associate or visit with unbelievers. But God has shown me that I should stop calling anyone common or unclean,

and that is why I didn't hesitate when I was sent for. Now may I ask why you sent for me?"

so send messengers to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, to come to you. He is a guest in the home of Simon, a leatherworker, by the sea.'

So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. All of us are here now in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has ordered you to say."

Indeed, whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation.

He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

not to all the people, but to us who were chosen by God to be witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

He also ordered us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that this is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.

"No one can stop us from using water to baptize these people who have received the Holy Spirit in the same way that we did, can they?"

Then he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his home and saying, "Send messengers to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter.

"When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he was first given to us.