So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, "Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight.

and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven."

"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know --

this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.

But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power.

For David says about him, 'I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

Peter looked directly at him (as did John) and said, "Look at us!"

Then Peter took hold of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man's feet and ankles were made strong.

All the people saw him walking and praising God,

and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement at what had happened to him.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate after he had decided to release him.

And on the basis of faith in Jesus' name, his very name has made this man -- whom you see and know -- strong. The faith that is through Jesus has given him this complete health in the presence of you all.

Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you.

And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days.

God raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your iniquities."

sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and placed it at the apostles' feet.

So the young men came, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.

When they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began teaching. Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin -- that is, the whole high council of the Israelites -- and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought before them.

The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree.

God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and nothing came of it.

After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, and incited people to follow him in revolt. He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered.

They incited the people, the elders, and the experts in the law; then they approached Stephen, seized him, and brought him before the council.

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

and said to him, 'Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.'

Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God made him move to this country where you now live.

He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child.

Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him,

and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand.

"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.

But the Lord said to him, 'Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

This same Moses they had rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and judge?' God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

This is the man who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and he received living oracles to give to you.

Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,

saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt -- we do not know what has happened to him!'

Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen.

But Solomon built a house for him.

When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him.

But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent.

When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.

All the people, from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called 'Great.'"

And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.

But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could acquire God's gift with money!

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

The man replied, "How in the world can I, unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

In humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his posterity? For his life was taken away from the earth."

So Philip started speaking, and beginning with this scripture proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.

So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but went on his way rejoicing.

and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

(Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one.)

So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias," and he replied, "Here I am, Lord."

Then the Lord told him, "Get up and go to the street called 'Straight,' and at Judas' house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying,

and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again."

But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.

For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

All who heard him were amazed and were saying, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners to the chief priests?"

Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted together to kill him,

but Saul learned of their plot against him. They were also watching the city gates day and night so that they could kill him.

But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall by lowering him in a basket.

When he arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple.

But Barnabas took Saul, brought him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

He was speaking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they were trying to kill him.

When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Get up and make your own bed!" And immediately he got up.

All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Because Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Come to us without delay."

So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived they brought him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him the tunics and other clothing Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, "Cornelius."

Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, "What is it, Lord?" The angel said to him, "Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God.

When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him,

He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him.

Then a voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!"

The voice spoke to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!"

While Peter was still thinking seriously about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Look! Three men are looking for you.

So Peter invited them in and entertained them as guests. On the next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

So when Peter came in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

But Peter helped him up, saying, "Stand up. I too am a mere mortal."

Peter continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together.

but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him.

with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

We are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,

but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen,

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

About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him,

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.