"For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "'Let his encampment be desolate: let there be no one to dwell there'; and "'His work let another take up.'

Then they drew lots between them. The lot fell on Matthias, and a place among the eleven Apostles was voted to him.

Peter however, together with the Eleven, stood up and addressed them in a loud voice. "Men of Judaea, and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem," he said, "be in no uncertainty about this matter but pay attention to what I say.

"Therefore let the whole House of Israel know beyond all doubt that God has made Him both LORD and CHRIST--this Jesus whom you crucified."

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has conferred this honour on His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to let Him go.

But to prevent the matter spreading any further among the people, let us stop them by threats from speaking in the future in this name to any one whatever."

The Court added further threats and then let them go, being quite unable to find any way of punishing them on account of the people, because all gave God the glory for the thing that had happened.

so that they would even bring out their sick friends into the streets and lay them on light couches or mats, in order that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or other of them.

and laid hands upon the Apostles, and put them into the public jail.

His advice carried conviction. So they called the Apostles in, and--after flogging them--ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then let them go.

These men they brought to the Apostles, and, after prayer, they laid their hands upon them.

and they were taken to Shechem and were laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a sum of money paid in silver.

Upon this, with a loud outcry they stopped their ears, rushed upon Stephen in a body,

A party of devout men, however, buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.

For, with a loud cry, foul spirits came out of many possessed by them, and many paralytics and lame persons were restored to health.

No part or lot have you in this matter, for your heart is not right in God's sight.

The passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: "Like a sheep He was led to slaughter, and just as a lamb before its shearer is dumb so He opened not His mouth.

But on the journey, as he was getting near Damascus, suddenly there flashed round him a light from Heaven;

Then he rose from the ground, but when he had opened his eyes, he could not see, and they led him by the arm and brought him to Damascus.

For I will let him know the great sufferings which he must pass through for My sake."

but his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a hamper.

Now Peter, as he went to town after town, came down also to God's people at Lud.

And all the people of Lud and Sharon saw him; and they turned to the Lord.

But, as it happened, just at that time she was taken ill and died. After washing her body they laid it out in a room upstairs.

Lud, however, being near Jaffa, the disciples, who had heard that Peter was at Lud, sent two men to him with an urgent request that he would come across to them without delay.

The sky had opened to his view, and what seemed to be an enormous sail was descending, being let down to the earth by ropes at the four corners.

"While I was in the town of Jaffa, offering prayer," he said, "in a trance I saw a vision. There descended what seemed to be an enormous sail, being let down from the sky by ropes at the four corners, and it came close to me.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell; and, striking Peter on the side, he woke him and said, "Rise quickly." Instantly the chains dropped off his wrists.

So, after fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands, they let them go.

The Lord's hand is now upon you, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the light of day." Instantly there fell upon him a mist and a darkness, and, as he walked about, he begged people to lead him by the hand.

and when they had carried out everything which had been written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

For such is the Lord's command to us. "'I have placed Thee,' He says of Christ, 'as a light to the Gentiles, in order that Thou mayest be a Saviour as far as the remotest parts of the earth.'"

said in a loud voice, "Stand upright upon your feet!"

Yet let us send them written instructions to abstain from things polluted by connexion with idolatry, from fornication, from meat killed by strangling, and from blood.

Among our hearers was one named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods. She belonged to the city of Thyateira, and was a worshipper of the true God. The Lord opened her heart, so that she gave attention to what Paul was saying.

But Paul said to them, "After cruelly beating us in public, without trial, Roman citizens though we are, they have thrown us into prison, and are they now going to send us away privately? No, indeed! Let them come in person and fetch us out."

Then Paul and Silas, having come out of the prison, went to Lydia's house; and, after seeing the brethren and encouraging them, they left Philippi.

They required Jason and the rest to find substantial bail, and after that they let them go.

and when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.

and you see and hear that, not in Ephesus only but throughout almost the whole province of Asia, this fellow Paul has led away a vast number of people by inducing them to believe that they are not gods at all that are made by men's hands.

Then Paul would have liked to go in and address the people, but the disciples would not let him do so.

If, however, Demetrius and the mechanics who support his contention have a grievance against any one, there are Assize-days and there are Proconsuls: let the persons interested accuse one another.

and a youth of the name of Eutychus was sitting at the window. This lad, gradually sinking into deep sleep while Paul preached at unusual length, overcome at last by sleep, fell from the second floor and was taken up dead.

They had taken the lad home alive, and were greatly comforted.

and with loud lamentation they all threw their arms round his neck, and kissed him lovingly,

They laid hands on him, crying out, "Men of Israel, help! help! This is the man who goes everywhere preaching to everybody against the Jewish people and the Law and this place. And besides, he has even brought Gentiles into the Temple and has desecrated this holy place."

The excitement spread through the whole city, and the people rushed in crowds to the Temple, and there laid hold of Paul and began to drag him out; and the Temple gates were immediately closed.

"Are you not the Egyptian who some years ago excited the riot of the 4,000 cut-throats, and led them out into the Desert?"

"But on my way, when I was now not far from Damascus, about noon a sudden blaze of light from Heaven shone round me.

"Now the men who were with me, though they saw the light, did not hear the words of Him who spoke to me.

"And as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling, those who were with me had to lead me by the arm, and so I came to Damascus.

So the Tribune sent the youth home, cautioning him. "Do not let any one know that you have given me this information," he said.

Then, calling to him two of the Captains, he gave his orders. "Get ready two hundred men," he said, "to march to Caesarea, with seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry, starting at nine o'clock to-night."

Or let these men themselves say what misdemeanour they found me guilty of when I stood before the Sanhedrin,

"Therefore let those of you," he said, "who can come, go down with me, and impeach the man, if there is anything amiss in him."

and, during their rather long stay, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. "There is a man here," he said, "whom Felix left a prisoner,

and on the journey, at noon, Sir, I saw a light from Heaven--brighter than the brightness of the sun--shining around me and around those who were travelling with me.

that they may turn from darkness to light and from the obedience to Satan to God, in order to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified through faith in Me.'

since the Christ was to be a suffering Christ, and by coming back from the dead was then to be the first to proclaim a message of light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

As Paul thus made his defence, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, "You are raving mad, Paul; and great learning is driving you mad."

But Julius let himself be persuaded by the pilot and by the owner rather than by Paul's arguments;

And a light breeze from the south sprang up, so that they supposed they were now sure of their purpose. So weighing anchor they ran along the coast of Crete, hugging the shore.

She was unable to make headway against the gale; so we gave up and let her drive.

So they hove the lead and found twenty fathoms of water; and after a short time they hove again and found fifteen fathoms.

Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship's boat and let her fall off.

It happened, however, that his father was lying ill of dysentery aggravated by attacks of fever; so Paul went to see him, and, after praying, laid his hands on him and cured him.

He announced the coming of the Kingdom of God, and taught concerning the Lord Jesus Christ without let or hindrance.