And [while he] was with [them], he commanded them, "Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me.

But you will receive power [when] the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, "Judean men, and all those who live [in] Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words!

'And it will be in the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

And even on my male slaves and on my female slaves I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

For David says with reference to him, 'I saw the Lord before me {continually}, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

For this [reason] my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced greatly, furthermore also my flesh will live in hope,

because you will not abandon my soul in Hades, nor will you permit your Holy One to experience decay.

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with gladness with your presence.'

For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,

Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out,

so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ appointed for you--Jesus,

Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You will listen to him in everything that he says to you.

But in order that it may not spread much [further] among the people, let us warn them to speak no more in this name {to anyone at all}."

And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you [both] were paid this much [for] the piece of land." And she said, "Yes, this much."

and the nation {that} they will serve as slaves, I will judge,' God said, 'and after these [things] they will come out and will worship me in this place.'

You do not want to do away with me {the same way} you did away with the Egyptian yesterday, [do you]?'

{I have certainly seen} the mistreatment of my people [who are] in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.'

"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.'

But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'You did not bring offerings and sacrifices to me [for] forty years in the wilderness, [did you], house of Israel?

'Heaven [is] my throne and earth [is] the footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what [is the] place of my rest?

Did not my hand make all these [things]?'

And they kept on stoning Stephen [as he] was calling out and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

saying, "Give to me also this power, so that whomever I place [my] hands on may receive the Holy Spirit!"

But Peter said to him, "May your silver {be destroyed along with you}, because you thought {you could acquire} the gift of God by means of money!

Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask the Lord if perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you!"

But Simon answered [and] said, "You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

And he said, "So how could I, unless someone will guide me?" And he invited Philip to come up [and] sit with him.

And as they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

and he has seen in a vision a man {named} Ananias coming in and placing hands on him so that he may regain [his] sight."

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

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

So Ananias departed and entered into the house, and placing [his] hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain [your] sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

And he said to them, "You know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or to approach a foreigner. And to me God has shown [that] I should call no man common or unclean.

Therefore--and without raising any objection--I came [when I] was sent for. So I ask for what reason you sent for me."

And Cornelius said, "{Four days ago at this hour}, [the] ninth, I was praying in my house. And behold, a man in shining clothing stood before me

"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision--an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me.

And I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!'

But I said, 'Certainly not, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has ever entered into my mouth!'

And behold, at once three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea approached the house in which we were [staying].

And the Spirit told me to accompany them, not hesitating [at all]. So these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the man's house.

And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals!" And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!"

And [when] Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know truly that the Lord has sent out his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and all {that the Jewish people expected}!"

And [while] they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

And [after] removing him, he raised up David for their king, about whom he also said, testifying, 'I have found David the [son] of Jesse [to be] a man in accordance with my heart, who will carry out all my will.'

But while John was completing [his] mission, he said, 'What do you suppose me to be? I am not [he]! But behold, one is coming after me of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of [his] feet!'

this [promise] God has fulfilled to our children [by] raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son; today I have fathered you.'

And [after] there was much debate, Peter stood up [and] said to them, "Men [and] brothers, you know that in the early days God chose among you through my mouth [that] the Gentiles should hear the message of the gospel and believe.

And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Men [and] brothers, listen to me!

so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles {who are called by my name}, says the Lord, who makes these [things]

And after she was baptized, and her household, she urged [us], saying, "If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come to my house [and] stay." And she prevailed upon us.

And they took hold of him [and] brought [him] to the Areopagus, saying, "May we learn what [is] this new teaching being proclaimed by you?

Now when these [things] were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, it is necessary [for] me to see Rome also."

serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews--

"And now behold, bound by the Spirit I am traveling to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me {there},

except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in town [after town], saying that bonds and persecutions await me.

But I consider [my] life [as] worth {nothing} to myself, in order to finish my mission and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify [to] the gospel of the grace of God.

"And now behold, I know that all [of] you, among whom I went about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more.

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

You yourselves know that these hands served [to meet] my needs and [the needs of] those who were with me.

Then Paul replied, "What are you doing weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus!"

And [as he] was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the military tribune, "Is it permitted for me to say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek?

But Paul said, "I am a Jewish man from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city. Now I ask you, allow me to speak to the people."

"Men--brothers and fathers--listen to my defense to you now!"

as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, [and] was traveling [there] to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished.

"And it happened that [as] I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed around me,

and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'

And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.'

(Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.)

So I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up [and] proceed to Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all [the things] that have been appointed for you to do.'

And as I could not see as a result of the brightness of that light, I arrived in Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me.

came to me and stood by [me] [and] said to me, 'Brother Saul, regain [your] sight!' And [at that] same time I looked up at him [and saw him].

and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and depart {quickly} from Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

And he said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'"

So the military tribune came [and] said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes."

And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Men [and] brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day."

Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, [you] whitewashed wall! And are you sitting [there] judging me according to the law, and acting contrary to the law do you order me to be struck?"

And the next night the Lord stood by him [and] said, "Have courage, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

So he took him [and] brought [him] to the military tribune and said, "The prisoner Paul called me [and] asked [me] to bring this young man to you [because he] has something to tell you."

And the military tribune, taking hold of his hand and withdrawing privately, asked, "What is it that you have to report to me?

So the military tribune sent the young man away, directing [him], "Tell no one that you have revealed these [things] to me."

And he summoned two of the centurions [and] said, "Make ready from the third hour of the night two hundred soldiers and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, in order that they may proceed as far as Caesarea.

And [when it] was made known to me there would be a plot against the man, I sent [him] to you immediately, also ordering [his] accusers to speak against him before you.

But so that I may not impose on you for longer, I implore you to hear us briefly with your [customary] graciousness.

And neither did they find me arguing with anyone or making a crowd develop in the temple [courts] nor in the synagogues nor throughout the city.

Nor can they prove [the things] to you concerning which they are now accusing me.

{For this reason} also myself {always} do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and people.

So after many years, I came to practice charitable giving and offerings to my people,

in which they found me purified in the temple [courts], not with a crowd or with a disturbance.

But [there are] some Jews from Asia who ought to be present before you and bring charges against [me], if they have anything against me,

So he said, "Let those among you [who are] prominent go down with [me], [and] if there is any wrong in the man, let them bring charges against him."

But Festus, [because he] wanted to do a favor for the Jews, answered [and] said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there concerning these [things]?"

But Paul said, "I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where it is necessary [for] me to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.

If then I am doing wrong and have done anything deserving death, I am not trying to avoid dying. But if there is nothing [true] of [the things] which these [people] are accusing me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!"

And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole population of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting [that] he must not live any longer.

I do not have anything definite to write to [my] lord about {him}. Therefore I have brought him before you [all]--and especially before you, King Agrippa--so that [after] this preliminary hearing has taken place, I may have something to write.

For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not to indicate the charges against him."

[because] you are especially acquainted with both all the customs and controversial questions with respect to the Jews. Therefore I beg [you] to listen to me with patience.

"Now all the Jews know my manner of life from [my] youth, that had taken place from the beginning among my [own] people and in Jerusalem,