So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

And after he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven."

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying; Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.

So they put forward two men, Josnt called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen

And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And at this sound the crowd came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

They were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

And they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

But others were mocking and said, "They are full of sweet wine."

even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as anyone had need.

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to beg alms of those who entered the temple.

and they recognized him as the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,

being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And they seized them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.

And when they had set them in the midst, they began to inquire, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they conferred with one another,

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for all the people were praising God for what had happened.

When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God together and said, "Sovereign Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them,

And when they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."

Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Porch.

so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, so that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy.

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought.

But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported back,

Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed about them, wondering what would come of this.

Then the captain went along with the officers and brought them back without violence, for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned.

When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest questioned them,

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to kill them.

So they took his advice, and they called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

And the statement pleased the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

But they could not stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

They stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came on him and seized him, and brought him before the council.

They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place, and the law;

But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

'But I will judge the nation which they serve,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and worship me in this place.'

They were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

He dealt craftily with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not survive.

And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

On the following day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong each other?'

This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.

And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua when they took the land from the nations whom God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the time of David,

Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed their teeth at him.

But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed together upon him with.

Then they cast him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Saul was consenting to his death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.

and they all, from the least to the greatest, gave attention to him, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God."

And they gave heed to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,

who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

For he had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?"

And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.

Saul got up from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night, to kill him;

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were seeking to kill him.

But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

And at that time she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her, they laid her body in an upper room.

So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing the tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

And he became hungry and was desiring something to eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance

They called out, asking whether Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say."

We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;