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.

As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them

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

When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James were there.

This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language they called that field Hakeldama, that is, "Field of Blood.")

So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias.

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

Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was counted with the eleven apostles.

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

Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

Completely baffled, they said, "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?

But others jeered at the speakers, saying, "They are drunk on new wine!"

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

Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "What should we do, brothers?"

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

and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.

Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,

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.

angry because they were teaching the people and announcing in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

So they seized them and put them in jail until the next day (for it was already evening).

After making Peter and John stand in their midst, they began to inquire, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this.

But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, they began to confer with one another,

And they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising God for what had happened.

When they were released, Peter and John went to their fellow believers and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said to them.

When they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and said, "Master of all, you who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them,

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God courageously.

Peter then told her, "Why have you 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!"

At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Now many miraculous signs and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they were all meeting together in Solomon's Portico.

Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them.

A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being healed.

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.

They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.

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.

But the officers who came for them did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,

Now when the commander of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be.

Then the commander of the temple guard went with the officers and brought the apostles without the use of force (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people).

When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, and the high priest questioned them,

Now when they heard this, they became furious and wanted to execute them.

and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.

So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ.

The proposal pleased the entire group, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch.

They stood these men before the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on them.

Yet they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We have heard this man speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God."

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

They brought forward false witnesses who said, "This man does not stop saying things against this holy place and the law.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' said God, 'and after these things they will come out of there and worship me in this place.'

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

This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

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

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.

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

Our ancestors received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, until the time of David.

Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!

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.

They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing.

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

But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.

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

These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.

(For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.

So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages as they went.

Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water! What is to stop me from being baptized?"

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

At that time she became sick and died. When they had washed her body, they placed it in an upstairs room.

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 noon the next day, while they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

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

They called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, was staying there as a guest.

They said, "Cornelius the centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message from you."

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

for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,

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

When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles."

A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

They did so, sending their financial aid to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him.

But they said to her, "You've lost your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"

Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were greatly astonished.

When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing Blastus, the king's personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace, because their country's food supply was provided by the king's country.

So Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing along with them John Mark.