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."

for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry."

(Now this man Judas acquired a field with the reward of his unjust deed, and falling headfirst he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.

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.")

to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."

When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

But Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: "You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say.

But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:

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.

"Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay.

This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ."

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

With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying, "Save yourselves from this perverse generation!"

When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety?

You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses!

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.

But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets -- that his Christ would suffer -- he has fulfilled in this way.

This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.

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

if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man -- by what means this man was healed --

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone.

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

But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name."

For the man, on whom this miraculous sign of healing had been performed, was over forty years old.

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,

"For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,

Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God!"

Peter said to her, "Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the land?" Sapphira said, "Yes, that much."

"Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words of this life."

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.

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.

saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood on us!"

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

So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to nothing,

But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are well-attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this necessary task.

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

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

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

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.

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.'

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

When the man said this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

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 man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

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

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.

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!'

Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" When he had said this, he died.

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.'"

saying, "Give me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit."

You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God!

Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart.

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)

Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."

Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this: "He was led like a sheep to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Then the eunuch said to Philip, "Please tell me, who is the prophet saying this about -- himself or someone else?"

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

But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem,

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.

and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "This man is the Son of God."

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?"

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

This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea."

This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.

Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, at three o'clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing stood before me

Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.'

This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again.

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."

One of them, named Agabus, got up and predicted by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world. (This took place during the reign of Claudius.)

When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.)

When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay as foreigners in the country of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

All this took about four hundred fifty years. After this he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

From the descendants of this man God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised.

Brothers, descendants of Abraham's family, and those Gentiles among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us.

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

But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus from the dead, never again to be in a state of decay, God has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David.'

Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you.

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed.

This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed,

When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate with them, the church appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement.

Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate about this matter.

The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,

After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it,

They sent this letter with them: From the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, greetings!

but Paul insisted that they should not take along this one who had left them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.

When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this,

and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for some days.

She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out of her at once.

explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."

Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking, "What does this foolish babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods." (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.)