After saying this, Jesus was taken up while those who had gathered together were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

At that time, Peter got up among the brothers (there were about 120 people present) and said,

"Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the voice of David about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus,

This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that this field is called in their language Hakeldama, that is, "The Field of Blood".)

Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

"Fellow Israelis, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a man authenticated to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know.

So those who welcomed his message were baptized. That day about 3,000 people were added to their number.

They made it their practice to sell their possessions and goods and to distribute the proceeds to anyone who was in need.

United in purpose, they went to the Temple every day, ate at each other's homes, and shared their food with glad and humble hearts.

They were praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved.

One afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o'clock prayer time.

It is his name that is, by faith in his name that has healed this man whom you see and know. Yes, the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

This is how God fulfilled what he had predicted through the voice of all the prophets that his Messiah would suffer.

He must remain in heaven until the time of universal restitution, which God announced long ago through the voice of his holy prophets.

You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, "Through your descendant all the families of the earth will be blessed.'

But many of those who heard their message believed, and the men grew to number about 5,000.

The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes met in Jerusalem

There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."

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

When they heard this, they all raised their voices to God and said, "Master, you made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

You said by the Holy Spirit through the voice of our ancestor, your servant David, "Why do the unbelievers rage, and the people devise useless plots?

The kings of the earth take their stand, and rulers meet together against the Lord and against his Messiah.'

Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow your servants to speak your word boldly

as you stretch out your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

After an interval of about three hours, Ananias' wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

As a result, people kept carrying their sick into the streets and placing them on stretchers and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he went by.

Crowds continued coming in even from the towns around Jerusalem bringing their sick and those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

When the Temple police got there, they did not find them in the prison. They came back and reported,

In those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip.

On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh.

By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live.

"At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house.

Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.

I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.'

"This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush.

"At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands.

""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest?

While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him.

ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

As a result, there was great rejoicing in that city.

Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

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

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money

After they had given their testimony and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, continuing to proclaim the good news in many Samaritan villages.

So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, who was a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasures and had come up to Jerusalem to worship.

As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, there's some water. What keeps me from being baptized?"

But Philip found himself at Azotus. As he was passing through that region, he kept proclaiming the good news in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

For three days he couldn't see, and he didn't eat or drink anything.

Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called out to him in a vision, "Ananias!" He answered, "Here I am, Lord."

But the Lord told him, "Go, because he's my chosen instrument to carry my name to unbelievers, to their kings, and to the descendants of Israel.

but their plot became known to him. They were even watching the gates day and night to murder him,

but his disciples took him one night and let him down through the city wall by lowering him in a basket.

So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace. As it continued to be built up and to live in the fear of the Lord, it kept increasing in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was known for her good actions and acts of charity that she was always doing.

Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him and begged him, "Come here quickly!"

Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.

One day, about three in the afternoon, he had a vision and clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

Around noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

This happened three times. Then the sheet was quickly taken back into heaven.

They called out and asked if Simon who was called Peter was staying there.

Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit told him, "Look! Three men are looking for you.

Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my home. All at once a man in radiant clothes stood in front of me

He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

All the prophets testify to this: everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

So Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah. Then they asked him to stay there for several days.

This happened three times. Then everything was pulled back up to heaven.

"At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea.

One of them named Agabus got up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine all over the world. This happened during the reign of Claudius.

by sending it through Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

When morning came, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

Herod searched for him but didn't find him, so he questioned the guards and ordered them to be executed. Then he left Judea, went down to Caesarea, and stayed there for a while.

Now Herod had been in a violent quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him as a group. After they had won over Blastus, who oversaw security for the king's sleeping quarters, they asked for a peace agreement because their country depended on the king's country for food.

When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John who was also called Mark.

Then they fasted and prayed, laid their hands on them, and let them go.

After they had been sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.

They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish occult practitioner and false prophet named Bar-jesus.

"Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen! The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made them a great people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with a public display of power he led them out of there.

he destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan. Then God gave their land to the Israelis as an inheritance

Then God removed Saul and made David their king, about whom he testified, "I have found that David, the son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my wishes.'

For the people who live in Jerusalem and their leaders, not knowing who Jesus was, condemned him and so fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

he has fulfilled for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.'

"Therefore, brothers, you must understand that through him the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

But the Jewish leaders stirred up devout women of high social standing and the officials in the city, started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their territory.

So Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

They stayed there a considerable time and continued to speak boldly for the Lord, who kept affirming his word of grace and granting signs and wonders to be done by them.

Now when an attempt was made by both gentiles and Jews, along with their authorities, to mistreat and stone them,

There they kept talking about the good news.

Now in Lystra there was a man sitting down who couldn't use his feet. He had been crippled from birth and had never walked.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways,

Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.

From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work they had completed.

They were sent on their way by the church, and as they were going through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done through them.

After a lengthy debate, Peter stood up and told them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days, God chose me to be the one among you through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe.

He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts.