until the day He was taken up, after He had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me;

After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.

While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

During these days Peter stood up among the brothers—the number of people who were together was about 120—and said:

For he was one of our number and was allotted a share in this ministry.”

beginning from the baptism of John until the day He was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was numbered with the 11 apostles.

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

On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know.

Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him.

God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.

Therefore my heart was glad,
and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,

Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne.

Seeing this in advance, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah:

He was not left in Hades,
and His flesh did not experience decay.

For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:

The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand

And a man who was lame from birth was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg from those entering the temple complex.

and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple complex. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, greatly amazed, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.

So they seized them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening.

Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders:

If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means he was healed—

for this sign of healing had been performed on a man over 40 years old.

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.

Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.

And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.

For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,

and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.

Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God!”

There was an interval of about three hours; then his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

A Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the men to be taken outside for a little while.

Not long ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about 400 men rallied to him. He was killed, and all his partisans were dispersed and came to nothing.

In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

“Brothers and fathers,” he said, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

He didn’t give him an inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, but He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless.

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him

When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors the first time.

The second time, Joseph was revealed to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.

“As the time was drawing near to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt

At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his father’s home three months,

and when he was left outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and raised him as her own son.

So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.

“As he was approaching the age of 40, he decided to visit his brothers, the Israelites.

“But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him away, saying:

Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?

When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came:

He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us.

But it was Solomon who built Him a house.

Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.

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

So there was great joy in that city.

Then even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he went around constantly with Philip and was astounded as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.

When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem

and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.

Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so He does not open His mouth.

In His humiliation justice was denied Him.
Who will describe His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.

Philip appeared in Azotus, and he was traveling and evangelizing all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.

He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Here I am, Lord!” he said.

At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

And after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days.

But all who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to associate with the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple.

Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

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 is translated Dorcas. She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who begged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.”

So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.

He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household slaves and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him.

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

While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate.

They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.

While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you.

They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.”

The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in a dazzling robe stood before me

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil, because God was with Him.

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message.

“I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me.

“Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven.

The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart,

for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord.

Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the time of Claudius.

So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.

On the night before Herod was to bring him out for execution, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.

So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what took place through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway.

“You’re crazy!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, “It’s his angel!”

At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.

He had been very angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians. Together they presented themselves before him. They won over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, and through him they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.