after he had given the apostles he had chosen, the orders they were to execute by the holy spirit.

And when they were all together, with him, he gave them orders not to go away from Jerusalem, but to keep there, waiting till the word of the Father was put into effect, of which, he said, I have given you knowledge:

They, therefore, indeed, having come together, were questioning him, saying, 'Lord, dost thou at this time restore the reign to Israel?'

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

While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, two men in white robes stood right beside them.

and when they came in, they went up to the upper room, where were abiding both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James, of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zelotes, and Judas, of James;

these all were continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication, with women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

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

This man therefore purchased a field with the price of the wickedness, and falling headlong burst in the middle and all his bowels were poured out;

And this came to the knowledge of all those who were living in Jerusalem, so that the field was named in their language, Akel-dama, or, The field of blood.)

So two names were proposed, Joseph called Bar-sabbas--and surnamed Justus--and Matthias.

When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, all of them were together in one place.

Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

and there appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them,

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.

Now devout Jews from every nation on earth were living in Jerusalem.

and the rumour of this having come, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because they were each one hearing them speaking in his proper dialect,

and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, 'Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born?

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town,

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one unto another, 'What would this wish to be?'

While, others, in mockery were saying - With sweet wine, are they drunken!

When the crowd that had gathered heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

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

The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

A sense of fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.

All the believers were united and shared everything with one another.

and the possessions and the goods they were selling, and were parting them to all, according as any one had need.

Daily also continuing with one accord in the temple, breaking also at every house bread, they were partaking of food in gladness and simplicity of heart,

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.

Now a man who had been crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day people would lay him at what was called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from those who were going into the Temple.

When he saw that Peter and John were about to go into the Temple, he asked them to give him something.

He looked at them, supposing that they were going to give him something.

And having seized him by the right hand, he raised him up, and presently his feet and ankles were strengthened,

and recognized him as the very man who used to sit at The Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg, they were completely astounded and bewildered at what occurred to him.

While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people came running to them in what was called "Solomon's Colonnade". They were dumbfounded.

And when Peter saw [the crowd assembling] he gave this explanation: "Men of Israel, why are you so shocked at [what happened to] this man? And why are you gazing at us, as though it were by our power or godly qualities that we caused him to walk?

[Then, at the hands of the Roman authorities] you killed the Prince of [never ending] life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we [apostles] were [reliable] witnesses of it.

"And yet, I know, brothers, that you did not realize what you were doing, any more than your leaders did.

But this way God fulfilled what things were foretold, through the mouth of all his prophets, the Christ was to endure.

You [Jews] were the first ones to receive this blessing when God raised up [i.e., selected] His Servant [i.e., Jesus] and sent Him to turn all of you [away] from your sins."

While they were talking to the people, the high priests, the military commander of the temple, and the Sadducees came down upon them,

because they were very much disturbed over their continuing to teach the people and to declare in the case of Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

and many of those hearing the word did believe, and the number of the men became, as it were, five thousand.

And it came to pass upon the morrow, there were gathered together of them the rulers, and elders, and scribes, to Jerusalem,

met in Jerusalem, including Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all that were members of the high priest's family.

and having set them in the midst, they were inquiring, 'In what power, or in what name did ye do this?'

They were surprised to see the courage shown by Peter and John and to find that they were uneducated men, and especially untrained in the schools, but they recognized the fact that they had been companions of Jesus,

And, seeing that the man who had been made well was there with them, they were not able to say anything against it.

But, having ordered them to go aside out of the Sanhedrin, they were conferring one with another,

So they threatened Peter and John even more and then let them go. They couldn't find any way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened,

When they were turned loose, the apostles went back to their companions and told them what the high priests and elders had said to them.

Having said by the mouth of David thy servant, That why were the nations insolent, and did the people practise vain things

The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

When they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and continued courageously to speak God's message.

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

And with great power were the apostles giving the testimony to the rising again of the Lord Jesus, great grace also was on them all,

For none of them was in want, for as many of them as were owners of farms or houses proceeded to sell them, one by one, and continued to bring the money received for the things sold

and were laying them at the feet of the apostles, and distribution was being made to each according as any one had need.

And at these words, Ananias went down on the earth, and his life went from him: and great fear came on all who were present.

And it fortuned as it were about the space of three hours after, that his wife came in, ignorant of that which was done.

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

And great fear and awe gripped the whole church, and all who heard about these things.

Many signs and wonders were continuously performed by the apostles among the people. And by common consent they all used to meet in Solomon's portico.

and of the rest no one was daring to join himself to them, but the people were magnifying them,

And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

And they even took into the streets people who were ill, and put them on beds, so that when Peter went by, some of them might be in his shade.

Even from the towns around Jerusalem crowds continued coming in to bring their sick ones and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.

Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

were filled with zeal, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them into the common prison.

And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

But the men who were sent saw that they were not in the prison, and came back with the news,

Saying, The doors of the prison were safely shut, and the keepers were at the doors, but when they were open, there was nobody inside.

When the military commander of the temple square and the high priest heard this, they were utterly at a loss to know how this might turn out.

And some one came and told them that the very men whom they had put in prison were standing in the Temple, and teaching to the people.

Then the military commander went with his attendants and brought them back, but without any violence, for they were afraid of being pelted with stones by the people.

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

For in the days gone by Theudas appeared, claiming that he was a man of importance, and a considerable number of men, about four hundred, espoused his cause, but he was slain and all his followers were dispersed and as a party annihilated.

After him, at the time of the enrollment for the Roman tax, Judas the Galilean appeared and influenced people to desert and follow him, but he too perished and all his followers were scattered.

But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest you even be found fighting against God." So they were persuaded by him.

They were convinced by him, and after calling the apostles in and having them flogged, they charged them to stop speaking on the authority of Jesus, and then turned them loose.

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

every day also in the temple, and in every house, they were not ceasing teaching and proclaiming good news -- Jesus the Christ.

In those days, as the number of the disciples was increasing, complaint was made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the native Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen.

And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

Then, they set on men who were saying - We have heard him speaking profane things against Moses and God.

And the people, with the rulers and the scribes, were moved against him, and they came and took him before the Sanhedrin,

For he has said in our hearing that this Jesus of Nazareth will put this place to destruction and make changes in the rules which were handed down to us by Moses.

Then all who were seated in the council fixed their eyes upon him and saw that his face was like that of an angel.

God's words were these--'Abraham's descendants shall live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years.

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

'And there came a dearth upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance,

But when Jacob heard that there were provisions in Egypt, he sent our fathers, the first time.

at the second voyage Joseph discover'd himself to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred were made known to Pharaoh.

And Joseph having sent forth, he summoned Jacob his father. And all his kinfolk, in souls, were seventy-five.

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