THE former treatise, Theophilus, I composed, concerning all things which Jesus began both to do and to teach,

to whom also he had shewed himself alive, after he had suffered, by many infallible proofs, during forty days being frequently seen by them, and speaking of the things which relate to the kingdom of God:

and assembling them together, commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye have heard from me.

But he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, which the Father hath reserved under his own authority.

Then they returned unto Jerusalem, from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, about a sabbath-day's journey distant.

Men and brethren, it must needs be that this scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost delivered before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the conductor of those who seized on Jesus.

beginning from his baptism by John, until the day in which he was taken up from us, must there be chosen with us a witness of his resurrection, even one of these.

And joining in prayer, they said, Do thou, O Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, point out the one of these two which thou hast chosen,

to take a part in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, to go to his own place.

And how do we hear every man in our own peculiar dialect, in which from our birth we were brought up?

Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus the Nazarean, a man from God, pointed out to you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as yourselves also know:

This very Jesus hath God raised up, of which we all are witnesses.

He therefore being exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, hath poured out this, which ye now see and hear.

but ye slew the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead: of which we are witnesses.

And through faith in his name hath his name restored this man to strength, whom ye behold and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the sight of you all.

But the things which God before announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Messiah should suffer, he hath thus fulfilled.

whom the heaven indeed must receive, until the times of restoration of all things, which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy prophets from the beginning of the world.

But it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly exterminated from amidst the people."

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And "in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."

This is the stone which, though set at nought by you builders, is become the head of the corner.

For we cannot refrain from speaking the things which we have seen and heard.

But they being dismissed, came unto their own friends, and told them all things which the high-priests and elders had said.

Now when they heard it, they lifted up their united voice to God, and said, Lord, thou art the God which made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all things which are in them:

And while they were praying, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

And Joses, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, (which is, being interpreted, A son of consolation,) a Levite, a Cyprian by birth,

Then arose the high-priest, and all those who were connected with him, (which was the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with zeal,

And we are witnesses of these things; and the Holy Ghost also, which God hath given to those who obey him.

And they could not resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

for we have heard him affirm, that Jesus the Nazarean, even he, will destroy this place, and change the accustomed ordinances which Moses delivered to us.

and said to him, Go forth out of thy country, and from among thy relations, and come hither to a land which I will shew thee.

Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans, and, dwelt in Charran: and from thence, after his father was dead, God removed him as a sojourner into this very country, in which we now dwell.

And the nation by which they shall be enslaved will I judge, said God: and after these things they shall come out, and shall worship me in this place.

and they removed him to Sychem, and laid him in the sepulchre which Abraham had bought, at a price paid in silver, of the sons of Emmor, the father of Shechem.

But as the time of the promise which God had with an oath confirmed unto Abraham drew nigh, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

At which time Moses was born, and was endued with singular beauty from God, who was brought up three months in the house of his father:

Yet have ye taken up the tabernacle of Moloc, and the star of your god Remphan, those figures which ye made to pay adoration to them: and I will transport you beyond Babylon.

The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, as he that spake to Moses commanded, that he should make it according to the model which he had seen.

Which also our fathers having received, brought in with Joshua into the place possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out from before the presence of our fathers, unto the days of David;

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they killed those who before published the tidings of the coming of that Righteous Person; of whom ye have now been the betrayers and murderers:

BUT Saul was delighted with his execution. Now on that very day commenced a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and all, besides the apostles, were dispersed through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

And the multitudes with united minds were very attentive to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard him, and saw the miracles which he did.

But when they believed Philip, who preached the glad tidings of the things which related to the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised both men and women.

Then Simon also himself believed: and being baptised, he attached himself to Philip, and beholding the signs and great miracles which were performed, he was astonished.

Then Simon answering said, Pray ye for me unto the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken may come upon me.

Now the angel of the Lord spake to Philip, saying, Arise, and go towards the south, on the road which leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza: it is a wilderness.

The portion of scripture which he had been reading was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before him who sheareth it is dumb, so he opened not his mouth:

Now it came to pass, as Peter was passing through all parts, that he went down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.

But there was at Joppa a woman, a disciple, named Tabitha, (which by interpretation is called Dorcas:) this woman was full of good works and of alms which she did.

Then Peter arose and went with them. And they carried him, on his arrival, into the upper room: and all the widows stood round him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made, whilst she was with them.

in which were all the quadrupeds of the earth, and wild beasts, and reptiles, and birds of the air.

But while Peter was perplexed in himself what was meant by the vision which he had seen, then, behold! the men which had been sent by Cornelius having inquired out the house of Simon, stood before the door,

Then Peter went down to the men who were sent by Cornelius to him; and said, Lo! I am the person that ye ask for: what is the business on which ye are come hither?

The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, (he is Lord of all,) ye know:

even that which was the common talk through all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;

And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the region of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they killed suspending him on a tree:

on which looking attentively, I perceived, and saw the quadrupeds of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the reptiles, and the birds of the air.

who will speak words to thee, by which thou mayest be saved, and thy house.

Now those also who were dispersed by the persecution which arose on account of Stephen passed on as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no man except the Jews only.

And the report concerning them was heard in the ears of the church which was at Jerusalem: and they dispatched Barnabas, to go as far as Antioch.

And one of them named Agabus, rising up, signified by the spirit that a great famine was coming upon the whole habitable globe: which also came in the reign of Claudius Caesar.

which also they did, sending it off to the presbyters by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

And going out, he followed him; and knew not that it was a reality which was done by the angel; but he supposed he saw a vision.

So passing through the first ward and the second, they came to the iron door which leads into the city, which opened to them spontaneously: and being come out, they walked forward through one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.

But that he raised him from the dead, no more in future to return to corruption, he hath thus spoken, "I will give you the holy things of David, which are sure."

and by this man shall every one who believeth be justified from all things, from which it was not possible that he should be justified by the law of Moses.

Take heed then, that this come not upon you, which is spoken by the prophets;

"Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I do a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though one declare it unto you."

and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We too are mortals subject to the same infirmities with you; preaching to you the gospel, that ye should turn from these vain things unto the living God, who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things which are therein:

and thence sailed for Antioch, from whence they had been commended to the grace of God for the service which they had performed.

Why then now tempt ye God, by imposing a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

writing a letter by their hand, in these words: The apostles and presbyters and the brethren, to the brethren from among the Gentiles which are at Antioch, and in Syria, and Cilicia, greeting:

For it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no other burden except these things which are of absolute necessity;

that ye abstain from eating whatever is sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from whoredom: from which things carefully preserving yourselves, ye shall do well. Farewell.

and from thence to Philippi, which is the first city in that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we abode in that city some days.

and enjoin customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to practise, being Romans.

For as I walked about, and attentively viewed the objects of your worship, I found even an altar on which was this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you in ignorance adore, him I preach unto you.

because he hath fixed the day in which he will judge the whole world in righteousness by the man whom he hath appointed; affording evidence of this to all, by raising him from the dead.

and ye see and hear how not only at Ephesus, but almost through all Asia, this fellow Paul, by his persuasions, hath perverted a vast multitude, affirming that they are not gods which are made with hands:

Then the recorder having quieted the multitude, said, Men of Ephesus, who indeed is the man that doth not know that the city of the Ephesians is wholly devoted to the great goddess Diana, and to the image which fell down from Jupiter?

For we are even in danger of being called to account for this day's insurrection, there being no cause on account of which we can justify this tumultuary concourse:

And when they were come unto him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the very first day in which I entered into Asia, how I have been among you at every season,

serving the Lord with all humility, and with many tears and trials, which have befallen me through the lying in wait of the Jews:

and that I have suppressed nothing which could conduce to your profiting; not desisting from preaching to you, and teaching you in public, and from house to house,

Yet I make no account of any [suffering], nor regard my life as of any value to myself, farther than as I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord, to testify fully the Gospel of the grace of God.

Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops, to feed as shepherds the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

And now, brethren, I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to finish the superstructure, and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

most peculiarly afflicted at that word which he had spoken, that they should see his face no more: and they accompanied him unto the ship.

And after embracing them, he related every particular of the things which God had done among the Gentiles by his ministry.

Do this therefore which we say to thee: we have four men, who have a vow upon themselves;

MEN, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my apology which I now offer unto you.

Then I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise, go into Damascus; and there information shall be given thee of all things which are ordained for thee to do.

For thou shalt be a witness for him to all men, of the things which thou hast seen and heard.

So on the morrow, desirous to know of a certainty what it was of which he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him from the bonds, and commanded the high-priest and all the sanhedrim to appear, and bringing Paul down, set him before them.

And desirous of knowing the crime of which they accused him, I brought him down into their sanhedrim

But Paul (the governor having made him a sign to speak) replied, Knowing that for so many years thou hast been the judge of this nation, I with the more confidence offer my defence respecting the matters which concern me:

neither can they produce any proof of the facts of which they accuse me.

But this I confess to thee, that after the way which they call a sect, so worship I the God of our ancestors, believing all things that are written in the law, and in the prophets:

and having hope in God, the same which they also profess to look for, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust.

In the discharge of which offices certain Jews of Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a multitude, nor with any tumult.

except for this one sentence, which I uttered aloud when I was standing among them, For the resurrection of the dead am I this day judged by you.