until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven."

"Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus.

Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

So they put forward two men, Josnt called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen

They were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call to himself."

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

And all who believed were together and had all things in common;

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to beg alms of those who entered the temple.

and they recognized him as the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.

but killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Jesus has given him perfect health in the presence of you all.

whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago.

And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also announced these days.

But many of those who heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

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

And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God together and said, "Sovereign Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them,

who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David your servant, said, 'Why did the gentiles rage, and the peoples plot futile things?

For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

For there was not a needy person among them, For all who were owners of land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the sales

Thus Josnt who was called by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."

And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.

But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy.

And someone came and told them, "Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people."

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.

Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen.

They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place, and the law;

And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.

But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed him aside, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

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

This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to us.

saying to Aaron, 'Make for us gods who will go before us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egyptwe do not know what has happened to him.'

"Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua when they took the land from the nations whom God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the time of David,

who found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

But it was Solomon who built a house for him.

Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,

you who received the law as delivered by angels, and yet did not keep it."

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

Now there was a man named Simon, who had formerly practiced magic in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,

who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

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

So he got up and went. And there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship,

In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."

And the eunuch said to Philip, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"

And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name."

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus.

All those who heard him were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Now as Peter went through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

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

And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God continually.

About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!"

Now send men to Joppa, and bring a man named Simon who is called Peter;

When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,

They called out, asking whether Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say."

Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.'

but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is welcome to him.

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 oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

Of him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

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

All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.

"Can anyone refuse the water for these people to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

And he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is also called Peter;

So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could oppose God?"

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to persecute them.

When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

Now in the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord?