And once when he was eating with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. "Of this," he said, "you have heard from me.

So, when they came together, they began to ask him, "Master, are you at this time about to restore the kingdom of Israel?"

When he had said this, and while they were looking at him, he was lifted up, and a cloud received him up out of their sight.

and they said: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into the sky will come back in just the same way as you have seen him going into the sky."

"For he was numbered among us, and he did get his allotted share of this ministry.

"Now this man bought a plot of ground with the price of his treachery, and falling there headlong he burst asunder and all his bowels gushed out.

"This fact became known to the people of Jerusalem so that the place was called in their language, Acheldamach, The Field of Blood.

"in this ministry of this apostles from which Judas went out to go to his own place."

So when this noise was heard, the crowd gathered in bewilderment because each man heard them speaking in his own language.

All were astonished and bewildered and kept saying to one another, "What can this mean?"

Then Peter, with the Eleven, stood up and addresses them in a loud voice. "Men of Judea and dwellers in Jerusalem, have no doubt about this matter, but listen to what I say.

"No, this is what the prophet Joel predicted.

"Men and brothers, I can speak plainly to you concerning the patriarch David, because he not only died and was buried, but his tomb is among us even to this very day.

"he, foreseeing this, spoke of the resurrection of Christ that neither was he left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

This Jesus God has raised up, of this we are all witnesses.

Since he is by the mighty hand of God exalted, and has received from his Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this which you now see and hear.

"Therefore let the whole House of Israel know assuredly that Gods has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified."

With many other words he continued to bear testimony, and kept entreating them, saying, "Save yourselves from this perverse generation."

"I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have, this I am going to give to you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk!"

and recognized that this was the man who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, they were filled with awe and amazement at what had happened to him.

When he saw this, Peter said to the people. "Men of Israel, why are you wondering at this? Why do you stare at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made this man to walk?

"And his name, on the ground of faith in his name, has made strong this man, whom you now see and know; yes, the faith that is through him has made this man sound and strong again, in the presence of you all.

"whom the heavens must receive until the time of restoration of all things. "God spoke of this ages ago, through the mouth of his holy prophets.

Then they made the men stand before them and demanded, "By what power, or in what name, have you fellows done this?"

"Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being examined today concerning a benefit conferred upon a cripple, as to how has this man been cured,

"be it known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand before you strong and well.

"But that the matter may spread no further among the people, let us threaten them not to speak to any one hereafter about this name."

For the man on whom this miracle of healing had been wrought was over forty years old.

"In this very city they did gather together against thy holy Servant, Jesus whom thou hast anointed??erod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and also the tribes of Israel??28 "to do all that thy power and thy will had predetermined should be done.

In this way Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement" is what it means), who was a native Cyprus,

"While it remained unsold, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was not the price at your own disposal? How could you conceive this act in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God."

This aroused bitter indignation among the high priest and his followers who were of the sect of the Sadducees,

He said to them, "Go take your stand in the Temple, and continue to tell the people all the words of this Life."

When they heard this they went at early dawn to the Temple, and began to teach. Meantime when the high priest and his followers arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin and all the Council of the Elders of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison to fetch the apostles.

On this the officer went off with his men and fetched them, not, however, by force, for they were afraid that the people would stone them.

"We strictly forbade you, did we not, to teach about this Name, and here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

When they heard this they were infuriated, and were minded to kill the apostles;

"And now, I say to you, hold aloof from these men. Let them alone; for if this scheme or work be of human origin it will come to nothing;

"So, brothers, find from among your own number seven men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them over this business.

This plan commended itself to the whole body, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch.

Then they instigated some to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemy against Moses and against God;" and in this way they excited the people.

They also set up false witnesses who testified. "This fellow is continually talking against the Holy Place and against the law.

"For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which were handed down to us by Moses."

"So he left Chaldea and settled in Haran, and from there, after his father's death, God moved him to this land which you inhabit.

"What God said was this. "'His offspring will sojourn in a foreign land where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

"'And the nation, whichever it is, that enslaves them I will judge, said God, 'and after ward they shall come out, and they shall worship me in this place.

"Then he gave him a covenant of circumcision, and under this covenant he became the father of Isaac, whom he circumcised on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve Patriarchs.

"In this time Moses was born, a divinely beautiful child, who was brought up for three months in his father's house.

"Alarmed at this question, Moses fled from the land, and went to live in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.

"This Moses whom they refused when they said, Who made you to be a ruler and a judge? that same Moses we find God sending as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand in the bush.

"This was he who brought them out, after he had shown signs and wonders in the wilderness, for forty years.

"It was this Moses who said to the Children of Israel, "God will raise up a Prophet for you from among your brothers, as he did me.

"This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness along with the angel who spoke to him in Mt. Sinai, and with our ancestors to whom he gave living words to hand down to us.

"Said they to Aaron. "Make Gods for us who shall march in front of us! As for this Moses who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has happened to him.

"And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to this idol, and began to rejoice over what they had made with their hands.

Did not my hand make this universe?

Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

With these words he fell asleep. And Saul fully approved of his murder. On this very day there broke out a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostle were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Many from all classes would give heed to him, declaring, "This man is the Power of God, known as the Great Power."

"Give me, too, this power, so that on whomever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit."

"You have no part or lot in this matter." Your heart is not right in the sight of God.

Repent then of this your wickedness, and beseech the Lord to forgive you this purpose of your heart.

"In this city, too, he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all those who call upon thy name."

"Go," answered the Lord, "this man is chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the nations and their kings, and before the Children of Israel also;

His hearers were all astonished, and began to say. "Is not this the very man who in Jerusalem made havoc of those who called upon the Name? Did he not come hither for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?"

When they learned this the brothers took him down to Caesarea, and then sent him forth to Tarsus.

This incident became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

This happened three times; and immediately the sail was drawn up into the sky.

To them he said: "You know, yourselves, that it is illegal for a Jew to associate with or to visit one of another nation; but God has taught me that I should not call any man common or unclean. For this reason, when sent for, I came without demur.

Cornelius answered. "Three days ago, at this very hour, I was praying in my house at three o'clock in the afternoon, when suddenly a man in a shining robe stood by me,

"when he charged us to preach to the people, and to testify that this was he whom God ordained to be the judge of the living and of the dead.

"This was said three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.

On hearing this they held their peace and glorified God, saying, "Forsooth then, to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."

When news of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch.

This they did, forwarding their contributions to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.)

And when they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that led to the city. This opened to them of its own accord; and they went out passed on through one street; and suddenly the angel left him.

He motioned to them to keep quiet, and told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell all this to James," he said, "and to the brothers," and away he went to another place.

"The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers and made this people great, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt. And with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.

"Of this man's descendants God has brought unto Israel, according to his promise, a Savior, Jesus;

"Brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all among you who reverence God, to us has the word of this salvation been sent.

"And as to his having raised him from among the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has said this, "I will give thee the holy and sure blessings of David.

"Be it known unto you therefore, brothers, that remission of sins is proclaimed to you through this man;

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who had been ordained to eternal life, believed.

"Men, why are you doing all this? We also are men, with natures like your own! We are bringing you good tidings, that you are to turn from these empty things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is.

Even with saying this they with difficulty restrained the crowds from sacrificing to them.

Now when dispute and controversy sprang up between them and Paul and Barnabas, the brethren appointed Paul and Barnabas, and certain others, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

"And God, who knows the hearts of all, gave this testimony in their behalf, by bestowing upon them the Holy Spirit just as he did upon us;

"And this is in harmony with the language of the prophets, which says.

"Says the Lord, who has been making this known from the beginning of the world.

Now Paul, wishing that this man should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him because of the local Jews, who all knew that his father was a Greek.

She persisted in this for many days, until Paul, worn out, turned round and said to the spirit, "I charge you, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her." In that very hour it came out of her.

explaining and quoting passages to prove that the Messiah had to suffer and to rise again from the dead and that "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming unto you is the Messiah."

Both the crowd and the politarchs were disturbed when they heard this,

A few of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also encountered him again and again. Some were saying, "What has this beggarly fellow to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods," because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

Then they laid hold of him and brought him up to Mars Hill, saying. "May we be told what this new teaching of yours is?

"For as I was passing along and observing your objects of worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What you are worshiping in ignorance, this I am proclaiming to you.

inasmuch as he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world justly, by the Man whom he has ordained, and he has given proof of all this by raising him from the dead."

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

"for I am with you, and no one shall set upon you to injure you; for I have very many people in this city."