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

To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.

While he was with them, he declared, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.

After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight.

As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them

for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry."

beginning from his baptism by John until the day he was taken up from us -- one of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us."

Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was counted with the eleven apostles.

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

But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:

this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.

But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power.

Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope,

"Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay.

praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

And a man lame from birth was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called "the Beautiful Gate" every day so he could beg for money from those going into the temple courts.

While the man was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway called Solomon's Portico.

But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you.

So they seized them and put them in jail until the next day (for it was already evening).

Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest's family.

if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man -- by what means this man was healed --

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone.

For the man, on whom this miraculous sign of healing had been performed, was over forty years old.

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God courageously.

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

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

For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales

So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated "son of encouragement"),

Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God!"

But a Pharisee whose name was Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the council and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.

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

After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, and incited people to follow him in revolt. He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered.

And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ.

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

But some men from the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen.

All who were sitting in the council looked intently at Stephen and saw his face was like the face of an angel.

So he replied, "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

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

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

This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his father's house,

So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.

But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow countrymen the Israelites.

When he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, Moses came to his defense and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian.

He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand.

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

When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord,

This is the man who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and he received living oracles to give to you.

But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel?

But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

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

So there was great joy in that city.

Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.

But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.

Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed.

Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, offered them money,

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

and was returning home, sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah.

Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this: "He was led like a sheep to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

In humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his posterity? For his life was taken away from the earth."

As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias," and he replied, "Here I am, Lord."

Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

and after taking some food, his strength returned. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,

All who heard him were amazed and were saying, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners to the chief priests?"

But Saul became more and more capable, and was causing consternation among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

When he arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple.

So he was staying with them, associating openly with them in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

He was speaking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they were trying to kill him.

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and thus was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church increased in numbers.

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

He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for eight years because he was paralyzed.

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means Dorcas). She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity.

Because Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Come to us without delay."

So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived they brought him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him the tunics and other clothing Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort.

He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly.

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

Now while Peter was puzzling over what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon's house was and approached the gate.

They called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, was staying there as a guest.

While Peter was still thinking seriously about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Look! Three men are looking for you.

They said, "Cornelius the centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message from you."

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

Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, at three o'clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing stood before me

with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

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

"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me.

This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again.

Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?"

The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people were brought to the Lord.

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

One of them, named Agabus, got up and predicted by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world. (This took place during the reign of Claudius.)

So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly praying to God for him.

On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison.

Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate.