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.

until another king who did not know about Joseph ruled over Egypt.

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

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.

Then the eunuch said to Philip, "Please tell me, who is the prophet saying this about -- himself or someone else?"

So Philip started speaking, and beginning with this scripture proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.

But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem,

When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, "Cornelius."

About noon the next day, while they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

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

About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

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.)

About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them.

Then when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was greatly astounded at the teaching about the Lord.

For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.

All this took about four hundred fifty years. After this he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

After removing him, God raised up David their king. He testified about him: 'I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who will accomplish everything I want him to do.'

When they had accomplished everything that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.

And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors,

Watch out, then, that what is spoken about by the prophets does not happen to you:

As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people were urging them to speak about these things on the next Sabbath.

Paul and Barnabas learned about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate with them, the church appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement.

Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate about this matter.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them.

When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped.

Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking, "What does this foolish babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods." (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.)

For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'

Now when they heard about the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We will hear you again about this."

Crispus, the president of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it believed and were baptized.

But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, I would have been justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews,

but since it concerns points of disagreement about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I will not be a judge of these things!"

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.

(Now there were about twelve men in all.)

So Paul entered the synagogue and spoke out fearlessly for three months, addressing and convincing them about the kingdom of God.

But the evil spirit replied to them, "I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?"

Some of the crowd concluded it was about Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. Alexander, gesturing with his hand, was wanting to make a defense before the public assembly.

But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours.

testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.

They have been informed about you -- that you teach all the Jews now living among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.

take them and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with the law.

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commanding officer, "May I say something to you?" The officer replied, "Do you know Greek?

as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to make arrests there and bring the prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

So I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, 'Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything that you have been designated to do.'

and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

When the centurion heard this, he went to the commanding officer and reported it, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen."

Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away from him, and the commanding officer was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had had him tied up.

Paul replied, "I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.'"

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

But when the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, he came and entered the barracks and told Paul.

He replied, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him.

This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, when I came up with the detachment and rescued him, because I had learned that he was a Roman citizen.

I found he was accused with reference to controversial questions about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment.

When you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn from him about all these things we are accusing him of doing."

Some days later, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive.

Then Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace petitioned me both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he ought not to live any longer.

But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this preliminary hearing I may have something to write.

"Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,

about noon along the road, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around me and those traveling with me.

For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely to him, because I cannot believe that any of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner.

We went on board a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to various ports along the coast of the province of Asia and put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.

As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you have eaten nothing.

The brothers from there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

They replied, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there and reported or said anything bad about you.

They set a day to meet with him, and they came to him where he was staying in even greater numbers. From morning until evening he explained things to them, testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete boldness and without restriction.

Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.

because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about -- but not before God.

Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

For this is what the promise declared: "About a year from now I will return and Sarah will have a son."

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: "The one who does these things will live by them."

But about Israel he says, "All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!"

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

So I boast in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God.

For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

but as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."

but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith --

just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you --

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.

For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you,

One should think about us this way -- as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world's dirt and scum, even now.

Now with regard to the issues you wrote about: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."

Were you called as a slave? Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able to be free, make the most of the opportunity.

With regard to the question about people who have never married, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy.