"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."

And when they heard it they all lifted up their voices in prayer to God, saying. "O Sovereign Lord, who madest heaven and earth and sea, and all that in them is,

"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.

"whilst thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; grant too, that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant, Jesus."

Now the multitude of the believers was of one heart and one soul, nor did any one of them say that any of his possessions was his own; but they had all things common.

Nor was there any one of them in want, for all who owned houses or lands would sell them and bring the price of the things that were sold, and lay it at the apostles' feet;

"Ananias," said Peter, "why has Satan so filled your heart that you are lying to the Holy Spirit, and keeping back part of the price of the land?

"Why was it," said Peter, "that you both agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Lo, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out."

In consequence people would even bring out their sick into the streets, and place them upon beds and pallets as Peter was passing, that at least his shadow might fall upon some of them.

And some one came and told them that the very men whom they had put in prison were standing in the Temple, and teaching to the people.

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.

So they left Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been deemed worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the Name;

"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."

"But he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not a single square yard of ground; yet he promised to bestow the land as a permanent possession on him and his posterity??e at that time being childless.

"'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 there came a famine over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, and great distress, so that our ancestors could not find food.

"But Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt, and sent our ancestors there on their first visit.

"He dealt craftily with our race, and oppressed our forefathers, by making them expose their infants so that they should not live.

"(Now he supposed that his brothers would understand how God by his hand was bringing them deliverance; but they did not.)

"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.

No, it was the Tabernacle of Moloch and the star-symbol of the god Rempha that you lifted up??he images which you made in order to worship them; so I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

"That tabernacle was brought in by our ancestors, in their turn, when they under Joshua entered on the possession of the nations whom God thrust out before them, until the days of David.

The crowd with one accord were giving heed to what he said, when they heard and saw the signs that he did.

For with a loud cry unclean spirits would come out of many possessed by them, and many that were palsied and lame were healed.

There began to be great joy in that city.

Now for some time a man named Simon had been practicing sorcery in that city, and had amazed the people of Samaria. He gave himself out to be some great person.

The apostle at Jerusalem, when they heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, sent to them Peter and John.

Who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

But when Simon perceived that, by the laying on of the apostles' hands, the Spirit was given, he offered them money saying,

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

But Peter said to him. "Your money perish with you, because you have supposed that with money you can obtain God's free gift!"

"For I perceive that you still stand in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness."

And Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me, both of you, that nothing which you have said may happen to me."

And an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go on your way south, along the road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert way."

And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join that chariot."

Then Philip opened his lips, and beginning from that same scripture, he preached the gospel of Jesus to him.

And Philip said, "If you believe with your whole heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

and begged of him letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any that were of the Way, either men or women, he could bind them and bring them to Jerusalem.

"But, Lord," said Ananias, "I have heard from many about that man, and how much evil he did to the saints at Jerusalem!

And so Ananias went and entered into the house, and laying his hands on him, said, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared to you on your journey, has sent me that you may receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

But Saul gained more and more influence, and kept putting the Jews who lived in Damascus to confusion by his proof that Jesus was the Christ.

So he came to Jerusalem, and attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and told them how Saul had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him; and also how he had preached the Name of the Lord Jesus boldly at Damascus.

She, as it happened, was taken ill just at that time, and died. After washing her body, they laid it in an upper room.

And as Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, when they heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the entreaty, "Delay not to come to us."

and the day after that they reached Caesarea. There Cornelius was waiting for them, and had brought together all his relatives and intimate friends.

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.

Then Peter began to speak. "Of a truth I begin to see quite plainly that God is no respecter of persons;

"And we were witnesses of all that he did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him, hanging him on a tree.

"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.

"To him all the prophets bear witness, testifying that through his name every one that believes on him will receive remission of sins."

Now the apostles and the brothers that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God;

"And lo! at that very moment, three men who had been sent for me from Caesarea stood before the house in which I was.

"So if God gave them the same gift as he gave to us, when we first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"

Then those who had been scattered by the trouble that arose over Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch; but they preached the word to none except Jews.

and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch, where for a whole year they were guests of the church, and taught many people. And it was in Antioch that the disciples first received the name of "Christians."

At that time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

One of them, who was Agabus, rose up, and being instructed by the Spirit, predicted that a great famine was about to come upon the whole inhabited earth. (It came in the reign of Claudius.)

Now, at about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands to ill-treat certain members of the church;

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

Now when Herod was about to bring him forth, on that very night, while Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison,

So Peter went out, following him, but did not realize that what the angel was doing was real, but supposed that he was seeing a vision.

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.

Peter, coming to himself, said, "Now I know for a certainty that the Lord has sent his angel and released me from the hand of Herod, and from all that the Jewish people were anticipating."

And when she recognized Peter's voice, for very joy she did not open the door, but ran in and told them that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

"You are mad," they said. But she confidently insisted that it was so. "It is his angel," they said.

Meanwhile Peter continued to knock, until at last they opened the door, and were amazed to see that it was really he.

But Elymas, "the sorcerer," for that is the translation of his name, opposed them, and tried to divert the proconsul from the faith.

"And John, when he was finishing his race, repeatedly asked the people. "'Who do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold there comes One after me, whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.'

"For many days he was seen by those that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and are now his witnesses to the people.

"how that God fulfilled it for us their children in raising up Jesus; as it is also written in the second Psalm, "Thou art my son, today have I become thy Father.

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

"and that by him every one that believes is justified from all things from which you could never be justified by the law of Moses.

"Beware, then, lest that spoken of in the prophets come upon you.

As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue, the people earnestly begged that these words might be repeated to them on the following Sabbath.

"For such is God's command to us, saying, "I have set thee for a light to the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation to the uttermost part of the earth."

In Iconium it happened that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great number both of Jews and of Gentiles believed.

He was listening while Paul was preaching, and Paul, looking intently at him, and perceiving that he had faith to be made whole,

"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.

and yet he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness."

and after preaching the gospel to that town, and winning many converts, they went back to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch,

Everywhere they strengthened the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to hold to the faith. "It is through many tribulations," they said, "that we must enter into the kingdom of God."

On their arrival they assembled the church and reported all things that God had done through them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

Upon their arrival in Jerusalem they were received by the church and the apostles and elders, and they told them all things that God had done with them.

and after there had been a long discussion, Peter rose and said: "Brothers, you know how a good while ago God made choice among you, that from my lips the Gentiles were to hear the message of the gospel and believe.

"On the contrary we believe that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we and they shall be saved."

"So that the rest of men may seek after the Lord, Even all the Gentiles, who are called by my name,

"but that we should write to them to abstain from the pollution of idols and from fornication, from meat killed by strangling, and from blood.

"as we have heard that some of your number who went out from us have troubled you with words and upset your souls, without having received any such instruction from us;

"that you abstain from food that has been sacrificed to idols, and from tasting blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. Keep yourselves clear from these things and it will be well with you. Farewell."

So there arose a sharp irritation, so that they parted company; Barnabas taking Mark with him, sailed away to Cyprus;

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.

So when he had seen the vision, we sought at once to go forth into Macedonia, because we concluded that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

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.

But when her owners saw that their hopes of gain were gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them before the magistrates, into the market-place.

suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison-house were shaken; and instantly all the doors were opened, and every one's chains fell off.

The jailer, roused from sleep, and seeing the doors wide open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul said: "They have flogged us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Roman citizens; and have thrown us into prison. Are they now going to get rid of us secretly? No, indeed! Let them come here, themselves and take us out."

The lictors reported these words to the praetors, who were frightened when they heard that they were Romans.

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."