All who heard him were amazed. "Is not this," they asked, "the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this Name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the Chief Priests?"

And so it came about that the Church, throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, enjoyed peace and became firmly established; and, ordering its life by reverence for the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bed-ridden for eight years with paralysis.

And saw that the heavens were open, and that something like a great sail was descending, let down by its four corners towards the earth.

"No, Lord, I cannot," answered Peter, "for I have never eaten anything 'defiled' and 'unclean'."

Peter was still pondering over the vision, when the Spirit said to him: "There are two men looking for you at this moment.

Go down at once and do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."

Peter went down to the men and said: "I am the man for whom you are looking. What is your reason for coming?"

The men replied: "Our captain, Cornelius, a pious man who reverences God and is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, has been instructed by a holy angel to send for you to his house, and to listen to what you have to say."

"You are doubtless aware that it is forbidden for a Jew to be intimate with a foreigner, or even to enter his house; and yet God has shown me that I ought not to call any man 'defiled' or 'unclean.'

That was why I came, when I was sent for, without raising any objection. And now I ask your reason for sending for me."

For they heard them speaking with 'tongues' and extolling God. At this Peter asked:

"Can any one refuse the water for the baptism of these people, now that they have received the Holy Spirit as we did ourselves?"

"I was in the town of Jaffa," he said, "and was praying; and, while in a trance, I saw a vision. There was something like a great sail descending, let down by its four corners out of the heavens; and it came right down to me.

'No, Lord, I cannot,' I answered, 'for nothing 'defiled' or 'unclean' has ever passed my lips.'

For he will tell you truths, which will prove the means of Salvation to you and all your household.'

Now those who had been scattered in different directions, in consequence of the persecution that followed upon the death of Stephen, went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the Message--but only to Jews.

For Barnabas was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith--and a large number of people took their stand on the Lord's side.

Afterwards Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul;

And, when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And so it came about that, for a whole year, they attended the meetings of the Church there, and taught a large number of people; and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians.'

After seizing Peter, Herod put him in prison, and entrusted him to the keeping of four Guards of four soldiers each, intending, after the Passover, to bring him up before the people.

And, when Herod had made further search for him and failed to find him, he closely questioned the Guard, and ordered them away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to stay at Caesarea.

It happened that Herod was deeply offended with the people of Tyre and Sidon, but they went in a body to him, and, having succeeded in winning over Blastus, the Chamberlain, they begged Herod for a reconciliation, because their country was dependent on the King's for its food-supply.

Meanwhile the Lord's Message kept extending, and spreading far and wide.

While they were engaged in the worship of the Lord and were fasting, the Holy Spirit said: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them."

He was at the court of the Governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked to be told God's Message.

But Elymas, the astrologer (for that is the meaning of the word), opposed them, eager to divert the Governor's attention from the Faith.

The hand of the Lord is upon you even now, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the sun." Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went feeling about for some one to guide him.

For about forty years 'he bore with them in the Desert';

For about four hundred and fifty years. In later times he gave them Judges, of whom the Prophet Samuel was the last.

And, when they demanded a king, God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

John having first proclaimed, before the appearance of Jesus, a baptism upon repentance for all the people of Israel.

They found no ground at all for putting him to death, and yet demanded his execution from Pilate;

And he appeared for many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and who are now witnesses for him to the people.

'Look, you despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I am doing a deed in your days--a deed which, though told you in full, you will never believe'."

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the Synagogue, the people begged for a repetition of this teaching on the next Sabbath.

For this is the Lord's command to us--'I have destined thee for a Light to the Gentiles, a means of Salvation to the ends of the earth'."

On hearing this, the Gentiles were glad and extolled God's Message; and all those who had been enrolled for Immortal Life became believers in Christ;

They also appointed Officers for them in every Church, and, after prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had learned to believe.

From there they sailed to Antioch--the place where they had been committed to the gracious care of God for the work which they had now finished.

And at Antioch they stayed with the disciples for a considerable time.

For in every town, for generations past, there have been those who preach Moses, read as he is in the Synagogues every Sabbath."

Who have sacrificed themselves for the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

This caused such unpleasant feeling between them that they parted, Barnabas taking Mark and sailing for Cyprus,

While Paul chose Silas for his companion and, after he had been committed by the Brethren to the gracious care of the Lord,

Wishing to take this man with him on his journey, Paul caused him to be circumcised on account of the Jews in that neighborhood, for they all knew that his father had been a Greek.

As they traveled from town to town, they gave the Brethren the decisions which had been reached by the Apostles and Officers of the Church at Jerusalem, for them to observe.

So, immediately after Paul had seen the vision, we looked for an opportunity to cross over to Macedonia, concluding that God had summoned us to tell the Good News to the people there.

One day, as we were on our way to the Place of Prayer, we were met by a girl possessed by a divining spirit, who made large profits for her masters by fortune-telling.

She had been doing this for several days, when Paul, much vexed, turned and said to the spirit within her: "In the Name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave her." That very moment the spirit left her.

"They are Jews, and they are teaching customs which it is not right for us, as Romans, to sanction or adopt."

Calling for a light, the Governor rushed in, and flung himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas.

In the morning the Magistrates sent the police with an order for the men to be discharged.

The Governor of the Jail told Paul of his instructions. "The Magistrates have sent an order for your discharge," he said, "so you had better leave the place at once and go quietly away."

But Paul's answer to them was: "They have flogged us in public without trial, though we are Roman citizens, and they have put us in prison, and now they are for sending us out secretly! No, indeed! Let them come and take us out themselves."

And, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the Scriptures.

These Jews of Beroea were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the Message with great readiness, and daily examined the Scriptures to see if what was said was true.

The friends who escorted Paul took him as far as Athens, and, after receiving a message for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they started on their return.

While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols.

For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean."

(All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling, or listening to, the last new thing.)

For as I was going about, looking at your sacred shrines, I came upon an altar with this inscription--'To an Unknown God.' What, therefore, you worship in ignorance, that I am now proclaiming to you.

He made all races of the earth's surface--fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements--

That they might search for God, if by any means they might feel their way to him and find him. And yet he is not really far from any one of us;

For in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets--'His offspring, too, are we.'

True, God looked with indulgence on the days of men's ignorance, but now he is announcing to every one everywhere the need for repentance,

There he met a Jew of the name of Aquila, a native of Pontus, who, with his wife Priscilla, had lately come from Italy, in consequence of the order which had been issued by the Emperor Claudius for all Jews to leave Rome. Paul paid them a visit,

One night the Lord said to Paul, in a vision: "Have no fear, but continue to speak, and refuse to be silenced;

For I am with you, and no one shall do you harm, for I have many People in this city."

So he settled there for a year and a half, and taught God's Message among the people.

Just as Paul was on the point of speaking, Gallio said to the Jews: "Jews, if this were a case of misdemeanor or some serious crime, there would be some reason for my listening patiently to you;

For he vigorously confuted the Jews, publicly proving by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Paul went to the Synagogue there, and for three months spoke out fearlessly, giving addresses and trying to convince his hearers, about the kingdom of God.

This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Roman Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the Lord's Message.

So he sent to Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Roman Asia.

Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and some another, for the Assembly was all in confusion, most of those present not even knowing why they had met.

However, when they recognized him as a Jew, one cry broke from them all, and they continued shouting for two hours--"Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

For you have brought these men here, though they are neither robbers of Temples nor blasphemers of our Goddess.

For I tell you that we are in danger of being proceeded against for to-day's riot, there being nothing to account for it; and in that case we shall be at a loss to give any reason for this disorderly gathering."

When the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and, with encouraging words, bade them goodbye, and started on his journey to Macedonia.

These men went to Troas and waited for us there;

While we ourselves sailed from Philippi after the Passover, and joined them five days later at Troas, where we stayed for a week.

On the first day of the week, when we had met for the Breaking of Bread, Paul, who was intending to leave the next day, began to address those who were present, and prolonged his address till midnight.

And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, was gradually overcome with great drowsiness, as Paul continued his address. At last, quite overpowered by his drowsiness, he fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up for dead.

We started first, went on board ship, and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. This was by his own arrangement, as he intended to go by land himself.

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so as to avoid spending much time in Roman Asia. He was making haste to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the Festival at the close of the Harvest.

But I count my life of no value to myself, if only I may complete the course marked out for me, and the task that was allotted me by the Lord Jesus--which was to declare the Good News of the Love of God.

For I have not shrunk from announcing the whole purpose of God regarding you.

Be watchful over yourselves, and over the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge, to shepherd the Church of God, which he won for himself at the cost of his life.

Therefore, be on your guard, remembering how for three years, night and day, I never ceased, even with tears, to warn each one of you.

You, yourselves, know that these hands of mine provided not only for my own wants, but for my companions also.

He had four unmarried daughters, who had the gift of prophecy.

It was then that Paul made the reply: "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart like this? For my part, I am ready not only to be bound, but even to suffer death at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus."

Now they have heard it said about you, that you teach all Jews in foreign countries to forsake Moses, for you tell them not to circumcise their children or even to observe Jewish customs.

We have four men here, who have of their own accord put themselves under a vow.

(For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in Paul's company in the city, and were under the belief that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

For the people were following in a mass, shouting out: "Kill him!"

"Are not you, then, the Egyptian who some time ago raised an insurrection and led the four thousand Bandits out into the Wilderness?"

And to that the High Priest himself and all the Council can testify. For I had letters of introduction from them to our fellow Jews at Damascus, and I was on my way to that place, to bring those whom I might find there prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment.

For you shall be a witness for him to all the world of what you have just seen and heard.