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

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

So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but went on his way rejoicing.

and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

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

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

(Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one.)

So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus.

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."

Then the Lord told him, "Get up and go to the street called 'Straight,' and at Judas' house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying,

and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again."

But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.

For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

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?"

Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted together to kill him,

but Saul learned of their plot against him. They were also watching the city gates day and night so that they could kill him.

But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall by lowering him in a basket.

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.

But Barnabas took Saul, brought him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

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

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

Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Get up and make your own bed!" And immediately he got up.

All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

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.

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

Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, "What is it, Lord?" The angel said to him, "Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God.

When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him,

He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him.

Then a voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!"

The voice spoke to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!"

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

So Peter invited them in and entertained them as guests. On the next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

So when Peter came in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

But Peter helped him up, saying, "Stand up. I too am a mere mortal."

Peter continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together.

but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him.

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.

We are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,

but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen,

not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

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

So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him,

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.

When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

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.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly!" And the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

The angel said to him, "Fasten your belt and put on your sandals." Peter did so. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me."

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.

After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him.

Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were greatly astonished.

He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and then related how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, "Tell James and the brothers these things," and then he left and went to another place.

When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing Blastus, the king's personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace, because their country's food supply was provided by the king's country.

But Saul (also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at him

Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!" Immediately mistiness and darkness came over him, and he went around seeking people to lead him by the hand.

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.'

For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and they fulfilled the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning him.

Though they found no basis for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

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

But God raised him from the dead,

and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses to the people.

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they began to contradict what Paul was saying by reviling him.

This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed,

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead.

But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city. On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times, because he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath."

The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

A vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there urging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house.

Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.

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.)

So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming?

so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

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.'

because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising him from the dead."

But some people joined him and believed. Among them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

When they opposed him and reviled him, he protested by shaking out his clothes and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am guiltless! From now on I will go to the Gentiles!"

Now while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews attacked Paul together and brought him before the judgment seat,

So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, and began to beat him in front of the judgment seat. Yet none of these things were of any concern to Gallio.

When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent,

He began to speak out fearlessly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

When Apollos wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he assisted greatly those who had believed by grace,

Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus."

But when some were stubborn and refused to believe, reviling the Way before the congregation, he left them and took the disciples with him, addressing them every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, the disciples would not let him.

Even some of the provincial authorities who were his friends sent a message to him, urging him not to venture into the theater.

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.

If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against someone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there.

where he stayed for three months. Because the Jews had made a plot against him as he was intending to sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

But Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, put his arms around him, and said, "Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!"

When he met us in Assos, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene.

From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.

They all began to weep loudly, and hugged Paul and kissed him,

especially saddened by what he had said, that they were not going to see him again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.