who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.

Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

and said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that great power of God."

But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn't right before God.

Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' He answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'

But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.

As he traveled, it happened that he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him.

Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that he is the Son of God.

Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" Immediately he arose.

Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did.

Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Peter put them all out, and kneeled down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, get up!" She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God.

At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

He, fastening his eyes on him, and being frightened, said, "What is it, Lord?" He said to him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God.

Now send men to Joppa, and get Simon, who is surnamed Peter.

Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.

A voice came to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean."

Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate,

But arise, get down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."

They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say."

He said to them, "You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean.

and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God.

Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God."

Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism;

The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ -- he is Lord of all --

even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed,

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

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead.

For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered,

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

But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, 'What God has cleansed, don't you call unclean.'

He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying to him, 'Send to Joppa, and get Simon, whose surname is Peter,

If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?"

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!"

who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord.

For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.

Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.

The angel said to him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." He did so. He said to him, "Put on your cloak, and follow me."

When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.

When she recognized Peter's voice, she didn't open the gate for joy, but ran in, and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

The people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!"

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn't give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

But the word of God grew and multiplied.

When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They had also John as their attendant.

who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.

The God of this people chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of it.

Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

From this man's seed, God has brought salvation to Israel according to his promise,

Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.

But God raised him from the dead,

We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers,

that God has fulfilled the same to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son. Today I have become your father.'

For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay.

But he whom God raised up saw no decay.

Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

The next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, "It was necessary that God's word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

There they preached the Good News.

"Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them;

Yet he didn't leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdom of God.

From there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.

When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all things that God had done with them.

When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News, and believe.

God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us.

Now therefore why do you tempt God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

All the multitude kept silence, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting what signs and wonders God had done among the nations through them.

Simeon has reported how God first visited the nations, to take out of them a people for his name.

All his works are known to God from eternity.'

"Therefore my judgment is that we don't trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.

it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:

But it seemed good to Silas to stay there.

But Paul didn't think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn't go with them to do the work.

but Paul chose Silas, and went out, being commended by the brothers to the grace of God.

The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him.

When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.

A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

Following Paul and us, she cried out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!"

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.

But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.

For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.

The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands,

Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.