After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council.

for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’

Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.

But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.

And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,

and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all.

And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son.

And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?

“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

But the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

“This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you.

Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’

“Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.

But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.

When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.

and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.”

And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.

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

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas 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 lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

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

And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up.

And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,

A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”

Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”

While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.

So he invited them in and gave them lodging.And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.

But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.”

As he talked with him, he entered and *found many people assembled.

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.

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

We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.

God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,

not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him,

and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.

And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.

But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.

When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.

Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king’s country.

And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,

Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.

After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’

For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.

And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.

When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

But God raised Him from the dead;

and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’