He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child.

Then a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.

until another king who did not know about Joseph ruled over Egypt.

He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand.

I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely.

saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt -- we do not know what has happened to him!'

But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel?

Yet the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says,

Did my hand not make all these things?'

Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!

You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it."

Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" When he had said this, he died.

(For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God!

Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this: "He was led like a sheep to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

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.

For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything.

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?"

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 Peter said, "Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!"

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

Then Peter started speaking: "I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people,

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.

But I said, 'Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!'

But the voice replied a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!'

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.

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.

When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate.

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.

But the crowd began to shout, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!"

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.

and said, "You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness -- will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

But while John was completing his mission, he said repeatedly, 'What do you think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet!'

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.

Therefore he also says in another psalm, 'You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay.'

but the one whom God raised up did not experience decay.

and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you.

Watch out, then, that what is spoken about by the prophets does not happen to you:

Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, "It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.

In Lystra sat a man who could not use his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked.

yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and your hearts with joy."

Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.

"Therefore I conclude that we should not cause extra difficulty for those among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules:

but Paul insisted that they should not take along this one who had left them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.

When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this,

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

and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans."

But Paul called out loudly, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!"

At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away.

But Paul said to the police officers, "They had us beaten in public without a proper trial -- even though we are Roman citizens -- and they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! They themselves must come and escort us out!"

When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, screaming, "These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too,

The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea at once, during the night. When they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands,

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.

So since we are God's offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination.

The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent,

but since it concerns points of disagreement about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I will not be a judge of these things!"

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

and said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.

There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness."

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.

So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together.

After the city secretary quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven?

So because these facts are indisputable, you must keep quiet and not do anything reckless.

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!"

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time in the province of Asia, for he was hurrying to arrive in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming to you anything that would be helpful, and from teaching you publicly and from house to house,

But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace.

For I did not hold back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.

I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears.

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

After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.

When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul replied, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, "The Lord's will be done."

They have been informed about you -- that you teach all the Jews now living among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.

Then you're not that Egyptian who started a rebellion and led the four thousand men of the 'Assassins' into the wilderness some time ago?"

Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

Since I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me.

and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

The crowd was listening to him until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Away with this man from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!"

Paul replied, "I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.'"

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.

They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul.

So do not let them persuade you to do this, because more than forty of them are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request."

So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him to Antipatris during the night.

But so that I may not delay you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness.

As you can verify for yourself, not more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship.

They did not find me arguing with anyone or stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city,

He ordered the centurion to guard Paul, but to let him have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from meeting his needs.

After Festus had stayed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought.

When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they were not able to prove.

If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"