But many of those who had heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Then they made the men stand before them and demanded, "By what power, or in what name, have you fellows done this?"

"Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being examined today concerning a benefit conferred upon a cripple, as to how has this man been cured,

"be it known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand before you strong and well.

"There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, in which we must be saved."

But since they saw the man standing with them who had been healed, they had nothing to answer.

"What," said they, "shall we do with these men? For it is well known throughout Jerusalem that a notable miracle has been performed by them, and we cannot deny it.

For the man on whom this miracle of healing had been wrought was over forty years old.

But a man named Ananias who, with his wife Sapphira, sold a farm of his,

"While it remained unsold, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was not the price at your own disposal? How could you conceive this act in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God."

But the younger men rose, wrapped the body up, and carried it out to bury it.

Instantly she fell down at his feet and expired, and when the young men came in they found her dead, and carried her out and buried her husband.

Yet the people continued to hold them in high honor, and more and more believers in the Lord were joining them, both men and women.

And some one came and told them that the very men whom they had put in prison were standing in the Temple, and teaching to the people.

On this the officer went off with his men and fetched them, not, however, by force, for they were afraid that the people would stone them.

"We strictly forbade you, did we not, to teach about this Name, and here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

"We must obey God rather than man. The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus, whom you slew by hanging him on a tree.

He said: "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.

"Years ago Theudas arose, claiming to be somebody, and was joined by about four hundred men. He was killed, and all of his followers dispersed and annihilated.

"And now, I say to you, hold aloof from these men. Let them alone; for if this scheme or work be of human origin it will come to nothing;

"So, brothers, find from among your own number seven men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them over this business.

This plan commended itself to the whole body, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch.

These men they presented to the apostles who, when they had prayed, laid their hands upon them.

But certain men from the so-called "Synagogue of the Freedmen" and certain Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, Cilicians, and men from Roman Asia, started to dispute with Stephen,

"There he died, and our ancestors also, and they were carried across to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

"But the man who was ill-treating his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, "'Who made you a magistrate and ruler over us?

"Look, I see heaven open," he said, "And the Son of man standing at the right hand of God."

dragged him outside the city, and stoned him, the witnesses throwing off their outer garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentations over him.

But Saul was laying waste the church. He was wont to enter into every house, and to drag off men and women, and to commit them to prison.

Now for some time a man named Simon had been practicing sorcery in that city, and had amazed the people of Samaria. He gave himself out to be some great person.

Many from all classes would give heed to him, declaring, "This man is the Power of God, known as the Great Power."

But when they believed Philip, who was preaching glad tidings about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.

But when Simon perceived that, by the laying on of the apostles' hands, the Spirit was given, he offered them money saying,

But Peter said to him. "Your money perish with you, because you have supposed that with money you can obtain God's free gift!"

So he arose and went. And behold an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, who was a high official (a chief treasurer) of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, who had come to Jerusalem to worship

and begged of him letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any that were of the Way, either men or women, he could bind them and bring them to Jerusalem.

Meanwhile the men who were his fellow travelers stood speechless, hearing indeed the voice, but beholding no one.

And the Lord said to him. "Arise, go into the street named 'Straight,' and make inquiries in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus, one Saul.

He is now praying, and has seen a man named Ananias enter and lay his hands on him to restore his sight."

"But, Lord," said Ananias, "I have heard from many about that man, and how much evil he did to the saints at Jerusalem!

"Go," answered the Lord, "this man is chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the nations and their kings, and before the Children of Israel also;

His hearers were all astonished, and began to say. "Is not this the very man who in Jerusalem made havoc of those who called upon the Name? Did he not come hither for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?"

Here he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, a paralytic.

And as Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, when they heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the entreaty, "Delay not to come to us."

Now there was at Caesarea a man named Cornelius, a captain in the Italian regiment.

He was a devout man and God-fearing, and so were all his household. He gave many alms to the people, and constantly prayed to God.

"and now send men to Joppa and fetch one Simon, who is called Peter.

"Three men are now looking for you. Rise, go down and go with them, nothing doubting; for it is I who have sent them."

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

"Cornelius," they answered, "a captain, a devout man, and God-fearing, of whom the whole, Jewish nation speaks well, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to listen to your message."

but Peter lifted him up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man, myself."

To them he said: "You know, yourselves, that it is illegal for a Jew to associate with or to visit one of another nation; but God has taught me that I should not call any man common or unclean. For this reason, when sent for, I came without demur.

Cornelius answered. "Three days ago, at this very hour, I was praying in my house at three o'clock in the afternoon, when suddenly a man in a shining robe stood by me,

Then Peter said, "Can any one refuse water for the baptism of these men who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?"

"And lo! at that very moment, three men who had been sent for me from Caesarea stood before the house in which I was.

"And the Spirit bade me accompany them without misgiving. There also accompanied me these six brothers, and we went into the man's house.

for he was a good man, and full of faith and the Holy Spirit. And a great multitude was added to the Lord.

So the disciples decided to send relief, every man according to his means, to the brothers in Judea.

"The voice of a god, and not of a man," the people kept shouting.

who belonged to the suite of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. He summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

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

After deposing him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also bore witness, when he said, "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, and who will obey all my will.

"Of this man's descendants God has brought unto Israel, according to his promise, a Savior, Jesus;

"Be it known unto you therefore, brothers, that remission of sins is proclaimed to you through this man;

Now at Lystra there used to sit a certain man, lame in his feet, a cripple from birth, who had never walked.

"Men, why are you doing all this? We also are men, with natures like your own! We are bringing you good tidings, that you are to turn from these empty things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is.

But some men came down from Judea and attempted to teach the brethren, saying, "Unless you are circumcised according to Moses' custom, you cannot be saved."

But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, but were now believers, stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise Gentile, and to order them to keep the Law of Moses."

"So that the rest of men may seek after the Lord, Even all the Gentiles, who are called by my name,

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, to select some of their number, and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The men chosen were Judas called Bar-Sabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

"we have unanimously decided to select certain men, and to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul;

"men who have risked their very lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now Paul, wishing that this man should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him because of the local Jews, who all knew that his father was a Greek.

Here a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, entreating him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us!"

She used to follow after Paul and us, crying out again and again, "These men are servants of the most high God, who proclaimed to you the way of salvation."

But in the morning the praetors sent their lictors with the order, "Let these men go."

But Paul said: "They have flogged us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Roman citizens; and have thrown us into prison. Are they now going to get rid of us secretly? No, indeed! Let them come here, themselves and take us out."

So many of them became believers, and so did not a few Greeks, women of honorable estate, and men.

"For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears. We want to know, therefore, what these things mean."

So Paul stood up in the center of Mars Hill, and said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all respects you are remarkably religious.

"neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all life and breath and all things.

"He has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons and the bounds of their habitation,

"Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to imagine that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but he now commands all men that they should all, everywhere, repent;

inasmuch as he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world justly, by the Man whom he has ordained, and he has given proof of all this by raising him from the dead."

So he left the place, and went into the house of a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house adjoined the synagogue.

"This fellow," they said, "is persuading men to offer unlawful worship to God."

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, a learned man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

They were in all about twelve men.

And the man in whom the evil spirit was sprang on two of them, overpowered them and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.

There was a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, and brought rich profit to his workmen.

He gathered them together with others of like occupation, and said: "Men, you know that by this business we make our money.

The city was filled with commotion. They rushed like one man into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's companions in travel.

At length the recorder got them quiet. "Men of Ephesus," he said, "who here does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple-guardian of the great Diana and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

"For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

and a young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window, overborne by deep sleep, while Paul continued to preach at length. Overcome at last by sleep, he fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead.

So I testify to you this day that I am clear from the blood of all men;

and that from among your own number, men will arise, perverting the truth, to draw away the disciples after them.

"No man's silver or gold of clothing did I ever covet.