Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, who was assigned his position with the eleven apostles.

Now there were in Jerusalem sojourning Jews, reverent men from every nation who were under heaven;

And this sound occurring the throng came together and was thrown into confusion, because each one severally heard in his own language them who were speaking;

And all were amazed and wondered, saying, Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galilaeans?

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those who inhabit Mesopotamia, and Judaea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town,

But there were some who said with a sneer: "They have had too much new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, "Judean men, and all those who live [in] Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words!

And it will be [that] everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Men of Israel, give ear to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man who had the approval of God, as was made clear to you by the great works and signs and wonders which God did by him among you, as you yourselves have knowledge,

this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

men and brethren, let me with assurance tell you of the patriarch David, who died and was buried here, his sepulchre being with us to this day:

"It was this very Jesus whom God raised and we're all witnesses of that.

For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:

The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand

Till I put all those who are against you under your feet.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

For to you is the promise and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God may call.

Those then who had accepted his word were baptised; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls.

Everyone [who saw this happen] was filled with awe at the many miracles and [supernatural] signs performed by the apostles.

And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole].

They made it their practice to sell their possessions and goods and to distribute the proceeds to anyone who was in need.

praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

One day, as Peter and John were going up into the Temple Courts for the three o'clock Prayers, a man, who had been lame from his birth, was being carried by.

And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

and they recognised him, that it was he who sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

And at the lame man who was healed holding Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch called Solomon's -- greatly amazed,

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you.

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshment shall come from the presence of the Lord, who shall send Jesus Christ,

and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus:

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

And it will be [that] every soul who does not listen to that prophet will be destroyed utterly from the people.'

Indeed, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also announced these days.

It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

who were annoyed at them teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus as an instance of resurrection from the dead.

But many of those who had heard the word believed; and the number of the men had become about five thousand.

and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all others who were of high-priestly descent.

if we to-day are examined concerning the good deed to the ailing man, by whom he hath been saved,

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

This Jesus is

the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone.

There is no salvation through anyone else, for there is no one else in the world who has been named to men as their only means of being saved."

And beholding the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to reply;

saying, "What should we do with these men? For that a remarkable sign has taken place through them [is] evident to all those who live [in] Jerusalem, and we are not able to deny [it]!

But after further threats they let them go, as they could find no way to punish them, on account of the people, who were all giving honor to God for what had happened,

For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

And they, having heard it, lifted up their voice with one accord to God, and said, Lord, thou art the God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them;

Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

(whom Thou hast anointed,) to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel had before determined to be done.

and of the multitude of those who did believe the heart and the soul was one, and not one was saying that anything of the things he had was his own, but all things were to them in common.

for there was not any one among them who did lack, for as many as were possessors of fields, or houses, selling them, were bringing the prices of the thing sold,

and lay it at the apostles' feet. Then it was distributed to anyone who needed it.

And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

There was a man of the name of Ananias who, with his wife Sapphira, sold some property but,

And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and expired. And great fear came upon all who heard it.

And Peter said unto her, 'How was it agreed by you, to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? lo, the feet of those who did bury thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee forth;'

And great fear came upon all the assembly, and upon all who heard these things.

Now many signs and wonders were being performed by the apostles among the people, who were gathered together in Solomon's Colonnade.

But none of the rest [of the people, the non-believers] dared to associate with them; however, the people were holding them in high esteem and were speaking highly of them.

More and more believers in the Lord, crowds of men and women, were constantly being added to their number,

And they even took into the streets people who were ill, and put them on beds, so that when Peter went by, some of them might be in his shade.

And the multitude also of the cities round about came together to Jerusalem, bringing sick persons and persons beset by unclean spirits, who were all healed.

But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy and resentment.

When they heard this, they went into the temple [courtyards] about daybreak and began teaching.

Now when the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), even all the council of elders of the sons of Israel, and sent word to the prison for the apostles to be brought [before them].

But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned [and] reported,

Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

A Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the men to be taken outside for a little while.

For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up, [and led an uprising] during the time of the census, and drew people after him; he was also killed, and all his followers were scattered.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

And this saying was pleasing to all of them: and they made selection of Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolas of Antioch, who had become a Jew:

Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

And the message of God kept on growing and spreading, and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem; and a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith [accepting Jesus as Messiah and acknowledging Him as the Source of eternal salvation].

And Stephen [i.e., one of the seven men chosen to minister to widows, verse 5], who was full of [God's] favor and power, performed great wonders and [miraculous] signs in front of the [Jewish] people.

However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen.

But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence [and the power and inspiration] of the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

In this way they excited the people, the elders, and the scribes, who rushed on him, dragged him away, and took him before the Sanhedrin.

and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law:

And all who sat in the council, looking fixedly on him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

And, upon that, Stephen spoke as follows: "Brothers and Fathers, hear what I have to say. God, who manifests himself in the Glory, appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, and before he settled in Haran, and said to him--

And this is, in effect, what God spoke [to him]: That his descendants would be aliens (strangers) in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

"Then He gave him the Covenant of circumcision, and under this Covenant he became the father of Isaac--whom he circumcised on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve Patriarchs.

"[And when] these patriarchs, [still living in Canaan as young men], became jealous of [their brother] Joseph, they sold him [as a slave to traveling merchants who took him] to Egypt. But God was with him [during all that time],

and He rescued him from all his suffering, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made Joseph governor over Egypt and over his entire household.

And when the time of the promise which God had sworn to Abraham drew near, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, Till another king arose, who had not known Joseph.

till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

In which time Moses was born, and was exceedingly lovely, who was nourished three months in the house of his father.

And [when he] saw one of them being unjustly harmed, he defended [him] and {avenged} the one who had been oppressed [by] striking down the Egyptian.

Then on the next day he suddenly appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong one another?’