So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, "Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them

for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry."

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know --

For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."

and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.

Peter looked directly at him (as did John) and said, "Look at us!"

and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement at what had happened to him.

When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety?

And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too.

to do as much as your power and your plan had decided beforehand would happen.

and placing them at the apostles' feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.

God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

But some men from the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen.

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.

But God spoke as follows: 'Your descendants will be foreigners in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' said God, 'and after these things they will come out of there and worship me in this place.'

"But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, the people increased greatly in number in Egypt,

and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

This same Moses they had rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and judge?' God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

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?

Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen.

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

The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing.

But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.

So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages as they went.

Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water! What is to stop me from being baptized?"

Philip, however, found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through the area, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

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?"

Now as Peter was traveling around from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort.

He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly.

Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied, "What is it, Lord?" The angel said to him, "Your prayers and your acts of charity have gone up as a memorial before God.

This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea."

They called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, was staying there as a guest.

So Peter invited them in and entertained them as guests. On the next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

Peter continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together.

Therefore when you sent for me, I came without any objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?"

Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.'

He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.

"No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

As I stared I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds.

Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us at the beginning.

And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?"

Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews.

When they arrived in Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. (Now they also had John as their assistant.)

When they had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus,

But Saul (also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at him

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay as foreigners in the country of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave his people their land as an inheritance.

From the descendants of this man God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised.

that this promise God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son; today I have fathered you.'

As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people were urging them to speak about these things on the next Sabbath.

This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed,

So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they were relating at length the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.

And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are."

The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,

As they went through the towns, they passed on the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the Gentile believers to obey.

Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling.

Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed them from the scriptures,

and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar's decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!"

Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.

For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To an unknown god.' Therefore what you worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you.

nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone.

For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'

But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, I would have been justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews,

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."

where he stayed for three months. Because the Jews had made a plot against him as he was intending to sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.

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.

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commanding officer, "May I say something to you?" The officer replied, "Do you know Greek?

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated with strictness under Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors, and was zealous for God just as all of you are today.

as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to make arrests there and bring the prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

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."

So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough inquiry. We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place."

He replied, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him.

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

At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, and for this reason he sent for Paul as often as possible and talked with him.

Paul replied, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.

While they were staying there many days, Festus explained Paul's case to the king to get his opinion, saying, "There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently.

They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.

a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, Your Majesty!

"While doing this very thing, as I was going to Damascus with authority and complete power from the chief priests,

But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you.

As Paul was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed loudly, "You have lost your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!"

Paul replied, "I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains."

and as they were leaving they said to one another, "This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment."

As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship's boat under control.

Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told.

As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you have eaten nothing.

Now in the region around that place were fields belonging to the chief official of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days.

After three months we put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the "Heavenly Twins" as its figurehead.