Acts 9-15

New American Standard Bible

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(A)Now ^[a]Saul, still ^(B)breathing ^[b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(C)letters from him to ^(D)the synagogues in ^(E)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^[c](F)the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^(G)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(H)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and ^(I)it will be told to you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(J)stood speechless, ^(K)hearing the ^[d]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(L)though his eyes were open, he ^[e]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(M)Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in ^(N)Damascus named ^(O)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(P)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ 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 ^(Q)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[f]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(R)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, ^(S)how much harm he did to ^(T)Your ^[g]saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(U)has authority from the chief priests to ^[h]arrest all who ^(V)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(W)he is a chosen ^[i]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(X)the Gentiles and ^(Y)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(Z)I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(AA)laying his hands on him said, “^(AB)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 ^(AC)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(AD)for several days he was with ^(AE)the disciples who were in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(AF)in the synagogues, ^[j]saying, “He is ^(AG)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(AH)destroyed those who ^(AI)called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[k]Christ.

²³ When ^(AJ)many days had elapsed, ^(AK)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(AL)their plot became known to Saul. ^(AM)They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (AN)When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(AO)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(AP)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(AQ)he had ^(AR)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[l]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(AS)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[m](AT)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ Now when ^(AU)the ^[n]brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(AV)Caesarea and ^(AW)sent him away to ^(AX)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(AY)the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ^[o]enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ^[p]continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

Peter’s Ministry

³² Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to ^(AZ)the ^[q]saints who lived at ^[r](BA)Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, ^[s]because he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up. ³⁵ And all who lived at ^[t](BB)Lydda and ^(BC)Sharon saw him, and they ^(BD)turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now in ^(BE)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means ^[u]Dorcas); this woman was ^[v]excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually. ³⁷ But it happened ^[w]at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(BF)upstairs room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near ^(BG)Joppa, ^(BH)the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^(BI)room upstairs; and all the ^(BJ)widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ^[x]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(BK)sent them all out and ^(BL)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(BM)Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling ^(BN)the ^[y]saints and ^(BO)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² It became known all over ^(BP)Joppa, and ^(BQ)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed in ^(BR)Joppa many days with ^(BS)a tanner named Simon.

Cornelius’ Vision

10 Now there was a man in ^(BT)Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was ^(BU)called the Italian ^[z]cohort, ² a devout man and ^(BV)one who feared God with all his household, and ^(BW)made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About ^(BX)the ^[aa]ninth hour of the day he clearly saw ^(BY)in a vision ^(BZ)an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And he ^(CA)looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts ^(CB)have ascended ^(CC)as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now dispatch some men to ^(CD)Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; ⁶ he is staying with a tanner named ^(CE)Simon, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who *spoke to him left, he summoned two of his ^[ab]servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants, ⁸ and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to ^(CF)Joppa.

⁹ On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, ^(CG)Peter went up on ^(CH)the ^[ac]housetop about ^[ad](CI)the sixth hour to pray. ¹⁰ But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he ^(CJ)fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he *saw ^(CK)the sky opened up, and an ^[ae]object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, ¹² and on it were all kinds of four-footed animals and ^[af]crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky. ¹³ A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, ^[ag]kill and eat!” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, ^(CL)Lord, for ^(CM)I have never eaten anything ^[ah]unholy and unclean.” ¹⁵ Again a voice came to him a second time, “^(CN)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[ai]consider unholy.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the ^[aj]object was taken up into the sky.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in ^[ak]mind as to what ^(CO)the vision which he had seen might ^[al]mean, behold, ^(CP)the men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked directions to Simon’s house, and they appeared at the gate; ¹⁸ and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹ While Peter was reflecting on ^(CQ)the vision, ^(CR)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, ^[am]three men are looking for you. ²⁰ But get up, go downstairs and ^(CS)accompany them ^[an]without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” ²¹ Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” ²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and ^(CT)God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, ^(CU)was divinely directed by a ^(CV)holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear ^[ao](CW)a message from you.” ²³ So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

Peter in Caesarea

Now on the next day he got ready and went away with them, and ^(CX)some of ^(CY)the brothers from ^(CZ)Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ On the following day he entered ^(DA)Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and ^[ap](DB)worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter helped him up, saying, “^(DC)Stand up; I, too, am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he entered and *found ^(DD)many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is ^(DE)forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a ^[aq]foreigner; and yet ^(DF)God has shown me that I am not to call any person ^[ar]unholy or unclean. ²⁹ That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “^(DG)Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during ^(DH)the ^[as]ninth hour; and behold, ^(DI)a man stood before me in shining clothing, ³¹ and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God. ³² Therefore send some men to ^(DJ)Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent men to you immediately, and you have ^[at]been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear Good News

^34 (DK)Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that ^(DL)God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but ^(DM)in every nation the one who ^[au](DN)fears Him and ^[av]does what is right is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(DO)preaching ^[aw](DP)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(DQ)Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ^38 [ax]You know of ^(DR)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(DS)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^[ay](DT)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(DU)God was with Him. ³⁹ We are ^(DV)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ^[az]country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ^[ba](DW)a cross. ^40 (DX)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ^[bb]be revealed, ^41 (DY)not to all the people, but to ^(DZ)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(EA)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ^(EB)ordered us to ^[bc]preach to the people, and to ^(EC)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been ^(ED)appointed by God as ^(EE)Judge of the living and the dead. ^43 (EF)All the prophets testify of Him, that through ^(EG)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(EH)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ^[bd]message. ^45 (EI)All the ^[be]Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been ^(EJ)poured out on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them ^(EK)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “^(EL)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who ^(EM)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ^(EN)ordered them to be baptized ^(EO)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

Peter Reports in Jerusalem

11 Now the apostles and ^(EP)the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^[bf](EQ)the Jewish believers took issue with him, ³ saying, “^(ER)You ^[bg]went to ^[bh]uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began and explained at length to them ^(ES)in an orderly sequence, saying, ⁵ “^(ET)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ^(EU)a vision, an ^[bi]object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was, ⁶ and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the ^[bj]crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; ^[bk]kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing ^[bl]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘^(EV)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[bm]consider unholy.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. ¹¹ And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from ^(EW)Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying. ^12 (EX)And the Spirit told me to go with them ^(EY)without ^[bn]misgivings. ^(EZ)These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he reported to us how he had seen the angel ^[bo]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; ¹⁴ and he will speak ^(FA)words to you by which you will be saved, you and ^(FB)all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, ^(FC)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just ^(FD)as He did upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘^(FE)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^[bp]with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ Therefore, if ^(FF)God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(FG)who was I that I could ^[bq]stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they ^[br]quieted down and ^(FH)glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the ^(FI)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

^19 (FJ)So then those who were scattered because of the ^[bs]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^[bt]to ^(FK)Phoenicia, ^(FL)Cyprus, and ^(FM)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of ^(FN)Cyprus and ^(FO)Cyrene, who came to ^(FP)Antioch and began speaking to the ^[bu](FQ)Greeks as well, ^(FR)preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(FS)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(FT)a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[bv]news about them ^[bw]reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent ^(FU)Barnabas off ^[bx]to ^(FV)Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and ^[by]witnessed ^(FW)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^[bz]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and ^(FX)full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And ^[ca](FY)considerable numbers were added to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for ^(FZ)Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to ^(GA)Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[cb]met with the church and taught ^[cc]considerable numbers of people; and ^(GB)the disciples were first called ^(GC)Christians in ^(GD)Antioch.

²⁷ Now ^[cd]at this time some ^(GE)prophets came down from Jerusalem to ^(GF)Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named ^(GG)Agabus, stood up and ^[ce]indicated ^[cf]by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine ^(GH)all over the ^[cg]world. ^[ch]And this took place in the reign of ^(GI)Claudius. ²⁹ And to the extent that any of ^(GJ)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^[ci]relief of ^(GK)the brothers and sisters living in Judea. ^30 (GL)And they did this, sending it ^[cj]with ^(GM)Barnabas and Saul to the ^(GN)elders.

Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance

12 Now about that time ^[ck]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm. ² And he ^(GO)had James the brother of John ^(GP)executed with a sword. ³ When he saw that it ^(GQ)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were ^[cl](GR)the days of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴ When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four ^[cm](GS)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after ^(GT)the Passover to bring him before the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God ^[cn]intensely by the church.

⁶ On ^[co]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(GU)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(GV)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(GW)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(GX)his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and ^[cp]strap on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing ^(GY)a vision. ¹⁰ Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which ^(GZ)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(HA)came ^[cq]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that ^(HB)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all ^[cr]that the Jewish people were expecting.” ¹² And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(HC)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(HD)were praying. ¹³ When he knocked at the door of the gate, ^(HE)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, ^(HF)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, “It is ^(HG)his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(HH)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 ^[cs](HI)James and ^(HJ)the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to ^[ct]what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they ^(HK)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to ^(HL)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Death of Herod

²⁰ Now he was very angry with the people of ^(HM)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because ^(HN)their country was supported with grain from the king’s country. ²¹ On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the ^[cu]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. ²² The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ And immediately ^(HO)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^[cv]died.

²⁴ But ^(HP)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

²⁵ And ^(HQ)Barnabas and ^(HR)Saul returned ^(HS)when they had fulfilled their ^[cw]mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them ^(HT)John, who was also called Mark.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were ^(HU)prophets and ^(HV)teachers at ^(HW)Antioch, in the ^(HX)church that was there: ^(HY)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of ^(HZ)Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with ^(IA)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were ^[cx]serving the Lord and fasting, ^(IB)the Holy Spirit said, “Set ^(IC)Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for ^(ID)the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted, ^(IE)prayed, and ^(IF)laid their hands on them, ^(IG)they sent them away.

⁴ So, being ^(IH)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to ^(II)Cyprus. ⁵ When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in ^(IJ)the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had ^(IK)John as their helper. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a ^(IL)magician, a Jewish ^(IM)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the ^(IN)proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(IO)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the ^(IP)proconsul away from ^(IQ)the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also known as Paul, ^[cy](IR)filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, ¹⁰ and said, “^[cz]You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you ^(IS)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked ^(IT)the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, behold, ^(IU)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. ¹² Then the ^(IV)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at ^(IW)the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from ^(IX)Paphos and came to ^(IY)Perga in ^(IZ)Pamphylia; but ^(JA)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But going on from Perga, they arrived at ^(JB)Pisidian ^(JC)Antioch, and on ^(JD)the Sabbath day they went into ^(JE)the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(JF)the reading of the Law and ^(JG)the Prophets, ^(JH)the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “^[da]Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ Paul stood up, and ^(JI)motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and ^(JJ)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel ^(JK)chose our fathers and ^[db](JL)made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm ^(JM)He led them out from it. ¹⁸ For ^(JN)a period of about forty years ^(JO)He put up with them in the wilderness. ^19 (JP)When He had destroyed ^(JQ)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He ^(JR)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took ^(JS)about 450 years. ²⁰ After these things He ^(JT)gave them judges until ^(JU)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they ^(JV)asked for a king, and God gave them ^(JW)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² After He had ^(JX)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘^(JY)I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My ^[dc]will.’ ^23 (JZ)From the descendants of this man, ^(KA)according to promise, God has brought to Israel ^(KB)a Savior, Jesus, ²⁴ after ^(KC)John had proclaimed, before ^[dd]His coming, a ^(KD)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And while John ^(KE)was completing his course, ^(KF)he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “^[de]Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of ^(KG)this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem, and their ^(KH)rulers, ^(KI)recognizing neither Him nor the ^[df]declarations of ^(KJ)the prophets which are ^(KK)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they ^(KL)asked Pilate that He be executed. ²⁹ When they had ^(KM)carried out everything that was written concerning Him, ^(KN)they took Him down from the ^[dg](KO)cross and ^(KP)laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God ^(KQ)raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days ^(KR)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now ^(KS)His witnesses to the people. ³² And we ^(KT)preach to you the good news of ^(KU)the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by ^(KV)raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘^(KW)You are My Son; today I have fathered You.’ ³⁴ As for the fact that He ^(KX)raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘^(KY)I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David.’ ³⁵ Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘^(KZ)You will not ^[dh]allow Your ^[di]Holy One to ^[dj]undergo decay.’ ³⁶ For ^(LA)David, after he had ^[dk]served God’s ^(LB)purpose in his own generation, ^(LC)fell asleep, and was ^[dl]buried among his fathers and ^[dm]underwent decay; ³⁷ but He whom God ^(LD)raised did not ^[dn]undergo decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, ^[do]brothers, that ^(LE)through ^[dp]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and ^[dq]through Him ^(LF)everyone who believes is ^[dr]freed ^[ds]from all things, from which you could not be ^[dt]freed ^[du]through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore, see that the thing spoken of ^(LG)in the Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴² As ^[dw]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these ^[dx]things spoken to them the next ^(LI)Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the ^(LJ)God-fearing ^[dy](LK)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in ^(LL)the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ The next ^(LM)Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of ^[dz]the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when ^(LN)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were ^[ea]blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you ^(LO)first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, ^(LP)we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us,

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying ^(LS)the word of ^[ed]the Lord; and all who ^(LT)had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And ^(LU)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But ^(LV)the Jews incited the ^[ee](LW)devout women ^(LX)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their ^[ef]region. ⁵¹ But ^(LY)they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to ^(LZ)Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were continually ^(MA)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 In ^(MB)Iconium ^(MC)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way ^(MD)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of ^(ME)Greeks. ² But ^(MF)the ^[eg](MG)unbelieving Jews stirred up the ^[eh]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against ^(MH)the brothers. ³ Therefore they spent a long time there ^(MI)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that ^[ei](MJ)signs and wonders be performed by their hands. ^4 (MK)But the ^[ej]people of the city were divided; and some ^[ek]sided with ^(ML)the Jews, while others, with ^(MM)the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and ^(MN)the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to ^(MO)stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of ^(MP)Lycaonia, ^(MQ)Lystra and ^(MR)Derbe, and the surrounding region; ⁷ and there they continued to ^(MS)preach the gospel.

⁸ In ^(MT)Lystra ^(MU)a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul ^(MV)looked at him intently and saw that he had ^(MW)faith to be ^[el]made well, ¹⁰ and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” ^(MX)And the man leaped up and began to walk. ¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the ^(MY)Lycaonian language, “^(MZ)The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas, ^[em]Zeus, and Paul, ^[en]Hermes, since he was ^[eo]the chief speaker. ¹³ Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was ^[ep]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and ^(NA)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when ^(NB)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they ^(NC)tore their ^[eq]robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also ^(ND)men, of the same nature as you, ^(NE)preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these ^[er](NF)useless things to a ^(NG)living God, who ^(NH)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. ^16 [es]In past generations He ^(NI)permitted all the ^[et]nations to ^(NJ)go their own ways; ¹⁷ yet ^(NK)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and ^(NL)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, ^[eu]satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ But ^(NM)Jews came from ^(NN)Antioch and ^(NO)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they ^(NP)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. ²⁰ But while ^(NQ)the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for ^(NR)Derbe. ²¹ And after they had ^(NS)preached the gospel to that city and had ^(NT)made a good number of disciples, they returned to ^(NU)Lystra, to ^(NV)Iconium, and to ^(NW)Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of ^(NX)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in ^(NY)the faith, and saying, “^(NZ)It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When ^(OA)they had appointed ^(OB)elders for them in every church, having ^(OC)prayed with fasting, they ^(OD)entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ They passed through ^(OE)Pisidia and came into ^(OF)Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word in ^(OG)Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to ^(OH)Antioch, ^(OI)where they had been ^(OJ)entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had ^[ev]accomplished. ²⁷ When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to ^(OK)report all the things that God had done with them and ^[ew]how He had opened a ^(OL)door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent ^[ex]a long time with ^(OM)the disciples.

The Council in Jerusalem

15 ^(ON)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching ^(OO)the brothers, “Unless you are ^(OP)circumcised according to ^(OQ)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And after Paul and Barnabas had ^[ey]a heated argument and ^(OR)debate with them, ^(OS)the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the ^(OT)apostles and elders concerning this issue. ³ Therefore, after being ^(OU)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both ^(OV)Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(OW)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all ^(OX)the brothers and sisters. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, ^(OY)the apostles, and the elders, and they ^(OZ)reported all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of ^(PA)the sect of the ^(PB)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to ^(PC)circumcise ^[ez]them and to direct them to keep the Law of Moses.”

^6 (PD)The apostles and the elders came together to ^[fa]look into this ^[fb]matter. ⁷ After there had been much ^(PE)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “^[fc]Brothers, you know that ^[fd]in the early days ^(PF)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of ^(PG)the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, ^(PH)who knows the heart, testified to them ^(PI)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and ^(PJ)He made no distinction between us and them, ^(PK)cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Since this is the case, why are you ^(PL)putting God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which ^(PM)neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we are saved through ^(PN)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

¹² All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were ^(PO)relating all the ^(PP)signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’ Judgment

¹³ After they stopped speaking, ^[fe](PQ)James responded, saying, “^[ff]Brothers, listen to me. ^14 (PR)Simeon has described how God first concerned Himself about taking a people for His name from among the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of ^(PS)the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written:

¹⁹ Therefore, it is ^(PZ)my judgment that we do not cause trouble for those from the Gentiles who are turning to God, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from ^[fj](QA)things contaminated by idols, from ^(QB)acts of sexual immorality, from ^(QC)what has been ^[fk]strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For ^(QD)from ancient generations Moses has those who preach him in every city, since ^[fl]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²² Then it seemed good to ^(QE)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to ^(QF)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and ^(QG)Silas, leading men among ^(QH)the brothers, ²³ and they ^[fm]sent this letter with them:

³⁰ So when they were sent away, ^(RB)they went down to Antioch; and after gathering the ^[fs]congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its ^[ft]encouragement. ^32 (RC)Judas and ^(RD)Silas, also being ^(RE)prophets themselves, ^[fu]encouraged and strengthened ^(RF)the brothers and sisters with a lengthy message. ³³ After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers and sisters ^(RG)in peace to those who had ^(RH)sent them out.^{[fv] 35} But ^(RI)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and ^(RJ)preaching ^(RK)the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Second Missionary Journey

³⁶ After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return and visit the brothers and sisters in ^(RL)every city in which we proclaimed ^(RM)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take ^(RN)John, called Mark, along with them also. ³⁸ But Paul was of the opinion that they should not take along with them this man who had ^(RO)deserted them ^[fw]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Now it turned into such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took ^(RP)Mark with him and sailed away to ^(RQ)Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose ^(RR)Silas, and left after being ^(RS)entrusted by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he was traveling through ^(RT)Syria and ^(RU)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.