¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,^(A) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,^{(B) 20} and teaching^(C) them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you^(D) always, to the very end of the age.”^(E)

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!^(A) As the Father has sent me,^(B) I am sending you.”^(C)

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost^(A) came, they were all together^(B) in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.^{(C) 3} They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit^(D) and began to speak in other tongues^[a](E) as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing^(F) Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed,^(G) they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?^{(H) 8} Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,^(I) Pontus^(J) and Asia,^{[b](K) 10} Phrygia^(L) and Pamphylia,^(M) Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;^(N) visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”^(O)

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!^{(P) 16} No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth^(X) was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs,^(Y) which God did among you through him,^(Z) as you yourselves know. ²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;^(AA) and you, with the help of wicked men,^[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.^{(AB) 24} But God raised him from the dead,^(AC) freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.^{(AD) 25} David said about him:

²⁹ “Fellow Israelites,^(AG) I can tell you confidently that the patriarch^(AH) David died and was buried,^(AI) and his tomb is here^(AJ) to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.^{(AK) 31} Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.^{(AL) 32} God has raised this Jesus to life,^(AM) and we are all witnesses^(AN) of it. ³³ Exalted^(AO) to the right hand of God,^(AP) he has received from the Father^(AQ) the promised Holy Spirit^(AR) and has poured out^(AS) what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord^(AU) and Messiah.”^(AV)

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”^(AW)

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,^(AX) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.^(AY) And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.^{(AZ) 39} The promise is for you and your children^(BA) and for all who are far off^(BB)—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”^{(BC) 41} Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number^(BD) that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching^(BE) and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread^(BF) and to prayer.^{(BG) 43} Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.^{(BH) 44} All the believers were together and had everything in common.^{(BI) 45} They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.^{(BJ) 46} Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.^(BK) They broke bread^(BL) in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.^(BM) And the Lord added to their number^(BN) daily those who were being saved.

22 ¹ “Brothers and fathers,^(A) listen now to my defense.”

² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,^(B) they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³ “I am a Jew,^(C) born in Tarsus^(D) of Cilicia,^(E) but brought up in this city. I studied under^(F) Gamaliel^(G) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.^(H) I was just as zealous^(I) for God as any of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted^(J) the followers of this Way^(K) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,^{(L) 5} as the high priest and all the Council^(M) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(N) in Damascus,^(O) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^{(P) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,^(Q) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light,^(R) but they did not understand the voice^(S) of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’^{(T) 11} My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.^(U)

¹² “A man named Ananias came to see me.^(V) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.^{(W) 13} He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

¹⁴ “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors^(X) has chosen you to know his will and to see^(Y) the Righteous One^(Z) and to hear words from his mouth.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand^(A)

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs^(B) he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside^(C) and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival^(D) was near.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip,^(E) “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,^(F) spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”^(G)

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks,^(H) and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶ Now an angel^(A) of the Lord said to Philip,^(B) “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[a](C) eunuch,^(D) an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,^{(E) 28} and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told^(F) Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began^(H) with that very passage of Scripture^(I) and told him the good news^(J) about Jesus.

³⁶ As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”^{(K) [37] [c] 38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.