Acts 1-9

Legacy Standard Bible

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 The first account, O ^(A)Theophilus, I ^[a]composed, about all that Jesus ^(B)began to do and teach, ² until the day when He ^(C)was taken up to heaven, after He ^(D)had ^[b]by the Holy Spirit given orders to ^(E)the apostles whom He had ^(F)chosen, ³ to whom ^(G)He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over forty days and speaking about ^(H)the things concerning the kingdom of God. ⁴ And ^[c]gathering them together, He commanded them ^(I)not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the ^(J)promise of the Father, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; ⁵ for ^[d](K)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^[e]with the Holy Spirit ^[f](L)not many days from now.”

⁶ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, ^(M)is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ But He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which ^(N)the Father has set by His own authority; ⁸ but you will receive power ^(O)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be ^(P)My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and ^(Q)Samaria, and even to ^[g](R)the end of the earth.”

The Ascension

⁹ And after He had said these things, ^(S)He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And as they were gazing intently into ^[h]the sky while He was going, behold, ^(T)two men in white clothing stood beside them. ¹¹ They also said, “^(U)Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who ^(V)has been taken up from you into heaven, will ^(W)come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

¹² Then they ^(X)returned to Jerusalem from the ^[i](Y)mount called ^[j]Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a ^[k]Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ And when they had entered the city, they went up to ^(Z)the upper room where they were staying; ^(AA)that is, Peter and John and ^[l]James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and ^(AB)Judas the ^[m]son of James. ¹⁴ These all with one accord ^(AC)were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with ^(AD)the women, and Mary the ^(AE)mother of Jesus, and His ^(AF)brothers.

¹⁵ And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of ^(AG)the brothers (a crowd of about 120 ^[n]persons was there together), and said, ¹⁶ “Men, brothers, ^(AH)the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, ^(AI)who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷ For he was ^(AJ)counted among us and received his share in ^(AK)this ministry.” ¹⁸ (Now this man ^(AL)acquired a field with ^(AM)the price of his unrighteousness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in ^(AN)their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰ “For it is written in the book of Psalms,

and,

²¹ Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that ^(AQ)the Lord Jesus went in and out ^[p]among us— ^22 (AR)beginning ^[q]with the baptism of John until the day that He ^(AS)was taken up from us—one of these must become a ^(AT)witness with us of His resurrection.” ²³ And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and ^(AU)Matthias. ²⁴ And they ^(AV)prayed and said, “You, Lord, ^(AW)who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen ²⁵ to take the place of ^(AX)this ministry and ^(AY)apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶ And they ^[r](AZ)cast lots for them, and the lot fell ^[s]to ^(BA)Matthias; and he was ^[t]added to ^(BB)the eleven apostles.

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 And when ^(BC)the day of Pentecost ^[u]had fully come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing ^(BD)wind, and it filled ^(BE)the whole house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared to them tongues like fire ^[v](BF)distributing themselves, and ^[w]they ^[x]rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all ^(BG)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^(BH)speak with other ^[y]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them ^[z]utterance.

⁵ Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, ^(BI)devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when ^(BJ)this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own ^[aa]language. ^7 (BK)So they were astounded and marveling, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking ^(BL)Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we each hear them in our own ^[ab]language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and ^(BM)Cappadocia, ^(BN)Pontus and ^[ac](BO)Asia, ^10 (BP)Phrygia and ^(BQ)Pamphylia, Egypt and the district of Libya around ^(BR)Cyrene, and ^[ad](BS)visitors from Rome, both Jews and ^[ae](BT)proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” ¹² And ^(BU)they all continued in astonishment and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others, mocking, were saying, “^(BV)They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

¹⁴ But Peter, ^[af]taking his stand with ^(BW)the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. ¹⁵ For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, ^(BX)for it is the ^[ag]third hour of the day; ¹⁶ but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

²² “Men of Israel, listen to these words: ^(CA)Jesus the Nazarene, ^(CB)a man ^[ak]attested to you by God with ^[al]miracles and ^(CC)wonders and ^[am]signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— ²³ this Man, delivered over by the ^(CD)predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, ^(CE)you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death. ^24 [an]But ^(CF)God raised Him up again, putting an end to the ^[ao]agony of death, since it ^(CG)was impossible for Him to be held ^[ap]in its power. ²⁵ For David says of Him,

²⁹ “Men, brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the ^(CK)patriarch David that he both ^(CL)died and ^(CM)was buried, and ^(CN)his tomb is ^[as]with us to this day. ³⁰ And so, because he was ^(CO)a prophet and knew that ^(CP)God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit ^[at]of his body on his throne, ³¹ he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the ^[au]Christ, that ^(CQ)He was neither forsaken to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus ^(CR)God raised up again, to which we are all ^(CS)witnesses. ³³ Therefore having been exalted ^[av](CT)to the right hand of God, and ^(CU)having received from the Father ^(CV)the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has ^(CW)poured out this which you both see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says:

³⁶ Therefore let all the ^(CY)house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both ^(CZ)Lord and ^[ax]Christ—this Jesus ^(DA)whom you crucified.”

About Three Thousand Souls Saved

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were ^[ay]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men, brothers, ^(DB)what should we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “^(DC)Repent, and each of you be ^(DD)baptized in the name of Jesus Christ ^[az]for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For ^(DE)the promise is for you and your children and for all who are ^(DF)far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he solemnly ^(DG)bore witness and kept on exhorting them, saying, “^[ba]Be saved from this ^(DH)crooked generation!” ⁴¹ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand ^(DI)souls. ⁴² And they were ^(DJ)continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to ^(DK)the breaking of bread and ^(DL)to the prayers.

⁴³ And fear came upon every soul; and many ^(DM)wonders and ^[bb]signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all those who had believed ^[bc]were together and ^(DN)had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they ^(DO)began selling their property and possessions and were ^(DP)dividing them up with all, as anyone might have need. ^46 (DQ)And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and ^(DR)breaking bread ^[bd]from house to house, they were taking their ^[be]meals together with gladness and ^[bf]sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and ^(DS)having favor with all the people. And the Lord ^(DT)was adding ^[bg]to their number daily ^(DU)those who were being saved.

The Lame Beggar Healed

3 Now ^(DV)Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ^[bh]ninth hour, ^(DW)the hour of prayer. ² And ^(DX)a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they ^(DY)used to set down daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, ^(DZ)in order to beg ^[bi]alms of those who were entering the temple. ³ When he saw ^(EA)Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. ⁴ But when Peter, along with John, ^(EB)fixed his gaze on him, he said, “Look at us!” ⁵ And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: ^(EC)In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” ⁷ And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. ^8 (ED)And leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ And ^(EE)all the people saw him walking and praising God; ¹⁰ and they were recognizing him, that he was the one who used to ^(EF)sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Sermon in Solomon’s Portico

¹¹ And while he was clinging to ^(EG)Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the ^[bj](EH)portico called Solomon’s, full of wonder. ¹² But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ^13 (EI)The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ^(EJ)the God of our fathers, has glorified His ^(EK)Servant Jesus, whom ^(EL)you delivered and denied in the presence of ^(EM)Pilate, when he had ^(EN)decided to release Him. ¹⁴ But you denied ^(EO)the Holy and Righteous One and ^(EP)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ but put to death the ^(EQ)Author of life, whom ^(ER)God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are ^(ES)witnesses. ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith ^(ET)in His name, it is ^[bk]the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted ^(EU)in ignorance, just as your ^(EV)rulers did also. ¹⁸ But the things which ^(EW)God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, ^(EX)that His ^[bl]Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Therefore ^(EY)repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that ^[bm](EZ)times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰ and that He may send Jesus, the ^[bn]Christ appointed for you, ^21 (FA)whom heaven must receive until the ^[bo]period of ^(FB)restoration of all things about which ^(FC)God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. ²² Moses said, ‘^(FD)The ^[bp]Lord God will raise up for you a prophet ^[bq]like me from your brothers; to Him you shall listen to everything He says to you. ^23 (FE)And it will be that every ^(FF)soul that does not heed that prophet ^(FG)shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴ And likewise, ^(FH)all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ It is you who are ^(FI)the sons of the prophets and of the ^(FJ)covenant which God ^[br]made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘^(FK)And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ²⁶ For you ^(FL)first, God ^(FM)raised up His ^[bs]Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Peter and John Arrested

4 Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^(FN)the captain of the temple guard and ^(FO)the Sadducees ^(FP)came up to them, ² being greatly agitated because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^[bt](FQ)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them and ^(FR)put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the ^[bu]message believed, and ^(FS)the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵ Now it happened that on the next day, their ^(FT)rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; ⁶ and ^(FU)Annas the high priest was there, and ^(FV)Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. ⁷ And when they had placed them in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” ⁸ Then Peter, ^[bv](FW)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “^[bw](FX)Rulers and elders of the people, ⁹ if we are ^[bx]being examined today for ^(FY)a good deed done to a sick man, ^[by]as to how this man has been ^[bz]saved from his sickness, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that ^[ca](FZ)by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom ^(GA)God raised from the dead—^[cb]by ^[cc]this name this man stands here before you in good health. ^11 [cd](GB)He is the ^(GC)stone which was ^(GD)rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. ¹² And there is salvation in ^(GE)no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter and John Threatened and Released

¹³ Now as they observed the ^(GF)confidence of ^(GG)Peter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and ^(GH)began to recognize them ^[ce]as having been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. ¹⁵ But when they had ordered them to leave the ^[cf](GI)Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “^(GJ)What should we do with these men? For the fact that a ^(GK)noteworthy ^[cg]sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man ^(GL)in this name.” ¹⁸ And when they had summoned them, they ^(GM)commanded them not to speak or teach at all ^[ch]in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But ^(GN)Peter and John answered and said to them, “^(GO)Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; ²⁰ for ^(GP)we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) ^(GQ)on account of the people, because they were all ^(GR)glorifying God for what had happened; ²² for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.

²³ So when they were released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Master, it is You who ^(GS)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵ who ^(GT)by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,

²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy ^[cl](GX)Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both ^(GY)Herod and ^(GZ)Pontius Pilate, along with ^(HA)the ^[cm]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and ^(HB)Your purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹ And ^[cn]now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may ^(HC)speak Your word with all ^(HD)confidence, ³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and ^[co](HE)signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy ^[cp](HF)Servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed earnestly, the ^(HG)place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all ^(HH)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^(HI)speak the word of God with ^(HJ)confidence.

Distribution Among Needy Believers

³² And the ^[cq]congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, ^(HK)everything was common. ³³ And ^(HL)with great power the apostles were bearing ^(HM)witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses ^(HN)would sell them and bring the ^[cr]proceeds of the sales ³⁵ and ^(HO)lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be ^(HP)distributed to each as any had need.

³⁶ Now Joseph, a Levite of ^(HQ)Cyprian birth, who was also called ^(HR)Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of ^[cs](HS)Encouragement), ³⁷ and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and ^(HT)laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and ^(HU)kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s ^[ct]full knowledge. And bringing a portion of it, he ^(HV)laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has ^(HW)Satan filled your heart to lie ^(HX)to the Holy Spirit and to ^(HY)keep back some of the price of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not ^[cu]under your authority? Why is it that you laid this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but ^(HZ)to God.” ⁵ And as he heard these words, Ananias ^(IA)fell down and breathed his last; and ^(IB)great fear came over all who heard. ⁶ And the young men rose up and ^(IC)wrapped him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

⁷ Now there was an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you were paid ^(ID)this much for the land?” And she said, “Yes, that much.” ⁹ Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to ^(IE)put ^(IF)the Spirit of the ^[cv]Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” ¹⁰ And immediately she ^(IG)fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And ^(IH)great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard these things.

¹² Now ^[cw]at the hands of the apostles many ^(II)signs and wonders were happening among the people, and they were all with one accord in ^(IJ)Solomon’s Portico. ¹³ But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, ^(IK)the people were holding them in high esteem. ¹⁴ And more than ever ^(IL)believers in the Lord were ^(IM)added to their number, multitudes of men and women, ¹⁵ to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that when Peter came by ^(IN)at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. ¹⁶ Also the multitude from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick ^[cx]or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

The Apostles Jailed and Freed

¹⁷ But the high priest rose up and those with him (that is ^(IO)the sect of ^(IP)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ And they laid hands on the apostles and ^(IQ)put them in a public jail. ¹⁹ But during the night ^(IR)an angel of the ^[cy]Lord opened the doors of the prison, and taking them out, he said, ²⁰ “Go, stand and ^[cz]speak to the people in the temple ^[da](IS)the whole message of this Life.” ²¹ Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple ^(IT)about daybreak and began to teach.

Now when ^(IU)the high priest and those with him came, they called ^(IV)the Sanhedrin together, even all the Council of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the jailhouse for them to be brought. ²² But ^(IW)the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported back, ²³ saying, “We found the jailhouse locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors, but we opened it and found no one inside.” ²⁴ Now when ^(IX)the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what ^[db]would come of this. ²⁵ But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then ^(IY)the captain went along with ^(IZ)the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for ^(JA)they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).

²⁷ And when they had brought them, they stood them ^[dc]before ^(JB)the Sanhedrin. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We ^(JC)strictly commanded you not to continue teaching in this name, and ^[dd]yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and ^(JD)intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “^(JE)We must obey God rather than men. ^30 (JF)The God of our fathers ^(JG)raised up Jesus, ^[de]whom you ^(JH)put to death by hanging Him on a tree. ^31 (JI)This One God exalted ^[df]to His right hand as ^[dg]a ^(JJ)Leader and a ^(JK)Savior, to grant ^(JL)repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are ^(JM)witnesses ^[dh]of these things, and ^(JN)so is the Holy Spirit, whom God gave to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Counsel

³³ But when they heard this, they became ^(JO)furious and intended to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named ^(JP)Gamaliel, a ^(JQ)teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in ^(JR)the Sanhedrin and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, ^(JS)claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. ^[di]But he was killed, and all who ^[dj]were following him were dispersed and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of ^(JT)the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all those who ^[dk]were following him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I also say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or ^[dl]action ^(JU)is of men, it will be overthrown; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or you may even be found ^(JV)fighting against God.”

⁴⁰ So they ^[dm]followed his advice. And after calling the apostles in and ^(JW)beating them, they commanded them not to ^[dn]speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. ⁴¹ So they went on their way from the presence of the ^(JX)Sanhedrin, ^(JY)rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame ^(JZ)for the Name. ^42 (KA)And every day, in the temple and ^[do]from house to house, they did not cease teaching and ^(KB)proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the ^[dp]Christ.

Selection of the Seven

6 Now in those days, while the ^(KC)disciples were ^(KD)multiplying in number, there was grumbling from the ^[dq](KE)Hellenists against the ^(KF)Hebrews, because their ^(KG)widows were being overlooked in ^(KH)the daily serving of food. ² So the twelve summoned the ^[dr]congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not pleasing to God for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ Therefore, ^(KI)brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, ^(KJ)full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this need. ⁴ But we will ^(KK)devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.” ⁵ And this word pleased the whole ^[ds]congregation, and they chose ^(KL)Stephen, a man ^(KM)full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and ^(KN)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a ^[dt](KO)proselyte from ^(KP)Antioch. ⁶ And these they stood before the apostles, and after ^(KQ)praying, they ^(KR)laid their hands on them.

^7 (KS)And the word of God kept on spreading, and ^(KT)the number of the disciples continued to multiply greatly in Jerusalem, and a great ^[du]many of the priests were becoming obedient to ^(KU)the faith.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great ^(KV)wonders and ^[dv]signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both ^(KW)Cyrenians and ^(KX)Alexandrians, and some from ^(KY)Cilicia and ^[dw](KZ)Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they ^(LA)came up to him, dragged him away, and brought him to ^(LB)the Sanhedrin. ¹³ And they put forward ^(LC)false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases speaking words against this ^(LD)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(LE)this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and alter ^(LF)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the ^(LG)Sanhedrin saw his face like the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Defense

7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

² And he said, “Hear me, ^(LH)brothers and fathers! ^(LI)The God of glory ^(LJ)appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in ^[dx]Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘^(LK)Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ ^4 (LL)Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in ^[dy]Haran. ^(LM)From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. ⁵ But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and ^(LN)He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his seed after him, even when he had no child. ⁶ But ^(LO)God spoke in this way, that his seed would be sojourners in a foreign land, and that they would ^[dz]be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. ⁷ ‘And I Myself will judge the nation to which they will be enslaved,’ said God, ‘and ^(LP)after that they will come out and ^[ea]serve Me in this place.’ ⁸ And He ^(LQ)gave him ^[eb]the covenant of circumcision; and so ^(LR)Abraham was the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^(LS)Isaac was the father of Jacob, and ^(LT)Jacob of the twelve ^(LU)patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs, ^(LV)becoming jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his afflictions, and ^(LW)granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he appointed him governor over Egypt and all his household.

¹¹ “Now ^(LX)a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers ^[ec]could find no food. ¹² But ^(LY)when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. ¹³ And on the second visit ^(LZ)Joseph ^[ed]made himself known to his brothers, and ^(MA)Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then ^(MB)Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, ^(MC)seventy-five ^[ee](MD)persons in all. ¹⁵ And ^(ME)Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. ¹⁶ And from there they were removed to ^[ef](MF)Shechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of ^[eg]Hamor in ^[eh]Shechem.

¹⁷ “But as the ^(MG)time of the promise was drawing near which God had assured to Abraham, ^(MH)the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, ¹⁸ until ^(MI)another king arose over Egypt who did not know about Joseph. ¹⁹ It was he who ^(MJ)deceitfully took advantage of our family and mistreated our fathers to ^[ei](MK)set their infants outside so that they would not survive. ²⁰ It was at this time that ^(ML)Moses was born, and he was lovely ^[ej]in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. ²¹ And after he had been set outside, ^(MM)Pharaoh’s daughter ^[ek]took him away and nurtured him as her own son. ²² And Moses was educated in all ^(MN)the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and deeds. ²³ But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^(MO)it entered his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. ²⁴ And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took justice for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ And he supposed that his brothers understood that God was granting them salvation ^[el]through him, but they did not understand. ^26 (MP)On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you treating one another unjustly?’ ²⁷ But the one who was treating his neighbor unjustly pushed him away, saying, ‘^(MQ)Who made you a ruler and judge over us? ^28 (MR)Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ At this remark, ^(MS)Moses fled and became a sojourner in the land of ^[em]Midian, where he ^(MT)was the father of two sons.

³⁰ “And after forty years had passed, ^(MU)an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he was marveling at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the ^[en]Lord: ³² ‘^(MV)I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and would not dare to look. ^33 (MW)But the ^[eo]Lord said to him, ‘^(MX)Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ^34 (MY)I have surely seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them; ^[ep](MZ)come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ “This Moses whom they ^(NA)disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God ^[eq]sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ^[er]help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ^36 (NB)This man led them out, doing ^(NC)wonders and ^[es]signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the ^(ND)wilderness for forty years. ³⁷ This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘^(NE)God will raise up for you a prophet ^[et]like me from your brothers.’ ³⁸ This is the one who, in ^(NF)the ^[eu]congregation in the wilderness, was with ^(NG)the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers; the one who received ^(NH)living ^(NI)oracles to pass on to you. ³⁹ Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but ^(NJ)rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, ^40 (NK)saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has become of him.’ ^41 [ev]At that time ^(NL)they made a ^[ew]calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^(NM)the works of their hands. ⁴² But God ^(NN)turned away and delivered them up to ^[ex]serve the ^[ey]host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘^(NO)Did you present Me with slain beasts and sacrifices ^(NP)forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? ^43 (NQ)You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god ^[ez]Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’

⁴⁴ “Our fathers had ^(NR)the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He, who spoke to Moses, directed him to make it ^(NS)according to the pattern which he had seen. ⁴⁵ And having received it in their turn, our fathers ^(NT)brought it in with ^[fa]Joshua when they dispossessed the ^[fb]nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. ^46 (NU)David found favor in the sight of God, and ^(NV)asked that he might find a dwelling place for the ^[fc]God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But ^(NW)Solomon built a house for Him. ⁴⁸ However, ^(NX)the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says:

⁵¹ “You men—^(OA)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears—are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (OB)And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^(OC)the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers ^(OD)you have now become; ⁵³ you who received the Law as ^(OE)ordained by angels, and yet did not observe it.”

Stephen Is Stoned to Death

⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they became ^(OF)furious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But being ^(OG)full of the Holy Spirit, he ^(OH)gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(OI)at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the ^(OJ)heavens opened up and ^(OK)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. ⁵⁸ And when they had ^(OL)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^(OM)the witnesses ^(ON)laid aside their garments at the feet of ^(OO)a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he ^(OP)was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then ^(OQ)falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^(OR)do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he ^[fd](OS)fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 ^(OT)Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

And on that day a great persecution ^[fe]began against ^(OU)the church in Jerusalem, and they were all ^(OV)scattered throughout the regions of Judea and ^(OW)Samaria, except the apostles. ² And some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. ³ But ^(OX)Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and ^(OY)dragging off men and women, he was delivering them into prison.

Philip Preaches in Samaria

⁴ Therefore, those ^(OZ)who had been scattered went about, ^(PA)proclaiming the good news of the word. ^5 (PB)Now Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching ^[ff]Christ to them. ⁶ And the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the ^[fg]signs which he was doing. ⁷ For in the case of many who had ^(PC)unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been ^(PD)paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸ So there was ^(PE)great joy in that city.

⁹ Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing ^(PF)magic in the city and astounding the people of Samaria, ^(PG)claiming to be someone great; ¹⁰ and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “^(PH)This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” ¹¹ And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astounded them with his ^(PI)magic arts. ¹² But when they believed Philip ^(PJ)proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being ^(PK)baptized, both men and women. ¹³ Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed ^(PL)signs and ^(PM)great miracles taking place, he was constantly astounded.

¹⁴ Now when ^(PN)the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them ^(PO)Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them ^(PP)that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ For He had ^(PQ)not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been ^(PR)baptized ^[fh]in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then they ^(PS)began laying their hands on them, and they were ^(PT)receiving the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit had been bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you supposed you could ^(PU)obtain the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have ^(PV)no part or portion in this ^[fi]matter, for your heart is not ^(PW)right before God. ²² Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray earnestly to the Lord that, ^(PX)if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in ^(PY)the ^[fj]bondage of unrighteousness.” ²⁴ But Simon answered and said, “^(PZ)Pray earnestly to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

An Ethiopian Receives Christ

²⁵ So, when they had solemnly ^(QA)borne witness and spoken ^(QB)the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were ^(QC)proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the ^(QD)Samaritans.

²⁶ But ^(QE)an angel of the ^[fk]Lord spoke to ^(QF)Philip saying, “Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to ^(QG)Gaza.” (^[fl]This is a desert road.) ²⁷ So he rose up and went; and behold, ^(QH)there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he ^(QI)had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his ^[fm]chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ Then ^(QJ)the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this ^[fn]chariot.” ³⁰ And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

³⁴ And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you earnestly, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip ^(QM)opened his mouth, and ^(QN)beginning from this Scripture he ^(QO)proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. ³⁶ And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! ^(QP)What prevents me from being baptized?” ^37 [fq][And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] ³⁸ And he ordered the ^[fr]chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, ^(QQ)the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, ^[fs]but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip ^[ft]found himself at ^[fu](QR)Azotus, and as he passed through he ^(QS)kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to ^(QT)Caesarea.

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(QU)Now ^[fv]Saul, still ^(QV)breathing ^[fw]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(QW)letters from him to ^(QX)the synagogues at ^(QY)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^(QZ)the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, ^(RA)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(RB)falling to the ground, he 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 rise up and enter the city, and ^(RC)it will be told you what you must do.” ⁷ And the men who traveled with him ^(RD)stood speechless, ^(RE)hearing the ^[fx]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ And Saul got up from the ground, and ^(RF)though his eyes were open, he ^[fy]could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(RG)Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at ^(RH)Damascus named ^(RI)Ananias, and the Lord said to him in ^(RJ)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Rise up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(RK)Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[fz]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(RL)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(RM)how much harm he did to ^(RN)Your ^[ga]saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he ^(RO)has authority from the chief priests to bind all who ^(RP)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(RQ)he is a chosen ^[gb]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(RR)the Gentiles and ^(RS)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(RT)I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house. And he ^(RU)laid his hands on him and said, “^(RV)Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—that is Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—so that you may regain your sight and be ^(RW)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(RX)for several days he was with ^(RY)the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(RZ)in the synagogues, ^[gc]saying, “He is ^(SA)the Son of God.” ²¹ And all those hearing him continued to be astounded, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(SB)destroyed those that ^(SC)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this One is the ^[gd]Christ.

²³ And when ^(SD)many days had elapsed, ^(SE)the Jews plotted together to put him to death, ²⁴ but ^(SF)their plot became known to Saul. ^(SG)They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (SH)And when he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples, ^[ge]but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(SI)Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and recounted to them how he had ^(SJ)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(SK)at Damascus he had ^(SL)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So he was with them, ^[gf]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(SM)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[gg](SN)Hellenistic Jews, but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ But when ^(SO)the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(SP)Caesarea and ^(SQ)sent him away to ^(SR)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(SS)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria was having peace, being built up. And going on in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to multiply.

Peter Heals Aeneas

³² Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to ^(ST)the ^[gh]saints who lived at ^[gi](SU)Lydda. ³³ And there he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. ³⁴ And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise up and make your bed.” Immediately he rose up. ³⁵ And all who lived at ^[gj](SV)Lydda and ^(SW)Sharon saw him, and they ^(SX)turned to the Lord.

Peter Raises Tabitha to Life

³⁶ Now in ^(SY)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called ^[gk]Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did. ³⁷ And it happened ^[gl]at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(SZ)upper room. ³⁸ Now since Lydda was near ^(TA)Joppa, ^(TB)the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^(TC)upper room; and all the ^(TD)widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the ^[gm]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(TE)sent them all out and ^(TF)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(TG)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 ^(TH)the ^[gn]saints and ^(TI)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known all over ^(TJ)Joppa, and ^(TK)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And it happened that he stayed many days in ^(TL)Joppa with ^(TM)a tanner named Simon.