Acts 1-14

New American Standard Bible

Introduction

1 The first account I ^[a]composed, ^(A)Theophilus, 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 given orders ^[b]by the Holy Spirit to ^(E)the apostles whom He had ^(F)chosen. ³ To ^[c]these ^(G)He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of ^(H)things regarding the kingdom of God. ^4 [d]Gathering them together, He commanded them ^(I)not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for ^[e](J)what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; ⁵ for ^(K)John baptized ^[f]with water, but you will be baptized ^[g]with the Holy Spirit ^[h](L)not many days from now.”

⁶ So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, ^(M)is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times 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 as far as ^(R)the remotest part of the earth.”

The Ascension

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

The Upper Room

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

^15 [q]At this time Peter stood up among ^(AG)the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 ^[r]people was there together), and said, ¹⁶ “^[s]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 wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all the residents of Jerusalem; as a result that field was called Hakeldama in ^(AN)their own language, 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 ^[u]among us— ^22 (AR)beginning ^[v]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 So 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, who ^(AW)know the hearts of all people, show which one of these two You have chosen ²⁵ to ^[w]occupy ^(AX)this ministry and ^(AY)apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶ And they ^[x](AZ)drew lots for them, and the lot fell ^[y]to ^(BA)Matthias; and he was added to ^(BB)the eleven apostles.

The Day of Pentecost

2 When ^(BC)the day of Pentecost ^[z]had come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled ^(BD)the whole house where they were sitting. ³ And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, ^[aa]distributing themselves, and a tongue ^[ab]rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all ^(BE)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^(BF)speak with different ^[ac]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.

⁵ Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, ^(BG)devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when ^(BH)this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own ^[ad]language. ^7 (BI)They were amazed and astonished, saying, “^[ae]Why, are not all these who are speaking ^(BJ)Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we each hear them in our own ^[af]language ^[ag]to which we were born? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and ^(BK)Cappadocia, ^(BL)Pontus and ^[ah](BM)Asia, ^10 (BN)Phrygia and ^(BO)Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around ^(BP)Cyrene, and ^[ai](BQ)visitors from Rome, both Jews and ^[aj](BR)proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own ^[ak]tongues of the mighty deeds of God.” ¹² And ^(BS)they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others were jeering and saying, “^(BT)They are full of ^[al]sweet wine!”

Peter’s Sermon

¹⁴ But Peter, taking his stand with ^(BU)the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, ^[am]know this, and pay attention to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you assume, ^(BV)since it is only the ^[an]third hour of the day; ¹⁶ but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

²² “Men of Israel, listen to these words: ^(BY)Jesus the Nazarene, ^(BZ)a Man ^[at]attested to you by God with ^[au]miracles and ^(CA)wonders and ^[av]signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— ²³ this Man, delivered over by the ^(CB)predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, ^(CC)you nailed to a cross by the hands of ^[aw]godless men and put Him to death. ^24 [ax]But ^(CD)God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the ^[ay]agony of death, since it ^(CE)was impossible for Him to be held ^[az]in its power. ²⁵ For David says of Him,

²⁹ “^[bd]Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the ^(CI)patriarch David that he both ^(CJ)died and ^(CK)was buried, and ^(CL)his tomb is ^[be]with us to this day. ³⁰ So because he was ^(CM)a prophet and knew that ^(CN)God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one ^[bf]of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the ^[bg]Christ, that ^(CO)He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh ^[bh]suffer decay. ³² It is this Jesus whom ^(CP)God raised up, ^[bi]a fact to which we are all ^(CQ)witnesses. ³³ Therefore, ^[bj]since He has been exalted ^[bk](CR)at the right hand of God, and ^(CS)has received ^(CT)the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has ^(CU)poured out this which you both see and hear. ³⁴ For it was not David who ascended into ^[bl]heaven, but he himself says:

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

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

^43 [bs]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many ^(DK)wonders and ^[bt]signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all the believers ^[bu]were together and ^(DL)had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they ^(DM)would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. ^46 (DN)Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and ^(DO)breaking bread ^[bv]from house to house, they were taking their ^[bw]meals together with gladness and ^[bx]sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and ^(DP)having favor with all the people. And the Lord ^(DQ)was adding to ^[by]their number day by day ^(DR)those who were being saved.

Healing the Beggar Who Was Unable to Walk

3 Now ^(DS)Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ^[bz]ninth hour, ^(DT)the hour of prayer. ² And ^(DU)a man who had been unable to walk from ^[ca]birth was being carried, whom they ^(DV)used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, ^(DW)in order for him to beg for charitable gifts from those entering the temple grounds. ³ When he saw ^(DX)Peter and John about to go into the temple grounds, he began asking to receive a charitable gift. ⁴ But Peter, along with John, ^(DY)looked at him intently and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: ^(DZ)In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” ⁷ And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. ⁸ And ^(EA)leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ And ^(EB)all the people saw him walking and praising God; ¹⁰ and they recognized him as being the very one who used to ^(EC)sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Second Sermon

¹¹ While he was clinging to ^(ED)Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the ^[cb](EE)portico named Solomon’s, completely astonished. ¹² But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? ^13 (EF)The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ^(EG)the God of our fathers, has glorified His ^[cc](EH)servant Jesus, the one whom ^(EI)you handed over and disowned in the presence of ^(EJ)Pilate, when he had ^(EK)decided to release Him. ¹⁴ But you disowned ^(EL)the Holy and Righteous One, and ^(EM)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ but put to death the ^[cd](EN)Prince of life, whom ^(EO)God raised from the dead, ^[ce]a fact to which we are ^(EP)witnesses. ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith ^(EQ)in His name, it is ^[cf]the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

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

Peter and John Arrested

4 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^(FK)the captain of the temple guard and ^(FL)the Sadducees ^(FM)came up to them, ² being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^[ck](FN)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them and ^(FO)put them in prison until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the ^[cl]message believed; and ^(FP)the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵ On the next day, their ^(FQ)rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; ⁶ and ^(FR)Annas the high priest was there, and ^(FS)Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. ⁷ When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” ⁸ Then Peter, ^[cm](FT)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “^[cn](FU)Rulers and elders of the people, ⁹ if we are ^[co]on trial today for ^(FV)a benefit done to a sick man, as to ^[cp]how this man has been made well, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that ^[cq](FW)by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom ^(FX)God raised from the dead—^[cr]by ^[cs]this name this man stands here before you in good health. ^11 [ct](FY)He is the ^(FZ)stone which was ^(GA)rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in ^(GB)no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

Threat and Release

¹³ Now as they observed the ^(GC)confidence of ^(GD)Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and ^(GE)began to recognize them ^[cu]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 ^[cv](GF)Council, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “^(GG)What are we to do with these men? For the fact that a ^(GH)noteworthy ^[cw]miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let’s warn them not to speak any longer to any person ^(GI)in this name.” ¹⁸ And when they had summoned them, they ^(GJ)commanded them not to speak or teach at all ^[cx]in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But ^(GK)Peter and John answered and said to them, “^(GL)Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, make your own judgment; ²⁰ for ^(GM)we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) ^(GN)on account of the people, because they were all ^(GO)glorifying God for what had happened; ²² for the man on whom this ^[cy]miracle of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.

²³ When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported everything that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and said, “^[cz]Lord, it is You who ^(GP)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them, ²⁵ who ^(GQ)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 ^[dd](GU)servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both ^(GV)Herod and ^(GW)Pontius Pilate, along with ^(GX)the ^[de]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and ^(GY)purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹ And ^[df]now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to ^(GZ)speak Your word with all ^(HA)confidence, ³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and ^[dg](HB)signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy ^[dh](HC)servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the ^(HD)place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all ^(HE)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^(HF)speak the word of God with ^(HG)boldness.

Sharing among Believers

³² And the ^[di]congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them ^[dj]claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but ^(HH)all things were common property to them. ³³ And ^(HI)with great power the apostles were giving ^(HJ)testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. ³⁴ For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses ^(HK)would sell them and bring the ^[dk]proceeds of the sales ³⁵ and ^(HL)lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be ^(HM)distributed to each to the extent that any had need.

³⁶ Now Joseph, a Levite of ^(HN)Cyprian birth, who was also called ^(HO)Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of ^[dl](HP)Encouragement), ^37 [dm]owned a tract of land. So he sold it, and brought the money and ^(HQ)laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Fate of Ananias and Sapphira

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and ^(HR)kept back some of the ^[dn]proceeds for himself, with his wife’s ^[do]full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he ^(HS)laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has ^(HT)Satan filled your heart to lie ^(HU)to the Holy Spirit and to ^(HV)keep back some of the ^[dp]proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not ^[dq]under your control? Why is it that you have ^[dr]conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but ^(HW)to God.” ⁵ And as he heard these words, Ananias ^(HX)collapsed and ^[ds]died; and ^(HY)great fear came over all who heard about it. ⁶ The young men got up and ^(HZ)covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

⁷ Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land ^(IA)for ^[dt]this price?” And she said, “Yes, for ^[du]that price.” ⁹ Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to ^(IB)put ^(IC)the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” ¹⁰ And immediately she ^(ID)collapsed at his feet and ^[dv]died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And ^(IE)great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

^12 [dw]At the hands of the apostles many ^[dx](IF)signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all ^[dy]together in ^(IG)Solomon’s ^[dz]portico. ¹³ But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, ^(IH)the people held them in high esteem. ¹⁴ And increasingly ^(II)believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being ^(IJ)added to their number, ¹⁵ to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by ^(IK)at least his shadow might fall on any of them. ¹⁶ The ^[ea]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick ^[eb]or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

Imprisonment and Release

¹⁷ But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is ^(IL)the sect of ^(IM)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ They laid hands on the apostles and ^(IN)put them in a public prison. ¹⁹ But during the night ^(IO)an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and leading them out, he said, ²⁰ “Go, stand and ^[ec]speak to the people in the temple area ^[ed](IP)the whole message of this Life.” ²¹ Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple area ^(IQ)about daybreak and began to teach.

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

²⁷ When they had brought them, they had them stand ^[eg]before ^(IY)the Council. The high priest interrogated them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you ^(IZ)strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and ^[eh]yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and ^(JA)intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “^(JB)We must obey God rather than men. ^30 (JC)The God of our fathers ^(JD)raised up Jesus, whom you ^(JE)put to death by hanging Him on ^[ei](JF)a cross. ^31 (JG)He is the one whom God exalted ^[ej]to His right hand as a ^[ek](JH)Prince and a ^(JI)Savior, to grant ^(JJ)repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are ^(JK)witnesses ^[el]of these things; and ^(JL)so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Counsel

³³ But when they heard this, they became ^(JM)infuriated and nearly decided to execute them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named ^(JN)Gamaliel, a ^(JO)teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in ^(JP)the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful as to what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ For, some time ago Theudas appeared, ^(JQ)claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined him. ^[em]But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this man, Judas of Galilee appeared in the days of ^(JR)the census and drew away some people after him; he also perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, for if the source of this plan or ^[en]movement ^(JS)is men, it will be overthrown; ³⁹ but if the source is God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found ^(JT)fighting against God.”

⁴⁰ They followed his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they ^(JU)flogged them and ordered them not to ^[eo]speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. ⁴¹ So they went on their way from the presence of the ^[ep](JV)Council, ^(JW)rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame ^(JX)for His name. ^42 (JY)And every day, in the temple and ^[eq]from house to house, they did not stop teaching and ^(JZ)preaching the good news of Jesus as the ^[er]Christ.

Choosing of the Seven

6 Now ^[es]at this time, as the ^(KA)disciples were ^(KB)increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the ^[et](KC)Hellenistic Jews against the native ^(KD)Hebrews, because their ^(KE)widows were being overlooked in ^(KF)the daily serving of food. ² So the twelve summoned the ^[eu]congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ Instead, ^(KG)brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, ^(KH)full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. ⁴ But we will ^(KI)devote ourselves to prayer and to the ^[ev]ministry of the word.” ⁵ The ^[ew]announcement found approval with the whole ^[ex]congregation; and they chose ^(KJ)Stephen, a man ^(KK)full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and ^(KL)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and ^[ey]Nicolas, a ^[ez](KM)proselyte from ^(KN)Antioch. ⁶ And they brought these men before the apostles; and after ^(KO)praying, they ^(KP)laid their hands on them.

^7 (KQ)The word of God kept spreading; and ^(KR)the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to ^(KS)the faith.

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great ^(KT)wonders and ^[fa]signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both ^(KU)Cyrenians and ^(KV)Alexandrians, and some from ^(KW)Cilicia and ^[fb](KX)Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to ^[fc]cope with his 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 ^(KY)came up to him and dragged him away, and brought him ^[fd]before ^(KZ)the ^[fe]Council. ¹³ They put forward ^(LA)false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop ^[ff]speaking against this ^(LB)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(LC)this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and change ^(LD)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And all who were sitting in the ^[fg](LE)Council stared at him, and they saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Defense

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

² And ^[fh]Stephen said, “Listen to me, ^(LF)[fi]brothers and fathers! ^(LG)The God of glory ^(LH)appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in ^[fj]Haran, ³ and He said to him, ‘^(LI)Go from your country and your relatives, and come to the land which I will show you.’ ^4 (LJ)Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in ^[fk]Haran. And ^(LK)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 yet, ^(LL)He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. ⁶ But ^(LM)God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and ^[fl]they would enslave and mistreat them for four hundred years. ⁷ ‘And whatever nation to which they are enslaved I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and ^(LN)after that they will come out and ^[fm]serve Me in this place.’ ⁸ And He ^(LO)gave him ^[fn]the covenant of circumcision; and so ^(LP)Abraham fathered Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^(LQ)Isaac fathered Jacob, and ^(LR)Jacob, the twelve ^(LS)patriarchs.

⁹ “The patriarchs ^(LT)became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his afflictions, and ^(LU)granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and his entire household.

¹¹ “Now ^(LV)a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers ^[fo]could find no food. ¹² But ^(LW)when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. ¹³ And on the second visit, ^(LX)Joseph ^[fp]made himself known to his brothers, and ^(LY)Joseph’s family was revealed to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then ^(LZ)Joseph sent word and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, ^(MA)seventy-five ^[fq](MB)people in all. ¹⁵ And ^(MC)Jacob went down to Egypt, and he and our fathers died there. ¹⁶ And they were brought back from there to ^[fr](MD)Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of ^[fs]Hamor in ^[ft]Shechem.

¹⁷ “But as the ^(ME)time of the promise which God had assured to Abraham was approaching, ^(MF)the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, ¹⁸ until ^(MG)another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. ¹⁹ It was he who ^(MH)shrewdly took advantage of our nation and mistreated our fathers in order that they would ^(MI)abandon their infants in the Nile, so that they would not survive. ²⁰ At this time ^(MJ)Moses was born; and he was beautiful to God. He was nurtured for three months in his father’s home. ²¹ And after he had been put outside, ^(MK)Pharaoh’s daughter ^[fu]took him away and nurtured him as her own son. ²² Moses was educated in all ^(ML)the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in ^[fv]speaking and action. ²³ But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^(MM)it entered his ^[fw]mind to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel. ²⁴ And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended and took vengeance for the oppressed man by fatally striking the Egyptian. ²⁵ And he thought that his brothers understood that God was granting them ^[fx]deliverance ^[fy]through him; but they did not understand. ^26 (MN)And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting each other, and he tried to reconcile them to peace, by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you injuring each other?’ ²⁷ But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘^(MO)Who made you a ruler and judge over us? ^28 (MP)You do not intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ²⁹ At this remark, ^(MQ)Moses fled and became a stranger in the land of ^[fz]Midian, where he ^(MR)fathered two sons.

³⁰ “After forty years had passed, ^(MS)an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came: ³² ‘^(MT)I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and did not dare to look closely. ^33 (MU)But the Lord said to him, ‘^[ga](MV)Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ^34 (MW)I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them; and ^(MX)now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ “This Moses whom they ^(MY)disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God ^[gb]sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ^[gc]help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. ^36 (MZ)This man led them out, performing ^(NA)wonders and ^[gd]signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea, and in the ^(NB)wilderness for forty years. ³⁷ This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘^(NC)God will raise up for you a prophet ^[ge]like me from your countrymen.’ ³⁸ This is the one who was in ^(ND)the ^[gf]assembly in the wilderness together with ^(NE)the angel who spoke to him at length on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received ^(NF)living ^(NG)words to pass on to you. ³⁹ Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him; on the contrary they ^(NH)rejected him and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, ^40 (NI)saying to Aaron, ‘Make us ^[gg]a god who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ ^41 [gh]At that time ^(NJ)they made a ^[gi]calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^(NK)the works of their hands. ⁴² But God ^(NL)turned away and gave them over to ^[gj]serve the heavenly ^[gk]lights; as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘^(NM)You did not offer Me victims and sacrifices ^(NN)for forty years in the wilderness, did you, house of Israel? ^43 (NO)You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god ^[gl]Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will deport you beyond Babylon.’

⁴⁴ “Our fathers had ^(NP)the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it ^(NQ)according to the pattern which he had seen. ⁴⁵ Our fathers in turn received it, and they also ^(NR)brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the ^[gm]nations that God drove out from our fathers, until the time of David. ^46 [gn](NS)David found favor in God’s sight, and ^(NT)asked that he might ^[go]find a dwelling place for the ^[gp]house of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was ^(NU)Solomon who built a house for Him. ⁴⁸ However, ^(NV)the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

⁵¹ “You men who are ^(NY)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. ^52 (NZ)Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^(OA)the Righteous One, and ^(OB)you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; ⁵³ you who received the Law as ^(OC)ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Stephen Put to Death

⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they were ^(OD)infuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, being ^(OE)full of the Holy Spirit, ^(OF)looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(OG)at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the ^(OH)heavens opened and ^(OI)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one ^[gq]mind. ⁵⁸ When they had ^(OJ)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^(OK)the witnesses ^(OL)laid aside their cloaks at the feet of ^(OM)a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he ^(ON)called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then he ^(OO)fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^(OP)do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he ^[gr](OQ)fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 ^(OR)Now Saul approved of putting ^[gs]Stephen to death.

And on that day a great persecution ^[gt]began against ^(OS)the church in Jerusalem, and they were all ^(OT)scattered throughout the regions of Judea and ^(OU)Samaria, except for the apostles. ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. ³ But ^(OV)Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would ^(OW)drag away men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴ Therefore, those ^(OX)who had been scattered went through places ^[gu](OY)preaching the word. ^5 (OZ)Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the ^[gv]Christ to them. ⁶ The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the ^[gw]signs which he was performing. ⁷ For in the case of many who had ^(PA)unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been ^(PB)paralyzed or limped on crutches were healed. ⁸ So there was ^(PC)much rejoicing in that city.

⁹ Now a man named Simon had previously been practicing ^(PD)magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, ^(PE)claiming to be someone great; ¹⁰ and all the people, from small to great, were paying attention to him, saying, “^(PF)This man is the Power of God that is called Great.” ¹¹ And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his ^(PG)magic arts. ¹² But when they believed Philip ^(PH)as he was preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being ^(PI)baptized. ¹³ Now even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed ^(PJ)signs and ^(PK)great miracles taking place, he was repeatedly amazed.

¹⁴ Now when ^(PL)the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them ^(PM)Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them ^(PN)that they would receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ (For He had ^(PO)not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been ^(PP)baptized ^[gx]in the name of the Lord Jesus.) ¹⁷ Then they ^(PQ)began laying their hands on them, and they were ^(PR)receiving the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given 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 thought you could ^(PS)acquire the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have ^(PT)no part or share in this ^[gy]matter, for your heart is not ^(PU)right before God. ²² Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, ^(PV)if possible, the intention of your heart will be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are ^[gz]in the gall of bitterness and in ^(PW)the ^[ha]bondage of unrighteousness.” ²⁴ But Simon answered and said, “^(PX)Pray 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 ^(PY)testified and spoken ^(PZ)the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were ^(QA)preaching the gospel to many villages of the ^(QB)Samaritans.

²⁶ But ^(QC)an angel of the Lord spoke to ^(QD)Philip, saying, “Get ready and go ^[hb]south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to ^(QE)Gaza.” (^[hc]This is a desert road.) ²⁷ So he got ready and went; and ^[hd](QF)there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of ^[he]Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he ^(QG)had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his ^[hf]chariot, and was reading Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ Then ^(QH)the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this ^[hg]chariot.” ³⁰ 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 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip ^(QK)opened his mouth, and ^(QL)beginning from this Scripture he ^(QM)preached Jesus to him. ³⁶ As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! ^(QN)What prevents me from being baptized?”^{[hj] 38} And he ordered that the ^[hk]chariot 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, ^(QO)the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, ^[hl]but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip ^[hm]found himself at ^[hn](QP)Azotus, and as he passed through he ^(QQ)kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to ^(QR)Caesarea.

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(QS)Now ^[ho]Saul, still ^(QT)breathing ^[hp]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(QU)letters from him to ^(QV)the synagogues in ^(QW)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^[hq](QX)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 ^(QY)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(QZ)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 ^(RA)it will be told to you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(RB)stood speechless, ^(RC)hearing the ^[hr]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(RD)though his eyes were open, he ^[hs]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(RE)Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in ^(RF)Damascus named ^(RG)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(RH)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 ^(RI)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[ht]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(RJ)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, ^(RK)how much harm he did to ^(RL)Your ^[hu]saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(RM)has authority from the chief priests to ^[hv]arrest all who ^(RN)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(RO)he is a chosen ^[hw]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(RP)the Gentiles and ^(RQ)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(RR)I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(RS)laying his hands on him said, “^(RT)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 ^(RU)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 ^(RV)for several days he was with ^(RW)the disciples who were in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(RX)in the synagogues, ^[hx]saying, “He is ^(RY)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(RZ)destroyed those who ^(SA)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 ^[hy]Christ.

²³ When ^(SB)many days had elapsed, ^(SC)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(SD)their plot became known to Saul. ^(SE)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 (SF)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 ^(SG)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(SH)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(SI)he had ^(SJ)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[hz]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(SK)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[ia](SL)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ Now when ^(SM)the ^[ib]brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(SN)Caesarea and ^(SO)sent him away to ^(SP)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(SQ)the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ^[ic]enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ^[id]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 ^(SR)the ^[ie]saints who lived at ^[if](SS)Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, ^[ig]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 ^[ih](ST)Lydda and ^(SU)Sharon saw him, and they ^(SV)turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now in ^(SW)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means ^[ii]Dorcas); this woman was ^[ij]excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually. ³⁷ But it happened ^[ik]at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(SX)upstairs room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near ^(SY)Joppa, ^(SZ)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 ^(TA)room upstairs; and all the ^(TB)widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ^[il]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(TC)sent them all out and ^(TD)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(TE)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 ^(TF)the ^[im]saints and ^(TG)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² It became known all over ^(TH)Joppa, and ^(TI)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed in ^(TJ)Joppa many days with ^(TK)a tanner named Simon.

Cornelius’ Vision

10 Now there was a man in ^(TL)Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was ^(TM)called the Italian ^[in]cohort, ² a devout man and ^(TN)one who feared God with all his household, and ^(TO)made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About ^(TP)the ^[io]ninth hour of the day he clearly saw ^(TQ)in a vision ^(TR)an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And he ^(TS)looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts ^(TT)have ascended ^(TU)as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now dispatch some men to ^(TV)Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; ⁶ he is staying with a tanner named ^(TW)Simon, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who *spoke to him left, he summoned two of his ^[ip]servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants, ⁸ and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to ^(TX)Joppa.

⁹ On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, ^(TY)Peter went up on ^(TZ)the ^[iq]housetop about ^[ir](UA)the sixth hour to pray. ¹⁰ But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he ^(UB)fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he *saw ^(UC)the sky opened up, and an ^[is]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 ^[it]crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky. ¹³ A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, ^[iu]kill and eat!” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, ^(UD)Lord, for ^(UE)I have never eaten anything ^[iv]unholy and unclean.” ¹⁵ Again a voice came to him a second time, “^(UF)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[iw]consider unholy.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the ^[ix]object was taken up into the sky.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in ^[iy]mind as to what ^(UG)the vision which he had seen might ^[iz]mean, behold, ^(UH)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 ^(UI)the vision, ^(UJ)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, ^[ja]three men are looking for you. ²⁰ But get up, go downstairs and ^(UK)accompany them ^[jb]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 ^(UL)God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, ^(UM)was divinely directed by a ^(UN)holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear ^[jc](UO)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 ^(UP)some of ^(UQ)the brothers from ^(UR)Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ On the following day he entered ^(US)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 ^[jd](UT)worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter helped him up, saying, “^(UU)Stand up; I, too, am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he entered and *found ^(UV)many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is ^(UW)forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a ^[je]foreigner; and yet ^(UX)God has shown me that I am not to call any person ^[jf]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, “^(UY)Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during ^(UZ)the ^[jg]ninth hour; and behold, ^(VA)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 ^(VB)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 ^[jh]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 (VC)Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that ^(VD)God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but ^(VE)in every nation the one who ^[ji](VF)fears Him and ^[jj]does what is right is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(VG)preaching ^[jk](VH)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(VI)Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ^38 [jl]You know of ^(VJ)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(VK)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^[jm](VL)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(VM)God was with Him. ³⁹ We are ^(VN)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ^[jn]country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ^[jo](VO)a cross. ^40 (VP)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ^[jp]be revealed, ^41 (VQ)not to all the people, but to ^(VR)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(VS)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ^(VT)ordered us to ^[jq]preach to the people, and to ^(VU)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been ^(VV)appointed by God as ^(VW)Judge of the living and the dead. ^43 (VX)All the prophets testify of Him, that through ^(VY)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(VZ)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ^[jr]message. ^45 (WA)All the ^[js]Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been ^(WB)poured out on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them ^(WC)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “^(WD)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who ^(WE)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ^(WF)ordered them to be baptized ^(WG)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 ^(WH)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, ^[jt](WI)the Jewish believers took issue with him, ³ saying, “^(WJ)You ^[ju]went to ^[jv]uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began and explained at length to them ^(WK)in an orderly sequence, saying, ⁵ “^(WL)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ^(WM)a vision, an ^[jw]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 ^[jx]crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; ^[jy]kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing ^[jz]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘^(WN)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[ka]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 ^(WO)Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying. ^12 (WP)And the Spirit told me to go with them ^(WQ)without ^[kb]misgivings. ^(WR)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 ^[kc]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 ^(WS)words to you by which you will be saved, you and ^(WT)all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, ^(WU)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just ^(WV)as He did upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘^(WW)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^[kd]with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ Therefore, if ^(WX)God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(WY)who was I that I could ^[ke]stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they ^[kf]quieted down and ^(WZ)glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the ^(XA)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

^19 (XB)So then those who were scattered because of the ^[kg]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^[kh]to ^(XC)Phoenicia, ^(XD)Cyprus, and ^(XE)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of ^(XF)Cyprus and ^(XG)Cyrene, who came to ^(XH)Antioch and began speaking to the ^[ki](XI)Greeks as well, ^(XJ)preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(XK)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(XL)a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[kj]news about them ^[kk]reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent ^(XM)Barnabas off ^[kl]to ^(XN)Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and ^[km]witnessed ^(XO)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^[kn]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and ^(XP)full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And ^[ko](XQ)considerable numbers were added to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for ^(XR)Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to ^(XS)Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[kp]met with the church and taught ^[kq]considerable numbers of people; and ^(XT)the disciples were first called ^(XU)Christians in ^(XV)Antioch.

²⁷ Now ^[kr]at this time some ^(XW)prophets came down from Jerusalem to ^(XX)Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named ^(XY)Agabus, stood up and ^[ks]indicated ^[kt]by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine ^(XZ)all over the ^[ku]world. ^[kv]And this took place in the reign of ^(YA)Claudius. ²⁹ And to the extent that any of ^(YB)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^[kw]relief of ^(YC)the brothers and sisters living in Judea. ^30 (YD)And they did this, sending it ^[kx]with ^(YE)Barnabas and Saul to the ^(YF)elders.

Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance

12 Now about that time ^[ky]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm. ² And he ^(YG)had James the brother of John ^(YH)executed with a sword. ³ When he saw that it ^(YI)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were ^[kz](YJ)the days of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴ When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four ^[la](YK)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after ^(YL)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 ^[lb]intensely by the church.

⁶ On ^[lc]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(YM)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(YN)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(YO)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(YP)his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and ^[ld]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 ^(YQ)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 ^(YR)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(YS)came ^[le]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that ^(YT)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all ^[lf]that the Jewish people were expecting.” ¹² And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(YU)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(YV)were praying. ¹³ When he knocked at the door of the gate, ^(YW)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, ^(YX)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 ^(YY)his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(YZ)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 ^[lg](ZA)James and ^(ZB)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 ^[lh]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 ^(ZC)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to ^(ZD)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Death of Herod

²⁰ Now he was very angry with the people of ^(ZE)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 ^(ZF)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 ^[li]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 ^(ZG)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^[lj]died.

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

²⁵ And ^(ZI)Barnabas and ^(ZJ)Saul returned ^(ZK)when they had fulfilled their ^[lk]mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them ^(ZL)John, who was also called Mark.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were ^(ZM)prophets and ^(ZN)teachers at ^(ZO)Antioch, in the ^(ZP)church that was there: ^(ZQ)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of ^(ZR)Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with ^(ZS)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were ^[ll]serving the Lord and fasting, ^(ZT)the Holy Spirit said, “Set ^(ZU)Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for ^(ZV)the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted, ^(ZW)prayed, and ^(ZX)laid their hands on them, ^(ZY)they sent them away.

⁴ So, being ^(ZZ)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to ^(AAA)Cyprus. ⁵ When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in ^(AAB)the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had ^(AAC)John as their helper. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a ^(AAD)magician, a Jewish ^(AAE)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the ^(AAF)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 ^(AAG)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the ^(AAH)proconsul away from ^(AAI)the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also known as Paul, ^[lm](AAJ)filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, ¹⁰ and said, “^[ln]You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you ^(AAK)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked ^(AAL)the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, behold, ^(AAM)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 ^(AAN)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at ^(AAO)the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from ^(AAP)Paphos and came to ^(AAQ)Perga in ^(AAR)Pamphylia; but ^(AAS)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But going on from Perga, they arrived at ^(AAT)Pisidian ^(AAU)Antioch, and on ^(AAV)the Sabbath day they went into ^(AAW)the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(AAX)the reading of the Law and ^(AAY)the Prophets, ^(AAZ)the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “^[lo]Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ Paul stood up, and ^(ABA)motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and ^(ABB)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel ^(ABC)chose our fathers and ^[lp](ABD)made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm ^(ABE)He led them out from it. ¹⁸ For ^(ABF)a period of about forty years ^(ABG)He put up with them in the wilderness. ^19 (ABH)When He had destroyed ^(ABI)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He ^(ABJ)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took ^(ABK)about 450 years. ²⁰ After these things He ^(ABL)gave them judges until ^(ABM)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they ^(ABN)asked for a king, and God gave them ^(ABO)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² After He had ^(ABP)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘^(ABQ)I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My ^[lq]will.’ ^23 (ABR)From the descendants of this man, ^(ABS)according to promise, God has brought to Israel ^(ABT)a Savior, Jesus, ²⁴ after ^(ABU)John had proclaimed, before ^[lr]His coming, a ^(ABV)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And while John ^(ABW)was completing his course, ^(ABX)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 “^[ls]Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of ^(ABY)this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem, and their ^(ABZ)rulers, ^(ACA)recognizing neither Him nor the ^[lt]declarations of ^(ACB)the prophets which are ^(ACC)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they ^(ACD)asked Pilate that He be executed. ²⁹ When they had ^(ACE)carried out everything that was written concerning Him, ^(ACF)they took Him down from the ^[lu](ACG)cross and ^(ACH)laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God ^(ACI)raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days ^(ACJ)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now ^(ACK)His witnesses to the people. ³² And we ^(ACL)preach to you the good news of ^(ACM)the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by ^(ACN)raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘^(ACO)You are My Son; today I have fathered You.’ ³⁴ As for the fact that He ^(ACP)raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘^(ACQ)I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David.’ ³⁵ Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘^(ACR)You will not ^[lv]allow Your ^[lw]Holy One to ^[lx]undergo decay.’ ³⁶ For ^(ACS)David, after he had ^[ly]served God’s ^(ACT)purpose in his own generation, ^(ACU)fell asleep, and was ^[lz]buried among his fathers and ^[ma]underwent decay; ³⁷ but He whom God ^(ACV)raised did not ^[mb]undergo decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, ^[mc]brothers, that ^(ACW)through ^[md]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and ^[me]through Him ^(ACX)everyone who believes is ^[mf]freed ^[mg]from all things, from which you could not be ^[mh]freed ^[mi]through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore, see that the thing spoken of ^(ACY)in the Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴² As ^[mk]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these ^[ml]things spoken to them the next ^(ADA)Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the ^(ADB)God-fearing ^[mm](ADC)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in ^(ADD)the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ The next ^(ADE)Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of ^[mn]the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when ^(ADF)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were ^[mo]blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you ^(ADG)first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, ^(ADH)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 ^(ADK)the word of ^[mr]the Lord; and all who ^(ADL)had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And ^(ADM)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But ^(ADN)the Jews incited the ^[ms](ADO)devout women ^(ADP)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their ^[mt]region. ⁵¹ But ^(ADQ)they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to ^(ADR)Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were continually ^(ADS)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 In ^(ADT)Iconium ^(ADU)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way ^(ADV)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of ^(ADW)Greeks. ² But ^(ADX)the ^[mu](ADY)unbelieving Jews stirred up the ^[mv]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against ^(ADZ)the brothers. ³ Therefore they spent a long time there ^(AEA)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that ^[mw](AEB)signs and wonders be performed by their hands. ^4 (AEC)But the ^[mx]people of the city were divided; and some ^[my]sided with ^(AED)the Jews, while others, with ^(AEE)the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and ^(AEF)the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to ^(AEG)stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of ^(AEH)Lycaonia, ^(AEI)Lystra and ^(AEJ)Derbe, and the surrounding region; ⁷ and there they continued to ^(AEK)preach the gospel.

⁸ In ^(AEL)Lystra ^(AEM)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 ^(AEN)looked at him intently and saw that he had ^(AEO)faith to be ^[mz]made well, ¹⁰ and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” ^(AEP)And the man leaped up and began to walk.