¹⁴ Now when ^(A)the apostles at Jerusalem heard that ^(B)Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,

² and we ^(A)sent Timothy, ^(B)our brother and God's coworker^[a] in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,

¹³ And ^(A)we also thank God constantly^[a] for this, that when you received ^(B)the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(C)not as the word of men^[b] but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(D)which is at work in you believers.

⁹ and when James and Cephas and John, ^(A)who seemed to be ^(B)pillars, perceived the ^(C)grace that was given to me, they ^(D)gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Saul Ravages the Church

8 And ^(A)Saul ^(B)approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and ^(C)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for ^(A)those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, ^(A)examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

^4 (A)When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and ^(B)the apostles and the elders, and ^(C)they declared all that God had done with them.

The Church in Antioch

^19 (A)Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists^[a] also, ^(B)preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(C)the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed ^(D)turned to the Lord. ²² The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.