The Healing of Aeneas

³² As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints^(A) who lived in Lydda.^{(B) 33} There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,”^[a] and immediately he got up.^{(C) 35} So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon^(D) saw him and turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

³⁶ In Joppa^(E) there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated Dorcas). She was always doing good works^(F) and acts of charity. ³⁷ About that time she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” ³⁹ Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.^{(G) 41} He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. He called the saints and widows and presented her alive. ⁴² This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Gentile Conversion and Baptism

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down^(A) on all those who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.^{(B) 46} For they heard them speaking in tongues^[a] and declaring the greatness of God.

Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ^{(C) 48} He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.^(D) Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.^{(A) 16} I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’^{(B) 17} If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” ^(C)

¹⁸ When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”^(D)

⁶ When they had traveled the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.^{(A) 7} He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.^{(B) 8} But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed^(C) them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.^(D)

⁹ But Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas ¹⁰ and said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil^(E) and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths^(F) of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you.^(G) You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

¹² Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.^(H)

Growth and Persecution in Iconium

14 In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.^{(A) 2} But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.^{(B) 3} So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders.^(C)

Mistaken for Gods in Lystra

⁸ In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. ⁹ He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.^(A)

Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples^{(A) 2} and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ^(B)

“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”^(C)

³ “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them.

“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.^(D)

⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,^(E) telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(F)

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on^(G) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues^[a] and to prophesy.^{(H) 7} Now there were about twelve men in all.

Demonism Defeated at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, ¹² so that even facecloths or aprons^[a] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.^(A)

¹³ Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” ^{(B) 14} Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus^(C) was held in high esteem.^(D)

¹⁸ And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, ¹⁹ while many of those who had practiced magic^(E) collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.^(F)