28 After Shabbat, as the next day was dawning, Miryam of Magdala and the other Miryam went to see the grave. ² Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of Adonai came down from heaven, rolled away the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so terrified at him that they trembled and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Yeshua, who was executed on the stake. ⁶ He is not here, because he has been raised — just as he said! Come and look at the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell the talmidim, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and now he is going to the Galil ahead of you. You will see him there.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So they left the tomb quickly, frightened yet filled with joy; and they ran to give the news to his talmidim. ⁹ Suddenly Yeshua met them and said, “Shalom!” They came up and took hold of his feet as they fell down in front of him. ¹⁰ Then Yeshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go and tell my brothers to go to the Galil, and they will see me there.”

¹¹ As they were going, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the head cohanim everything that had happened. ¹² Then they met with the elders; and after discussing the matter, they gave the soldiers a sizeable sum of money ¹³ and said to them, “Tell people, ‘His talmidim came during the night and stole his body while we were sleeping.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears of it, we will put things right with him and keep you from getting in trouble.” ¹⁵ The soldiers took the money and did as they were told, and this story has been spread about by Judeans till this very day.

¹⁶ So the eleven talmidim went to the hill in the Galil where Yeshua had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him; but some hesitated. ¹⁸ Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.”

16 When Shabbat was over, Miryam of Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov, and Shlomit bought spices in order to go and anoint Yeshua. ² Very early the next day, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. ³ They were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” ⁴ Then they looked up and saw that the stone, even though it was huge, had been rolled back already. ⁵ On entering the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right; and they were dumbfounded. ⁶ But he said, “Don’t be so surprised! You’re looking for Yeshua from Natzeret, who was executed on the stake. He has risen, he’s not here! Look at the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go and tell his talmidim, especially Kefa, that he is going to the Galil ahead of you. You will see him there, just as he told you.” ⁸ Trembling but ecstatic they went out and fled from the tomb, and they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

^[a]9 When Yeshua rose early Sunday, he appeared first to Miryam of Magdala, from whom he had expelled seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him, as they were crying and mourning. ¹¹ But when they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him, they wouldn’t believe it.

¹² After that, Yeshua appeared in another form to two of them as they were walking into the country. ¹³ They went and told the others, but they didn’t believe them either.

¹⁴ Later, Yeshua appeared to the Eleven as they were eating, and he reproached them for their lack of trust and their spiritual insensitivity in not having believed those who had seen him after he had risen. ¹⁵ Then he said to them, “As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved; whoever does not trust will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who do trust: in my name they will drive out demons, speak with new tongues, ¹⁸ not be injured if they handle snakes or drink poison, and heal the sick by laying hands on them.”

¹⁹ So then, after he had spoken to them, the Lord Yeshua was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God.^{[b] 20} And they went out and proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the message by the accompanying signs.

24 but the next day, while it was still very early, they took the spices they had prepared, went to the tomb, ² and found the stone rolled away from the tomb! ³ On entering, they discovered that the body of the Lord Yeshua was gone! ⁴ They were standing there, not knowing what to think about it, when suddenly two men in dazzlingly bright clothing stood next to them. ⁵ Terror-stricken, they bowed down with their faces to the ground. The two men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has been raised. Remember how he told you while he was still in the Galil, ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be executed on a stake as a criminal, but on the third day be raised again’?” ⁸ Then they remembered his words; ⁹ and, returning from the tomb, they told everything to the Eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ The women who told the emissaries these things were Miryam of Magdala, Yochanah, Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov, and the others in their circle.

¹¹ But the emissaries didn’t believe them; in fact, they thought that what they said was utter nonsense! ¹² However, Kefa got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping down, he saw only the burial cloths and went home wondering what had happened.

¹³ That same day, two of them were going toward a village about seven miles from Yerushalayim called Amma’us, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all the things that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed, Yeshua himself came up and walked along with them, ¹⁶ but something kept them from recognizing him. ¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you talking about with each other as you walk along?” They stopped short, their faces downcast; ¹⁸ and one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only person staying in Yerushalayim that doesn’t know the things that have been going on there the last few days?” ¹⁹ “What things?” he asked them. They said to him, “The things about Yeshua from Natzeret. He was a prophet and proved it by the things he did and said before God and all the people. ²⁰ Our head cohanim and our leaders handed him over, so that he could be sentenced to death and executed on a stake as a criminal. ²¹ And we had hoped that he would be the one to liberate Isra’el! Besides all that, today is the third day since these things happened; ²² and this morning, some of the women astounded us. They were at the tomb early ²³ and couldn’t find his body, so they came back; but they also reported that they had seen a vision of angels who say he’s alive! ²⁴ Some of our friends went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

²⁵ He said to them, “Foolish people! So unwilling to put your trust in everything the prophets spoke! ²⁶ Didn’t the Messiah have to die like this before entering his glory?” ²⁷ Then, starting with Moshe and all the prophets, he explained to them the things that can be found throughout the Tanakh concerning himself.

²⁸ They approached the village where they were going. He made as if he were going on farther; ²⁹ but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us, for it’s almost evening, and it’s getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ As he was reclining with them at the table, he took the matzah, made the b’rakhah, broke it and handed it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. But he became invisible to them. ³² They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn inside us as he spoke to us on the road, opening up the Tanakh to us?”

³³ They got up at once, returned to Yerushalayim and found the Eleven gathered together with their friends, ³⁴ saying, “It’s true! The Lord has risen! Shim‘on saw him!” ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the road and how he had become known to them in the breaking of the matzah.

³⁶ They were still talking about it when — there he was, standing among them! ³⁷ Startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸ But he said to them, “Why are you so upset? Why are these doubts welling up inside you? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet — it is I, myself! Touch me and see — a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I do.” ⁴⁰ As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹ While they were still unable to believe it for joy and stood there dumbfounded, he said to them, “Have you something here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ which he took and ate in their presence.

⁴⁴ Yeshua said to them, “This is what I meant when I was still with you and told you that everything written about me in the Torah of Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds, so that they could understand the Tanakh, ⁴⁶ telling them, “Here is what it says: the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day; ⁴⁷ and in his name repentance leading to forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to people from all nations, starting with Yerushalayim. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ Now I am sending forth upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been equipped with power from above.”

⁵⁰ He led them out toward Beit-Anyah; then, raising his hands, he said a b’rakhah over them; ⁵¹ and as he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² They bowed in worship to him, then returned to Yerushalayim, overflowing with joy. ⁵³ And they spent all their time in the Temple courts, praising God.

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Miryam from Magdala went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ² So she came running to Shim‘on Kefa and the other talmid, the one Yeshua loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”

³ Then Kefa and the other talmid started for the tomb. ⁴ They both ran, but the other talmid outran Kefa and reached the tomb first. ⁵ Stooping down, he saw the linen burial-sheets lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then, following him, Shim‘on Kefa arrived, entered the tomb and saw the burial-sheets lying there, ⁷ also the cloth that had been around his head, lying not with the sheets but in a separate place and still folded up. ⁸ Then the other talmid, who had arrived at the tomb first, also went in; he saw, and he trusted. ⁹ (They had not yet come to understand that the Tanakh teaches that the Messiah has to rise from the dead.)

¹⁰ So the talmidim returned home, ¹¹ but Miryam stood outside crying. As she cried, she bent down, peered into the tomb, ¹² and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Yeshua had been, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ “Why are you crying?” they asked her. “They took my Lord,” she said to them, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

¹⁴ As she said this, she turned around and saw Yeshua standing there, but she didn’t know it was he. ¹⁵ Yeshua said to her, “Lady, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you’re the one who carried him away, just tell me where you put him; and I’ll go and get him myself.” ¹⁶ Yeshua said to her, “Miryam!” Turning, she cried out to him in Hebrew, “Rabbani!” (that is, “Teacher!”) ¹⁷ “Stop holding onto me,” Yeshua said to her, “because I haven’t yet gone back to the Father. But go to my brothers, and tell them that I am going back to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ¹⁸ Miryam of Magdala went to the talmidim with the news that she had seen the Lord and that he had told her this.

¹⁹ In the evening that same day, the first day of the week, when the talmidim were gathered together behind locked doors out of fear of the Judeans, Yeshua came, stood in the middle and said, “Shalom aleikhem!” ²⁰ Having greeted them, he showed them his hands and his side. The talmidim were overjoyed to see the Lord. ²¹ “Shalom aleikhem!” Yeshua repeated. “Just as the Father sent me, I myself am also sending you.” ²² Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Ruach HaKodesh! ²³ If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you hold them, they are held.”

²⁴ Now T’oma (the name means “twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Yeshua came. ²⁵ When the other talmidim told him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into the place where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe it.”

²⁶ A week later his talmidim were once more in the room, and this time T’oma was with them. Although the doors were locked, Yeshua came, stood among them and said, “Shalom aleikhem!” ²⁷ Then he said to T’oma, “Put your finger here, look at my hands, take your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be lacking in trust, but have trust!” ²⁸ T’oma answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Yeshua said to him, “Have you trusted because you have seen me? How blessed are those who do not see, but trust anyway!”

³⁰ In the presence of the talmidim Yeshua performed many other miracles which have not been recorded in this book. ³¹ But these which have been recorded are here so that you may trust that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by this trust you may have life because of who he is.

21 After this, Yeshua appeared again to the talmidim at Lake Tiberias. Here is how it happened: ² Shim‘on Kefa and T’oma (his name means “twin”) were together with Natan’el from Kanah in the Galil, the sons of Zavdai, and two other talmidim. ³ Shim‘on Kefa said, “I’m going fishing.” They said to him, “We’re coming with you.” They went and got into the boat, but that night they didn’t catch anything. ⁴ However, just as day was breaking, Yeshua stood on shore, but the talmidim didn’t know it was he. ⁵ He said to them, “You don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered him. ⁶ He said to them, “Throw in your net to starboard and you will catch some.” So they threw in their net, and there were so many fish in it that they couldn’t haul it aboard. ⁷ The talmid Yeshua loved said to Kefa, “It’s the Lord!” On hearing it was the Lord, Shim‘on Kefa threw on his coat, because he was stripped for work, and plunged into the lake; ⁸ but the other talmidim followed in the boat, dragging the net full of fish; for they weren’t far from shore, only about a hundred yards. ⁹ When they stepped ashore, they saw a fire of burning coals with a fish on it, and some bread. ¹⁰ Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” ¹¹ Shim‘on Kefa went up and dragged the net ashore. It was full of fish, 153 of them; but even with so many, the net wasn’t torn. ¹² Yeshua said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the talmidim dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Yeshua came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Yeshua had appeared to the talmidim after being raised from the dead.

¹⁵ After breakfast, Yeshua said to Shim‘on Kefa, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me more than these?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ A second time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, are you my friend?” Shim‘on was hurt that he questioned him a third time: “Are you my friend?” So he replied, “Lord, you know everything! You know I’m your friend!” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep! ¹⁸ Yes, indeed! I tell you, when you were younger, you put on your clothes and went where you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ He said this to indicate the kind of death by which Kefa would bring glory to God. Then Yeshua said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁰ Kefa turned and saw the talmid Yeshua especially loved following behind, the one who had leaned against him at the supper and had asked, “Who is the one who is betraying you?” ²¹ On seeing him, Kefa said to Yeshua, “Lord, what about him?” ²² Yeshua said to him, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you? You, follow me!” ²³ Therefore the word spread among the brothers that that talmid would not die. However, Yeshua didn’t say he wouldn’t die, but simply, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you?”

²⁴ This one is the talmid who is testifying about these things and who has recorded them.

And we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ But there are also many other things Yeshua did; and if they were all to be recorded, I don’t think the whole world could contain the books that would have to be written!

9 Meanwhile, Sha’ul, still breathing murderous threats against the Lord’s talmidim, went to the cohen hagadol ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Dammesek, authorizing him to arrest any people he might find, whether men or women, who belonged to “the Way,” and bring them back to Yerushalayim.

³ He was on the road and nearing Dammesek, when suddenly a light from heaven flashed all around him. ⁴ Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?” ⁵ “Sir, who are you?” he asked. “I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting me. ⁶ But get up, and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.”

⁷ The men traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸ They helped Sha’ul get up off the ground; but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So, leading him by the hand, they brought him into Dammesek. ⁹ For three days he remained unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ There was a talmid in Dammesek, Hananyah by name; and in a vision the Lord said to him, “Hananyah!” He said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to Straight Street, to Y’hudah’s house; and ask for a man from Tarsus named Sha’ul; for he is praying, ¹² and in a vision he has seen a man named Hananyah coming in and placing his hands on him to restore his sight.” ¹³ But Hananyah answered, “Lord, many have told me about this man, how much harm he has done to your people in Yerushalayim; ¹⁴ and here he has a warrant from the head cohanim to arrest everyone who calls on your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name to the Goyim, even to their kings, and to the sons of Isra’el as well. ¹⁶ For I myself will show him how much he will have to suffer on account of my name.”

¹⁷ So Hananyah left and went into the house. Placing his hands on him, he said, “Brother Sha’ul, the Lord — Yeshua, the one who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Ruach HaKodesh.” ¹⁸ In that moment, something like scales fell away from Sha’ul’s eyes; and he could see again. He got up and was immersed; ¹⁹ then he ate some food and regained his strength.

Sha’ul spent some days with the talmidim in Dammesek, ²⁰ and immediately he began proclaiming in the synagogues that Yeshua is the Son of God. ²¹ All who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Isn’t he the man who in Yerushalayim was trying to destroy the people who call on this name? In fact, isn’t that why he came here, to arrest them and bring them back to the head cohanim?” ²² But Sha’ul was being filled with more and more power and was creating an uproar among the Jews living in Dammesek with his proofs that Yeshua is the Messiah.

⁴⁰ Having received permission, Sha’ul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When they finally became still, he addressed them in Hebrew:

22 “Brothers and fathers! Listen to me as I make my defense before you now!” ² When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they settled down more; so he continued: ³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamli’el in every detail of the Torah of our forefathers. I was a zealot for God, as all of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted to death the followers of this Way, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. ⁵ The cohen hagadol and the whole Sanhedrin can also testify to this. Indeed, after receiving letters from them to their colleagues in Dammesek, I was on my way there in order to arrest the ones in that city too and bring them back to Yerushalayim for punishment.

⁶ “As I was traveling and approaching Dammesek, around noon, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven flashed all around me! ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?’ ⁸ I answered, ‘Sir, who are you?’ ‘I am Yeshua from Natzeret,’ he said to me, ‘and you are persecuting me!’ ⁹ Those who were with me did see the light, but they didn’t hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ I said ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up, and go into Dammesek, and there you will be told about everything that has been laid out for you to do.’ ¹¹ I had been blinded by the brightness of the light, so my companions led me by the hand into Dammesek.

¹² “A man named Hananyah, an observant follower of the Torah who was highly regarded by the entire Jewish community there, ¹³ came to me, stood by me and said, ‘Brother Sha’ul, see again!’ And at that very moment, I recovered my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ He said, ‘The God of our fathers^[a] determined in advance that you should know his will, see the Tzaddik and hear his voice; ¹⁵ because you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, immerse yourself and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.’

¹⁷ “After I had returned to Yerushalayim, it happened that as I was praying in the Temple, I went into a trance, ¹⁸ and I saw Yeshua. ‘Hurry!’ he said to me, ‘Get out of Yerushalayim immediately, because they will not accept what you have to say about me.’ ¹⁹ I said, ‘Lord, they know themselves that in every synagogue I used to imprison and flog those who trusted in you; ²⁰ also that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there too, in full agreement; I was even looking after the clothes of the ones who were killing him!’ ²¹ But he said, ‘Get going! For I am going to send you far away — to the Goyim!’”

26 Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “You have permission to speak on your own behalf.” Then Sha’ul motioned with his hand and began his defense:

² “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that it is before you today that I am defending myself against all the charges made against me by Jews, ³ because you are so well informed about all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “So then! All Jews know how I lived my life from my youth on, both in my own country and in Yerushalayim. ⁵ They have known me for a long time; and if they are willing, they can testify that I have followed the strictest party in our religion — that is, I have lived as a Parush. ⁶ How ironic it is that I stand on trial here because of my hope in the promise made to our fathers! ⁷ It is the fulfillment of this very promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they resolutely carry on their acts of worship night and day; yet it is in connection with this hope, your Majesty, that I am being accused by Jews! ⁸ Why do you people consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

⁹ “I used to think it was my duty to do all I could to combat the name of Yeshua from Natzeret; ¹⁰ and in Yerushalayim I did so. After receiving authority from the head cohanim, I myself threw many of God’s people in prison; when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ Often I went from one synagogue to another, punishing them and trying to make them blaspheme; and in my wild fury against them, I even went so far as to persecute them in cities outside the country.

¹² “On one such occasion, I was traveling to Dammesek with the full authority and power of the head cohanim. ¹³ I was on the road, and it was noon, your Majesty, when I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my traveling companions. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground; and then I heard a voice saying to me, in Hebrew, ‘Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me? It’s hard on you to be kicking against the ox-goads!’ ¹⁵ I said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ and the Lord answered, ‘I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting me! ¹⁶ But get up, and stand on your feet! I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve and bear witness to what you have already seen of me, and to what you will see when I appear to you in the future. ¹⁷ I will deliver you from the People and from the Goyim. I am sending you ¹⁸ to open their eyes; so that they will turn from darkness to light, from the power of the Adversary to God, and thus receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who have been separated for holiness by putting their trust in me.’

¹⁹ “So, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision from heaven! ²⁰ On the contrary, I announced first in Dammesek, then in Yerushalayim and throughout Y’hudah, and also to the Goyim, that they should turn from their sins to God and then do deeds consistent with that repentance. ²¹ It was because of these things that Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me. ²² However, I have had God’s help; so to this day, I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what both the prophets and Moshe said would happen — ²³ that the Messiah would die, and that he, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to both the People and the Goyim.”