And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;

And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen

And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?

both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

They Had Everything in Common

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.

When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”

And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit.

“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt,

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

The Stoning of Stephen

Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.

And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,

You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.

And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”

Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.”

And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”

and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.

So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear the Good News

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,

Peter Reports to the Church

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,

Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens.

And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.

Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.

When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law,

What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:

And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;

for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”

Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.

But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.

After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”

“‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’