These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that.

You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’

Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men!

“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!

for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’

The Council at Jerusalem

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.”

So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,

But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”

But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs.

“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’

“I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’

For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.

“I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders,

for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently!

“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.

Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”