Beginning
Peter Defends His Actions
11 The apostles and brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who insisted on circumcision criticized him, 3 saying, “You went to visit men who were uncircumcised and ate with them!”
4 So Peter began to explain everything to them, point by point. He said, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision in which an object like a large sheet was let down from heaven by its four corners. It came right to me. 6 When I inspected it very carefully, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!’
8 “But I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 “A voice spoke from heaven a second time: ‘What God has made clean, you must not continue to call unclean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up into heaven again.
11 “At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without any hesitation. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he saw an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and call for Simon, the one called Peter. 14 He will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as he came down on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered how the Lord had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’[a] 17 So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to try to stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard these things, they had no further objections, and they praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted repentance that results in life also to the Gentiles!”
The Church in Antioch
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that took place at the time of Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Antioch and also began to speak to the Greeks, preaching the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 A report about this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go on to[b] Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw God’s grace, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts. 24 He was a good man who was full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a large number of people were added to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
The Church in Antioch Sends Relief to Jerusalem
27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there was going to be a severe famine all over the known world. This took place during the time of Claudius. 29 Each of the disciples, according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers[c] who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.
An Angel Frees Peter
12 At about that time, King Herod[d] laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter during the days of Unleavened Bread.
4 After arresting Peter, Herod put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. Herod intended to bring him before the people for trial after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church earnestly offered up prayer to God for him.
6 The very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was bound with two chains, while sentries were in front of the door, guarding the prison.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood near him, and a light shone in the cell. The angel woke Peter up by striking him on the side, saying, “Quick, get up!” The chains fell from his wrists.
8 Then the angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” So he did so. Then the angel told him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” 9 Peter went out, following the angel, but he did not realize that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed through the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. It opened all by itself for them. They went outside, walked down one street, and immediately the angel left him.
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who is also called Mark. Many had gathered there and were praying. 13 When Peter knocked at the entrance gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 She recognized Peter’s voice and was so overjoyed, she did not open the gate. Instead she ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.
15 They told her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept on insisting it was so, and they started saying, “It’s his angel.”
16 Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned to them with his hand to be silent and described to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he left and went on to another place.
18 At daybreak, there was no small commotion among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Herod’s Death
Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They joined together and approached him after they had won over Blastus, the king’s personal assistant. They asked for peace because their country depended on the king’s country for food.
21 On the appointed day Herod, dressed in his royal robes and seated on his throne, delivered a public address to them. 22 The crowd shouted, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give the glory to God. He was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God continued to grow and increase.
25 After Barnabas and Saul had completed their relief mission in Jerusalem, they returned[e] and brought along John, who is called Mark.
The Holy Spirit Calls Paul and Barnabas
13 Now in the church at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas; Simeon, who was called Niger; Lucius of Cyrene; Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch; and Saul. 2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them off.
4 So they were sent out by the Holy Spirit and went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.
6 When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The proconsul summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.
8 Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and looking straight at him, 10 said, “You are full of every kind of deceit and fraud, you son of the Devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now look! The hand of the Lord is against you. You will be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what happened, he believed. He was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
At Pisidian Antioch
13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. 15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Gentlemen,[f] brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, say it.”
16 Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers and made them a great people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with his uplifted arm, he led them out of it. 18 He put up with them[g] for about forty years in the wilderness. 19 Then he destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, and he gave their land to his people as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. After that, he gave them judges[h] until the time of Samuel the prophet.
21 “Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 After removing him, he raised up David as their king. God testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart. He will do all that I want him to do.’[i]
23 “From this man’s descendants[j] God brought the Savior Jesus to Israel, in keeping with his promise. 24 Before he appeared publicly, John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But look! That One is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.’[k]
26 “Gentlemen, brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, this message of salvation has been sent to you.[l] 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the statements of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the cross[m] and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These same individuals are now his witnesses to the people.
32 “We are preaching to you the good news about the promise that was made to our fathers. 33 God has fulfilled this promise for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:
You are my Son.
Today I have begotten you.[n]
34 “That God would raise him from the dead never again to be subject to decay, God said in this way:
I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.[o]
35 “Therefore he also says in another place:
You will not let your Holy One see decay.[p]
36 “For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was laid to rest with his fathers, and saw decay. 37 But the One God raised did not see decay.
38 “So, gentlemen, brothers, let it be known to you that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, also forgiveness from everything from which you could not be justified through the law of Moses. 39 In this Jesus, everyone who believes is justified. 40 So watch out that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:
41 Look, you scoffers,
be amazed and perish!
For I am going to do something in your days,
something you would never believe,
even if someone were to explain it to you.”[q]
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving, the people kept begging them to speak again on this same subject on the next Sabbath. 43 When the meeting of the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God.[r] 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with envy and began to contradict what Paul was saying by slandering him.[s]
46 Then Paul and Barnabas responded fearlessly, “It was necessary that God’s word be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, look: We are now turning to the Gentiles! 47 For this is what the Lord has instructed us:
I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.”[t]
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were rejoicing and praising the word of the Lord. All who had been appointed for eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was being carried through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 The disciples continued to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.