Beginning
Back In Jerusalem, Peter Explains How God Gave The Identical Gift To The Gentiles
11 Now the apostles and the brothers being throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also accepted the word of God. 2 But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the ones of the circumcision were disputing with him, 3 saying that “You went in to men having uncircumcision, and you ate with them”. 4 But having begun, Peter was explaining it to them in-order, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying. And in a trance, I saw a vision— a certain object like a large sheet coming down, being let down by four corners from heaven. And it came to me, 6 into which having looked-intently, I was observing. And I saw the four-footed-animals of the earth, and the wild-beasts, and the reptiles, and the birds of the heaven. 7 And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Having arisen, Peter, slaughter and eat!’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, because a defiled or unclean thing never entered into my mouth’. 9 But a voice responded for a second time from heaven, ‘The things which God made-clean, don’t you be making-defiled’. 10 And this took place three times, and everything was pulled-up again into heaven. 11 And behold— three men immediately stood at the house in which we were staying, having been sent forth from Caesarea to me. 12 And the Spirit told me to go-with them, having made no distinction. And these six brothers also went with me. And we entered into the house of the man. 13 And he reported to us how he saw the angel having stood in his house, and having said, ‘Send-forth to Joppa, and send-for Simon, the one being called Peter, 14 who will speak words to you by which you will be saved— you and all your household’. 15 And at my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as also upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He was saying, ‘John baptized with water— but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit!’ 17 Therefore if God gave the identical gift to them as also to us— [we both] having put faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ— who was I to be able to forbid God?” 18 And having heard these things, they were quiet. And they glorified God, saying, “Then God granted the repentance leading-to life to the Gentiles also!”
Many Gentiles Believe In Antioch. Barnabas And Saul Teach These Christians
19 Now indeed the ones having been dispersed because of the affliction having taken place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews only. 20 But there were some of them— Cyprian and Cyrenian men— who, having come to Antioch, were speaking also to the Hellenists[a], announcing-as-good-news the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them. And a large number, having believed, turned to the Lord. 22 And the word about them was heard in the ears of the church existing in Jerusalem. And they sent out Barnabas to go to Antioch— 23 who, having arrived and having seen the grace of God, rejoiced. And he was encouraging[b] everyone to be continuing-in the Lord with[c] purpose[d] of heart, 24 because he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable crowd was added to the Lord. 25 And he went forth to Tarsus to search-for Saul. 26 And having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about for them that[e] for a whole year they were gathered-together[f] in the church and taught a considerable crowd; and that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Agabas Comes And Predicts A Famine; Barnabas And Saul Take Relief To Judea
27 And during these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And having stood up, one of them, Agabus by name, signified through the Spirit that there would-certainly be a great famine over the whole world— which took place in-the-time-of Claudius[g]. 29 And as any of the disciples was prospering, each of them determined to send money for a ministry to the brothers dwelling in Judea— 30 which they also did, having sent it forth to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
During This Time, King Herod Kills The Apostle James And Imprisons Peter
12 And about that time, Herod[h] the king put hands on some of the ones from the church to mistreat them. 2 And he killed James[i], the brother of John, with a sword. 3 And having seen that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also (now the days of the Feast of Unleavened-Bread were taking place)— 4 whom indeed having seized, he put into prison, having handed him over to four squads[j] of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him up to the people after the Passover [Feast]. 5 So indeed Peter was being kept in the prison. And prayer was fervently being made by the church to God for him.
An Angel Releases Peter
6 And when Herod was about to bring him forth, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, having been bound with two chains. And guards in front of the door were keeping-watch-over the prison. 7 And behold— an angel of the Lord stood near, and light[k] shined in the cell. And having struck the side of Peter, he woke him, saying, “Arise quickly”. And his chains fell off of his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Gird-yourself [l] and tie-on your sandals”. And he did so. And he says to him, “Put-on your cloak and be following me”. 9 And having gone forth, he was following. And he did not know that the thing taking place by-means-of the angel was real, but he was thinking that he was seeing a vision. 10 And having gone through a first guard-post[m] and a second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which by-itself was opened for them. And having gone out, they went ahead one lane[n], and immediately the angel departed from him.
Peter Goes To The House of The Mother of John Mark, Where They Were Praying
11 And Peter, having become within[o] himself, said, “Now I know truly that the Lord sent-out His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews”. 12 And having become-aware[p], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (the one being called Mark), where there were many assembled-together and praying. 13 And he having knocked-on the door of the gate, a servant-girl went to it to answer— Rhoda by name. 14 And having recognized the voice of Peter, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but having run in, she reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 But the ones said to her, “You are mad[q]”. But the one was insisting that it was holding so. But the ones were saying, “It is his angel”. 16 But Peter was continuing-on knocking. And having opened, they saw him and were astonished. 17 And having motioned to them with his hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James[r] and the brothers”. And having gone out, he proceeded to another place.
When Peter Can’t Be Found, The Guards Are Executed. Herod Dies In Caesarea
18 Now having become day, there was no small disturbance[s] among the soldiers as to what then became of Peter. 19 And Herod, having searched-for him and not having found him, having examined the guards, ordered that they be led[t] away. And having gone down from Judea to Caesarea, he was spending-time there. 20 Now he was being very-angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians. And they were coming to him with-one-accord. And having won-over[u] Blastus, the one over the bedroom[v] of the king, they were asking-for peace, because of their country being provided-for[w] from the royal land. 21 And on an appointed day, Herod— having put on the royal clothing, and having sat on the judgment-seat— was giving-a-public-address to them. 22 And the public-assembly was calling-out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 And at once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God. And having become eaten-by-worms, he expired[x].
Barnabas And Saul Return To Antioch From Judea, With John Mark
24 But the word of God was growing and being multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned, having fulfilled the ministry to Jerusalem, having taken along John[y] with them (the one having been called Mark).
While Teaching In Antioch, The Spirit Sends Saul And Barnabas On a Missionary Journey
13 Now there were prophets and teachers at Antioch in[z] the church existing there— Barnabas and Simeon (the one being called Niger[aa]) and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen (one brought-up-with[ab] Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 And while they were ministering[ac] to[ad] the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate now Barnabas and Saul for Me, for the work which I have called them to”. 3 Then, having fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent[ae] them away.
On Cyprus, Bar-Jesus The Magician Is Blinded, Sergius Paulus The Proconsul Believes
4 So indeed, having been sent-out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there sailed-away to Cyprus. 5 And having come-to-be in Salamis, they were proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also were having John as an assistant[af]. 6 And having gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man who was a magician, a Jewish false-prophet for whom the name was Bar-Jesus[ag]— 7 who was with the proconsul[ah], Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This one, having summoned Barnabas and Saul, sought to hear the word of God. 8 But the magician Elymas[ai] (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith. 9 But Saul (the one also called Paul), having been filled with the Holy Spirit, having looked-intently at him, 10 said “O son of the devil full of all deceit and all villainy[aj], enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting[ak] the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold— the hand of the Lord is upon you and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time”. And at-once mistiness and darkness fell upon him. And going around, he was seeking ones-leading-by-the-hand[al]. 12 Then the proconsul, having seen the thing having taken place, believed, being astounded at the teaching of the Lord.
In Perga John Mark Leaves. Paul And Barnabas Go On To Pisidian Antioch
13 And having put-to-sea from Paphos, the ones around[am] Paul came to Perga of Pamphylia. But John, having departed[an] from them, returned to Jerusalem. 14 But they, having gone through[ao] from Perga, arrived at Pisidian Antioch. And having entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath, they sat-down. 15 And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue-officials sent forth a message to them, saying, “Men, brothers, if there is any word of exhortation[ap] among you for the people, speak”.
Paul Proclaims That John Announced The Coming of The Davidic Savior, Jesus
16 And Paul, having stood up, and having motioned with his hand, said “Men, Israelites, and the ones fearing God: listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers. And He lifted-up the people during the stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm led them out of it. 18 And for about a forty year period He put-up-with[aq] them in the wilderness. 19 And having brought-down seven[ar] nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them their land as-an-inheritance 20 about[as] in [a total of] four-hundred and fifty years. And after these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 And from there they asked-for a king. And God gave them Saul— the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin— for forty years. 22 And having removed him, He raised-up David for them for a king— concerning whom also having testified, He said, ‘I found David the son of Jesse, a man in-accordance-with[at] My heart, who will do all My desires’. 23 From the seed of this one, in accordance with the promise, God brought a Savior for[au] Israel, Jesus— 24 John having publicly-proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel before the presence of His coming. 25 And as John was completing his course, he was saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not the One. But behold— He is coming after me, of Whom I am not worthy to untie the sandal of His feet’.
Fulfilling The Scriptures, The Rulers Killed Jesus And God Raised Him Up
26 “Men, brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and the ones among you fearing God: the message of this salvation was sent-out to us. 27 For the ones dwelling in Jerusalem and their rulers, not having known this One and the voices of the prophets being read every Sabbath— having condemned Him, fulfilled them. 28 And having found no charge worthy of death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 And when they fulfilled all the things having been written about Him, having taken Him down from the cross, they laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the dead— 31 Who appeared for many days to the ones having come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who now are His witnesses to the people. 32 And we are announcing-as-good-news-to you the promise having been made to the fathers— 33 that God has fulfilled this promise for us their children, having raised-up[av] Jesus, as it has also been written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son. Today I have fathered You’ [Ps 2:7]. 34 And that[aw] He raised Him up from the dead as One no longer going to return to decay, He has spoken in this manner [in Isa 55:3]: that ‘I will give You the holy, trustworthy[ax] things of [ay] David’. 35 Therefore[az] also in another place it says, ‘You will not give[ba] Your holy One to see[bb] decay’ [Ps 16:10]. 36 For David, having served the purpose[bc] of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was put-with[bd] his fathers, and saw decay. 37 But He Whom God raised did not see decay.
Forgiveness Is Now Being Proclaimed To You. Don’t Be Scoffers
38 “Therefore let it be known to you, men, brothers, that through this One forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. And from all things from which you could not be declared-righteous by the Law of Moses— 39 by[be] this One everyone believing is declared-righteous. 40 Therefore be watching-out that the thing having been spoken in the Prophets [in Hab 1:5] may not come upon you: 41 ‘Look, scoffers, and marvel and perish. Because I am working a work in your days, a work which you will never believe if someone tells you in detail’”.
At The Next Sabbath Meeting, The Jews Contradict Paul. He Turns To The Gentiles
42 And while they were going out, they were begging that these words might be spoken to them on the next Sabbath. 43 And the gathering[bf] having been released[bg], many of the Jews and of the worshiping proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas— who, speaking to them, were persuading them to continue-in the grace of God. 44 Now on the coming Sabbath, almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But the Jews, having seen the crowds, were filled with jealousy. And they were contradicting[bh] the things being spoken by Paul, blaspheming. 46 And Paul and Barnabas, having spoken-boldly, said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you are rejecting it and judging yourselves not worthy of eternal life, behold— we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For thus the Lord has commanded us [in Isa 49:6]: ‘I have placed you for[bi] a light to the Gentiles, that you may be a light for salvation as far as the last place of the earth’”. 48 And the Gentiles, having heard it, were rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And all who had been appointed[bj] to eternal life believed.
The Jews Drive Paul And Barnabas Out of Their Districts
49 And the word of the Lord was being carried[bk] through the whole region[bl]. 50 But the Jews incited the prominent worshiping women and the leading men of the city, and aroused a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out from their districts. 51 But the ones, having shaken-out the dust from their feet against them, went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were being filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing