Bible in 90 Days

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great ^(A)wonders and ^[a]signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both ^(B)Cyrenians and ^(C)Alexandrians, and some from ^(D)Cilicia and ^[b](E)Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they ^(F)came up to him and dragged him away and brought him ^[c]before ^(G)the ^[d]Council. ¹³ They put forward ^(H)false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks against this ^(I)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(J)this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter ^(K)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the ^[e](L)Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Defense

7 The high priest said, “Are these things so?”

² And he said, “Hear me, ^(M)brethren and fathers! ^(N)The God of glory ^(O)appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in ^[f]Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘^(P)Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ ^4 (Q)Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in ^[g]Haran. ^(R)From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. ⁵ But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, ^(S)He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. ⁶ But ^(T)God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would ^[h]be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. ⁷ ‘And whatever nation to which they will be in bondage I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and ^(U)after that they will come out and ^[i]serve Me in this place.’ ⁸ And He ^(V)gave him ^[j]the covenant of circumcision; and so ^(W)Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^(X)Isaac became the father of Jacob, and ^(Y)Jacob of the twelve ^(Z)patriarchs.

⁹ “The patriarchs ^(AA)became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his afflictions, and ^(AB)granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

¹¹ “Now ^(AC)a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers ^[k]could find no food. ¹² But ^(AD)when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. ¹³ On the second visit ^(AE)Joseph ^[l]made himself known to his brothers, and ^(AF)Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then ^(AG)Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, ^(AH)seventy-five ^[m](AI)persons in all. ¹⁵ And ^(AJ)Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. ¹⁶ From there they were removed to ^[n](AK)Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of ^[o]Hamor in ^[p]Shechem.

¹⁷ “But as the ^(AL)time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, ^(AM)the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, ¹⁸ until ^(AN)there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. ¹⁹ It was he who took ^(AO)shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would ^[q](AP)expose their infants and they would not survive. ²⁰ It was at this time that ^(AQ)Moses was born; and he was lovely ^[r]in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. ²¹ And after he had been set outside, ^(AR)Pharaoh’s daughter ^[s]took him away and nurtured him as her own son. ²² Moses was educated in all ^(AS)the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. ²³ But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^(AT)it entered his ^[t]mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. ²⁴ And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them ^[u]deliverance ^[v]through him, but they did not understand. ^26 (AU)On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’ ²⁷ But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘^(AV)Who made you a ruler and judge over us? ^28 (AW)You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ²⁹ At this remark, ^(AX)Moses fled and became an alien in the land of ^[w]Midian, where he ^(AY)became the father of two sons.

³⁰ “After forty years had passed, ^(AZ)an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: ³² ‘^(BA)I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. ^33 (BB)But the Lord said to him, ‘^(BC)Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ^34 (BD)I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; ^[x](BE)come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ “This Moses whom they ^(BF)disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God ^[y]sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ^[z]help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. ^36 (BG)This man led them out, performing ^(BH)wonders and ^[aa]signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the ^(BI)wilderness for forty years. ³⁷ This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘^(BJ)God will raise up for you a prophet ^[ab]like me from your brethren.’ ³⁸ This is the one who was in ^(BK)the ^[ac]congregation in the wilderness together with ^(BL)the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received ^(BM)living ^(BN)oracles to pass on to you. ³⁹ Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but ^(BO)repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, ^40 (BP)saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ ^41 [ad]At that time ^(BQ)they made a ^[ae]calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^(BR)the works of their hands. ⁴² But God ^(BS)turned away and delivered them up to ^[af]serve the ^[ag]host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘^(BT)It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices ^(BU)forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? ^43 (BV)You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god ^[ah]Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’

⁴⁴ “Our fathers had ^(BW)the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it ^(BX)according to the pattern which he had seen. ⁴⁵ And having received it in their turn, our fathers ^(BY)brought it in with ^[ai]Joshua upon dispossessing the ^[aj]nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. ^46 (BZ)David found favor in God’s sight, and ^(CA)asked that he might find a dwelling place for the ^[ak]God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was ^(CB)Solomon who built a house for Him. ⁴⁸ However, ^(CC)the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

⁵¹ “You men who are ^(CF)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. ^52 (CG)Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^(CH)the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers ^(CI)you have now become; ⁵³ you who received the law as ^(CJ)ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Stephen Put to Death

⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they were ^(CK)cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But being ^(CL)full of the Holy Spirit, he ^(CM)gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(CN)at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the ^(CO)heavens opened up and ^(CP)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. ⁵⁸ When they had ^(CQ)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^(CR)the witnesses ^(CS)laid aside their robes at the feet of ^(CT)a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he ^(CU)called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then ^(CV)falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^(CW)do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he ^[al](CX)fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 ^(CY)Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

And on that day a great persecution ^[am]began against ^(CZ)the church in Jerusalem, and they were all ^(DA)scattered throughout the regions of Judea and ^(DB)Samaria, except the apostles. ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. ³ But ^(DC)Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and ^(DD)dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴ Therefore, those ^(DE)who had been scattered went about ^[an](DF)preaching the word. ^5 (DG)Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming ^[ao]Christ to them. ⁶ The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the ^[ap]signs which he was performing. ⁷ For in the case of many who had ^(DH)unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been ^(DI)paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸ So there was ^(DJ)much rejoicing in that city.

⁹ Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing ^(DK)magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, ^(DL)claiming to be someone great; ¹⁰ and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “^(DM)This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” ¹¹ And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his ^(DN)magic arts. ¹² But when they believed Philip ^(DO)preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being ^(DP)baptized, men and women alike. ¹³ Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed ^(DQ)signs and ^(DR)great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

¹⁴ Now when ^(DS)the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them ^(DT)Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them ^(DU)that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ For He had ^(DV)not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been ^(DW)baptized ^[aq]in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then they ^(DX)began laying their hands on them, and they were ^(DY)receiving the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could ^(DZ)obtain the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have ^(EA)no part or portion in this ^[ar]matter, for your heart is not ^(EB)right before God. ²² Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, ^(EC)if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in ^(ED)the ^[as]bondage of iniquity.” ²⁴ But Simon answered and said, “^(EE)Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

An Ethiopian Receives Christ

²⁵ So, when they had solemnly ^(EF)testified and spoken ^(EG)the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were ^(EH)preaching the gospel to many villages of the ^(EI)Samaritans.

²⁶ But ^(EJ)an angel of the Lord spoke to ^(EK)Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to ^(EL)Gaza.” (^[at]This is a desert road.) ²⁷ So he got up and went; and ^(EM)there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he ^(EN)had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his ^[au]chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ Then ^(EO)the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this ^[av]chariot.” ³⁰ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

³⁴ The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip ^(ER)opened his mouth, and ^(ES)beginning from this Scripture he ^(ET)preached Jesus to him. ³⁶ As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! ^(EU)What prevents me from being baptized?” ³⁷ [^[ay]And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] ³⁸ And he ordered the ^[az]chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, ^(EV)the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, ^[ba]but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip ^[bb]found himself at ^[bc](EW)Azotus, and as he passed through he ^(EX)kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to ^(EY)Caesarea.

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(EZ)Now ^[bd]Saul, still ^(FA)breathing ^[be]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(FB)letters from him to ^(FC)the synagogues at ^(FD)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^(FE)the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^(FF)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(FG)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and ^(FH)it will be told you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(FI)stood speechless, ^(FJ)hearing the ^[bf]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(FK)though his eyes were open, he ^[bg]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(FL)Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at ^(FM)Damascus named ^(FN)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(FO)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(FP)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[bh]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(FQ)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(FR)how much harm he did to ^(FS)Your ^[bi]saints at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(FT)has authority from the chief priests to bind all who ^(FU)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(FV)he is a chosen ^[bj]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(FW)the Gentiles and ^(FX)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(FY)I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(FZ)laying his hands on him said, “^(GA)Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^(GB)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(GC)for several days he was with ^(GD)the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(GE)in the synagogues, ^[bk]saying, “He is ^(GF)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem ^(GG)destroyed those who ^(GH)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[bl]Christ.

²³ When ^(GI)many days had elapsed, ^(GJ)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(GK)their plot became known to Saul. ^(GL)They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (GM)When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; ^[bm]but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(GN)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(GO)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(GP)at Damascus he had ^(GQ)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[bn]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(GR)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[bo](GS)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ But when ^(GT)the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to ^(GU)Caesarea and ^(GV)sent him away to ^(GW)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(GX)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria ^[bp]enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Peter’s Ministry

³² Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to ^(GY)the ^[bq]saints who lived at ^[br](GZ)Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up. ³⁵ And all who lived at ^[bs](HA)Lydda and ^(HB)Sharon saw him, and they ^(HC)turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now in ^(HD)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called ^[bt]Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did. ³⁷ And it happened ^[bu]at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(HE)upper room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near ^(HF)Joppa, ^(HG)the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^(HH)upper room; and all the ^(HI)widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ^[bv]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(HJ)sent them all out and ^(HK)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(HL)Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling ^(HM)the ^[bw]saints and ^(HN)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² It became known all over ^(HO)Joppa, and ^(HP)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed many days in ^(HQ)Joppa with ^(HR)a tanner named Simon.

Cornelius’s Vision

10 Now there was a man at ^(HS)Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was ^(HT)called the Italian ^[bx]cohort, ² a devout man and ^(HU)one who feared God with all his household, and ^(HV)gave many ^[by]alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About ^(HW)the ^[bz]ninth hour of the day he clearly saw ^(HX)in a vision ^(HY)an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And ^(HZ)fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and ^[ca]alms ^(IA)have ascended ^(IB)as a memorial before God. ⁵ Now dispatch some men to ^(IC)Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; ⁶ he is staying with a tanner named ^(ID)Simon, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his ^[cb]servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, ⁸ and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to ^(IE)Joppa.

⁹ On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, ^(IF)Peter went up on ^(IG)the housetop about ^(IH)the ^[cc]sixth hour to pray. ¹⁰ But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he ^(II)fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he *saw ^(IJ)the ^[cd]sky opened up, and an ^[ce]object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, ¹² and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and ^[cf]crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the ^[cg]air. ¹³ A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, ^[ch]kill and eat!” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, ^(IK)Lord, for ^(IL)I have never eaten anything ^[ci]unholy and unclean.” ¹⁵ Again a voice came to him a second time, “^(IM)What God has cleansed, no longer consider ^[cj]unholy.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the ^[ck]object was taken up into the ^[cl]sky.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in ^[cm]mind as to what ^(IN)the vision which he had seen might be, behold, ^(IO)the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; ¹⁸ and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹ While Peter was reflecting on ^(IP)the vision, ^(IQ)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, ^[cn]three men are looking for you. ²⁰ But get up, go downstairs and ^(IR)accompany them ^[co]without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” ²¹ Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” ²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and ^(IS)God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, ^(IT)was divinely directed by a ^(IU)holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear ^[cp](IV)a message from you.” ²³ So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

Peter at Caesarea

And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and ^(IW)some of ^(IX)the brethren from ^(IY)Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ On the following day he entered ^(IZ)Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and ^[cq](JA)worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, “^(JB)Stand up; I too am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he entered and *found ^(JC)many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how ^(JD)unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet ^(JE)God has shown me that I should not call any man ^[cr]unholy or unclean. ²⁹ That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “^(JF)Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during ^(JG)the ^[cs]ninth hour; and behold, ^(JH)a man stood before me in shining garments, ³¹ and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your ^[ct]alms have been remembered before God. ³² Therefore send to ^(JI)Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and you have ^[cu]been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear Good News

^34 (JJ)Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that ^(JK)God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but ^(JL)in every nation the man who ^[cv](JM)fears Him and ^[cw]does what is right is welcome to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(JN)preaching ^[cx](JO)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(JP)Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ^38 [cy]You know of ^(JQ)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(JR)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^[cz](JS)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(JT)God was with Him. ³⁹ We are ^(JU)witnesses of all the things He did both in the ^[da]land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also ^(JV)put Him to death by hanging Him on a ^[db]cross. ^40 (JW)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, ^41 (JX)not to all the people, but to ^(JY)witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(JZ)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ^(KA)ordered us to ^[dc]preach to the people, and solemnly to ^(KB)testify that this is the One who has been ^(KC)appointed by God as ^(KD)Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ Of Him ^(KE)all the prophets bear witness that through ^(KF)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(KG)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ^[dd]message. ^45 (KH)All the ^[de]circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been ^(KI)poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them ^(KJ)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “^(KK)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who ^(KL)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ^(KM)ordered them to be baptized ^(KN)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

Peter Reports at Jerusalem

11 Now the apostles and ^(KO)the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^[df](KP)those who were circumcised took issue with him, ³ saying, “^(KQ)You ^[dg]went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began speaking ^[dh]and proceeded to explain to them ^(KR)in orderly sequence, saying, ⁵ “^(KS)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ^(KT)a vision, an ^[di]object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from ^[dj]the sky; and it came right down to me, ⁶ and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it ^[dk]I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the ^[dl]crawling creatures and the birds of the ^[dm]air. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; ^[dn]kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing ^[do]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘^(KU)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[dp]consider unholy.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into ^[dq]the sky. ¹¹ And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from ^(KV)Caesarea. ^12 (KW)The Spirit told me to go with them ^[dr](KX)without misgivings. ^(KY)These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he reported to us how he had seen the angel ^[ds]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; ¹⁴ and he will speak ^(KZ)words to you by which you will be saved, you and ^(LA)all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, ^(LB)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just ^(LC)as He did upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘^(LD)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^[dt]with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ Therefore if ^(LE)God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(LF)who was I that I could ^[du]stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they ^[dv]quieted down and ^(LG)glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the ^(LH)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church at Antioch

^19 (LI)So then those who were scattered because of the ^[dw]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^[dx]to ^(LJ)Phoenicia and ^(LK)Cyprus and ^(LL)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of ^(LM)Cyprus and ^(LN)Cyrene, who came to ^(LO)Antioch and began speaking to the ^[dy](LP)Greeks also, ^[dz](LQ)preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(LR)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(LS)a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[ea]news about them ^[eb]reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent ^(LT)Barnabas off ^[ec]to ^(LU)Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and ^[ed]witnessed ^(LV)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^[ee]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and ^(LW)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And ^(LX)considerable ^[ef]numbers were ^[eg]brought to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for ^(LY)Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to ^(LZ)Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[eh]met with the church and taught considerable ^[ei]numbers; and ^(MA)the disciples were first called ^(MB)Christians in ^(MC)Antioch.

²⁷ Now ^[ej]at this time ^(MD)some prophets came down from Jerusalem to ^(ME)Antioch. ²⁸ One of them named ^(MF)Agabus stood up and began to indicate ^[ek]by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine ^(MG)all over the ^[el]world. ^[em]And this took place in the reign of ^(MH)Claudius. ²⁹ And in the proportion that any of ^(MI)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^[en]relief of ^(MJ)the brethren living in Judea. ^30 (MK)And this they did, sending it ^[eo]in charge of ^(ML)Barnabas and Saul to the ^(MM)elders.

Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance

12 Now about that time ^[ep]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. ² And he ^(MN)had James the brother of John ^(MO)put to death with a sword. ³ When he saw that it ^(MP)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now ^[eq]it was during ^(MQ)the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four ^[er](MR)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after ^(MS)the Passover to bring him out before the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

⁶ On ^[es]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(MT)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(MU)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(MV)appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(MW)his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and ^[et]put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing ^(MX)a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which ^(MY)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(MZ)came ^[eu]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that ^(NA)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all ^[ev]that the Jewish people were expecting.” ¹² And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(NB)John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(NC)were praying. ¹³ When he knocked at the door of the gate, ^(ND)a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, ^(NE)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is ^(NF)his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(NG)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to ^[ew](NH)James and ^(NI)the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to ^[ex]what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they ^(NJ)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to ^(NK)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Death of Herod

²⁰ Now he was very angry with the people of ^(NL)Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because ^(NM)their country was fed by the king’s country. ²¹ On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the ^[ey]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. ²² The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ And immediately ^(NN)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^[ez]died.

²⁴ But ^(NO)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

²⁵ And ^(NP)Barnabas and ^(NQ)Saul returned ^[fa]from Jerusalem ^(NR)when they had fulfilled their ^[fb]mission, taking along with them ^(NS)John, who was also called Mark.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were at ^(NT)Antioch, in the ^(NU)church that was there, ^(NV)prophets and ^(NW)teachers: ^(NX)Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of ^(NY)Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with ^(NZ)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, ^(OA)the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me ^(OB)Barnabas and Saul for ^(OC)the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted and ^(OD)prayed and ^(OE)laid their hands on them, ^(OF)they sent them away.

⁴ So, being ^(OG)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to ^(OH)Cyprus. ⁵ When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in ^(OI)the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had ^(OJ)John as their helper. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a ^(OK)magician, a Jewish ^(OL)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the ^(OM)proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(ON)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the ^(OO)proconsul away from ^(OP)the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also known as Paul, ^[fc](OQ)filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, ¹⁰ and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you ^(OR)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked ^(OS)the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, behold, ^(OT)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the ^(OU)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at ^(OV)the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from ^(OW)Paphos and came to ^(OX)Perga in ^(OY)Pamphylia; but ^(OZ)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But going on from Perga, they arrived at ^(PA)Pisidian ^(PB)Antioch, and on ^(PC)the Sabbath day they went into ^(PD)the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(PE)the reading of the Law and ^(PF)the Prophets ^(PG)the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ Paul stood up, and ^(PH)motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and ^(PI)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel ^(PJ)chose our fathers and ^[fd](PK)made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm ^(PL)He led them out from it. ¹⁸ For ^(PM)a period of about forty years ^(PN)He put up with them in the wilderness. ^19 (PO)When He had destroyed ^(PP)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He ^(PQ)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took ^(PR)about four hundred and fifty years. ²⁰ After these things He ^(PS)gave them judges until ^(PT)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they ^(PU)asked for a king, and God gave them ^(PV)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² After He had ^(PW)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘^(PX)I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My ^[fe]will.’ ^23 (PY)From the descendants of this man, ^(PZ)according to promise, God has brought to Israel ^(QA)a Savior, Jesus, ²⁴ after ^(QB)John had proclaimed before ^[ff]His coming a ^(QC)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And while John ^(QD)was completing his course, ^(QE)he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of ^(QF)this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem, and their ^(QG)rulers, ^(QH)recognizing neither Him nor the ^[fg]utterances of ^(QI)the prophets which are ^(QJ)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they ^(QK)asked Pilate that He be ^[fh]executed. ²⁹ When they had ^(QL)carried out all that was written concerning Him, ^(QM)they took Him down from ^(QN)the ^[fi]cross and ^(QO)laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God ^(QP)raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days ^(QQ)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now ^(QR)His witnesses to the people. ³² And we ^(QS)preach to you the good news of ^(QT)the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise ^[fj]to our children in that He ^(QU)raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘^(QV)You are My Son; today i have begotten You.’ ³⁴ As for the fact that He ^(QW)raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘^(QX)I will give you the holy and ^[fk]sure blessings of David.’ ³⁵ Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘^(QY)You will not ^[fl]allow Your ^[fm]Holy One to ^[fn]undergo decay.’ ³⁶ For ^(QZ)David, after he had ^[fo]served ^(RA)the purpose of God in his own generation, ^(RB)fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and ^[fp]underwent decay; ³⁷ but He whom God ^(RC)raised did not ^[fq]undergo decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that ^(RD)through ^[fr]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and ^[fs]through Him ^(RE)everyone who believes is ^[ft]freed ^[fu]from all things, from which you could not be ^[fv]freed ^[fw]through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of ^(RF)in the Prophets may not come upon you:

⁴² As ^[fy]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these ^[fz]things might be spoken to them the next ^(RH)Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the ^(RI)God-fearing ^[ga](RJ)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in ^(RK)the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ The next ^(RL)Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of ^[gb]the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when ^(RM)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were ^[gc]blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you ^(RN)first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, ^(RO)we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us,

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying ^(RR)the word of ^[ge]the Lord; and as many as ^(RS)had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And ^(RT)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But ^(RU)the Jews incited the ^[gf](RV)devout women ^(RW)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their ^[gg]district. ⁵¹ But ^(RX)they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to ^(RY)Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were continually ^(RZ)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 In ^(SA)Iconium ^(SB)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner ^(SC)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of ^(SD)Greeks. ² But ^(SE)the Jews who ^[gh](SF)disbelieved stirred up the ^[gi]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against ^(SG)the brethren. ³ Therefore they spent a long time there ^(SH)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that ^[gj](SI)signs and wonders be done by their hands. ^4 (SJ)But the ^[gk]people of the city were divided; and some ^[gl]sided with ^(SK)the Jews, and some with ^(SL)the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and ^(SM)the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to ^(SN)stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of ^(SO)Lycaonia, ^(SP)Lystra and ^(SQ)Derbe, and the surrounding region; ⁷ and there they continued to ^(SR)preach the gospel.

⁸ At ^(SS)Lystra ^(ST)a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, ^(SU)when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had ^(SV)faith to be ^[gm]made well, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” ^(SW)And he leaped up and began to walk. ¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the ^(SX)Lycaonian language, “^(SY)The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas, ^[gn]Zeus, and Paul, ^[go]Hermes, because he was ^[gp]the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was ^[gq]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and ^(SZ)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when ^(TA)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they ^(TB)tore their ^[gr]robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also ^(TC)men of the same nature as you, and ^(TD)preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these ^[gs](TE)vain things to a ^(TF)living God, ^(TG)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ^16 [gt]In the generations gone by He ^(TH)permitted all the ^[gu]nations to ^(TI)go their own ways; ¹⁷ and yet ^(TJ)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and ^(TK)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, ^[gv]satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

¹⁹ But ^(TL)Jews came from ^(TM)Antioch and ^(TN)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they ^(TO)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. ²⁰ But while ^(TP)the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to ^(TQ)Derbe. ²¹ After they had ^(TR)preached the gospel to that city and had ^(TS)made many disciples, they returned to ^(TT)Lystra and to ^(TU)Iconium and to ^(TV)Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of ^(TW)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in ^(TX)the faith, and saying, “^(TY)Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When ^(TZ)they had appointed ^(UA)elders for them in every church, having ^(UB)prayed with fasting, they ^(UC)commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ They passed through ^(UD)Pisidia and came into ^(UE)Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word in ^(UF)Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to ^(UG)Antioch, from ^(UH)which they had been ^(UI)commended to the grace of God for the work that they had ^[gw]accomplished. ²⁷ When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to ^(UJ)report all things that God had done with them and ^[gx]how He had opened a ^(UK)door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent ^[gy]a long time with ^(UL)the disciples.

The Council at Jerusalem

15 ^(UM)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching ^(UN)the brethren, “Unless you are ^(UO)circumcised according to ^(UP)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And when Paul and Barnabas had ^[gz]great dissension and ^(UQ)debate with them, ^(UR)the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the ^(US)apostles and elders concerning this issue. ³ Therefore, being ^(UT)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both ^(UU)Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(UV)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all ^(UW)the brethren. ⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and ^(UX)the apostles and the elders, and they ^(UY)reported all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of ^(UZ)the sect of the ^(VA)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to ^(VB)circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

^6 (VC)The apostles and the elders came together to ^[ha]look into this ^[hb]matter. ⁷ After there had been much ^(VD)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that ^[hc]in the early days ^(VE)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of ^(VF)the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, ^(VG)who knows the heart, testified to them ^(VH)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and ^(VI)He made no distinction between us and them, ^(VJ)cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore why do you ^(VK)put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which ^(VL)neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we are saved through ^(VM)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

¹² All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were ^(VN)relating what ^(VO)signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’s Judgment

¹³ After they had stopped speaking, ^[hd](VP)James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. ^14 (VQ)Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. ¹⁵ With this the words of ^(VR)the Prophets agree, just as it is written,

¹⁹ Therefore it is ^(VY)my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from ^[hi](VZ)things contaminated by idols and from ^(WA)fornication and from ^(WB)what is strangled and from blood. ²¹ For ^(WC)Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since ^[hj]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²² Then it seemed good to ^(WD)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to ^(WE)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and ^(WF)Silas, leading men among ^(WG)the brethren, ²³ and they ^[hk]sent this letter by them,

³⁰ So when they were sent away, ^(XA)they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the ^[hp]congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its ^[hq]encouragement. ^32 (XB)Judas and ^(XC)Silas, also being ^(XD)prophets themselves, ^[hr]encouraged and strengthened ^(XE)the brethren with a lengthy message. ³³ After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren ^(XF)in peace to those who had ^(XG)sent them out. ³⁴ [^[hs]But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] ³⁵ But ^(XH)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and ^(XI)preaching with many others also, ^(XJ)the word of the Lord.

Second Missionary Journey

³⁶ After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in ^(XK)every city in which we proclaimed ^(XL)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take ^(XM)John, called Mark, along with them also. ³⁸ But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had ^(XN)deserted them ^[ht]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took ^(XO)Mark with him and sailed away to ^(XP)Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose ^(XQ)Silas and left, being ^(XR)committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he was traveling through ^(XS)Syria and ^(XT)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The Macedonian Vision

16 Paul came also to ^(XU)Derbe and to ^(XV)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named ^(XW)Timothy, the son of a ^(XX)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, ² and he was well spoken of by ^(XY)the brethren who were in ^(XZ)Lystra and ^(YA)Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to ^[hu]go with him; and he ^(YB)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering ^(YC)the decrees which had been decided upon by ^(YD)the apostles and ^(YE)elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. ⁵ So ^(YF)the churches were being strengthened ^[hv]in the faith, and were ^(YG)increasing in number daily.

⁶ They passed through the ^[hw](YH)Phrygian and ^(YI)Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in ^[hx](YJ)Asia; ⁷ and after they came to ^(YK)Mysia, they were trying to go into ^(YL)Bithynia, and the ^(YM)Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; ⁸ and passing by ^(YN)Mysia, they came down to ^(YO)Troas. ^9 (YP)A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of ^(YQ)Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen ^(YR)the vision, immediately ^(YS)we sought to ^[hy]go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to ^(YT)preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So putting out to sea from ^(YU)Troas, we ran ^(YV)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; ¹² and from there to ^(YW)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of ^(YX)Macedonia, ^(YY)a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. ¹³ And on ^(YZ)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, from the city of ^(ZA)Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, ^(ZB)a worshiper of God, was listening; ^[hz]and the Lord ^(ZC)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and ^(ZD)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

¹⁶ It happened that as we were going to ^(ZE)the place of prayer, a slave-girl having ^(ZF)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of ^(ZG)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you ^[ia]the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you ^(ZH)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very ^[ib]moment.

¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^(ZI)profit was ^[ic]gone, they seized ^(ZJ)Paul and Silas and ^(ZK)dragged them into the market place before the authorities, ²⁰ and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, ²¹ and ^(ZL)are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being ^(ZM)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

²² The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their ^[id]robes off them and proceeded to order ^[ie]them to be ^(ZN)beaten with rods. ²³ When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding ^(ZO)the jailer to guard them securely; ^24 [if]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in ^(ZP)the ^[ig]stocks.

²⁵ But about midnight ^(ZQ)Paul and Silas were praying and ^(ZR)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly ^(ZS)there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately ^(ZT)all the doors were opened and everyone’s ^(ZU)chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When ^(ZV)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ^(ZW)to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹ And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before ^(ZX)Paul and Silas, ³⁰ and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, ^(ZY)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(ZZ)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(AAA)your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of ^[ih]the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them ^(AAB)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ And he brought them into his house and set ^[ii]food before them, and rejoiced ^[ij]greatly, having believed in God with ^(AAC)his whole household.

³⁵ Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And ^(AAD)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go ^(AAE)in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, ^(AAF)men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.”