The Acts of the Apostles

1 I made my first relation, Theophilus, about all that Jesus had begun both doing and teaching 2 as far as to the day that he was taken up after he had by the Holy Spirit given injunctions to the apostles whom he had chosen; 3 to whom also, after he had suffered, he presented himself alive with many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and telling them the things that relate to the Reign of God; 4 and, while eating with them, he instructed them not to leave Jerusalem, but to “await the Father’s promise, which you heard from me, 5 ‘John baptized with water but you shall be baptized in Holy Spirit,’ not many days from now.” 6 So those who were together asked him “Lord, is it during this time that you restore the sovereignty to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not yours to know times and dates, which the Father has put under his own jurisdiction. 8 But you shall receive power, having the Holy Spirit come upon you, and shall be witnesses for me both in Jerusalem and throughout Judea and Samaria and to the remotest part of the earth.” 9 And, having said this, he was lifted up before their eyes, and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they had their gaze fixed on the sky as he went, lo, there were two men in white costumes standing by them; 11 who said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing and looking up into the sky? this Jesus who has been taken up from you into the sky shall come in the same way as you viewed him going into the sky.” 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain known as Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath-day’s journey off; 13 and when they came in they went up to the upper room where they were keeping themselves: Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alpheus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James. 14 All these were unitedly devoting themselves to prayer, with the women and Jesus’s mother Mary, and with his brothers.

15 And in those days Peter stood up among the brothers and said, there being together a multitude of names, about a hundred and twenty: 16 “Brethren, the text which the Holy Spirit uttered beforehand through the mouth of David about Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus, 17 that he was counted among us and was allotted this commission, had to be fulfilled.” 18* (Now this man acquired a piece of land with the pay of his misdoing; and, coming down flat, he burst open in the middle, and all his entrails gushed out; 19 and it became well known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that that piece of land was called in their language “Hakeldamach,” that is “the blood lot.”) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms ‘May his homestead be desolate and have no one living in it,’ and ‘Let another take his office.’ 21 So of the men who went with us at every time when the Lord Jesus was among us coming in and going out, 22 beginning with John’s baptizing and down to the day that he was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness of his resurrection with us.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph known as Bar-Sabbas, who was also named Justus, and Matthias; 24 and they offered prayer, and said “Lord, knower of the hearts of all, do thou designate the one of these two whom thou hast called 25 to take the place in this commission and apostleship, from which Judas passed to go to his own place.” 26 And they took lots for them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted in with the eleven apostles.

2* And when the day of Pentecost came around they were all in company together, 2 and suddenly there came a noise out of the sky, as if of a violent wind driving along, and filled the whole house where they were sitting; 3 and there appeared to them parted tongues as if of fire, and it lighted on each one of them; 4 and all of them were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit granted it to them. 5* And there were Jews living in Jerusalem, godly men from every nation under the heavens; 6 and when this sound came the multitude came together and were bewildered that each one heard them speaking his own language. 7 And they were surprised, and they wondered, saying “Why, here all these that are talking are Galileans, 8 and how is it we each hear in our own language that we were born in? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia and of Palestine and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia 10 and Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts in Africa about Cyrene; and the Romans, both Jews and proselytes, who are residing here; 11 Cretans and Arabs,—we hear them speaking in our languages the grand works of God.” 12 And they were all of them surprised and puzzled, saying one to another “What may this be?” 13 but others said jeeringly “They are filled up with grape-juice.”

14 But Peter stood forward with the eleven and raised his voice and uttered these words to them: “Fellow-Jews, and all you who live in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are not, as you assume, drunk; for it is three hours before noon; 16* but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel, 17 ‘And in the last days, says God, I will pour out streams of my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 18* and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my servants, both men and women, will I pour out streams of my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will display wonders in the heavens above and tokens on the earth beneath, blood and fire and fumes of smoke: 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable Day of the Lord comes. 21 And everyone who shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man accredited to you by God through miracles and wonders and tokens which God did through him in your midst,—as you yourselves know,— 23 this man, given up by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge, you by ruffians’ hands spiked down, and took his life; 24* whom God raised, undoing the pangs of death, as it was not possible that he should be held by it. 25 For David says with reference to him ‘I looked to the Lord before me continually, because he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. 26 At this my heart is happy and my tongue exults; and withal my flesh shall dwell in hope, 27 because thou wilt not abandon my soul to the realm of death, nor give thy godly one to see decay. 28 Thou hast made known to me the paths of life; thou wilt fill me full of happiness, with thy presence.’

29 Brethren, it is allowable to say to you frankly of David, the founder of our state, that he did pass away and was buried, and his tomb is among us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn an oath to him to seat on his throne one of the fruit of his loins, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he neither was abandoned to the realm of death nor did his flesh see decay. 32 This Jesus God raised to life; of which we are all of us witnesses. 33* So, being raised on high by God’s right hand and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, but he himself says ‘The Lord said to my lord “Sit at my right hand 35 till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 36 So let all the house of Israel know positively that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37* And at hearing it they were pricked in their hearts, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles “What shall we do, brethren?” 38 And Peter said to them “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the pardoning of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying “Save yourselves from this cross-grained generation.”

41 So those who welcomed his words were baptized, and there were added on that day about three thousand souls; 42 and they applied themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the life of solidarity, to bread-breaking and to prayers. 43* And every soul was seized with fear, and many wonders and tokens were done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed had everything in common together, 45 and would sell their possessions and estates and portion them out to all as anyone needed them; 46 and day by day, unitedly attending in the temple-precinct and breaking bread at home, they partook of their food with blithe and simple hearts, 47* praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people; and the Lord added greatly day by day to the saved.

3 And Peter and John were going up into the temple-precinct for the three o’clock prayer, 2* and there was being carried away a certain man who had been a cripple from his birth, whom they put at what is known as the Beautiful Gate of the temple-precinct day by day to ask for charity from those who were going into the precinct; 3* and he, seeing Peter and John about to enter the precinct, asked to receive charity. 4 But Peter, fixing his eyes on him with John, said “Look at us.” 5 And he eyed them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said “Silver and gold I do not own, but what I have, that I give you: by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” 7 and he caught hold of his right hand and got him to rise. And immediately his feet and ankles grew firm, 8 and he gave a jump and stood and walked, and came in with them into the precinct walking and jumping and praising God, 9 and all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 And they recognized him as the one who had been sitting at the Beautiful Gate of the temple for charity, and were filled with amazement and surprise at what had befallen him.

11 And while he held Peter and John all the people came running together about them in what is known as Solomon’s Portico, utterly amazed. 12 And, seeing this, Peter answered by saying to the people “Men of Israel, why are you wondering at this, or fixing your eyes on us as if by our own power or piety we had caused him to walk? 13 The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you had had arrested and had repudiated in Pilate’s presence when he had passed judgment for releasing him— 14 but you repudiated the Holy and Righteous and asked to have a murderer granted to you, 15 and killed the Founder of Life; whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16* And upon faith in his name he has put firmness into the limbs of this man whom you see and know; and the faith that comes through him has given him this absolute soundness before you all. 17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, and so did your rulers; 18 but what God had announced beforehand through the mouths of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 So repent and turn back so as to have your sins wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord 20 and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21* whom heaven must receive until the times for putting into effect everything that God has spoken of through the mouths of his holy prophets from of old. 22 Moses said ‘The Lord God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet, like me; to him you shall listen in everything that he speaks of to you; 23 and every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be rooted out from the people’; 24 and so did all the prophets, from Samuel on, as many as spoke, announce these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham ‘And in your descendants all the clans of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 For you first God raised up his Servant and sent him to bless you by turning you each away from your crimes.”

4 And while they were speaking to the people, in came the priests and the provost of the temple and the Sadducees, 2 nettled because they were teaching the people and announcing resurrection from the dead in the case of Jesus, 3 and laid hands on them and put them in custody till the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number, of men, came to be about five thousand.

5 But on the next day their rulers and elders and scribes met at Jerusalem, 6* and High Priest Hannas and Caiaphas and Jonathan and Alexander and as many as came of high-priestly family, 7 and they set them in the middle and inquired “By what power or by what name did you do that?” 8 Then Peter, filled with Holy Spirit, said to them “Rulers of the people and elders, 9* if we are today being examined as to a benefit done to a sick man, by whose means he has been made well, 10 be it known to you all and to all the people of Israel that it is just by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands here before you sound and well. 11 This is the stone scorned by you the builders, that has come to be the top of the corner. 12* And by nothing else is there salvation—for there is not another name under the heavens, given among men, that we must be saved by.”

13 And, seeing the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceiving that they were plain illiterate men, they wondered at it; and they recognized them as having been with Jesus; 14 and, seeing the cured man standing with them, they were not able to say anything against it. 15 But, giving orders that they should go outside the session, they conferred with each other, 16 saying “What shall we do with these men? that an evident token has been done through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it; 17 but, that it may not spread widely among the people, let us warn them with threats not to talk in this name again to any human being.”

18 And they called them and enjoined them not to speak nor teach in the name of Jesus at all. 19 But Peter and John answered them “Decide whether it is a right thing before God to listen more to you than to God; 20 for we cannot help telling what we have seen and heard.” 21 And they made additional threats and released them, no way to punish them being found because of the people, since they were all glorifying God over what had taken place; 22* for the man on whom this token of healing was done was more than forty years old.

23 And, being released, they came to their own company and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said to them; 24 and they, upon hearing it, unanimously raised their voices to God and said

“Master, thou who madest the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them! 25*** As our father thy servant David said by direction of the Holy Spirit, ‘Why have nations blustered and peoples studied useless plans, 26 the kings of the earth taken their stand and the rulers met together, against the Lord and against his anointed?’ for against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou anointedst, 27* both Herod and Pontius Pilate did certainly meet in this city, with nations and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do so much as thy hand and plan had foreordained should come to pass. 29 And now, Lord, turn thy eye upon their threats, and grant thy servants the gift of speaking thy word with all boldness 30 while thou dost stretch out thy hand for healing, and tokens and wonders are done through the name of thy holy son Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed the place where they were met shook, and one and all were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke God’s word with boldness.

32* And the community of believers was one in heart and soul, and not one said that any of his property was his own, but they had everything in common; 33* and with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and there was great grace upon them all, 34 nor was there anybody in want among them. For such as were owners of lands or houses offered them for sale, 35 and brought the price of what were sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and distribution was made to each as he needed. 36* And Joseph, also named Barnabas by the apostles (which means Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a Cypriote by nationality, 37 being the owner of a field, sold it and brought the amount and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

5 But a certain man, Hananiah by name, with his wife Shappirah, sold a piece of property 2 and pocketed some of the price, the wife also being in the secret, and brought a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said “Hananiah, why has Satan filled your heart to play false with the Holy Spirit and pocket part of the price of the lot? 4 While you kept it was it not in your possession, and when it was sold was it not at your disposal? how came it you resolved on this thing? you did not lie to men but to God.” 5 And Hananiah, hearing these words, fell down and expired; and great fear came upon all who heard of it.

6 And the juniors rose and wrapped him up, and carried him out and buried him. 7 And after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened; 8 and Peter answered her “Tell me if you sold the lot for so much,” and she said “Yes, so much.” 9 And Peter said to her “How came it you agreed with each other to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? there are the feet of those who buried your husband coming to the door, and they shall carry you out.” 10 And immediately she fell down at his feet and expired; and the young men came in and found her dead, and carried her out and buried her with her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

12 And through the agency of the apostles many tokens and wonders were done among the people; and they were one and all in Solomon’s Portico backing each other up. 13 And of the rest nobody dared connect himself with them; but the people held them in high regard, 14 and there were more and more additions of masses of both men and women, believing in the Lord, 15 so that they even carried the sick out into the squares and laid them on cots and pallets in order that when Peter came at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. 16 And the populace of the suburbs of Jerusalem also came together, bringing sick people and people harassed by unclean spirits, of whom one and all were cured.

17* But Annas the high priest and all those who were with him, who constituted the Sadducee party, were seized with jealousy 18 and laid hands on the apostles and put them in custody. 19 But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and brought them out and said 20 “Go stand forward in the temple-precinct and speak to the people all the words that proclaim this life”; 21 and, hearing this, they went into the temple-precinct at dawn and taught there. But when the high priest arrived, and those who were with him, they called together the Sanhedrin and all the senate of the sons of Israel, and sent to the lockup to have them brought. 22 But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, but brought back word 23 “We found the lockup most securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but on opening it we found nobody inside.” 24 And when the provost of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were puzzled about them, to know what it was that had happened. 25 But someone came and reported to them “Here, the men you put in the prison are in the temple-precinct, standing there and teaching the people.” 26 Then the provost went with the officers and brought them; not with violence, for they were afraid of the people, that they would be stoned.

27 And they brought them to the Sanhedrin and set them before it; and the high priest questioned them, 28** saying “We positively enjoined you not to teach in this name, and here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are wanting to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” 29 And Peter and the apostles answered “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you made away with by hanging him on a tree; 31 him God has raised on high by his right hand as supreme lord and savior, to give Israel repentance and the pardon of sins. 32 And we are witnesses of these matters, and the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.”

33 And at hearing it they were nettled and wanted to take their lives. 34 But a certain Pharisee in the Sanhedrin, Gamaliel by name, a teacher of the law highly honored by all the people, gave the word to put the men out a little while, 35 and said to them “Men of Israel, take care what you are going to do in the matter of these men. 36 For a while ago Theudas stood up, saying he was somebody; whose cause some four hundred men espoused, but who lost his life, and all who had put faith in him disbanded, and nothing came of it. 37 And after him Judas the Galilean stood up during the time of the registration, and induced a set to go off with him; he too perished, and all who had put faith in him were dispersed. 38 And this time I say keep clear of these men and let them be, because if this plan or this doing be from men it will break down, 39 but if it is from God you will not be able to break them down; you may turn out to be at war with God.” 40 And they took his advice, and called in the apostles, and gave them a beating and enjoined them not to speak in Jesus’s name, and let them go.

41 So they went from the presence of the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they were held worthy to suffer insult for the Name; 42 and every day, in the temple-precinct and at home, they never left off teaching and telling the gospel of Christ Jesus.

6 And in those days, as the disciples increased in number, there came to be a grumbling of the Greek-speaking members against the Hebrews, that their widows were disregarded in the daily distribution. 2 And the Twelve called in the body of disciples and said “It is not desirable that we should leave God’s word and act as bank-tellers. 3 But, brothers, nominate out of your number seven men of attested reputations, whom we will appoint to this duty; 4 and we will devote ourselves to prayer and the distribution of the word.” 5 And all the body approved the idea, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolaus, an Antiochene proselyte, 6 all of whom they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God grew, and the numbers of the disciples at Jerusalem increased extremely, and a great mass of the priests yielded obedience to the faith. 8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and tokens among the people. 9 But some from what is known as the Freedmen’s Synagogue, and some of the Cyrenians and Alexandrians and those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up to debate with Stephen, 10 and were not able to stand their ground against the wisdom and inspiration by which he spoke. 11 Then they put out men who said “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God” 12 and stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and came down on him and carried him off and brought him into the Sanhedrin, 13 and produced false witnesses who said “This man never stops uttering words against the holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Nazarene Jesus is to break down this place and to change the usages that Moses handed down to us.”

15 And all those who were sitting in the Sanhedrin fixed their eyes on him and saw his face looking as if it were an angel’s.

7 And the high priest said “Are these things so?”

2 And he said “Brethren and fathers, listen.

“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran, 3 and said to him ‘Come out from your country and your kin, and come to the country I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and lived in Harran. And from there, after his father was dead, God had him move to this country you are living in now, 5 and did not give him inheritance enough in it even to set his foot on; and he promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him—when he had no child. 6* But God spoke in this way: that his descendants should live the life of immigrants in an alien country, and they should enslave this posterity and ill-treat it four hundred years; 7 ‘and the nation they are in slavery to I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place’; 8 and he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And thus he had his son Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob the twelve founders of the tribes. 9 And the Founders, becoming jealous of Joseph, sold him down to Egypt; and God was with him, 10 and rescued him out of all his distresses, and gave him favor and wisdom before the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

11 “And there came a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, and great distress; and our fathers could not find enough to eat. 12 And Jacob, hearing that there were breadstufs in Egypt, sent out our fathers a first time; 13 and at the second sending Joseph’s identity was made known to his brothers, and the Pharaoh discovered Joseph’s race. 14 And Joseph sent and had his father Jacob come, and all his kin, numbering seventy-five souls. 15 And Jacob went down to Egypt, and passed away, he and our fathers, 16 and were conveyed to Shekem and put in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a cash price from the sons of Hamor at Shekem.

17 “But as the time of the promise God had given to Abraham approached, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18* until there came up over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph; 19 he, laying a shrewd plan against our race, maltreated our fathers in having their babies exposed so that they should not be kept alive. 20 At which time was born Moses, and was divinely pretty; who was nurtured three months in his father’s home, 21 and when he was exposed the Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and raised him as her son. 22 And Moses was educated in all the science of the Egyptians, and was powerful in his words and deeds. 23 And when he was completing a span of forty years it came into his mind to visit his brothers the sons of Israel, 24 and, seeing one suffering a wrong, he took the part of the maltreated man and did vengeance for him, striking down the Egyptian. 25 And he supposed his brothers understood that by his hand God was giving them salvation; but they did not. 26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting, and was pacifying them, saying ‘Boys, you are brothers; what do you wrong each other for?’ 27* But he who was wronging his fellow rebuffed him, saying ‘Who appointed you chief justice over us? 28 are you meaning to take my life the same as you took the Egyptian’s yesterday?’ 29 And Moses took flight at those words, and settled as an immigrant in the country of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30 “And when forty years had elapsed there appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai an angel in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 And Moses, seeing it, wondered at the sight; but as he came up to it to look at it the Lord’s voice came, 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,’ and Moses, with his flesh creeping, dared not look. 33 And the Lord said to him ‘Unfasten the shoes from your feet; for the place you are standing on is sacred ground. 34 I have seen how my people in Egypt are maltreated, and heard their groaning, and come down to rescue them; now come, let me send you to Egypt.’

35** “This Moses whom they had repudiated, saying ‘Who appointed you chief justice over us?’ him God has sent as both chief and redeemer with the hand of the angel that had appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man brought them out, doing wonders and tokens in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This was the Moses who said to the sons of Israel ‘God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet, like me.’ 38* This was the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers; he who received living sayings to give to us; 39 to whom our fathers would not yield obedience, but rebuffed him and turned round to Egypt in their hearts, 40 saying to Aaron ‘Make us gods who shall go before us; for we do not know what has become of that Moses who brought us out of Egypt’; 41 and they made a calf in those days and offered sacrifice to the idol, and jubilated in the work of their hands. 42 But God turned and gave them up to worship the host of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets ‘Did you offer me slaughtered beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel? 43 and you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the figures you had made to do reverence to—and I will remove you beyond Babylon.’

44 “Our fathers had the Tabernacle of the Testimony in the wilderness, as he who spoke to Moses prescribed that he should make it in conformity with the figure he had seen; 45 which same our fathers, succeeding to it, brought in with Joshua at the dispossession of the nations God expelled before our fathers, till the days of David; 46* who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 And Solomon built him a house. 48 But the Most High does not live in man-made abodes, not he; as the prophet says 49 ‘I have the sky for throne, and the earth is the footstool for my feet; what house will you build me, says the Lord? or what is the place for my rest? 50 did not my hand make all this?’

51 “Stiff-necked men, uncircumcised in hearts and ears, you are always throwing yourselves against the Holy Spirit, you the same as your fathers. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute, and kill those who announced beforehand about the coming of the Righteous One whose betrayers and murderers you have now become? 53 you who received the law for the prescriptions of angels and did not keep it!”

4 So those who dispersed in different directions went along spreading the word. 5* And Philip came down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them; 6 and the crowds to a man listened respectfully to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the tokens he exhibited. 7 For many of those who had unclean spirits had them come out, shrieking loudly; and many paralytics and cripples were cured; 8 and there was great rejoicing in that city.

9 But there was in the city before them a certain man, Simon by name, playing the magician and surprising the nation of Samaria and saying he was somebody great, 10* to whom they all looked up, great and small, saying “This man is a Power of God, what is called the Great Power.” 11 And they looked up to him because he had for a considerable time been surprising them with his magic tricks. 12 But when they believed Philip as he brought them word of the Reign of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they had themselves baptized, both men and women. 13 And Simon himself also believed, and, having had himself baptized, was a constant attendant at Philip’s preaching, and was surprised at seeing great tokens and miracles done.

14 And the apostles at Jerusalem, hearing that Samaria had accepted the word of God, sent Peter and John to them; 15 and they came down and prayed for them that they might receive Holy Spirit 16 (for it had not yet fallen on any of them, and they only had their baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received Holy Spirit.

18* And Simon, seeing that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them a fee, 19 saying “Give me too this faculty, that anyone I lay my hands on may receive Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him “Your money go to destruction, and you with it, because you supposed you would get God’s gift with a fee. 21 You have no portion nor lot in this matter; for your heart is not straightforward before God. 22 So repent of this viciousness of yours, and pray the Lord and see if you may be forgiven the idea you conceived; 23 for I see you are in the gall of bitterness and the tie of wrongness.” 24 And Simon answered “Pray to the Lord for me, you, that there may not come upon me any of the things you have said.”

25 So they, having given their testimony and spoken the word of the Lord, turned back to Jerusalem, and gave the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. 26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying “Up, go southward to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza; that is desert”; 27 and he stood up and went. And along came an Ethiopian, a powerful eunuch of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, her treasurer-general, who had been up to Jerusalem to do reverence; 28 and he was on his way back, riding in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

29 And the Spirit said to Philip “Make up to that chariot and join it”; 30 and Philip ran up, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said “Do you get the meaning of what you are reading?” 31 and he said “Why, how could I, unless somebody puts me on the track?” and he invited Philip to get in and ride with him.

32 And the matter of the text he was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to slaughtering; and like a lamb mute before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his lowly condition his judgment was taken away; and of his generation who shall tell the story? because his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch answered Philip “Please, about whom is the prophet saying this? about himself or about somebody else?” 35 And Philip opened his mouth and started from this text and told him the gospel of Jesus.

36 And as they were going along the road they came to a bit of water, and the eunuch said “Here is water; what hinders my being baptized?” 37* —— 38 And he gave orders for the chariot to halt, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 But when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw no more of him, for he went joyously on his way.

40* But Philip turned up at Ashdod; and as he went along he brought the gospel to all the cities till he came to Cesarea.

9 But Saul, still breathing threat and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that he might bring to Jerusalem in fetters whomever he found to be followers of the Path, both men and women.

3 And as he went on his way he came to be nearing Damascus, when all of a sudden a light flashed round him from the sky, 4 and he fell on the ground and heard a voice say to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said “Who are you, sir?” And he said “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 And his traveling-companions stood speechless, hearing the voice but not seeing anybody.

23 But when several days had elapsed, the Jews plotted to take his life; 24 but their plot became known to Saul. And they also watched the gates day and night in order to take his life; 25 but his disciples took him and got him down through the wall by night, lowering him in a basket. 26 And he arrived in Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and told them the story of how he had seen the Lord on the road, and his having spoken to him, and how he had spoken out in the name of Jesus at Damascus; 28 and he was with them going in and out of Jerusalem, speaking out in the Lord’s name. 29 And he talked and debated with the Greek-speaking Jews; but they undertook to take his life; 30 and the brothers, becoming cognizant of it, took him down to Cesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31* So the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria was left in peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord, and it multiplied by the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

32* And it so befell that as Peter went along through all parts of the community, among the rest he came down to the people of God at Lydda. 33 And he found there a certain man, Eneas by name, who had been lying abed for eight years, being paralyzed. 34* And Peter said to him “Eneas, Jesus Christ cures you; get up and make your bed”; and at once he got up. 35 And all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him; who turned back to the Lord.

36 And in Joppa there was a certain disciple, Tabitha by name, which is to say in English “Gazelle”; she was full of actions of kindness and charity that she used to do. 37 And it happened in those days that she fell sick and died; and they washed her and laid her in an upper room; 38 and, as Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the appeal “Do not fail to come right on to us.” 39 And Peter rose and went with them; and when he arrived they took him up to the room, and all the widows presented themselves to him weeping and pointing to their dresses and cloaks that the Gazelle made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put everybody out and knelt down and prayed, and turned around to the body and said “Tabitha, stand up.” And she opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her to her feet; and he called the members of the church and the widows, and presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.

43 And it befell that he stayed at Joppa several days with one Simon, a tanner.

10 And a certain man at Cesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what is known as the Italian cohort, 2 a pious man and one who feared God with all his family, doing many acts of charity to the people and praying to God continually, 3 saw in a vision distinctly, at about three o’clock in the afternoon, an angel of God come in to him and say to him “Cornelius!” 4 And he, terror-struck as he fixed his eyes on him, said “What is it, sir?” And he said to him “Your prayers and charities have gone up for a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa after a certain Simon, who is also named Peter; 6 he is a guest of a certain Simon, a tanner, who has his house by the seaside.”

7 And when the angel that spoke to him went away, he called two of the domestics and a pious soldier, one of those who were constantly in his company, 8 and gave them an account of the whole event and sent them to Joppa.

9 And on the following day, as they were on their way and were nearing the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray at twelve o’clock. 10 And he grew hungry and wanted a bite; but while they were getting it ready he fell into a trance 11 and saw the sky opened and a thing like a great sheet coming down, being let down on the earth by four corners, 12 with all the different quadrupeds and reptiles and birds of the air in it. 13 And there came a voice speaking to him, “Up, Peter, kill and eat.” 14 And Peter said “No, no, sir, I have never eaten anything vile or unclean.” 15 And again there was a voice speaking to him a second time; “What God has made clean do not you make vile.” 16 And this happened three times, and at once the thing was taken up into the sky.

17 And as Peter was at a loss to know what the vision he had seen might be, the men sent from Cornelius made their appearance at the porch, having got themselves directed to Simon’s house, 18 and called out to inquire whether Simon, also named Peter, was a guest there. 19 And while Peter was thinking the vision over, the Spirit said “Here are men looking for you; 20 but rise and come down and go with them without any doubting, because it was I that sent them.” 21 And Peter came down to the men and said “Here, I am the one you are looking for: what is the occasion you are here about?” 22 And they said “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, vouched for by all the nation of the Jews, had it revealed to him by a holy angel that he should send for you to his house and hear words from you.”

23 So he invited them in and made them his guests. But on the following day he went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. 24 And on the following day he came into Cesarea; and Cornelius was awaiting them, having called together his relatives and intimate friends.

25 And when it came to Peter’s going in, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet and did reverence. 26 But Peter made him rise, saying “Stand up: I am a man myself.” 27 And he went in conversing with him, and found a great many come together, 28 and said to them “You know yourselves it is an impropriety for a Jew to fraternize with an alien or make a call on him. And God has shown me I am not to call any man vile or unclean; 29 for which very reason I came without making any objection when I was sent for. So I inquire for what reason you sent for me.”

30 And Cornelius said “Four days ago, to an hour, I was offering the three o’clock prayer in my house, and there before me stood a man in splendid vesture 31 and said ‘Cornelius, your prayer is heard and your charities are remembered before God; 32 so send to Joppa and have Simon who is also named Peter come; he is a guest of Simon a tanner, by the seaside’; 33* so I sent to you instantly, and you did well to come. So now we are all present before God to hear everything that you are directed to say by the Lord.”

34 And Peter opened his mouth and said “I perceive to a certainty that God is not partial, 35 but in every nation he who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him. 36 The word he sent to the sons of Israel bringing the news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all— 37 you know, the thing that took place all over Palestine, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John preached, 38 Jesus from Nazareth, how God anointed him with Holy Spirit and power; who went along doing good and healing all who were tyrannized over by the Devil, because God was with him 39 (and we are witnesses to everything that he did both in the countryside of the Jews and in Jerusalem); which same Jesus they put to death by hanging him on a tree. 40 Him God raised on the third day, and had him show himself, 41 not to all the people but to the witnesses preappointed by God, us who ate and drank with him after his rising from the dead, 42 and instructed us to proclaim to the people and to attest that this is the God-ordained judge of living and dead. 43 To him all the prophets testify that everyone who believes in him is to receive pardon of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the discourse; 45 and the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were surprised that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the foreigners too, 46 for they heard them speak languages and magnify God. Then Peter answered 47 “Can anyone bar the water, that these who have received the Holy Spirit the same as we did should not be baptized?” 48 And he directed that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay some days.

11* And the apostles, and the Palestinian brothers, heard that the foreigners too had received the word of God.

2 But when Peter came up to Jerusalem, the circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying “You went in where men with uncircumcised bodies were and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began and stated the case to them in detail, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa, praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, a thing coming down, like a great sheet being let down by four corners out of the sky, and it came clear down to me. 6 I fixed my eyes on it and looked, and saw the different quadrupeds, the wild beasts, the reptiles, the birds of the air. 7 And I also heard a voice say to me ‘Up, Peter, kill and eat.’ 8 And I said ‘No, no, sir, because a thing vile or unclean has never gone into my mouth.’ 9 And a second time a voice out of the sky answered ‘What God has made clean do not you make vile.’ 10 And this happened three times, and it was all of it drawn up into the sky again.

11* “And instantly three men made their appearance standing outside the house I was in, sent from Cesarea to me. 12 And the Spirit told me to go along with them without making any difference. And these six brothers too went with me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel take its stand in his house and say ‘Send to Joppa for Simon, also named Peter, 14 who will speak words to you by which you and all your family shall be saved.’

15 “And as I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell on them just the same as it had on us at first. 16 And I remembered the Lord’s word, how he said ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in Holy Spirit.’ 17** So if God gave them the same gift equally with us when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to claim to veto God?”

18 At hearing this they let the matter drop, and glorified God, saying “Then God has given the foreigners too repentance into life.”

19 So those who dispersed at the distress that arose over Stephen went along as far as Phenicia and Cyprus and Antioch speaking the word to nobody but Jews alone; 20 but there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they came to Antioch, spoke also to the Greek-speaking population, announcing the gospel of the Lord Jesus; 21 and the Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord.

22 And word about them came to the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch; 23* and when he arrived and saw the grace of God he was glad, and exhorted them all to stick to their hearts’ purpose in the Lord, 24* because he was a good man and full of Holy Spirit and of faith; and a considerable number joined the Lord. 25 And he went out to Tarsus to look up Saul, 26** and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass that they met with the church through a whole year, and taught a considerable crowd; and that in Antioch the disciples first came to be styled Christians.

27 And meanwhile prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch; 28 and one of them, Agabus by name, stood up and gave an indication by the Spirit that there was to be a great famine all over the world of men; which there was in Claudius’s time. 29 And the converts, as one and another of them could afford, each set a sum apart to send for relief to the brothers that lived in Palestine; 30 and so they did, sending to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

12 And at that time Herod the king lifted his hand to maltreat some of the representatives of the church. 2* And he put to death James the brother of John by the sword; 3 and, seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews, he went on to arrest Peter too (it was in the matzoth days), 4 and did capture him and put him in prison, committing him to four fours of soldiers to guard, meaning to bring him up to the people after the passover.

5 So Peter was being kept in the prison; but prayer was being ardently made to God for him by the church. 6 But when Herod was going to produce him, that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, chained with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching the prison; 7 and lo, an angel of the Lord made his appearance, and a light shone in the room. And he struck Peter on the side and waked him, saying, “Stand up quick”; and his chains dropped off from his hands. 8 And the angel said to him “Tie your belt and put on your sandals”; and he did so. And he said to him “Put on your cloak and follow me”; 9* and he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was being done through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10* And they passed a first watch and a second and came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of itself, and they went out and went one block, and at once the angel was gone from him. 11* And Peter, coming to himself, said “Now I know certainly that the Lord has sent out his angel and rescued me from Herod’s hands and all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

12 And when he realized the situation he came to the house of Mary the mother of John also named Mark, where a number had collected and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the porch door a girl named Rhoda came to the door to answer the knock, 14 and, recognizing Peter’s voice, in her gladness she did not open the porch but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the porch. 15 And they said to her “You are crazy”; but she insisted it was so; and they said “It is his angel.” 16 But Peter kept on knocking; and they opened and, to their surprise, saw him. 17 And he held up his hand to them for silence, and told them the story of how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, and said “Tell this to James and the brothers.” And he went out and off to another place.

18 And when day came there was no little to-do among the soldiers to know what had become of Peter. 19 And Herod hunted for him, did not find him, examined the guards and ordered them executed, and went down from Judea to Cesarea and spent a while there.

20 And he was in a bitter quarrel with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and they had come to him unitedly and had got the influence of the king’s chamberlain Blastus and were asking for peace because their country depended on the king’s country for food, 21 and on a set day Herod had put on royal attire and taken his seat on the judgment-bench and was making a speech to them, 22 and the people were cheering and shouting “A god’s voice and not a man’s,” 23 and immediately an angel of the Lord struck him for his not having given God the glory, and he expired after he had come to being eaten up by maggots. 24 But the word of the Lord grew and gained ground.

25 And Barnabas and Saul, having completed the distribution of the relief at Jerusalem, returned, taking along with them John also named Mark.

13 And at Antioch, in the church that they had there, there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas and Symeon known as Niger and Lucius the Cyrenean, and Manahen a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 And while they were holding divine services and fasting, the Holy Spirit said “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for the work I have called them to.” 3 Then they fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them and sent them off.

4 So, with the Holy Spirit setting them on their way, they came down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus; 5 and when they got to Salamis they announced the word of God in the Jews’ synagogues. And they also had John as their attendant.

6 And when they had come through the island clear to Paphos, they found a certain Jew magician and pretended prophet whose name was Bar-Jesu, 7 who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of sense. The latter sent for Barnabas and Saul and requested to hear the word of God; 8* but Elymas the conjuror (for this is the translation of his name) opposed them, trying to twist the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, also named Paul, filled with Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on him 10 and said “O you man full of all trickery and unscrupulousness, son of the Devil, enemy of all honesty, will you never stop twisting the Lord’s straight paths? 11 now, lo, the Lord’s hand is on you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun, for a time.” And immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went around looking for anybody to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul, seeing what had taken place, believed, being astonished over the teaching of the Lord.

13 And, sailing from Paphos, Paul and his company came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John parted company with them and returned to Jerusalem; 14 but they, going through from Perga, arrived at the Pisidian Antioch, and went to the synagogue on the sabbath day and took seats. 15 And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets the directors of the synagogue sent word to them “Brethren, if you have in you any words of exhortation to the people, speak.”

16 And Paul stood up and beckoned for attention, and said “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17* The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and raised the people high during its immigrant life in Egypt, and brought them out of it with a high arm, and, 18** when for a term of forty years he had borne with them in the wilderness, 19 demolished seven nations in Canaan and allotted their land to his people. 20* And for about four hundred and fifty years he gave judges down to Samuel the prophet. 21 And next they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man out of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years, 22 and, removing him, raised up David for their king, the same to whom he testified in the words ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man to my mind, who will do all my will.’

23 “From this man’s progeny, in accordance with promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, 24 when in advance of his advent John had proclaimed baptism for repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was rounding out his career he said ‘What do you suppose I am? I am not the one, but here is coming after me he whose shoes I am not worthy to take off.’

26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s line and those of you who fear God, it is to us the words of this salvation are sent out. 27** For the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and its rulers, being ignorant of this and of the utterances of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled these in the judgment they passed, 28 and, not having found any grounds for putting him to death, asked Pilate that be might be executed. 29 And when they had accomplished everything that was written about him they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30* But God raised him from the dead: 31 he appeared during a good many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.

32 “And we are bringing you word of the promise made to the fathers, 33** that God has fulfilled this to us their children in raising Jesus, as it is written in the first psalm ‘My son art thou, I myself have today given you birth.’ 34 And because he raised him up from the dead, never again to return to decay, he has said thus: ‘I will give you David’s faithful godly meed’— 35* because he also says in another psalm ‘Thou wilt not give thy godly one to see decay.’ 36 For David, after having in his generation served God’s will, went to rest and joined his fathers and saw decay; 37 but he whom God raised did not see decay.

38 “So be it known to you, brethren, that through him pardon of sins is announced to you, 39 and in him everyone who believes is justified from everything that you could not be justified from in Moses’s law. 40 So look out that what is said in the prophets does not come upon you, 41 ‘See, you despisers, and wonder, and fade away; for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed that you will not believe if one recounts it to you.’”

42 And as they were going out they requested that they might have these words spoken to them for the ensuing sabbath; 43 and when the meeting broke up many of the Jews and of the religious-minded proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them prompting them to keep in touch with God’s grace.

44* And on the following sabbath well-nigh all the city met to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But the Jews, seeing the crowds, were seized with jealousy and contradicted with blasphemies what Paul was saying. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out squarely and said “It was necessary that the word of God must be spoken first to you; since you rebuff it and vote yourselves not worthy of the eternal life, here we turn to the foreign nations; 47 for so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have set you for a light of nations, to have you be a salvation out to the remotest part of the earth.’” 48 And the foreigners were glad to hear it and glorified the word of God, and as many as were candidates for eternal life believed; 49 and the word of the Lord was broadcasted throughout the region.

50 But the Jews egged on the respectable religious women and the leading men of the city and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and they put them out of their territory. 51 But they shook out the dust from their feet against them and came to Iconium; 52 and the converts were filled with joy and Holy Spirit.

14 And at Iconium in the same way they went into the Jews’ synagogue and so spoke that both of Jews and Greeks a great multitude believed. 2 But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and prejudiced the foreigners’ minds against the brothers.

3 So they spent a considerable time there speaking out on the Lord who attested his word of grace by giving tokens and wonders to be done through their agency. 4 But the populace of the city took sides, and some were with the Jews and some with the apostles.

5 And when there was a movement of both the heathens and the Jews, with their official heads, to mob them and stone them, 6 they, realizing the situation, took refuge in the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe and the region around them, 7 and were preaching the gospel there. 8 And in Lystra there was sitting a certain cripple who had come lame out of his mother’s body and had never walked. 9 He was hearing Paul speaking; and he, fixing his eyes on him and seeing that he had faith to be made sound, 10 said in a loud voice “Stand up straight on your feet”; and he jumped and walked.

11 And the crowds, seeing what Paul did, raised their voices in Lycaonian, saying “The gods have taken the form of men and come down to us”; 12 and they called Barnabas “Jupiter,” and Paul “Mercury” since it was he who took the lead in speaking. 13* And the priest of the temple of Jupiter in front of the city brought bulls and garlands to the gates with the crowds and proposed to sacrifice. 14 But the apostles Barnabas and Paul, hearing of it, tore their clothes and sprang out among the crowd crying out 15 “Gentlemen, why are you doing this? we too are men with the same limitations as yourselves, who are bringing you word to turn about from these futilities to the living God who made the skies and the earth and the sea and everything in them; 16 who in the bygone generations allowed all the nations to go their own ways— 17 and yet he did not leave himself unattested, doing good, giving you rains out of the sky and fruit-times, filling your hearts with food and cheeriness.” 18 And with saying this they barely succeeded in stopping the crowds from sacrificing to them.

19 But Jews from Antioch and Iconium came in and got the crowds on their side and stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, supposing he was dead. 20 But while the converts encircled him he stood up and went into the city; and on the following day he went out to Derbe with Barnabas, 21 and after giving the gospel to that city and making a number of converts they returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch, 22 fortifying the converts’ souls, admonishing them to persist in faith and that it must be through many distresses that we come into the Reign of God.

23 And, after appointing elders for them city by city, they prayed with fastings and entrusted them to the Lord on whom they had believed, 24 and, passing through Pisidia, came to Pamphylia, 25 and spoke the word at Perga and came down to Attalia, 26 and from there sailed away to Antioch, the place from which they had been committed to God’s grace for the work they had achieved. 27 And, arriving there and bringing together the church, they reported what things God had done in connection with their work, and that he had opened a door of faith to the foreigners. 28 And they spent not a little time with the converts.

15 And certain persons came down from Judea and taught the brothers “If you are not circumcised by the Mosaic rite you cannot be saved.” 2* And when Paul and Barnabas had had not a little contradiction and argument with these, the brothers settled it that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

3 So they, having been seen off by the church going with them out of the city, passed through Phenicia and Samaria recounting the turning of the foreigners, and caused great gladness to all the brothers. 4 And when they arrived in Jerusalem they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and reported what things God had done in connection with their work. 5 But some of the Pharisee party who had believed stood up and said it was necessary to circumcise them and instruct them to keep the law of Moses.

6 And the apostles and the elders met to see about this point. 7 And after there had been much argument Peter stood up and said to them “Brothers, you are aware that back in the earliest days God made among you the choice that it should be by my mouth that the foreigners should hear the word of the gospel and believe; 8 and the heart-discerning God vouched for them by giving the Holy Spirit the same as he did to us, 9 and made no difference between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 So now why are you putting God on trial, in laying on the converts’ necks a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to carry? 11 but we believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way as they.”

12 And the whole body became silent, and listened to Barnabas and Paul giving their account of what tokens and wonders God had done among the foreigners through them. 13 But after they had become silent James answered “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Symeon has given the account of how God first deigned to take out of the foreigners a people for his name. 15 And the words of the prophets are in harmony with this, as it is written 16 ‘After this I will turn back and rebuild David’s fallen booth, and rebuild its ruins and reerect it, 17 so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the nations that have been declared mine, says the Lord,’ making these things 18 known from of old. 19 Consequently I move that we do not interfere with those who from the nations are turning to God, 20* but send them a note to abstain from idol-contaminations and unchastity and blood. 21 For Moses has from the earliest generations had his preachers city by city, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.”

22 Then it was resolved by the apostles and the elders, with all the church, to choose and send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas men out of their own number, Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas,—leading men among the brothers,— 23 writing by them “The apostles and the senior brothers to the brothers of foreign nationality in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting. 24 Since we have heard that some of us have disturbed you by unsettling your minds with things they said, to whom we had given no commission, 25 we have unanimously resolved to choose men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have forgone their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 So we have sent Judas and Silas to make this same report themselves by word of mouth. 28 For it has been resolved by the Holy Spirit and by us not to impose on you any more of a burden than these essentials, 29** to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from unchastity; from which things keeping clear, you will be doing well. Our best wishes to you.”

30 So they were dismissed and came down to Antioch, and called a mass-meeting and handed over the letter; 31 and they read it and rejoiced at the encouragement, 32 and Judas and Silas, being prophets themselves, exhorted the brothers at length and fortified them; 33 and after spending some time they were courteously dismissed by the brothers to those who had sent them. 34 —— 35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed on at Antioch teaching and circulating the word of the Lord, with many others besides.

36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas “Let us go back and visit the brothers at each of the cities in which we announced the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.” 37 And Barnabas wished to take along also John known as Mark, 38 but Paul claimed that the one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and not come to the work with them should not be taken along; 39 and such irritation ensued that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark along and sailed for Cyprus.

40 But Paul picked out Silas and went out with the brothers commending him to the Lord’s grace.

41 And he passed through Syria and Cilicia fortifying the churches.

16* And in visiting the various places he reached Derbe and Lystra, and found that there was a convert there named Timothy, son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but of a Greek father, 2 and that he was vouched for by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to go out with him, and took him and circumcised him because of the Jews thereabouts, for they one and all knew he had a Greek for his father.

4 And as they went on through the cities they passed word to them to live up to the resolutions voted by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches grew solid in faith and plentiful in number day by day.

6 And they went through the Phrygian-Galatian country, being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in the province of Asia, 7 and came up to Mysia and tried to take a course into Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them; 8 and they went past Mysia and down to Troas. 9 And in the night a vision appeared to Paul: some Macedonian man was standing and appealing to him and saying “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when he had seen the vision, at once we made efforts to get out to Macedonia, inferring that God had invited us to bring the gospel to them.

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a straight run to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12* and from there to Philippi, which is the first city in its quarter of Macedonia, a Roman colony. And we were staying on in that city for some days; 13* and on the sabbath day we went outside the city by the river, where we understood there was a prayer-meeting, and sat down and talked to the women that came together. 14 And there was a certain woman named Lydia listening, a dealer in Turkey-red cloth from the city of Thyatira, a religious-minded person, whose heart the Lord opened to mark what Paul was saying. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized she invited us to stay with her, saying “If you have judged me to be a loyal believer in the Lord, come to my house and stay,” and would not take no for an answer.

16 And it befell that as we were on our way to the prayer-meeting we met with a certain slave-girl that had an oracular spirit, who did a great business for her owners as a clairvoyant. 17 She followed after Paul and us shouting “These men are servants of the highest god who announce to you a road to salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, being nettled, turned round and said to the spirit “I enjoin you by the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her”; and out it came that very moment.

19 But her owners, seeing that their prospect of business was out, took Paul and Silas and dragged them to the marketplace where the magistrates were, 20 and brought them to the praetors and said “These men are agitating our city, when they are Jews, 21 and promulgating usages which we have not the right to accept or practice, being Romans”; 22 and the crowd struck in against them; and the praetors, tearing off their clothes, ordered them beaten, 23 and, after laying on many blows of the rods, threw them into prison, enjoining the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Receiving such a charge, he threw them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25 But at midnight Paul and Silas in prayer were singing a hymn to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake so that the foundations of the lockup were shaken, and the doors all swung open, and everybody’s fetters were loosened. 27 And the jailer, coming awake and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was going to take his own life, believing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out loudly “Don’t do yourself any harm, for we are every one here.” 29 And he asked for lights and sprang in, and, trembling all over, threw himself down before Paul and Silas 30 and took them outside in front and said “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your family”; 32* and they spoke the word of God to him with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them with him at that hour in the night and washed the blood off from the welts and was baptized immediately, he and everyone who belonged to him, 34 and brought them up to his house and set a table for them, and jubilated with all his family over having put his faith in God.

35 And when day came the praetors sent the lictors with the word “Let those men go.” 36* And the jailer reported the words to Paul: “The praetors have sent to let you go; so now go out and go on your way.” 37 But Paul said “They beat us publicly without a sentence and threw us into prison, when we were Roman nationals, and now they are turning us out privately! I should say not! let them come themselves and fetch us out.” 38 And the lictors reported these words to the praetors; and they were afraid at hearing that they were Romans, 39 and came and apologized to them and fetched them out and requested them to go away from the city. 40 And they came out of the prison and went to Lydia’s, and saw the brothers and exhorted them, and went out.

17 And they went through Amphipolis and Apollonia without stopping and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And, in accordance with Paul’s practice, he went in to them and for three sabbaths argued with them out of the scriptures, 3 elucidating and quoting that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead, and that “this Jesus whom I am announcing to you” is the Messiah. 4 And some of them believed it and associated themselves with Paul and Silas, and of the religious-minded Greeks a great number, and of the foremost women not a few.

5 But the Jews, growing jealous and enlisting some bad characters among the men about the marketplace and raising a mob, threw the city into an uproar and came in front of Jason’s house and proposed to bring them up before the people; 6 but, not finding them, they dragged Jason and some brothers off to the politarchs, clamoring “These who have driven wild the world of men have got here too; 7 Jason has taken them in; and all these are acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees by saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And they alarmed the crowd and the politarchs with the hearing of this, 9 and they took security from Jason and the rest and dismissed them. 10* And the brothers at once sent Paul and Silas off in the night to Berea, where as soon as they arrived they went to the synagogue of the Jews. 11 And these were a better stock than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with the utmost eagerness, examining the Scriptures day by day as to whether these things were so.

12 So a great many of them believed, and of the respectable Greek women too, and of men, not a few. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been announced by Paul at Berea too, they came even there, stirring up and alarming the crowds. 14* And then the brothers at once sent Paul out to get to the sea, while both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in the place. 15 And those who were escorting Paul took him on to Athens, and received an order to Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible and went out.

16 And while Paul was waiting for them at Athens his spirit was provoked in him as he saw the city swarming with idols. 17 So he talked it over in the synagogue with the Jews and religious-minded people, and in the marketplace day after day with those who happened to be present. 18 And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him, and some said “What is this phrasemonger trying to say?” and others “He seems to be a propagandist for foreign divinities,” because he was preaching the gospel of Jesus and Resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him before the Areopagus, saying “May we know what this new teaching voiced by you is? 20 for you are bringing some surprising things to our ears, so we should like to know what it is all driving at.” 21* Now all the Athenians, and the foreigners who resided there, took every occasion to say or to hear something novel.

22 And Paul took his stand in the middle of the Areopagus and said “Men of Athens, every way I see you are great reverers of unseen powers. 23 For in passing along and observing the objects of your worship I found among the rest an altar inscribed “To Unknown God.” So it is of what you adore unknowing that I am bringing you information. 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, does not, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, reside in man-made temples, 25 nor is tended by human hands for any want of his, when it is he who gave everybody life and breath and everything. 26 And he made out of one every nation of men to live all over the face of the earth, ordaining prescribed epochs and the limitations of their residence, 27 to have them seek for God if so be they might touch him in their groping and find him—as indeed he is not far from each one of us,

29 So, seeing we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think divinity is similar to gold or silver or stone sculptured by human art and conception.

30 “Therefore God, overlooking the times of ignorance, at present notifies men that everybody everywhere is to repent, 31 inasmuch as he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world of men with justice by a man whom he has designated and has certified to all by raising him from the dead;—”

32 But at hearing of resurrection of the dead some jeered and others said “We will give you another hearing about this.” 33 With that Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men adhered to him and believed, among them Dionysius an Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

18 After this he left Athens and came to Corinth; 2 and, finding a certain Jew named Aquila, a Pontus man by family, who had just come from Italy, he and his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had prescribed that all the Jews should leave Rome, he went to them, 3** and, because he was of the same trade, stayed with them and worked; for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he argued in the synagogue sabbath after sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks. 5 But when Silas and Timothy had come down from Macedonia Paul was under a pressure in his speaking, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But as they took a hostile attitude and blasphemed he shook out his clothes and said to them “Your blood be on your own heads; I am clean; from now on I will go to the foreigners”; 7 and he moved from there and came into the house of one Titius Justus, a religious-minded man, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 But Crispus the director of the synagogue believed the Lord with his whole family, and many of the Corinthians, hearing of it, believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision “Do not be afraid, but speak and never be silent, 10 because I am with you and nobody shall fall foul of you to do you harm, because I have a numerous people in this city.” 11 And he kept on there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaea the Jews came down on Paul in a body and led him before the bench, 13 saying “This man is influencing people to adore God contrary to the law.” 14* But as Paul was about to open his mouth Gallio said to the Jews “Now, Jews, if it were an injustice or an unscrupulous meanness, I would bear with you as reason would require; 15 but if it is questions about language and names and your law, you will see to it yourselves: I do not care to be a judge of these things”; 16 and he drove them away from the bench. 17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes the director of the synagogue and thrashed him in front of the bench; and Gallio did not concern himself about any of this.

18 But Paul, after staying on with the brothers several days longer, bade them farewell and sailed for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, shearing his head at Cenchreae (for he had a vow). 19 And they reached Ephesus, and he left those two there; and he himself went into the synagogue and argued with the Jews, 20 but when they requested him to make a longer stay he would not consent, 21 but, bidding them farewell and saying “I will come back to you again, God willing,” set sail from Ephesus, 22 and, landing at Cesarea, went up and greeted the church and went down to Antioch; 23 and after spending some time there he went out going through the Phrygian-Galatian country, bracing up all the converts.

24 But a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by family, an eloquent man, made his appearance in Ephesus, showing himself strong in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been indoctrinated in the Lord’s path, and, being enthusiastic, he was talking and teaching the particulars about Jesus while he knew only John’s baptism; 26* and this man began to speak out in the synagogue. But Priscilla and Aquila, having heard him, took him home and stated God’s path to him more particularly. 27 And when he was desirous to go over to Achaea the brothers encouraged him to, and wrote to the converts to welcome him; and on his arrival he powerfully reinforced those who had believed through grace, 28 for he energetically argued the Jews down in public, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

19 And it befell while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having gone through the highland parts, came to Ephesus and found some converts, 2 and said to them “Did you receive Holy Spirit when you believed?” but they said to him “Why, we did not even hear of there being any Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said “Then what were you baptized into?” and they said “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said “John administered a baptism for repentance, telling the people that they were to believe in him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 And upon hearing it they had themselves baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; 6 and upon Paul’s laying his hands on them the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke languages and prophesied. 7 And there were in all about twelve men of them.

8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke out for three months, arguing and pressing home the truth about the Reign of God. 9 But when some hardened up and disbelieved, saying abusive things about the movement before the populace, he parted company with them and separated the converts, arguing day by day in Tyrannus’s school. 10 And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

11 And God did extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12* even to the extent that handkerchiefs or aprons from his body were carried to the sick and they were freed from their diseases and the evil spirits came out. 13 And some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also undertook to name the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this; 15 but the evil spirit answered them “I know Jesus and I understand about Paul, but who are you?” 16 and the man with the evil spirit in him jumped at them and mastered them all and manhandled them so that they got away out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all of both Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus stood high, 18 and many of those who had believed came confessing and reporting their practices. 19* And several of those who had practiced supernatural methods brought their books together and burned them up in sight of everybody; and they added up the prices of them and found it made fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 Thus with the Lord’s might the word grew and succeeded.

21 And when these things had run their course Paul made up his mind to go through Macedonia and Achaea to Jerusalem, saying “After I have been there I must see Rome too.” 22 And he sent to Macedonia two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, but himself waited a while in the province of Asia.

23 And at that time there came no little to-do about the movement. 24 For one Demetrius, a silversmith making silver Artemis-temples, furnished not a little business to the artists; 25 and, collecting these and the workmen in such lines, he said “Gentlemen, you know it is out of this business we have our prosperity; 26 and you see and hear that not only of Ephesus but of well-nigh all the province of Asia this Paul has persuaded a great lot of people to shift their ground with his talk that what are made by hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that we shall have this department go out of demand but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be thought nothing of, and that she will be brought down from her grandeur, she whom all Asia and the world of men adore.” 28* And, hearing this and getting into a rage, they went to screaming “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 and the city was filled with the turmoil, and they rushed to the theater like one man, carrying off with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were traveling-companions of Paul. 30 And when Paul wished to go in before the people the converts would not allow him to; 31 and some of the Asiarchs too, being friendly to him, sent to him and appealed to him not to venture into the theater.

32 So some screamed one thing and some another, for the meeting was in a turmoil and the majority did not know on what account they had come together. 33* And out of the crowd they put up Alexander, the Jews making him their spokesman; and Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make a defense to the people. 34** But at recognizing that he was a Jew there came one voice from everybody, all screaming for about two hours “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35* But the city clerk quieted the crowd down and said “Why, men of Ephesus, who of all mankind is there that does not know the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of great Artemis and of what fell from Jupiter? 36 so, this being indisputable, it is our business to keep cool and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men who have not been either stealing from the temple or blaspheming our goddess. 38* So if Demetrius and the artists who are with him have a case against anybody, the courts sit, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against each other. 39 But if you are after anything that goes farther, it shall be settled at the regular meeting— 40 for we are in danger of being charged with revolutionism as to today’s, there being no cause, as to which we shall not be able to give an account as to this concourse.” 41 And with this he dismissed the meeting.

20 And after the disturbance had stopped Paul sent for the converts and exhorted them, and bade them farewell and went out to go to Macedonia. 2 And, having gone through those parts and given them much exhortation, he came to Greece 3 and spent three months, and, when a plot was laid against him by the Jews as he was going to embark for Syria, made up his mind to go back through Macedonia. 4 And there were accompanying him Sopater son of Pyrrhus, a Berean, and of the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius a Derbean and Timothy, and out of the province of Asia Tychicus and Trophimus; 5 and these had come and were waiting for us at Troas. 6 And we sailed from Philippi after the Matzoth days, and came to them at Troas by five days, where we stayed on for seven days.

7 And on the first day of the week, when we had met to break bread, Paul was arguing with them, as he was going off next day, and ran on till midnight. 8 And there were several torches in the upper room where we had met; 9** and a certain young man named Eutychus, sitting in the window, being overcome with deep sleep as Paul kept on arguing, got so overcome by sleep that he fell from the third story clear down and was taken up dead. 10* But Paul went down and prostrated himself on him and embraced him and said “Do not get excited, there is life in him.” 11 And he went up and broke the bread and partook of it and conversed a good while till daybreak, and so went out. 12 And they brought the boy alive and were comforted not a little.

36 And, having said this, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was a good deal of weeping by everybody, and they threw themselves on Paul’s neck and kept kissing him, 38 pained most of all at the word he had spoken, that they were to see no more of his face. And they accompanied him down to the ship.

21* And when we had torn ourselves away from them and set sail, we came in a straight run to Cos, and the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; and, 2 finding a ship going across to Phenicia, we embarked and set sail in it. 3 And after sighting Cyprus and leaving it on the left we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, for it was there that the ship was unloading her cargo. 4 And we hunted up the converts and stayed seven days there; which converts told Paul by the Spirit not to go on board for Jerusalem. 5 And when we had finished out the days we came out and went on our way, everybody going along to see us off, with their wives and children, till we got outside the city; and we knelt down on the beach and prayed 6 and bade each other farewell, and we went aboard the ship; and they returned to their own affairs.

7 And we, after making the passage by sea from Tyre, reached Ptolemais and greeted the brothers and stayed with them one day. 8 And the day after that we came out and came to Cesarea, and went to the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 This man had four maiden daughters who used to prophesy. 10 And while we were making a stay of several days a certain prophet out of Jerusalem named Agabus came down, 11 and came to us and took off Paul’s belt and tied his own feet and hands and said “Says the Holy Spirit, the Jews will so tie up at Jerusalem the man this belt belongs to, and hand him over to the foreigners.” 12 And when we heard this, both we and the people of the place appealed to him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13* Then Paul answered “What are you doing weeping and tearing my heart? for I am ready not only to be put in fetters but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And as he would not take the advice we dropped the matter, saying “The Lord’s will be done.”

15 And after those days we loaded up and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And with us came also some of the disciples from Cesarea, bringing the man at whose house we were to be entertained, one Mnason, a Cyprian, an original disciple. 17 And when we got to Jerusalem the brothers welcomed us with hearty pleasure. 18 And on the following day Paul went to James’s with us, and all the elders came in, 19 and he greeted them and gave accounts, one after another, of each of the things God had done among the foreigners by his agency.

20 And at hearing it they glorified God, and said to him “You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of those that have believed there are among the Jews, and they are all of them zealous for the law; 21* and they have had it dinned into their ears about you that you are teaching apostasy from Moses to all the Jews among the foreigners, saying they are not to circumcise their children nor go by the usages. 22* So what is the thing to do? they will be sure to hear you have come, 23* so do this that we tell you. There are four men of ours who have vows of their own; 24 take these with you and be purified with them and pay the expenses for them so they may shave their heads, and everybody will know that there is nothing in the propaganda, but you too shape your course to keep the law. 25* But about the foreigners that have believed we sent a letter deciding that they were to keep clear of what has been sacrificed to idols, and blood, and strangled meat, and unchastity.”

26 Then Paul took the men with him and on the next day was purified and went into the temple-precinct with them, advertising the completion of the days of purification until the offering for each one of them was made. 27 But as the seven days were about to come to an end the Jews from the province of Asia, espying him in the temple-precinct, threw all the crowd into turmoil and laid hands on him, 28 screaming “Men of Israel, help! this is the man that is teaching everybody everywhere against the people and the law and this place; and what is more, he has brought Greeks into the temple-precinct and defiled this sacred place” 29 (for they had already seen in the city with him Trophimus the Ephesian, whom they supposed Paul had brought into the temple-precinct), 30* and all the city was stirred up, and the people flocked together, and they got hold of Paul and dragged him outside the temple-precinct, and the door was shut at once; 31 and as they were trying to kill him, information that Jerusalem was all in a turmoil came up to the tribune of the cohort, 32 who instantly took soldiers and centurions and ran down on them; and they, seeing the tribune and the soldiers, left off beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came on and got hold of him and ordered him chained with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done; 34 and some in the crowd raised one cry and others something else. And, not being able to find out the facts because of the disturbance, he ordered him brought into the barracks.

35 But when he came on the stairs he got to being carried along by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mass of the people were coming along screaming “Get him out of the way”; 37* and as he was about to be taken into the barracks Paul said to the tribune “Is it allowable for me to say something to you?” And he said “You know Greek, do you? 38* then you are not the Egyptian that some time ago drove wild those four thousand men of the dagger gangs and led them out into the desert?” 39 But Paul said “I am a Jew, a man from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. And I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And, he having given permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned to the people. And when he got a good deal of silence he called to them in the Hebrew dialect

22 “Brethren and fathers, listen to what I now say to you in my defense.”

2 And at hearing him call to them in the Hebrew dialect they grew quieter. And he said

3 “I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia but brought up in this city, schooled at Gamaliel’s feet in the precise observance of our fathers’ law, originally a zealot for God such as you all of you are today, 4 who persecuted this movement to the death, putting both men and women in chains and committing them to prison, 5* as even the High Priest attests, and all the council of elders, from whom I also received letters to the brothers at Damascus and was on my way there to bring to Jerusalem in fetters to receive punishment those also who were there. 6 And it befell me as I was on my way and nearing Damascus that about noon, all of a sudden, a flood of light flashed round me out of the sky, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I said ‘Who are you, sir?’ and he said to me ‘I am Jesus, the Nazarene Jesus whom you are persecuting.’ 9 And those who were with me saw the display of light but did not hear the voice of the one that spoke to me. 10 And I said ‘What shall I do, sir?’ And the Lord said to me ‘Stand up and go to Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that is set for you to do.’ 11 And when from the glory of that light I was not able to see, I came into Damascus led by the hand by those who were with me. 12 But one Hananiah, a man conscientiously faithful to the law, vouched for by all the resident Jews, 13** came to me and stood over me and said to me ‘Brother Saul, look up’; and that moment I looked up at him. 14 And he said ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear a voice from his mouth, 15 because you shall be to all men his witness of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you put it off? stand up and be baptized and wash off your sins, invoking his name.’ 17 And when I was back in Jerusalem and was praying in the temple-precinct I had a trance 18 and saw him saying to me ‘Hurry out of Jerusalem right off, because they will not accept testimony of yours about me.’ 19 And I said ‘Lord, they know themselves I was imprisoning and beating in the different synagogues those who believed on thee; 20 and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was being shed I too was standing by and joined in approving it and guarded the cloaks of those who took his life.’ 21 And he said to me ‘Go, because I will send you far out to the foreigners.’—”

22 And they heard him up to that sentence, and raised their voices saying “Get a fellow like that off the earth, it is not right he should be alive.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air 24 the tribune ordered him taken into the barracks, telling them to have him examined with whips to ascertain the reason why they were making such an outcry against him. 25* But as they spread-eagled him for the lash Paul said to the posted centurion “Do you have the right to whip a Roman national without a sentence?” 26 And at hearing it the centurion came to the tribune and reported to him, saying “What are you proposing to do? this man is a Roman.” 27 And the tribune came to him and said to him “Say, are you a Roman?” And he said “Yes.” 28 And the tribune answered “I got that citizenship for a good-sized sum.” And Paul said “And I was born to it.” 29 So at once those who were going to examine him stood away from him. And the tribune too was afraid at realizing that it was a Roman and he had tied him up.

30* And on the next day, wishing to find out the facts as to what he was accused of by the Jews, he unfettered him, and gave the word for the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

23 And Paul, fixing his eyes on the Sanhedrin, said “Brethren, I have lived as God’s citizen with an all-around good conscience up to this day”— 2 but Hananiah the high priest ordered those who stood beside him to give him a cuff on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him “God will cuff you, you whitewashed wall: are you both sitting to judge me under the law and breaking the law by ordering me cuffed?” 4 And those who stood beside him said “Abusing God’s high priest, are you?” 5 And Paul said “I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written ‘To a ruler of your people you shall use no bad language.’”

6 But, finding out that the one part was of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, Paul cried out in the Sanhedrin “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; it is about the hope and resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And as he uttered this there arose an altercation of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the main body took sides. 8 For the Sadducees say there is no such thing as resurrection, nor angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge all these.

9 And there was a great deal of shouting, and some of the scribes on the Pharisee side stood up and were fighting the case, saying “We find nothing wrong with this man; and if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel—” 10 And, as there was coming to be a great deal of altercation, the tribune was afraid Paul would be torn in pieces by them, and gave the word for the troops to come down and snatch him out of their midst and bring him into the barracks.

11 And in the following night the Lord stood over him and said “Courage, for as you testified about me at Jerusalem so you must bear witness at Rome too.” 12 But when day came the Jews got a party together and laid an imprecation on themselves, saying they would neither eat nor drink till they killed Paul. 13 And it was more than forty that made this conspiracy; 14 they came to the chief priests and the elders and said “We have bound ourselves by an imprecation not to taste anything till we kill Paul. 15 So now apply to the tribune, you with the Sanhedrin, to bring him down to you with the idea that you are going to determine the facts about him more precisely, and we are ready to dispatch him before he comes near.” 16 But Paul’s sister’s son, hearing of the ambush, came on and went into the barracks and reported it to Paul. 17 And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him.”

18 So he took him along and brought him to the tribune and said “Prisoner Paul called me to him and requested me to bring this young man to you, who has something to speak to you of.” 19 And the tribune, taking him by the hand and withdrawing with him to be by themselves, inquired “What is it you have to report to me?” 20* And he said “The Jews have agreed to request that tomorrow you would bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin with the idea of inquiring more precisely about him. 21 So don’t you take their word for it; for more than forty men out of them are in ambush for him, who have laid an imprecation on themselves not to eat nor drink till they take his life, and they are ready now, watching for the notification from you.”

22 So the tribune dismissed the young man with the injunction “Don’t let it out to anybody that you gave me this information”; 23 and he called to him a certain two of the centurions and said “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go through to Cesarea, and seventy horsemen and two hundred chasseurs, by nine o’clock at night,” 24 and told them to furnish beasts on which to mount Paul and bring him safe to Governor Felix, 25 and wrote a letter of which this was the gist: 26 “To his excellency Governor Felix. Dear Sir: 27 This man having been seized by the Jews and being on the point of losing his life by them, I came on with the troops and rescued him, learning that he was a Roman, 28 and wishing to ascertain the offense with which they charged him I took him down to their Sanhedrin; 29 and I found him accused about questions of their law, but not having against him any charge to deserve death or imprisonment. 30 But, being notified that there would be a plot against the man, I instantly sent him to you, instructing the prosecutors also to say what they had to say of him before you. Respectfully, Claudius Lysias.”

31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their directions, took Paul up and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 And next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go off with him; 33 and they, coming into Cesarea and delivering the letter to the governor, presented Paul also to him. 34 And he read it and put the question what province he was from, and, learning that it was Cilicia, 35 said “I will give you a hearing when your prosecutors too arrive,” ordering him kept in custody in Herod’s praetorium.

24 And after five days Hananiah the high priest came down with certain elders and one Tertullus, an orator, who all presented charges against Paul to the governor; 2 and, he being called, Tertullus began to open for the prosecution, saying “Since we are enjoying thorough peace through you and reforms are being brought about in this nation by your statesmanship, 3 we welcome it in every way everywhere, your excellency, with all thankfulness. 4 But, not to inconvenience you with anything lengthy, I appeal to your good nature to listen to us concisely. 5 For, having found this man a pest and a starter of revolutionary movements among all the Jews throughout the world of men and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, 6 who even tried to desecrate the temple-precinct, and whom we seized, 7 —— 8 from whom you can by examining him ascertain about all this that we accuse him of—” 9 and the Jews too took part in the attack, asserting that those things were so.

10 And Paul, when the governor nodded to him to speak, answered “Knowing that you have for many years been judge of this nation, I speak on my own behalf with confidence, 11 as you can ascertain that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to do reverence, 12 and they did not find me arguing with anybody or drawing a crowd either in the temple-precinct or in the synagogues or about the city, 13 nor can they substantiate to you what they are now accusing me of. 14 But this I acknowledge to you, it is in the way of the movement they call a sect that I am worshiping our fathers’ God, believing all that the law includes and all that is written in the prophets, 15 having a hope in God, what these are themselves watching for, that there is to be a resurrection of both saints and guilty men. 16 With a view to this I keep in training to have a clear conscience myself on God’s side and on man’s continually. 17 And after an interval of several years I came on to present gifts of charity to my nation, and offerings; 18 in connection with which they found me in the temple-precinct purified, not with a crowd nor with a disturbance; but some Jews from Asia— 19 who ought to be appearing before you and prosecuting if they had anything to bring against me— 20 or let these themselves say what wrong-doing they found when I stood before the Sanhedrin 21 but about this one cry that I shouted as I stood among them ‘It is about the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’”

22 But Felix, knowing more precisely about the movement, postponed the case, saying “When Tribune Lysias comes down I will determine your affair” 23 and directing the centurion that he be in safekeeping and have things made easy for him, and not to interfere with any of his own set’s attending to his wants. 24 And after some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and listened to him about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he argued about honest living and self-restraint and the future judgment, Felix was terror-struck and answered “For now you may go, but when I get an opportunity I will send and have you come”—hoping, 26 at the same time, that he would be given money by Paul, for which reason he quite often sent for him and had conversations with him.

27 But when two years had elapsed Felix received a successor, Porcius Festus; and, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

25 So Festus, entering on his province, went up after three days from Cesarea to Jerusalem, 2 and the chief priests and the foremost of the Jews presented charges to him against Paul and appealed to him 3* to do them the favor of sending for him to Jerusalem; but they were laying an ambush to take his life on the way.

4 So Festus answered that Paul was being kept at Cesarea, and that he himself would soon be going out; “so,” said he, 5 “let those among you who are competent go down with me and prosecute the man if there is anything objectionable about him.” 6 And, after staying on among them not more than a week or ten days, he went down to Cesarea and on the next day took his seat on the bench and ordered Paul brought. 7 And when he was present the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem stood around him lodging many charges of grave offenses which they were not able to prove, 8 with Paul saying by way of defense “I have not committed any misdemeanor either against the Jews’ law or against the temple-precinct or against Caesar.”

9 But Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, answered Paul “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?” 10 But Paul said “Standing before Caesar’s bench, I am standing where I have to be tried. I have done the Jews no wrong, as you yourself know right well. 11 So if I am guilty and have done anything to deserve death, I do not ask to be let off from dying; but if there is nothing in the charges these men are prosecuting me on, nobody can dispose of me as a favor to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, after conferring with his council, answered “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”

13 But after some days had passed Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived in Cesarea to greet Festus. 14 And while they were staying on there for several days Festus brought up with the king the matter about Paul, saying “There is a certain man who was left a prisoner by Felix, about whom, 15 when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented charges, asking for a condemnation against him; 16* to which I answered that the Romans are not in the habit of disposing of any man as a favor to anybody before the accused has had the accusers face to face and been given an opportunity to make a defense about the charge. 17 So when they came here with me I made no postponement, but on the following day took my seat on the bench and ordered the man brought; 18 and the accusers took their stand round him and brought no allegation of the criminal things I had been conjecturing, 19 but had certain questions at issue with him about their religious belief and about a certain Jesus who was dead, who Paul said was alive. 20 And, being quite at sea as to the discussion of these points, I said ‘would he like to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges?’ 21 But when Paul appealed to be kept for his Majesty’s determination, I ordered him kept till I should send him up to Caesar.”

22 And Agrippa said to Festus “I should have liked to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you shall hear him.”

23* So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come in great pomp and entered the auditorium with their chiliarchs and the prominent men of the city, and Festus gave the word, Paul was brought. 24 And Festus said “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen we have with us here, you see this man about whom the entire body of Jews applied to me both at Jerusalem and here clamoring that he ought not to live any longer, 25 but I perceived that he had done nothing to deserve death, but when he himself appealed to his Majesty I decided to send him. 26 Now I do not have any solid facts to write to my master about him; for which reason I have brought him on before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, in order that when the examination has been held I may have something to write; 27 for it seems to me unreasonable in sending a prisoner not to give also an indication of the charges against him.”

2 “As to all the accusations brought against me by the Jews, King Agrippa, I deem it a happy thing that I am to make my defense before you today, 3 you being a specialist in all the customs and points of debate among the Jews; for which reason I beg you to hear me patiently.

4 “My way of living from my youth up, what it has been from the first among my nation and in Jerusalem, all the Jews know, 5 having old acquaintance with me, if they are willing to testify, as having lived according to the most precise sect of our religion, a Pharisee. 6 And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made to our fathers by God, 7 to which our twelve tribes are hoping to attain by worshiping with ardor night and day; which hope, your majesty, is what the Jews’ charges against me are about. 8 Why is it pronounced incredible among you if God does raise dead men?

9 “Well, I had the idea that I ought to do much in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene; 10 and I did, too, at Jerusalem, and many of the people of God I shut up in prisons, getting authority from the chief priests, and cast a vote against them when they were to lose their lives, 11 and over and over in the different synagogues I punished them and forced them to blaspheme, and in an utterly insane rage against them I pursued them clear to the foreign cities; 12 in connection with which business I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and leave of the chief priests when on my way 13 I saw at midday, your majesty, a light out of the sky shine round me and those who were traveling with me, above the brightness of the sun; 14 and as we all threw ourselves down on the ground I heard a voice say to me in the Hebrew dialect ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? it comes hard on you to kick against a goad.’ 15 And I said ‘Who are you, sir?’ And the Lord said ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; 16* but get up and stand on your feet, for it was for this I appeared to you, to appoint you agent and witness of how you have seen me and how I will appear to you, 17 rescuing you from the people and from the foreigners, to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from Satan’s power to God, that they may receive pardon of sin and a lot among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 “Whereat, your majesty, I was not disobedient to the bidding of the heavenly manifestation, 20 but notified first those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and throughout the country of Palestine, and the foreigners, to repent and turn about to God, doing deeds proper to repentance; 21 it was on this account that the Jews seized me in the temple-precinct and were trying to make away with me. 22 So, getting reinforcement from God, I stand to this day avouching to great and small, saying nothing outside of what the prophets and Moses spoke of as going to come to pass, 23 whether the Messiah is one to suffer, whether he is to be the first out of the resurrection of the dead to announce light to the people and to the foreigners—”

24 And as he said these things in his defense Festus said loudly “You are insane, Paul; so much reading is bringing you to insanity.” 25* But Paul said “I am not insane, your excellency, but am uttering words of truth and sound sense. 26 For the king knows about these things; to him I speak without reserve, for I cannot believe any of these things are escaping his attention, for this is not a thing done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”

28* And Agrippa said to Paul “You are putting your propaganda in very small compass to make me a Christian.” 29* And Paul said “I would to God that both in things of small compass and of great not only you but also all who hear me today might become such as I myself am, aside from these fetters.”

30 And the king stood up, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they withdrew they spoke to each other, saying “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or fetters.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus “This man could be going free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

27 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they were committing Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius of the Augustan cohort, 2 and we embarked in a Hadramyttene ship that was going to sail for the places along by the province of Asia, having with us Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica; 3* and on the following day we put into Sidon, and Julius treated Paul humanely and permitted him to go to his friends and enjoy their care. 4 And when we had set sail from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus because of the winds’ being against us, 5* and after sailing over the high seas off Cilicia and Pamphylia for a fortnight we came to land at Myra in Lycia; 6 and there the centurion, finding a ship from Alexandria on its way to Italy, embarked us in it. 7 And during several days we had slow sailing and barely succeeded in getting opposite Cnidus, the wind not letting us through; and we sailed under Crete by Salmone, 8 and barely succeeded in coasting along it and coming to a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was a city Lasea.

9 And when considerable time had elapsed and the sailing was now risky because even the fast was now gone by, Paul gave his advice, 10 saying to them “Gentlemen, I can see that the voyage will be with damage and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our persons.” 11 But the centurion put more faith in the skipper and the contractor than in what Paul said; 12* and, the harbor being inconvenient for wintering, the majority voted to put out from there and see if they could not reach Ph[o]enix, a harbor of Crete facing westward, and winter there. 13 And when a gentle southerly breeze sprang up they thought they had secured their intent, and weighed anchor and ran along hugging the coast of Crete.

14 But after no great time a hurricane beat down from it, what is called an east-northeaster; 15 and, the ship being caught and carried along and not able to come head to the wind, we gave in and drove along. 16* And, running under the lee of a certain islet named Clauda, we managed with difficulty to get possession of the boat, 17* and when they got it in they took strengthening measures, fastening ropes around the hull, and, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, let down the rigging and so drove along.

18 And on the following day, as we were making very heavy weather, they threw over cargo, 19 and on the third day they threw away the ship’s furnishings with their own hands; 20 and when for several days neither sun nor stars were visible, and we had no small amount of storm pressing us, the upshot was that all hope of our being saved disappeared. 21* And, as not much food was being taken, Paul then stood out in their midst and said “Gentlemen, you ought to have done as I told you and not put out from Crete, and saved this damage and loss. 22 And at present I advise you to be cheery; for there will be no loss of a life among you, only of the ship. 23 For there came and stood by me this night a messenger of the God to whom I belong, in whose service also I am engaged, 24 saying ‘Do not be afraid, Paul: you must stand before Caesar; and here God has granted you all who are sailing with you.’ 25* Wherefore, gentlemen, be cheery; for I believe my God that it will be so as I have been told. 26 But we have to run on some island or other.”

27* And when it came to the fourteenth night of our driving about in the Adriatic, in the middle of the night the sailors surmised they were coming toward some piece of ground, 28 and they heaved the lead and found twenty fathoms. And they waited a bit and heaved the lead again and found fifteen fathoms; 29 and, fearing they might run on rough ground, they let go four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were trying to desert the ship and had let down the boat into the sea under pretense of being going to carry out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers “If these do not stay in the ship you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it drop off.

33 And until day should come Paul invited one and all to take food, saying “Today is the fourteenth day you have been waiting to see what would come and going without meals, not taking a bite. 34* Such being the case, let me invite you to take food, for that will be on the side of safety; for not a hair will be lost from the head of any of you.” 35 And with that, taking a biscuit, he gave thanks to God before them all and broke it and began to eat; 36 and they all cheered up and took some food themselves. 37* (And there were two hundred and seventy-six souls of us in all on board.) 38* And when they had eaten all they wanted they went to lightening the ship by throwing out the provisions into the sea.

39 And when day came they did not recognize the land, but they espied a sort of bay with a beach, on which they planned to run the ship up if they could; 40* and they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the couplings of the steering-oars and hoisting the foresail to the blast, and headed for the beach. 41* But they struck a place where the sea came from two sides, and there they ran the ship aground; and the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was breaking up with the battering. 42 And on the part of the soldiers there was a plan to kill the prisoners for fear someone should swim out and make his escape; 43 but the centurion, wishing to bring Paul safe through, stopped them from carrying out their intent, and gave the word that those who could swim should throw themselves off first and get out to land, 44* and the rest some on boards and some on some of the things from the ship. And so it came about that all got safe to land.

28 And when we were safe ashore, then we ascertained that the island was called Malta. 2* And the natives treated us with uncommon kindliness, for they lighted a bonfire and freshened us all up because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. 3 And when Paul had got together a quantity of small wood and laid it on the fire, a viper came out, getting away from the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4 And when the natives saw the creature hanging to his hand they said to each other “Decidedly this man is a murderer who has come safe in from the sea but whom Justice would not let live.” 5 So he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm, 6* but they were expecting he was going to swell up or suddenly drop dead; but when they had been expecting a good while and saw that nothing out of the way was happening to him, they changed about and said he was a god.

7 And in the environs of that place there were properties belonging to the headman of the island, a man named Publius, who took us in and gave us cordial hospitality for three days. 8 And it befell that Publius’s father was sick abed suffering with fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to him and prayed and laid his hands on him and healed him. 9 And after this event the rest of those on the island who had sicknesses came and were cured, 10 and they both paid many honors to us and loaded us up with supplies when we were setting sail.

11 And after three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered at the island, the “Castor and Pollux” of Alexandria, 12 and we put into Syracuse and made a stay of three days, 13* and from there we went round about and reached Rhegium, and, as after one day a south wind came up, on the second day we came to Puteoli, 14 where we found brothers and accepted an invitation to stay with them seven days; and so we came to Rome, 15 and from there the brothers, having heard about us, came as far as Appii Forum and Tres Tabernae to meet us. And at seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage.

16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself with the soldier that guarded him. 17 And after three days he called together those who were leaders of the Jews; and when they came together he said to them “Brethren, without my having done anything against the people or our fathers’ usages I was given over from Jerusalem as a prisoner into the hands of the Romans, who, 18 upon examining me, wanted to release me because of there not being in the case any grounds for putting me to death; 19 but when the Jews spoke against it I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; not as having any accusation to make against my nation. 20 So on these grounds I applied to see you and talk to you; for it is on account of the hope of Israel I am wearing this chain.”

21 And they said to him “We have neither received letters about you from Jerusalem nor has anyone of the brothers arrived and reported or talked anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear from you what your ideas are; for as to this doctrine it is well known to us that there is talk against it everywhere.” 23 And they made an appointment with him and a number of them came to him at his lodging, to whom he stated the case, testifying to the Reign of God and making his points about Jesus to them out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets, from morning till evening; 24 and some believed what was told them, and some disbelieved. 25 And, being unable to agree with each other, they broke up, Paul saying one word, “Well did the Holy Spirit tell your fathers through the prophet Isaiah 26 ‘Go to this people and say “Hear you shall, and not understand; and see you shall, and not perceive; 27 for this people’s wits are thickened, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut, for fear they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their wits, and turn back, and I should heal them.”’ 28 So be it known to you that this salvation of God’s is sent to the foreigners; they will listen, too.”

29* —— 30 And he stayed in a tenement of his own a whole two years, and made welcome all who went in to him, 31 proclaiming the Reign of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with the utmost outspokenness, without being interfered with.

MARGINAL NOTES TO ACTS