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The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that
Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which he was taken
up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the
apostles whom he had chosen:
To whom also he shewed himself alive after
his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
And, being
assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many
days hence.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of
him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times
or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had
spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received
him out of their sight.
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven
as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner
as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Then returned they unto Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s
journey.
And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room,
where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas,
Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon
Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
These all continued
with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the
mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and
said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been
fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning
Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
For he was numbered
with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
Now this man purchased
a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder
in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
And it was known unto all
the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper
tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
For it is written
in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell
therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Wherefore of these men
which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out
among us,
Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that
he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his
resurrection.
And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was
surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord,
which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou
hast chosen,
That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship,
from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he
was numbered with the eleven apostles.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with
one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as
of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of
every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the
multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard
them speak in his own language.
And they were all amazed and marvelled,
saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and
in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Phrygia, and Pamphylia,
in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews
and proselytes,
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our
tongues the wonderful works of God.
And they were all amazed, and were
in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
Others mocking
said, These men are full of new wine.
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said
unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be
this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
For these are not
drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God,I will pour out of my Spirit
upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And
on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my
Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
And I will shew wonders in heaven
above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
that great and notable day of the Lord come:
And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in
the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be
holden of it.
For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord
always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be
moved:
Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover
also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Because thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of
joy with thy countenance.
Men and brethren, let me freely speak
unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his
sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore being a prophet, and
knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his
loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his
soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
This
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being
by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and
hear.
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself,
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Until I make thy
foes thy footstool.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren,
what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto
you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many
as the Lord our God shall call.
And with many other words did he
testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
And they
continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
And fear came upon every soul: and
many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
And all that believed
were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions
and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of
heart,
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of
prayer, being the ninth hour.
And a certain man lame
from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the
temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the
temple;
Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an
alms.
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on
us.
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I
thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
And he
took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his
feet and ancle bones received strength.
And he leaping up stood, and
walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and
praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate
of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which
had happened unto him.
And as the lame man which was healed held Peter
and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called
Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of
Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though
by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
The God of
Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified
his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of
Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
But ye denied the
Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead;
whereof we are witnesses.
And his name through faith in his name hath
made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him
hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
And
now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did
also your rulers.
But those things, which God before had shewed by the
mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so
fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all
things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began.
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye
hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come
to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be
destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel
and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold
of these days.
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant
which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall
all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Unto you first God, having
raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of
you from his iniquities.
And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of
the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
Being grieved that they
taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next
day: for it was now eventide.
Howbeit many of them which heard the word
believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and
scribes,
And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and
Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were
gathered together at Jerusalem.
And when they had set them in the midst,
they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Then
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people,
and elders of Israel,
If we this day be examined of the good deed done
to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Be it known unto
you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by
him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which
was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that
they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge
of them, that they had been with Jesus.
And beholding the man which was
healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
But when
they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among
themselves,
Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a
notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that
dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
But that it spread
no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak
henceforth to no man in this name.
And they called them, and commanded
them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and
John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to
hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
For we cannot but speak
the things which we have seen and heard.
So when they had further
threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish
them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which
was done.
For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle
of healing was shewed.
And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that
the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
And when they heard
that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou
art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that
in them is:
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did
the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The kings of the
earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and
against his Christ.
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom
thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and
the people of Israel, were gathered together,
For to do whatsoever thy
hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
And now, Lord,
behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all
boldness they may speak thy word,
By stretching forth thine hand to
heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child
Jesus.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they
spake the word of God with boldness.
And the multitude of them that
believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them
that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all
things common.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were
possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things
that were sold,
And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and
distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
And
Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being
interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of
Cyprus,
Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid
it at the apostles’ feet.
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a
possession,
And kept back part of the price, his wife also being
privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the
apostles’ feet.
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine
heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of
the land?
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was
sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in
thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
And Ananias
hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on
all them that heard these things.
And the young men arose, wound him up,
and carried him out, and buried him.
And it was about
the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done,
came in.
And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land
for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Then Peter said unto her,
How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?
behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the
door, and shall carry thee out.
Then fell she down straightway at his
feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her
dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard
these things.
And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought
among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people
magnified them.
And believers were the more added to the Lord,
multitudes both of men and women.)
Insomuch that they brought forth the
sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the
least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto
Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean
spirits: and they were healed every one.
Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which
is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
And
laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought
them forth, and said,
Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people
all the words of this life.
And when they heard that, they
entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest
came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all
the senate of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them
brought.
But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison,
they returned, and told,
Saying, The prison truly found we shut with
all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we
had opened, we found no man within.
Now when the high priest and the
captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted
of them whereunto this would grow.
Then came one and told them, saying,
Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and
teaching the people.
Then went the captain with the officers, and
brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should
have been stoned.
And when they had brought them, they set them
before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Saying, Did not we
straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye
have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s
blood upon us.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought
to obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Him hath God exalted with his right
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel,
and forgiveness of sins.
And we are his witnesses of these things; and
so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey
him.
When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and
took counsel to slay them.
Then stood there up one in the council, a
Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all
the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
And
said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to
do as touching these men.
For before these days rose up Theudas,
boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred,
joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were
scattered, and brought to nought.
After this man rose up Judas of
Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he
also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for
if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
But if
it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight
against God.
And to him they agreed: and when they had called the
apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak
in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they
were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
And daily in the
temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus
Christ.
And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied,
there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their
widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
Then the twelve called
the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason
that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
But we will
give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and
Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid
their hands on them.
And the word of God increased; and the
number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company
of the priests were obedient to the faith.
And Stephen, full of faith
and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the
synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of
Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
And they were not able to
resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
Then they suborned
men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and
against God.
And they stirred up the people, and the elders,
and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought
him to the council,
And set up false witnesses, which said,
This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and
the law:
For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall
destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.
And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his
face as it had been the face of an angel.
Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
And he said,
Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our
father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Then came he out of the
land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his
father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to
set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a
possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange
land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them
evil four hundred years.
And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage
will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in
this place.
And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so
Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac
begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
And
the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with
him,
And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour
and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor
over Egypt and all his house.
Now there came a dearth over all the land
of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no
sustenance.
But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent
out our fathers first.
And at the second time Joseph was made
known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all
his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
So Jacob went down into
Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
And were carried over into
Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of
the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
But when the time of
the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and
multiplied in Egypt,
Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.
The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our
fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might
not live.
In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and
nourished up in his father’s house three months:
And when he was cast
out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was
mighty in words and in deeds.
And when he was full forty years old, it
came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
And
seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged
him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
For he supposed his
brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them:
but they understood not.
And the next day he shewed himself unto them
as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are
brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
But he that did his neighbour
wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
Then
fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he
begat two sons.
And when forty years were expired, there appeared to
him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire
in a bush.
When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as
he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of
Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and
durst not behold.
Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy
feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
I have seen, I
have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard
their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send
thee into Egypt.
This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a
ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a
deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the
land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him
shall ye hear.
This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness
with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our
fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
To whom our
fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts
turned back again into Egypt,
Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go
before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of
Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
And they made a calf in those
days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their
own hands.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of
heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel,
have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of
forty years in the wilderness?
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of
Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship
them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Our fathers had the
tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto
Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the
possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our
fathers, unto the days of David;
Who found favour before God, and
desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
But Solomon built
him an house.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with
hands; as saith the prophet,
Heaven is my throne, and earth
is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what
is the place of my rest?
Hath not my hand made all these
things?
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist
the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Which of
the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which
shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the
betrayers and murderers:
Who have received the law by the disposition
of angels, and have not kept it.
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they
gnashed on him with their teeth.
But he, being full of the Holy
Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus
standing on the right hand of God,
And said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Then they
cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with
one accord,
And cast him out of the city, and stoned
him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet,
whose name was Saul.
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God,
and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and
cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he
had said this, he fell asleep.
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was
a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were
all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the
apostles.
And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made
great lamentation over him.
As for Saul, he made havock of the church,
entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to
prison.
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where
preaching the word.
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and
preached Christ unto them.
And the people with one accord gave heed unto
those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he
did.
For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that
were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were
lame, were healed.
And there was great joy in that city.
But there
was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used
sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was
some great one:
To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the
greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
And to him they
had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the
kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men
and women.
Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized,
he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs
which were done.
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard
that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and
John:
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might
receive the Holy Ghost:
(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them:
only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Then laid they
their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
And when
Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was
given, he offered them money,
Saying, Give me also this power, that on
whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
But Peter said
unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift
of God may be purchased with money.
Thou hast neither part nor lot in
this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
Repent
therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of
thine heart may be forgiven thee.
For I perceive that thou art in the
gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Then answered
Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which
ye have spoken come upon me.
And they, when they had testified and
preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel
in many villages of the Samaritans.
And the angel of the Lord spake
unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth
down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
And he arose and went:
and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace
queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come
to Jerusalem for to worship,
Was returning, and sitting in his chariot
read Esaias the prophet.
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and
join thyself to this chariot.
And Philip ran thither to him,
and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou
readest?
And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And
he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
The place of
the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
In
his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his
generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
And the eunuch
answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of
himself, or of some other man?
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began
at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
And as they went on
their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See,
here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
And Philip
said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered
and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
And he
commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water,
both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
And when they were
come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the
eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
But Philip
was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till
he came to Caesarea.
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
And desired of him
letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way,
whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined
round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard
a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus
whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the
pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the
city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
And the men which
journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no
man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him
said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am
here, Lord.
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go
into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas
for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and
putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
And here he hath
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
But
the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my
name’s sake.
And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house;
and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that
thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And
immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received
sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
And when he had received
meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples
which were at Damascus.
And straightway he preached Christ in the
synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
But all that heard him
were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on
this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring
them bound unto the chief priests?
But Saul increased the more in
strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this
is very Christ.
And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill
him:
But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the
gates day and night to kill him.
Then the disciples took him by night,
and let him down by the wall in a basket.
And when Saul was
come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were
all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
But
Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto
them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and
how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
And he was
with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.
And he spake boldly in
the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went
about to slay him.
Which when the brethren knew, they brought
him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
Then had the
churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were
edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy
Ghost, were multiplied.
And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters,
he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
And there he
found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was
sick of the palsy.
And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh
thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
And all
that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.
Now
there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation
is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she
did.
And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died:
whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard
that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that
he would not delay to come to them.
Then Peter arose and went with
them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the
widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas
made, while she was with them.
But Peter put them all forth, and
kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha,
arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
And
he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the
saints and widows, presented her alive.
And it was known throughout all
Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
And it came to pass, that he
tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion
of the band called the Italian band,
A devout man, and
one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people,
and prayed to God alway.
He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth
hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him,
Cornelius.
And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is
it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a
memorial before God.
And now send men to Joppa, and call for one
Simon, whose surname is Peter:
He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose
house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called
two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on
him continually;
And when he had declared all these things unto
them, he sent them to Joppa.
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the
city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
And
he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he
fell into a trance,
And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel
descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners,
and let down to the earth:
Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts
of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that
is common or unclean.
And the voice spake unto him again the
second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into
heaven.
Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he
had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made
enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
And called, and
asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold,
three men seek thee.
Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with
them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
Then Peter went down to
the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he
whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
And they
said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of
good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy
angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
Then
called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away
with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
And the
morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and
had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
And as Peter was
coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped
him.
But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am
a man.
And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were
come together.
And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an
unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of
another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common
or unclean.
Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as
soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?
And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at
the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in
bright clothing,
And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine
alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
Send therefore to
Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the
house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh,
shall speak unto thee.
Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou
hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present
before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive
that God is no respecter of persons:
But in every nation he that
feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
The word
which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus
Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
That word, I say, ye know, which
was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the
baptism which John preached;
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
And we are
witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in
Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
Him God raised up the
third day, and shewed him openly;
Not to all the people, but unto
witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink
with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach
unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God
to be the Judge of quick and dead.
To him give all the prophets
witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission of sins.
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them
which heard the word.
And they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was
poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with
tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
Can any man forbid
water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost
as well as we?
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the
Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the
Gentiles had also received the word of God.
And when Peter was come up
to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded
it by order unto them, saying,
I was in the city of Joppa
praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had
been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to
me:
Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and
fowls of the air.
And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter;
slay and eat.
But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or
unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.
But the voice answered
me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common.
And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again
into heaven.
And, behold, immediately there were three men already come
unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.
And the spirit
bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren
accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house:
And he shewed us
how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send
men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
Who shall
tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
And as
I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John
indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did
unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could
withstand God?
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and
glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance
unto life.
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose
about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching
the word to none but unto the Jews only.
And some of them were men of
Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the
Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was with
them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was
in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as
Antioch.
Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad,
and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the
Lord.
For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith:
and much people was added unto the Lord.
Then departed Barnabas to
Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
And when he had found him, he brought him
unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled
themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were
called Christians first in Antioch.
And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
And
there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that
there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in
the days of Claudius Caesar.
Then the disciples, every man according to
his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judaea:
Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of
Barnabas and Saul.
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his
hands to vex certain of the church.
And he killed James the brother of
John with the sword.
And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he
proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened
bread.)
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison,
and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him;
intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Peter therefore
was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto
God for him.
And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the
keepers before the door kept the prison.
And, behold, the angel of the
Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote
Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his
chains fell off from his hands.
And the angel said unto him,
Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him,
Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
And he went out, and
followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but
thought he saw a vision.
When they were past the first and the second
ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened
to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one
street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
And when Peter was
come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his
angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all
the expectation of the people of the Jews.
And when he had considered
the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose
surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
And as
Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness,
but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
And they said
unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then
said they, It is his angel.
But Peter continued knocking: and when they
had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
But he,
beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how
the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things
unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another
place.
Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the
soldiers, what was become of Peter.
And when Herod had sought for him,
and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they
should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and
there abode.
And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they
came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain
their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the
king’s country.
And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal
apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
And the
people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a
man.
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave
not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
But the word of God grew and multiplied.
And Barnabas and Saul
returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and
took with them John, whose surname was Mark.
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets
and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
them, they sent them away.
So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and
from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
And when they were at Salamis, they
preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also
John to their minister.
And when they had gone through the isle
unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose
name was Bar-jesus:
Which was with the deputy of the country,
Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired
to hear the word of God.
But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by
interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the
faith.
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the
Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
And said, O full of all subtilty and
all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou
shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell
on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by
the hand.
Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being
astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Now when Paul and his company
loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from
them returned to Jerusalem.
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and
went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
And after the
reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto
them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of
exhortation for the people, say on.
Then Paul stood up, and beckoning
with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give
audience.
The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and
exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and
with an high arm brought he them out of it.
And about the time of forty
years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
And when he had
destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them
by lot.
And after that he gave unto them judges about the space
of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
And
afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a
man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
And when he
had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also
he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a
man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Of this man’s
seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour,
Jesus:
When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of
repentance to all the people of Israel.
And as John fulfilled his
course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold,
there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to
loose.
Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and
whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew
him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day,
they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
And though
they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he
should be slain.
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of
him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a
sepulchre.
But God raised him from the dead:
And he was seen many
days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his
witnesses unto the people.
And we declare unto you glad tidings, how
that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
God hath fulfilled
the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it
is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten thee.
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead,
now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will
give you the sure mercies of David.
Wherefore he saith also in another
psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God,
fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
But
he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all
that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses.
Beware therefore, lest that come upon
you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
Behold, ye despisers, and
wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in
no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
And when the Jews
were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might
be preached to them the next sabbath.
Now when the congregation was
broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and
Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of
God.
And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear
the word of God.
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled
with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul,
contradicting and blaspheming.
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and
said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to
you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
For so hath the Lord
commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles,
that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the
Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
And the
word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
But the Jews
stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city,
and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of
their coasts.
But they shook off the dust of their feet against them,
and came unto Iconium.
And the disciples were filled with joy, and with
the Holy Ghost.
And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into
the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the
Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
But the unbelieving Jews stirred
up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave
testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be
done by their hands.
But the multitude of the city was divided: and part
held with th |