Acts 2-10

American Standard Version

2 And when the day of Pentecost ^[a]was now come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared unto them tongues ^[b]parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

⁵ Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? ⁸ And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. ¹² And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? ¹³ But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.

¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, saying, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. ¹⁵ For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is but the third hour of the day; ¹⁶ but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel:

²² Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by ^[f]mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; ²³ him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of ^[g]lawless men did crucify and slay: ²⁴ whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. ²⁵ For David saith concerning him,

²⁹ Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. ³⁰ Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins ^[k]he would set one upon his throne; ³¹ he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus did God raise up, ^[l]whereof we all are witnesses. ³³ Being therefore ^[m]by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. ³⁴ For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself,

³⁶ Let ^[o]all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸ And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. ⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. ⁴¹ They then ^[p]that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. ⁴² And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching and ^[q]fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

⁴³ And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles^[r]. ⁴⁴ And all that believed were together, and had all things common; ⁴⁵ and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added ^[s]to them day by day those that ^[t]were saved.

3 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. ² And a certain man that was lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; ³ who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an alms. ⁴ And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, Look on us. ⁵ And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. ⁷ And he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately his feet and his ankle-bones received strength. ⁸ And leaping up, he stood, and began to walk; and he entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God: ¹⁰ and they took knowledge of him, that it was he that 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.

¹¹ And as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the ^[u]porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering. ¹² And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this ^[v]man? or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his ^[w]Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. ¹⁴ But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, ¹⁵ and killed the ^[x]Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead; ^[y]whereof we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And ^[z]by faith in his name hath his name made this man strong, whom ye behold and know: yea, the faith which is through him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. ¹⁷ And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: ²¹ whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old. ²² Moses indeed said, ^[aa]A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, ^[ab]like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. ^23 [ac]And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. ²⁴ Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. ²⁵ Ye are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God ^[ad]made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham, ^[ae]And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ²⁶ Unto you first God, having raised up his ^[af]Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.

4 And as they spake unto the people, ^[ag]the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, ² being sore troubled because they taught the people, and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them, and put them in ward unto the morrow: for it was now eventide. ⁴ But many of them that heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵ And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; ⁶ and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power, or in what name, have ye done this? ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders, ⁹ if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, ^[ah]by what means this man is made whole; ¹⁰ be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in ^[ai]him doth this man stand here before you whole. ¹¹ He is ^[aj]the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner. ¹² And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.

¹³ Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. ¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, ¹⁶ saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable ^[ak]miracle hath been wrought through them, is manifest to all that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. ¹⁸ And they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye: ²⁰ for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard. ²¹ And they, when they had further threatened them, let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done. ²² For the man was more than forty years old, on whom this ^[al]miracle of healing was wrought.

²³ And being let go, they came to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said unto them. ²⁴ And they, when they heard it, lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, O ^[am]Lord, ^[an]thou that didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is: ^25 [ao]who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say,

²⁷ for of a truth in this city against thy holy ^[at]Servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the ^[au]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, ²⁸ to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council foreordained to come to pass. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy ^[av]servants to speak thy word with all boldness, ³⁰ while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy ^[aw]Servant Jesus. ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

³² And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul: and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. ³³ And with great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: ^[ax]and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, ³⁵ and laid them at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need.

³⁶ And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of ^[ay]exhortation), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, ³⁷ having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

5 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, ² 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. ³ But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to ^[az]lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? ⁴ While it remained, did it not remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. ⁵ And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it. ⁶ And the ^[ba]young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.

⁷ And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. ⁸ And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much. And she said, Yea, for so much. ⁹ But Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them that have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out. ¹⁰ And she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up the ghost: and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. ¹¹ And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things.

¹² 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 ^[bb]porch. ¹³ But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: howbeit the people magnified them; ^14 [bc]and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women: ¹⁵ insomuch that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and ^[bd]couches, that, as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some one of them. ¹⁶ And there also came together the multitude from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

¹⁷ But the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy, ¹⁸ and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public ward. ¹⁹ But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ Go ye, and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this Life. ²¹ And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, 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-house to have them brought. ²² But the officers that came found them not in the prison; and they returned, and told, ²³ saying, The prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. ²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them whereunto this would grow. ²⁵ And there came one and told them, Behold, the men whom ye put in the prison are in the temple standing and teaching the people. ²⁶ Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them, but without violence; for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. ²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, ²⁸ saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, hanging him on a tree. ³¹ Him did God exalt ^[be]with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. ³² And we are witnesses ^[bf]of these ^[bg]things; ^[bh]and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

³³ But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were minded to slay them. ³⁴ But there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in honor of all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while. ³⁵ And he said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men, what ye are about to do. ³⁶ For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself out 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 dispersed, and came to nought. ³⁷ After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the enrolment, and drew away some of the people after him: he also perished; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad. ³⁸ 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 be overthrown: ³⁹ but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting against God. ⁴⁰ And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles unto them, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹ They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name. ⁴² And every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to teach and to ^[bi]preach Jesus as the Christ.

6 Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the ^[bj]Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. ² And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not ^[bk]fit that we should forsake the word of God, and ^[bl]serve tables. ^3 [bm]Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. ⁴ But we will continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word. ⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus a proselyte of Antioch; ⁶ whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them.

⁷ And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called the synagogue of the ^[bn]Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰ And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake. ¹¹ Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. ¹² And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council, ¹³ and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law: ¹⁴ for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us. ¹⁵ And all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

7 And the high priest said, Are these things so? ² And he said,

Brethren and fathers, hearken: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, ³ and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. ⁴ Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence, when his father was dead, God removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell: ⁵ and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. ⁶ And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years. ⁷ And the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. ⁸ 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 the twelve patriarchs. ⁹ And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him, ¹⁰ and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. ¹¹ Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time. ¹³ And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s race became manifest unto Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself and our fathers; ¹⁶ and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of ^[bo]Hamor in Shechem. ¹⁷ But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, ¹⁸ till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. ¹⁹ The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that ^[bp]they should cast out their babes to the end they might not ^[bq]live. ²⁰ At which season Moses was born, and was ^[br]exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father’s house: ²¹ and when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. ²² And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works. ²³ But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. ²⁴ And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian: ²⁵ and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them ^[bs]deliverance; but they understood not. ²⁶ And the day following he appeared 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? ²⁷ But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? ²⁸ Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday? ²⁹ And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons. ³⁰ And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. ³¹ And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord, ³² I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold. ³³ And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. ³⁴ I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt. ³⁵ This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent to be both a ruler and a ^[bt]deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ This man led them forth, having wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. ³⁷ This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, ^[bu]A prophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, ^[bv]like unto me. ³⁸ This is he that was in the ^[bw]church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us: ³⁹ to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but thrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto Egypt, ⁴⁰ saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. ⁴¹ And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands. ⁴² But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets,

⁴⁴ Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen. ⁴⁵ Which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with ^[by]Joshua when they entered on the possession of the ^[bz]nations, that God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; ⁴⁶ who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But Solomon built him a house. ⁴⁸ Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands; as saith the prophet,

⁵¹ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye. ⁵² Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers; ⁵³ ye who received the law ^[cb]as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord; ⁵⁸ and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. ⁶⁰ 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. 8 ¹ And Saul was consenting unto his death.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. ² And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. ³ But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.

⁴ They therefore that were scattered abroad went about ^[cc]preaching the word. ⁵ And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. ⁶ And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did. ^7 [cd]For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed. ⁸ And there was much joy in that city.

⁹ But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the ^[ce]people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: ¹⁰ to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great. ¹¹ And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries. ¹² But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³ And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great ^[cf]miracles wrought, he was amazed.

¹⁴ Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: ¹⁵ who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: ¹⁶ for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the ^[cg]Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. ²¹ Thou hast neither part nor lot in this ^[ch]matter: for thy heart is not right before God. ²² Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee. ²³ For I see that thou ^[ci]art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. ²⁴ And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.

²⁵ They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and ^[cj]preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

²⁶ But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go ^[ck]toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert. ²⁷ And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. ³⁰ And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? ³¹ And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this,

³⁴ And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? ³⁵ And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, ^[cm]preached unto him Jesus. ³⁶ And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?^{[cn] 38} And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he ^[co]preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

9 But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, ² and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: ⁴ and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ⁵ And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: ⁶ but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. ⁷ And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the ^[cp]voice, but beholding no man. ⁸ And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.

¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. ¹¹ And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth; ¹² and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight. ¹³ But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem: ¹⁴ and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name. ¹⁵ But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a ^[cq]chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: ¹⁶ for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake. ¹⁷ And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

And he was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus. ²⁰ And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God. ²¹ And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name? and he had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound before the chief priests. ²² But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

²³ And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him: ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates also day and night that they might kill him: ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

²⁶ And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to 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 declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem, ²⁹ preaching boldly in the name of the Lord: and he spake and disputed against the ^[cr]Grecian Jews; but they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

³¹ So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being ^[cs]edified; and, walking ^[ct]in the fear of the Lord and ^[cu]in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied. ³² And it came to pass, as Peter went throughout all parts, he came down also to the saints that dwelt at Lydda. ³³ And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had kept his bed eight years; for he was palsied. ³⁴ And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ healeth thee: arise, and make thy bed. And straightway he arose. ³⁵ And all that dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called ^[cv]Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. ³⁷ And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died: and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber. ³⁸ And as Lydda was nigh unto Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men unto him, entreating him, Delay not to come on unto us. ³⁹ And Peter arose and went with them. And when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand, and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa: and many believed on the Lord. ⁴³ And it came to pass, that he abode many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

10 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of the ^[cw]band called the Italian band, ² a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. ³ He saw in a vision openly, as it were about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius. ⁴ And he, fastening his eyes upon him, and being affrighted, said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God. ⁵ And now send men to Joppa, and fetch one Simon, who is surnamed Peter: ⁶ he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side. ⁷ And when the angel that spake unto him was departed, he called two of his household-servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; ⁸ and having rehearsed all things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹ Now on the morrow, as they were on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour: ¹⁰ and he became hungry, and desired to eat: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: ¹² wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. ¹³ And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. ¹⁴ But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. ¹⁵ And a voice came unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. ¹⁶ And this was done thrice: and straightway the vessel was received up into heaven.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was much perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men that were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood before the gate, ¹⁸ and called and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, were lodging there. ¹⁹ And while Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. ²⁰ But arise, and get thee down, and go with them, nothing doubting: for I have sent them. ²¹ And Peter went down to the men, and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? ²² And they said, Cornelius a centurion, a righteous man and one that feareth God, and well reported of by all the nation of the Jews, was warned of God by a holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words from thee. ²³ So he called them in and lodged them.

And on the morrow he arose and went forth with them, and certain of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ And on the morrow ^[cx]they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his kinsmen and his near friends. ²⁵ And when it came to pass that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and ^[cy]worshipped him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man. ²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in, and findeth many come together: ²⁸ and he said unto them, Ye yourselves know ^[cz]how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and yet unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean: ²⁹ wherefore also I came without gainsaying, when I was sent for. I ask therefore with what intent ye sent for me. ³⁰ And Cornelius said, Four days ago, until this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel, ³¹ and saith, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. ³² Send therefore to Joppa, and call unto thee Simon, who is surnamed Peter; he lodgeth in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea side. ³³ Forthwith therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to hear all things that have been commanded thee of the Lord. ³⁴ And Peter opened his mouth, and said,

Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: ³⁵ but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. ^36 [da]The word which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching ^[db]good tidings of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)— ³⁷ that saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; ³⁸ even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ³⁹ And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree. ⁴⁰ Him God raised up the third day, and gave him to be made manifest, ⁴¹ not to all the people, but unto witnesses that were chosen before of God, even to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And he charged us to preach unto the people, and to testify that this is he who is ordained of God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ To him bear all the prophets witness, that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins.

⁴⁴ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word. ⁴⁵ And they of the circumcision that believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, ⁴⁷ Can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.