011:008 "`On no account, Lord,' I replied, `for nothing unholy or impure
has ever gone into my mouth.'
011:009 "But a voice answered, speaking a second time from the sky,
"`What God has purified, you must not regard as unholy.'
011:010 "This was said three times, and then everything was drawn up
again out of sight.
011:011 "Now at that very moment three men came to the house where we were,
having been sent from Caesarea to find me.
011:012 And the Spirit told me to accompany them without any misgivings.
There also went with me these six brethren who are now present,
and we reached the Centurion's house.
011:013 Then he described to us how he had seen the angel come and enter
his house and say, "`Send to Jaffa and fetch Simon, surnamed Peter.
011:014 He will teach you truths by which you and all your family
will be saved.'"
011:015 "And," said Peter, "no sooner had I begun to speak than
the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He fell upon us
at the first.
011:016 Then I remembered the Lord's words, how He used to say,
"`John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized
in the Holy Spirit.'
011:017 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we
first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, why, who was I
to be able to thwart God?"
011:018 This statement of Peter's silenced his opponents. They extolled
the goodness of God, and said, "So, then, to the Gentiles
also God has given the repentance which leads to Life."
011:019 Those, however, who had been driven in various directions
by the persecution which broke out on account of Stephen made
their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, delivering the Message
to none but Jews.
011:020 But some of them were Cyprians and Cyrenaeans, who, on coming
to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks also and told them the Good News
concerning the Lord Jesus.
011:021 The power of the Lord was with them, and there were a vast
number who believed and turned to the Lord.
011:022 When tidings of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch.
011:023 On getting there he was delighted to see the grace which
God had bestowed; and he encouraged them all to remain,
with fixed resolve, faithful to the Lord.
011:024 For he was a good man, and was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith;
and the number of believers in the Lord greatly increased.
011:025 Then Barnabas paid a visit to Tarsus to try to find Saul.
011:026 He succeeded, and brought him to Antioch; and for a whole year
they attended the meetings of the Church, and taught a large
number of people. And it was in Antioch that the disciples
first received the name of `Christians.'
011:027 At that time certain Prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch,
011:028 one of whom, named Agabus, being instructed by the Spirit,
publicly predicted the speedy coming of a great famine
throughout the world. (It came in the reign of Claudius.)
011:029 So the disciples decided to send relief, every one in proportion
to his means, to the brethren living in Judaea.
011:030 This they did, forwarding their contributions to the Elders
by Barnabas and Saul.
012:001 Now, about that time, King Herod arrested certain members
of the Church, in order to ill-treat them;
012:002 and James, John's brother, he beheaded.
012:003 Finding that this gratified the Jews, he proceeded to seize
Peter also; these being the days of Unleavened Bread.
012:004 He had him arrested and lodged in jail, handing him over to
the care of sixteen soldiers; and intended after the Passover
to bring him out again to the people.
012:005 So Peter was kept in prison; but long and fervent prayer was
offered to God by the Church on his behalf.
012:006 Now when Herod was on the point of taking him out of prison,
that very night Peter was asleep between two soldiers,
bound with two chains, and guards were on duty outside the door.
012:007 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone
in the cell; and, striking Peter on the side, he woke him
and said, "Rise quickly." Instantly the chains dropped
off his wrists.
012:008 "Fasten your girdle," said the angel, "and tie on your sandals."
He did so. Then the angel said, "Throw your cloak round you,
and follow me."
012:009 So Peter went out, following him, yet could not believe
that what the angel was doing was real, but supposed that
he saw a vision.
012:010 And passing through the first ward and the second, they came
to the iron gate leading into the city. This opened to them
of itself; and, going out, they passed on through one of
the streets, and then suddenly the angel left him.
012:011 Peter coming to himself said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord
has sent His angel and has rescued me from the power of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people were anticipating."
012:012 So, after thinking things over, he went to the house of Mary,
the mother of John surnamed Mark, where a large number
of people were assembled, praying.
012:013 When he knocked at the wicket in the door, a maidservant named
Rhoda came to answer the knock;
012:014 and recognizing Peter's voice, for very joy she did not open
the door, but ran in and told them that Peter was standing there.
012:015 "You are mad," they said. But she strenuously maintained
that it was true. "It is his guardian angel," they said.
012:016 Meanwhile Peter went on knocking, until at last they opened the door
and saw that it was really he, and were filled with amazement.
012:017 But he motioned with his hand for silence, and then described
to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.
"Tell all this to James and the brethren," he added.
Then he left them, and went to another place.
012:018 When morning came, there was no little commotion among the soldiers,
as to what could possibly have become of Peter.
012:019 And when Herod had had him searched for and could not find him,
after sharply questioning the guards he ordered them away
to execution. He then went down from Judaea to Caesarea
and remained there.
012:020 Now the people of Tyre and Sidon had incurred Herod's
violent displeasure. So they sent a large deputation to wait on him;
and having secured the good will of Blastus, his treasurer,
they begged the king to be friendly with them again,
because their country was dependent on his for its food supply.
012:021 So, on an appointed day, Herod, having arrayed himself in royal robes,
took his seat on the tribunal, and was haranguing them;
012:022 and the assembled people kept shouting, "It is the voice of a god,
and not of a man!"
012:023 Instantly an angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not
given the glory to God, and being eaten up by worms, he died.
012:024 But God's Message prospered, and converts were multiplied.
012:025 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having discharged
their mission, and they brought with them John, surnamed Mark.
013:001 Now there were in Antioch, in the Church there--as Prophets
and teachers--barnabas, Symeon surnamed `the black,'
Lucius the Cyrenaean, Manaen (who was Herod the Tetrarch's
foster-brother), and Saul.
013:002 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting,
the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me, now at once,
Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them."
013:003 So, after fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands,
they let them go.
013:004 They therefore, being thus sent out by the Holy Spirit,
went down to Seleuceia, and from there sailed to Cyprus.
013:005 Having reached Salamis, they began to announce God's Message
in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John
as their assistant.
013:006 When they had gone through the whole length of the island
as far as Paphos, they there met with a Jewish magician
and false prophet, Bar-Jesus by name,
013:007 who was a friend of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus.
The Proconsul was a man of keen intelligence. He sent
for Barnabas and Saul, and asked to be told God's Message.
013:008 But Elymas (or `the Magician,' for such is the meaning of the name)
opposed them, and tried to prevent the Proconsul from
accepting the faith.
013:009 Then Saul, who is also called Paul, was filled with the
Holy Spirit, and, fixing his eyes on Elymas,
013:010 said, "You who are full of every kind of craftiness and
unscrupulous cunning--you son of the Devil and foe to all that
is right--will you never cease to misrepresent the straight
paths of the Lord?
013:011 The Lord's hand is now upon you, and you will be blind for a time
and unable to see the light of day." Instantly there fell
upon him a mist and a darkness, and, as he walked about,
he begged people to lead him by the hand.
013:012 Then the Proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, being struck
with amazement at the teaching of the Lord.
013:013 From Paphos, Paul and his party put out to sea and sailed
to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and
returned to Jerusalem.
013:014 But they themselves, passing through from Perga, came to
Antioch in Pisidia. Here, on the Sabbath day, they went
into the synagogue and sat down.
013:015 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the Wardens
of the synagogue sent word to them. "Brethren," they said,
"if you have anything encouraging to say to the people, speak."
013:016 So Paul rose, and motioning with his hand for silence, said,
"Israelites, and you others who fear God, pay attention to me.
013:017 The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers,
and made the people great during their stay in Egypt,
until with wondrous power He brought them out from that land.
013:018 For a period of about forty years, He fed them, like a nurse,
in the Desert.
013:019 Then, after overthrowing seven nations in the land of Canaan, He
divided that country among them as their inheritance for about
four hundred and fifty years;
013:020 and afterwards He gave them judges down to the time of
the Prophet Samuel.
013:021 Next they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son
of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned forty years.
013:022 After removing him, He raised up David to be their king,
to whom He also bore witness when He said, "`I have found David
the son of Jesse, a man I love, who will obey all My commands.'
013:023 "It is from among David's descendants that God, in fulfilment
of His promise, has raised up a Saviour for Israel, even Jesus.
013:024 Before the coming of Jesus, John had proclaimed to all the people
of Israel a baptism of repentance.
013:025 But John, towards the end of his career, repeatedly asked
the people, "`What do you suppose me to be? I am not the Christ.
But there is One coming after me whose sandal I am not
worthy to unfasten.'
013:026 "Brethren, descendants of the family of Abraham, and all among
you who fear God, to us has this Message of salvation been sent.
013:027 For the people of Jerusalem and their rulers, by the judgement
they pronounced on Jesus, have actually fulfilled the predictions
of the Prophets which are read Sabbath after Sabbath,
through ignorance of those predictions and of Him.
013:028 Without having found Him guilty of any capital offence they
urged Pilate to have Him put to death;
013:029 and when they had carried out everything which had been written
about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him
in a tomb.
013:030 "But God raised Him from the dead.
013:031 And, after a few days, He appeared to the people who had gone
up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now witnesses
concerning Him to the Jews.
013:032 And we bring you the Good News about the promise made
to our forefathers,
013:033 that God has amply fulfilled it to our children in raising up Jesus;
as it is also written in the second Psalm, `Thou art My Son:
to-day I have become Thy Father.'
013:034 And as to His having raised Him from among the dead, never again
to be in the position of one soon to return to decay,
He speaks thus: `I will give you the holy and trustworthy
promises made to David.'
013:035 Because in another Psalm also He says, `Thou wilt not give up
Thy Holy One to undergo decay.'
013:036 For David, after having been useful to his own generation
in accordance with God's purpose, did fall asleep, was gathered
to his forefathers, and did undergo decay.
013:037 But He whom God raised to life underwent no decay.
013:038 "Understand therefore, brethren, that through this Jesus
forgiveness of sins is announced to you;
013:039 and in Him every believer is absolved from all offences,
from which you could not be absolved under the Law of Moses.
013:040 Beware, then, lest what is spoken in the Prophets should come
true of you:
013:041 `Behold, you despisers, be astonished and perish, because I am
carrying on a work in your time--a work which you will utterly
refuse to believe, though it be fully declared to you.'"
013:042 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people
earnestly begged to have all this repeated to them on
the following Sabbath.
013:043 And, when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews
and of the devout converts from heathenism continued with Paul
and Barnabas, who talked to them and urged them to hold fast
to the grace of God.
013:044 On the next Sabbath almost the whole population of the city
came together to hear the Lord's Message.
013:045 Seeing the crowds, the Jews, filled with angry jealousy,
opposed Paul's statements and abused him.
013:046 Then, throwing off all reserve, Paul and Barnabas said,
"We were bound to proclaim God's Message to you first.
But since you spurn it and judge yourselves to be unworthy
of the Life of the Ages--well, we turn to the Gentiles.
013:047 For such is the Lord's command to us. "`I have placed Thee,' He says
of Christ, `as a light to the Gentiles, in order that Thou mayest
be a Saviour as far as the remotest parts of the earth.'"
013:048 The Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's Message;
and all who were pre-destined to the Life of the Ages believed.
013:049 So the Lord's Message spread through the whole district.
013:050 But the Jews influenced the gentlewomen of rank who worshipped
with them, and also the leading men in the city, and stirred
up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out
of the district.
013:051 But they shook off the dust from their feet as a protest
against them and came to Iconium;
013:052 and as for the disciples, they were more and more filled
with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
014:001 At Iconium the Apostles went together to the Jewish synagogue
and preached, with the result that a great number both of Jews
and Greeks believed.
014:002 But the Jews who had refused obedience stirred up the Gentiles
and embittered their minds against the brethren.
014:003 Yet Paul and Barnabas remained there for a considerable time,
speaking freely and relying on the Lord, while He bore witness
to the Message of His grace by permitting signs and marvels
to be done by them.
014:004 At length the people of the city split into parties, some siding
with the Jews and some with the Apostles.
014:005 And when a hostile movement was made by both Gentiles and Jews,
with the sanction of their magistrates, to maltreat and stone them,
014:006 the Apostles, having become aware of it, made their
escape into the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe,
and the neighbouring country.
014:007 And there they continued to tell the Good News.
014:008 Now a man who had no power in his feet used to sit in the streets
of Lystra. He had been lame from his birth and had never walked.
014:009 After this man had listened to one of Paul's sermons, the Apostle,
looking steadily at him and perceiving that he had faith
to be cured,