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*
And having assembled them together ,
he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem ,
but to wait for the promise of the Father ,
said he ,
lont @
Acts:1:5 " />
*
They ,
therefore ,
being assembled together ,
asked him ,
saying ,
Lord ,
wilt thou ,
at this time ,
restore the kingdom to Israel ?
*
But he said to them ,
lont @
Acts:1:8 " />
*
And ,
having said these things ,
while they beheld ,
he was lifted up ,
and a cloud received him out of their sight .
*
And while they were steadfastly looking up to heaven ,
as he ascended ,
behold two men in white raiment stood near them ;
*
who also said ,
Galileans ,
why do you stand gazing up to heaven ?
This Jesus ,
who is taken up from you into heaven ,
shall also come in the same manner as you have seen him going to heaven .
*
Then they returned to Jerusalem ,
from the mount called Olivet ,
which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day '
s journey .
*
And when they were come into the city ,
they went up into an upper room ,
where abode both Peter ,
and James ,
and John ,
and Andrew ,
Philip and Thomas ,
Bartholomew and Matthew ,
James ,
son of Alpheus ,
and Simon ,
the Zealot ,
and Judas ,
brother of James .
*
These all unanimously persevered in prayer ,
with the women ,
and with Mary ,
the mother of Jesus ,
and with his brethren .
*
And in these days ,
Peter ,
rising up in the midst of the disciples , (
now the number of persons assembled was about a hundred and twenty ,)
said
*
Brethren ,
it was necessary this scripture should be fulfilled ,
which the Holy Spirit formerly spoke ,
by the mouth of David ,
with respect to Judas ,
who became the guide of those that apprehended Jesus :
* (
for he was numbered with us ,
and had obtained a part of this ministry :)
*
this man ,
therefore ,
purchased a field with the reward of iniquity ,
and falling down on his face ,
he burst asunder in the middle ,
and all his bowels gushed out :
*
and it was known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem ,
so that field is called ,
in their language ,
Aceldama ,
that is ,
The Field of Blood .
* «
For it is written in the book of Psalms ,'
Let his habitation be desolate ,
and let no man dwell in it ':
and ,» '
Let another take his office .'
*
It is necessary ,
therefore ,
that one of the men who have continued with us all the time the Lord Jesus was conversant among us ,
*
commencing from his immersion by John ,
until the day of his assumption ,
should be constituted a witness with us ,
of his resurrection .
*
And they set up two men ,
Joseph ,
called Barsabas ,
who was surnamed Justus ,
and Matthias .
*
And they prayed ,
saying ,
Thou ,
Lord ,
who knowest the hearts of all ,
show which of these two thou hast chosen ,
*
that he may take part of the ministry and apostleship ,
from which Judas fell by transgression ,
that he might goes to his own place .
*
And they cast lots ,
and the lot fell upon Matthias ,
and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles .
*
Now there was a certain man in Caesarea ,
named Cornelius ,
a centurion that called the Italian Band ,
*
a man of piety ,
and one that feared God ,
with all his house ;
giving ,
also ,
much alms to the people ,
and praying to God continually .
*
He evidently saw ,
in a vision ,
about the ninth hour of the day ,
a messenger of God coming in to him ,
and saying to him ,
Cornelius !
*
And having fixed his eyes upon him ,
he was afraid ,
and said ,
What is it ,
Lord ?
And he said to him ,
Your prayers and your alms are come up ,
as a memorial before God .
*
And now send men to Joppa and bring hither Simon ,
whose surname is Peter :
*
he lodges with one Simon ,
a tanner ,
whose house is by the seaside .
*
As soon as the messenger ,
who spoke to Cornelius ,
was gone ,
he called two of his domestics ,
and a pious soldier ,
of them that waited upon him ;
*
and having related to them all these things ,
he sent them to Joppa .
*
On the next day ,
while they were on their journey ,
and drew near the city ,
Peter went up to the top of the house to pray ,
about the sixth hour .
*
And he was hungry ,
and would have taken a little refreshment ;
but while they were preparing ,
he fell into an ecstasy ;
*
and he saw heaven opened ,
and something descending like a great sheet ,
fastened at the four corners ,
and let down to the earth :
*
in which there were all sorts of things ,
even four-footed animals of the earth ,
and wild beasts ,
and reptiles ,
and fowls of the air .
*
And there came a voice to him ,
*
But Peter said ,
By no means ,
Lord ;
for I have never eat anything which is common or unclean .
*
And the voice said to him again ,
the second time ,
*
And this was done three times ,
and the sheet was taken up again into heaven .
*
While Peter was pondering in himself ,
what the vision ,
which he had seen ,
might import ;
behold ,
the men ,
who were sent from Cornelius ,
having inquired out the house of Simon ,
stood at the door ;
*
and calling ,
they asked ,
if Simon ,
whose surname was Peter ,
lodged there .
*
Now ,
as Peter was reflecting on this vision ;
the Spirit said to him ,
Behold ,
three men are inquiring for you :
*
arise ,
therefore ,
go down ,
and go with them without hesitation ;
for I have sent them .
*
Then Peter went down to the men ,
who were sent to him from Cornelius ,
and said ,
Behold ,
I am the man whom you seek ;
what is the cause of your coming ?
*
And they said ,
Cornelius ,
the centurion ,
a righteous man ,
who fears God ,
and has a character attested by all the Jewish people ,
has been instructed ,
by a holy messenger ,
to send for you to his house ,
and to hear words from you .
*
Having ,
therefore ,
called them in ,
he entertained them ,
and the next day set out with them :
and some of the brethren ,
who were of Joppa ,
went with him .
*
And the next day they entered into Caesarea ;
and Cornelius was waiting for them ,
having called together his relations and intimate friends .
*
Now ,
as Peter was coming in ,
Cornelius met him ,
and prostrating himself at his feet ,
made obeisance .
*
But Peter raised him up ,
saying ,
Arise ;
I also am a man .
*
And discoursing with him ,
he went in ,
and found many gathered together .
*
And he said to them ,
You know that it is unlawful for a man that is a Jew to join with ,
or to come into the house of ,
one of another nation ;
nevertheless ,
God has shown me that I am to call no man common or unclean .
*
Wherefore ,
when I was sent for ,
I came without debate :
I ask ,
therefore ,
on what account you have sent for me ?
*
And Cornelius said ,
Four days ago ,
I was fasting till this hour ;
and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house ;
and ,
behold ,
a man stood before me in bright raiment ,
*
and said ,
Cornelius ,
your prayer is heard ,
and your alms are remembered before God :
*
send ,
therefore ,
to Joppa ,
and call hither Simon ,
whose surname is Peter ;
he lodges in the house of one Simon ,
a tanner ,
by the seaside ;
who ,
when he is come ,
shall speak to you .
*
Immediately ,
therefore ,
I sent to you ,
and you have done well in coming .
Now ,
therefore ,
we are all here present before God ,
to hear all things which God has given to you in charge .
*
Then Peter ,
opening his mouth ,
said ,
Of a truth ,
I perceive that God is no respecter of persons ;
*
but ,
in every nation ,
he that fears him ,
and works of righteousness ,
is acceptable to him .
*
This is that message which he sent to the children of Israel ;
proclaiming the glad tidings of peace by Jesus Christ ,
who is Lord of all .
*
You know the report there was ,
through all Judea ,
which began from Galilee ,
after the immersion which John preached ,
*
concerning Jesus of Nazareth ;
how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit ,
and with power ;
who went about doing good ,
and healing all who were oppressed by the devil ;
for God was with him .
*
And we are witnesses of all things which he did ,
both in the region of the Jews ,
and in Jerusalem :
whom they slew ,
hanging him on a tree .
*
This very person God raised up ,
on the third day ,
and granted him to become manifest ;
*
not to all the people ,
but to witnesses before appointed by God ,
even to us ,
who have eat and drunk with him after he arose from the dead .
*
And he has given in charge to us to proclaim to the people ,
and to testify that it is he who is appointed by God ,
to be the judge of the living and the dead .
*
To him all the prophets bear witness ,
that every one who believes on him ,
shall receive forgiveness of sins by his name .
*
While Peter was yet speaking these words ,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were hearing the word :
*
and they of the circumcision ,
who believed ,
as many as came with Peter ,
were astonished that the gift of the Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles also :
*
for they heard them speaking in diverse languages ,
and glorifying God .
*
Then Peter answered ,
Can any one forbid water ,
that these persons should not be immersed ,
who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we ?
*
And he ordered them to be immersed in the name of the Lord .
And they entreated him to continue with them several days .
*
Now the Apostles and brethren who were in Jerusalem ,
heard ,
that the Gentiles also had received the word of God .
*
And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem ,
they who were of the circumcision contended with him ,
*
saying ,
You did go in to men who were uncircumcised ,
and did eat with them .
*
And Peter beginning ,
opened to them the matter in order ,
saying ,
*
I was praying in the city of Joppa ;
and ,
in a trance ,
I saw a vision ,
something like a great sheet descending from heaven ,
let down by the four corners ,
and it came close to me :
*
and looking attentively upon it ,
I observed ,
and saw four-footed creatures of the earth ,
and wild beasts ,
and reptiles ,
and fowls of the air :
*
and I heard a voice saying to me ,
*
but I said ,
By no means ,
Lord ;
for nothing common or unclean has ever entered into my mouth .
*
And the voice answered me the second time from heaven ,
*
And this was done three times .
And all the things were drawn up again into heaven .
*
And behold ,
at that instant ,
three men were come to the house in which I was ,
sent from Caesarea to me .
*
And the Spirit commanded me to go with them ,
without any scruple :
and these six brethren also went along with me .
And we entered into the man '
s house :
*
and he told us how he had seen a messenger standing in his house ,
and saying to him ,
Send to Joppa ,
and bring hither Simon ,
whose surname is Peter ;
*
who shall speak words to you ,
by which you and all your family shall be saved .
*
And as I began to speak ,
the Holy Spirit fell upon them ,
as on us at the beginning .
*
And I remembered the word of the Lord ,
how he said ,
*
Since ,
therefore ,
God gave to them the same gift as he did to us ,
who had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ ,
what was I ,
that I should be able to obstruct God ?
*
And when they heard these things ,
they acquiesced ,
and glorified God ;
saying ,
God has ,
then ,
given to the Gentile also reformation to life .
*
Now ,
indeed ,
those who had been dispersed ,
on account of the distress which arose about Stephen ,
had traveled as far as Phenicia ,
and Cyprus ,
and Antioch ,
speaking the word to none but Jews only .
*
Yet some of the ,
being men of Cyprus ,
and Cyrene ;
when they came to Antioch ,
spoke to the Greeks ,
announcing the glad tidings concerning the Lord Jesus .
*
And the hand of the Lord was with them ,
and a great number believed ,
and turned to the Lord .
*
And the report concerning them came to the ears of the congregation that was at Jerusalem ;
and they sent Barnabas ,
to go as far as Antioch .
*
Who ,
when he was come ,
and beheld the favor of God ,
rejoiced ,
and exhorted them all to adhere to the Lord ,
with full determination of heart ;
*
for he was a good man ,
and full of the Holy Spirit ,
and of faith :
and a considerable number were added to the Lord .
*
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus ,
to seek Saul ;
*
and finding him ,
he brought him to Antioch .
And it came to pass ,
that they assembled with the congregation ,
for a whole year ,
and taught considerable numbers ;
and the disciples were first named Christians at Antioch .
*
And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch .
*
And one of them ,
whose name was Agabus ,
stood up ,
and signified by the Spirit ,
that there should be a great famine over all the land :
which came to pass in the days of Claudius .
*
And the disciples determined ,
that ,
according to the respective abilities of each ,
they should send to the assistance of the brethren who dwelt in Judea .
*
And this they did ,
sending it to the elders ,
by the hands of Barnabas and Saul .
*
Now ,
about that time ,
Herod ,
the king ,
laid hands on some of the congregation ,
to afflict them .
*
And he slew James ,
the brother of John ,
with the sword .
*
And as he saw that this was acceptable to the Jews ,
he went on to seize Peter also :
and it was in the days of unleavened bread ;
*
and having seized him ,
he put him in prison ,
delivering him to the custody of four quaternions of soldiers ,
intending ,
after the passover ,
to bring him out to the people .
*
In the meantime ,
therefore ,
Peter was kept in the prison ;
but earnest and continued prayer was made to God on his account ,
by the congregation .
*
And when Herod was ready to have brought him out ,
even that very night ,
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers ,
bound with two chains ;
and the guards before the door were keeping the prison .
*
And ,
behold ,
a messenger of the Lord presented himself ,
and a light shone in the house ;
giving Peter a blow on the side ,
he awoke him ,
saying ,
Arise quickly :
and his chains fell off from his hands .
*
And the messenger said to him ,
Gird yourself ,
and bind on your sandals ;
and he did so .
And he said to him ,
Throw your mantle round you ,
and follow me .
*
And going out he followed him ;
and he did not know that what was done by the messenger was real ;
but supposed that he had seen a vision .
*
And passing through the first and second watch ,
they came to the iron gate that leads into the city ;
which opened to them of its own accord .
And going out ,
they went through one street ,
and immediately the messenger departed from him .
*
And Peter ,
being come to himself ,
said ,
Now I know truly ,
that the Lord has sent his messenger ,
and has delivered me from the hand of Herod ,
and from all the expectations of the Jewish people .
*
And recollecting ,
he came to the house of Mary ,
the mother of John ,
who was surnamed Mark ;
where many were gathered together ,
praying .
*
And as Peter knocked at the door of the outer gate ,
a maiden ,
whose name was Rose ,
went to inquire who was there .
*
And knowing Peter '
s voice ,
transported with joy ,
she did not open the gate :
but running in ,
told them that Peter was standing at the gate .
*
And they said to her ,
You are distracted :
but she confidently affirmed that it was so .
*
But Peter continued knocking ;
and when she opened the door ,
they saw him ,
and were astonished .
*
And he made a sign to them with his hand to be silent ;
and related to them how the Lord had conducted him out of prison .
And he aid ,
Inform James and the brethren of these things :
and departing ,
he went to another place .
*
And as soon as it was day ,
there was no small tumult among the soldiers ,
what was become of Peter .
*
And Herod searching for him ,
and not finding him ,
examined the keeper ,
and ordered them to be led away to execution .
and passing from Judea to Caesarea ,
he abode there .
*
And he was highly incensed against the Tyrians and Sidonians ;
but they unanimously came before him ;
and gaining Blastus ,
the king '
s chamberlain ,
to their interest ,
they begged for peace ;
because their country was nourished by that of the king .
*
And upon a set day ,
Herod ,
being arrayed in a royal habit ,
and seated upon the throne ,
made an oration to them .
*
And the people cried out ,
It is the voice of a God ,
and not of a man !
*
But immediately a messenger of the Lord smote him ,
because he did not give glory to God :
and being eaten with worms ,
he expired .
*
And the word of God grew and was multiplied .
*
And Barnabas and Saul ,
having fulfilled their ministry ,
returned from Jerusalem ;
bringing along with them John ,
whose surname was Mark .
*
Now ,
there were in the congregation that was at Antioch ,
certain prophets and teachers ;
particularly ,
Barnabas ,
and Simeon ,
who was called Niger ,
and Lucius ,
the Cyrenian ,
and Manaen ,
who was educated with Herod ,
the tetrarch ,
and Saul .
*
And as they were ministering to the Lord ,
and fasting ,
the Holy Spirit said ,
Separate to me Barnabas and Saul ,
for the work to which I have called them .
*
And having fasted and prayed ,
and laid hands on them ;
they dismissed them .
*
They ,
therefore ,
being sent by the Holy Spirit ,
departed to Seleucia ;
and from thence they sailed to Cyprus ;
*
and being arrived at Salamis ,
they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews ;
and they had also John for their attendant .
*
And having traversed the island ,
as far as Paphos ,
they found a certain Jew ,
a magician and false prophet ,
whose name was Barjesus ;
*
who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus ,
a prudent man ;
who calling for Barnabas and Saul desired to hear the word of God .
*
But Elymas ,
the magician , (
for that was his name ,
when translated ,)
withstood them ,
endeavoring to turn away the proconsul from the faith .
*
Then Saul , (
who is also called Paul ,)
being filled with the Holy Spirit ,
and looking steadfastly upon him ,
*
said ,
O !
full of all deceit ,
and of all wickedness !
child of the devil !
enemy of all righteousness !
will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ?
*
And ,
behold ,
now the hand of the Lord is upon you ,
and you shall be blind ,
and not see the sun for a time .
And ,
immediately ,
a mist and darkness fell upon him ;
and going about ,
he sought some to lead him by the hand .
*
Then the proconsul ,
seeing what was done ,
believed ;
being struck with the doctrine of the Lord .
*
And loosing from Paphos ,
they who were with Paul ,
came to Perga ,
in Pamphylia ;
but John withdrew himself from them ,
and returned to Jerusalem .
*
Nevertheless ,
they ,
going on from Perga ,
came to Antioch ,
in Pisidia :
and entering into the synagogue on the Sabbath day ,
they sat down .
*
And after the reading of the law and the prophets ;
the rulers of the synagogue sent to them ,
saying ,
Brethren ,
if you have any word of exhortation to the people ,
speak it .
*
Then Paul stood up ,
and waiving his hand ,
said ,
Men of Israel ,
and you that fear God ,
hearken .
*
The God of this people chose our fathers ,
and raised the people while sojourning in the land of Egypt ;
and led them out of it with an uplifted arm .
*
And for a space of about forty years ,
he endured their behavior in the wilderness .
*
And having cast out seven nations in the land of Canaan ,
he distributed their country to them for an inheritance .
*
And after these transactions ,
which lasted about four hundred and fifty years '
he gave them judges ,
till Samuel the prophet .
*
And ,
from that time ,
they desired a king :
and God gave them Saul ,
the son of Kish ,
a man of the tribe of Benjamin ,
for the term of forty years .
* «
And ,
having removed him ,
he raised up to them David ,
for a king ;
whom also he extolled ,
and said ,» '
I have found David ,
the son of Jesse ,
a man according to my own heart ,
who shall do all my will .'
*
Of this man '
s seed ,
according to the promise ,
God raised up to Israel ,
Jesus ,
the Saviour ;
*
John having ,
to introduce his appearance ,
before he preached the immersion of reformation to all the people of Israel .
*
And when John was fulfilling his course ,
he said ,
Whom do you imagine me to be ?
I am not He ;
but behold ,
there comes one after me ,
the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to loose .
*
Brethren ,
children of the family of Abraham ,
and those among you that fear God ;
to you is the word of this salvation sent :
*
for the inhabitants of Jerusalem ;
and their rulers ,
not knowing him ,
nor the sayings of the prophets ,
which are read every Sabbath day ;
have fulfilled them in condemning him .
*
And though they could find no cause of death in him ;
yet they requested Pilate that he might be executed .
*
And when they had accomplished all things that were written concerning him ;
taking him down from the cross ,
they laid him in a tomb .
*
But God raised him up from the dead :
*
and he appeared for several days to those that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem ,
who are his witnesses to the people .
*
And we bring you good tidings ,
that the very promise which was made to the fathers ,
* «
God has accomplished to us ,
their children ,
in raising up Jesus :
as it is also written in the second Psalm ,» '
Thou art my Son ,
this day have I begotten thee .'
* «
And because he has raised him from the dead ,
no more to return to corruption ,
he has spoken thus ,» '
I will give you the sure mercies of David .'
* «
Wherefore ,
also ,
in another place he says ,» '
Thou wilt not permit thy Holy One to see corruption .'
*
Now David ,
having served his own generation according to the will of God ;
fell asleep ,
and was gathered to his fathers ,
and saw corruption .
*
But he whom God raised up ,
did not see corruption .
*
Be it known ,
therefore ,
to you ,
brethren ,
that by Him remission of sins is proclaimed to you :
*
and by Him ,
every one that believes is justified from all things ;
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses .
*
See to it ,
therefore ,
that what is spoken in the prophets may not come upon you :
* «
Behold ,
you despisers ,
and wonder ,
and perish :
for I perform a work in your days ;
a work which you will not believe ,
though one should distinctly declare it to you .»
*
Now ,
when going out ,
they requested that these words might be spoken to them ,
on the following Sabbath .
*
And when the synagogue was broke up ,
many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas ;
who ,
speaking to them ,
persuaded them to persevere in the favor of God .
*
And ,
on the following Sabbath ,
almost the whole city was gathered together ,
to hear the word of God .
*
But the Jews ,
seeing the multitudes ,
were filled with zeal ;
and opposed the things which were spoken by Paul ,
contradicting and reviling .
*
Then Paul and Barnabas ,
with great freedom of speech ,
said ,
It was necessary ,
that the word of God should first be spoken to you ;
but since you thrust it away from you ,
and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life ;
behold ,
we turn to the Gentiles .
* «
For so the Lord has charged us ,
saying ,» '
I have set you for a light of the Gentiles ,
that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth .'
*
And the Gentiles hearing this ,
rejoiced ,
and glorified the word of the Lord :
and as many as were disposed for eternal life ,
believed .
*
And the word of the Lord was published throughout all that region .
*
But the Jews stirred up some devout women of considerable rank ,
and the magistrates of the city ;
and raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas ,
and drove them out of their territories .
*
And they shook off the dust of their feet against them ,
and came to Iconium .
*
But the disciples were filled with joy ,
and with the Holy Spirit .
*
And it came to pass at Iconium ,
that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews ,
and spoke in such a manner that a great multitude ,
both of the Jews and of the Greeks ,
believed .
*
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the minds of the Gentiles ,
and filled them with malignity against the brethren .
*
They ,
however ,
staid there a considerable time ,
speaking boldly for the Lord ;
who gave attestation to the word of his grace ,
and granted signs and miracles to be done by their hands .
*
So the multitude of the city was divided ;
and some were with the Jews ,
and others with the Apostles .
*
But ,
as a violent attempt was made ,
both by the Gentiles and Jews ,
with their rulers ,
to assault and stone them ;
*
they ,
having received intelligence of it ,
fled to Lystra ,
and Derbe ,
cities of Lycaonia ,
and to the adjacent country :
*
and there they declared the glad tidings .
*
Now ,
there was a certain man at Lystra ,
disabled in his feet ;
so lame ,
from his birth ,
that he had never walked .
*
This man heard Paul speaking ,
who ,
fixing his eyes upon him ,
and perceiving that he had faith to be healed ;
*
said ,
with a loud voice ,
Stand upright on your feet .
And he leaped up ,
and walked .
*
And the multitude ,
seeing what Paul had done ,
lifted up their voices ,
saying ,
in the Lycaonian language ,
The gods are descended to us in the likeness of men .
*
And Barnabas they called Jupiter ,
and Paul ,
Mercury ,
because he was the chief speaker .
*
And the priest of Jupiter ,
whose image was before the city ,
brought oxen ,
with garlands ,
to the gates ;
and would ,
with the multitude ,
have offered sacrifice to them .
*
But the Apostles ,
Barnabas and Paul ,
hearing of it ,
rent their mantles ,
and ran in among the multitude ,
crying out ,
*
and saying ,
Men ,
why do you these things ?
We are your fellow-mortals ,
and are declaring the glad tidings to you ,
that you may turn from these vanities to the living God ;
who made the heaven ,
and the earth ,
and the sea ,
and all living things which are in them :
*
who ,
in former generations ,
permitted all the nations to walk in their own ways ;
*
though he did not leave himself without witness ,
doing good ,
and giving us showers of rain from heaven ,
and fruitful seasons ,
filling our hearts with food and gladness .
*
And ,
saying these things ,
they ,
with difficulty ,
restrained the people from sacrificing to them .
*
But Jews came thither from Antioch and Iconium ,
and persuaded the multitude ;
and having stoned Paul ,
they dragged him out of the city ,
supposing him to be dead .
*
But ,
as the disciples were gathered about him ,
he rose up ,
and entered into the city ;
and the next day he departed ,
with Barnabas ,
to Derbe .
*
And having declared the gospel to that city ,
and made a considerable number of disciples ;
they returned to Lystra ,
and to Iconium ,
and to Antioch ,
*
confirming the souls of the disciples ;
exhorting them to continue in the faith ,
and testifying that it is necessary we should enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations .
*
And when they had constituted elders for them ,
in every congregation ,
having prayed to God ,
with fasting ;
they committed them to the Lord ,
in whom they had believed .
*
And passing through Pisidia ,
they came to Pamphylia .
*
And having spoken the word in Perga ,
they went down to Attalia .
*
And they sailed thence to Antioch ,
whence they had been recommended to the grace of God ,
for that work which they had accomplished .
*
And when they were come thither ,
and had gathered the congregation together ,
they related what God had done with them ,
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles .
*
And they spent a considerable time there with the disciples .
*
In the meantime ,
some ,
who came down from Judea ,
taught the brethren ,
Except you be circumcised ,
according to the manner of Moses ,
you can not be saved .
*
There being ,
therefore ,
a contention ,
and no small debate with them ,
on the part of Paul and Barnabas ;
they resolved that Paul and Barnabas ,
and some others of their number ,
should go up to the Apostles and elders at Jerusalem ,
about this question .
*
They ,
therefore ,
being brought forward on their journey ,
by the congregation ,
went through Phenicia and Samaria ,
relating the conversion of the Gentiles ;
and they occasioned great joy to all the brethren .
*
And being arrived at Jerusalem ,
they were received by the congregation ,
and by the Apostles and elders :
and they related what things God had done with them .
*
But some of the sect of the Pharisees that believed ,
rose up and said ,
that it was necessary to circumcise them ,
and to charge them to keep the law of Moses .
*
And the Apostles and elders were gathered together to consult upon this affair .
*
And after much debate ,
Peter rose up and said to them ,
Brethren ,
you know that ,
some considerable time since ,
God among us ,
chose ,
that the Gentiles ,
by my mouth ,
should hear the word of the gospel ,
and believe .
*
And God ,
who knows the heart ,
bore witness to them ,
giving them the Holy Spirit ,
even as he did to us :
*
and made no distinction between us and them ,
having purified their hearts by faith .
*
Now ,
therefore ,
why do you tempt God by imposing on the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear ?
*
But we believe that we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus ,
in the same manner as they .
*
And the whole multitude kept silence ,
and attended to Barnabas and Paul ;
relating what signs and wonders God had done among the heathen ,
by them .
*
Then after they had done speaking ,
James answered ,
saying ,
Brethren ,
hearken to me .
*
Simeon has been relating how God first looked down on the Gentiles ,
to take from among them a people for his name .
*
And the words of the prophets harmonize with this ;
as it is written ,
* «
After this ,
I will return ,
and will rebuild the tabernacle of David ,
which is fallen down ;
yes ,
I will rebuild its ruins ,
and set it upright again :»
*
that the remainder of men may seek the Lord ,
even all the heathen upon whom my name is called ,
* «
says the Lord ,» '
who does all these things ,
known to him from the beginning .'
*
Wherefore ,
my judgment is not to disquiet those who ,
from among the Gentiles ,
are converted to God ;
*
but to write to them ,
that they abstain from the pollutions of idols ,
and from fornication ,
and from that which is strangled ,
and from blood .
*
For Moses has ,
from ancient generations ,
those who preach him ,
in every city ,
being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day .
*
Then it seemed good to the Apostles and elders ,
and all the congregation ,
to send to Antioch ,
with Paul and Barnabas ,
chosen men from among themselves ,
namely ,
Judas ,
surnamed Barsabas ,
and Silas ,
men of principal account among the brethren ;
*
writing by their hands these things :
The Apostles ,
and elders ,
and brethren ,
to the brethren from among the Gentiles in Antioch ,
and Syria ,
and Cilicia ,
greeting :
*
Forasmuch as we have been informed that ,
some going out from among us ,
to whom we gave no commission ,
have troubled you with discourses ,
unsettling your minds ,
saying ,
that you must be circumcised ,
and keep the law :
*
we ,
being unanimously assembled ,
have thought proper to send you chosen men ,
with out beloved Barnabas and Paul ;
*
men that have exposed their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ .
*
We have ,
therefore ,
sent Judas and Silas ,
who will also tell you by word of mouth ,
the same things .
*
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit ,
and to us ,
to impose no further burden upon you besides these necessary things ;
*
that you abstain from things offered to idols ,
and from blood ,
and from anything strangled ,
and from fornication :
from which you will do well to keep yourselves .
Farewell .
*
They ,
therefore ,
being dismissed ,
came to Antioch ;
and assembling the multitude ,
delivered the epistle .
*
And when they had read it ,
they rejoiced for the consolation it brought .
*
And Judas and Silas ,
being also prophets themselves ;
in a copious discourse ,
exhorted and strengthened the brethren .
*
And ,
having made some stay ,
they were dismissed with peace from the brethren to the Apostles .
*
But Silas thought proper to continue there .
*
Paul also ,
and Barnabas ,
with many others ,
continued at Antioch ;
teaching and declaring the good word of the Lord .
*
And ,
after some days ,
Paul said to Barnabas ,
Let us return and visit the brethren in all the cities in which we have published the word of the Lord ;
and see how they do .
*
And Barnabas determined to take along with them John ,
surnamed Mark .
*
But Peter did not think proper to take with them that person who had withdrawn himself from them from Pamphylia ;
and went not with them to the work .
*
There was ,
therefore ,
a sharp fit of anger ,
so that they separated from each other ;
and Barnabas ,
taking Mark along with him ,
sailed to Cyprus .
*
But Paul made choice of Silas ,
and departed ;
being commended to the grace of God ,
by the brethren .
*
And he went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the congregations ;
*
and came to Derbe and Lystra ;
and ,
behold ,
a certain disciple was there ,
whose name was Timothy ,
the son of a believing Jewess ,
but of a Grecian father ;
*
who had an honorable character given by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium .
*
Him Paul would have to go forth with him :
and took and circumcised him ,
on account of the Jews who were in those places :
for they all knew his father ,
that he was a Greek .
*
And as they passed through the cities ,
they delivered to their custody the decrees ,
which were determined by the Apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem .
*
The congregations ,
therefore ,
were confirmed in the faith ,
and increased in number daily .
*
And they went through Phrygia ,
and the region of Galatia ,
and being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia ;
*
when they were come to Mysia ,
they attempted to go to Bithynia ;
but the spirit did not permit them .
*
And passing by Mysia ,
they went down to Troas .
*
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night :
There stood a certain Macedonia ,
entreating him ,
and saying ,
Come over to Macedonia ,
and help us .
*
And as soon as he had seen this vision ,
we immediately endeavored to go to Macedonia ;
assuredly inferring ,
that the Lord had called us to declare the gospel to them .
*
Setting sail ,
therefore ,
from Troas ,
we ran directly to Samothracia ;
and the next day to Neapolis ;
*
and came thence to Philippi ,
which is a city of the first part of Macedonia ,
a colony :
and we continued in this city for some days .
*
And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the side of the river ,
according to the custom ,
where was an oratory ;
and sitting down ,
we spoke to the women that were assembled there .
*
And a certain woman named Lydia ,
a seller of purple ,
of the city of Thyatira ,
a worshiper of God ,
heard the discourse :
whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things which were spoken by Paul .
*
And when she was immersed ,
with her family ,
she entreated us ,
saying ,
If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord ,
enter into my house ,
and continue there .
And she compelled us .
*
Now it came to pass ,
that as we were going to the oratory ,
we were met by a certain maid-servant that had a spirit of divination ,
who brought her owners much gain by prophesying :
*
the same ,
following after Paul and us ,
cried out ,
These men are the servants of the Most High God ,
who declare to you the way of salvation .
*
And this she did for several days .
But Paul ,
being grieved ,
turned and said to the spirit ,
I charge you ,
in the name of Jesus Christ ,
to go out of her .
And it went out that very hour .
*
But when her owners saw that the hope of their gain was gone ;
laying hold of Paul and Silas ,
they dragged them to the market place ,
to the magistrates :
*
and having brought them to the generals of the army ,
they said ,
These men ,
who are Jews ,
mightily disturb our city ;
*
and teach customs ,
which it is not lawful for us to receive and practice ,
being Romans .
*
And the populace rose up together against them ;
and the generals tearing off their garments ,
commanded them to be beaten with rods .
*
And when they had laid many stripes upon them ,
they cast them into prison ,
charging the jailor to keep them safely .
*
Who ,
having received such a strict charge ,
threw them into the inner prison ,
and secured their feet fast in the stocks .
*
But at midnight ,
Paul and Silas having prayed ,
sung a hymn to God :
and the prisoners heard them .
*
And ,
on a sudden ,
there was a great earthquake ,
so that the foundations of the prisoner were shaken :
and immediately all the doors were opened ,
and the bonds of all the prisoners were loosed .
*
And the jailor ,
awaking out of his sleep ,
and seeing the doors of the prison opened ,
drew his sword ,
and was going to kill himself ,
supposing that the prisoners were fled .
*
But Paul cried out ,
with a loud voice ,
saying ,
Do yourself no harm ,
for we are all here .
*
And he called for lights ,
and sprung in ;
and ,
being in a tremor ,
fell down before Paul and Silas ;
*
and ,
bringing them out ,
he said ,
O Sirs ,
what must I do to be saved ?
*
And they said ,
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ ,
and you shall be saved ,
and your house .
*
And they spoke to him the word of the Lord ,
and to all that were in his house .
*
And taking them ,
that very hour of the night ,
he washed their stripes ;
and was immediately immersed ,
himself ,
and all his .
*
And having brought them into his house ,
he spread the table before them :
and believing in the God ,
with all his house ,
he was transported with joy .
*
And when it was day ,
the magistrates sent the sergeants ,
saying ,
Dismiss those men .
*
And the keeper of the prison told these things to Paul ,
The generals have sent that you may be dismissed ;
now ,
therefore ,
go out ,
and pursue your journey in peace .
*
But Paul said to them ,
They have beaten us ,
who are Romans ,
publicly and uncondemned ,
and have cast us into prison ;
and do they now thrust us out privately ?
By no means :
but let them come themselves ,
and conduct us out .
*
And the sergeants reported these words to the generals .
And when they had heard that they were Romans ,
they were afraid :
*
and they came and comforted them ;
and conducting them out ,
requested that they would depart from the city .
*
And coming out of the prison ,
they entered into the house of Lydia :
and when they had seen the brethren ,
they comforted them ,
and departed .
*
And taking their journey through Amphipolis and Apollonia ,
they came to Thessalonica ;
where there was a synagogue of the Jews .
*
And according to Paul '
s custom ,
he entered in among them ,
and discoursed to them for three Sabbaths from the scriptures ;
*
opening them ,
and evidently showing that the Messiah ought to suffer ,
and to rise from the dead ;
and that this is the Messiah ,
even Jesus ,
whom I declare to you .
*
And some of them believed ,
and adhered to Paul and Silas ;
besides ,
a considerable number of the devout Greeks ,
and not a few of the principal women .
*
But the unbelieving Jews ,
filled with zeal ,
gathered together some mean and profligate fellows ,
and making a mob ,
threw the city into a tumult ;
and assaulting the house of Jason ,
endeavored to bring them out to the people .
*
But not finding them ,
they dragged Jason ,
and some of the brethren to the magistrates of the city ,
crying out ,
These men ,
that have turned the world upside down ,
are come hither ,
also ;
*
and Jason has privately received them .
And all these men act contrary to the decrees of Cesar ,
saying that there is another king ,
one Jesus .
*
And they alarmed the multitude and the magistrates of the city ,
when they heard these things .
*
And having taken security of Jason ,
and the rest ,
they dismissed them .
*
But the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas ,
by night ,
to Berea :
and when they came thither ,
they went into the synagogue of the Jews .
*
Now these were of a more noble disposition that those of Thessalonica :
for they received the word with all readiness of mind ,
daily examining the scriptures ,
whether those things were so .
*
Many of them ,
therefore ,
believed ;
both of the Grecian women of considerable rank ,
and of the men not a few .
*
But as soon as some of the Jews of Thessalonica understood that the word of God was announced by Paul at Berea ,
they came thither ,
also ,
exciting the populace .
*
And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul ,
as if he were to go by sea .
But Silas and Timothy continued there .
*
And they that conducted Paul ,
brought him as far as Athens :
and having received an order for Silas and Timothy ,
that they should come to him as soon as possible ,
they set out .
*
Now ,
while Paul was waiting for them at Athens ,
his spirit within him was strongly moved when he beheld the city enslaved to idolatry .
*
He therefore reasoned with the Jews and proselytes in the synagogue ;
and in the forum ,
daily ,
with those who met with him .
*
Then some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers opposed him .
Others said ,
What would this babbler say ?
And others ,
he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities ;
because he declared to them the good news concerning Jesus and the resurrection .
*
And they took him and conducted him to the Areopagus ,
saying ,
May we know what this new doctrine is ,
which is spoken by you ?
*
for you bring some strange things to our ears ;
we would ,
therefore ,
know what these things mean .
*
For all the Athenians ,
and the strangers that sojourned among them spent their leisure in nothing else but in telling or hearing news .
*
Paul ,
therefore ,
standing up in the middle of Areopagus ,
said ,
Athenians ,
I perceive that you are exceedingly addicted to the worship of demons .
*
For ,
as I passed along ,
and beheld the objects of your worship ,
I found an altar with this inscription ,
To the Unknown God :
Him ,
therefore ,
you ignorantly worship ,
I announce to you .
*
The God who made the world ,
and all things that are in it ,
being the Lord of heaven and earth ,
dwells not in temples made with hands :
*
Neither is he served by human hands ,
as if he stood in need of anything ;
he himself giving to all ,
life ,
and breath ,
and all things .
*
And he has made of one blood ,
the whole race of men ,
to inhabit all the face of the earth ;
having marked out the times previously arranged in order ,
and the boundaries of their habitations :
*
that they might seek after the Lord ,
if possibly they might feel after him ,
and find him ;
though he be not far from every one of us :
* «
for in him we live ,
and are moved ,
and do exist ;
as some of your own poets have said-For we his offspring are .»
*
We ,
therefore ,
being the offspring of God ,
ought not to imagine the Deity to be like gold ,
or silver ,
or stone ,
wrought by the art and contrivance of man .
*
For though God overlooked the times of ignorance ,
he now makes proclamation to all men ,
everywhere ,
to reform ;
*
because he has appointed a day ,
in which he will judge the world righteously ,
by that Man whom he has ordained :
of which he has given assurance to all men ,
by raising him from the dead .
*
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead ,
some made a jest of it ,
and others said ,
We will hear you again upon this subject .
*
And this Paul went out of the midst of them .
*
Nevertheless ,
some men adhered to him ,
and believed :
among whom was Dionysius ,
the Areopagite ;
also a woman ,
whose name was Damaris ;
and others with them .
*
After these things ,
Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth ;
*
and finding a certain Jews ,
named Aquila ,
a native of Pontus ,
lately come from Italy ,
with Priscilla ,
his wife , (
because Claudius Cesar had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome ,)
he went to them .
*
And as he was of the same trade ,
he continued with them ,
and wrought ;
for by trade they were tent-makers .
*
But he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath day ,
and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks .
*
And as soon as Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia ,
Paul was impelled by the Spirit ,
and testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah .
*
But when they set themselves in opposition ,
and reviled ,
he shook his garment ,
and said to them ,
Let your blood be upon your own head !
I am pure .
From henceforth I will go to the Gentiles .
*
And going out thence ,
he went into the house of one called Justus ,
a worshiper of God ,
whose house was adjoining the synagogue .
*
Now ,
Crispus ,
the ruler of the synagogue ,
believed in the Lord ,
with all his house ;
and many of the Corinthians ,
hearing ,
believed ;
and were immersed .
*
But the Lord said to Paul ,
in a vision by night ,
lont @
Acts:18:10 " />
*
And he continued there a year and six months ,
teaching the word of God among them .
*
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia ,
the Jews made an assault upon Paul ,
with one consent ,
and brought him before the tribunal ,
*
saying ,
This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law .
*
And when Paul would have opened his mouth ,
Gallio said to the Jews ,
If it were an act of injustice ,
or mischievous licentiousness ,
O Jews !
it were reasonable I should bear with you .
*
But if it be a question concerning words ,
and names ,
and the law which is among you ,
you see to it yourselves ;
for I will be no judge of these matters .
*
And he drove them away from the tribunal .
*
And all the Greeks laid hold on Sosthenes ,
the ruler of the synagogue ,
and beat him before the tribunal ;
but Gallio did not concern himself at all about the matter .
*
And Paul still continued there for a considerable time ,
and then taking leave of the brethren ,
sailed thence for Syria ,
and with him Priscilla and Aquila ;
having shaved his head at Cenchrea ,
for he had a vow .
*
And he arrived at Ephesus ,
and there he left them ;
but he himself entered into the synagogue ,
and reasoned with the Jews .
*
And though they entreated him to have staid longer with them ,
he did not consent :
*
but he took his leave of them ,
saying ,
It is necessary for me ,
all means ,
to celebrate the approaching feast at Jerusalem ;
but I will return to you again ,
God willing .
And he set sail from Ephesus .
*
And landing at Caesarea ,
he went up ;
and having saluted the congregation ,
he went down to Antioch .
*
and having saluted the congregation ,
he went down to Antioch .
And having spent some time there ,
he departed ,
going through the country of Galatia and Phrygia ,
in a regular manner confirming all the disciples .
*
Now ,
a certain Jew ,
whose name was Apollos ,
a native of Alexandria ,
an eloquent man ,
and powerful in the scriptures ,
came to Ephesus .
*
This person was instructed in the way of the Lord ,
and being fervent in spirit ,
he spoke and taught them things of the Lord with great accuracy ,
being only acquainted with the immersion of John .
*
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue .
And Aquila and Priscilla hearing him ,
took him aside ,
and explained to him the way of God in a more perfect manner .
*
And when he intended to go over to Achaia ,
the brethren wrote to the disciples ,
exhorting them to receive him .
And being arrived there ,
by his gift he greatly helped those who had believed .
*
For he strenuously debated with the Jews in public ,
showing by the scriptures ,
that Jesus is the Messiah .
*
Now it came to pass ,
that while Apollos was at Corinth ,
Paul ,
having passed through the upper parts ,
came to Ephesus :
and finding there some disciples ,
*
he said to them ,
Have you ,
on your believing ,
received the Holy Spirit ?
And they replied to him ,
No ;
we have not so much as heard whether the Holy Spirit is received .
*
And he said to them ,
Into what ,
then ,
were you immersed ?
And they said ,
Into John '
s immersion .
*
And Paul said ,
John ,
indeed ,
administered the immersion of reformation ,
telling the people that they should believe in Him that was to come after him :
that is ,
in Jesus .
*
And hearing this ,
they were immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus .
*
And Paul ,
laying his hands ,
on them ,
the Holy Spirit came upon them ;
and they spoke with tongues ,
and prophesied .
*
And they were ,
in all ,
about twelve men .
*
And he went into the synagogue ,
and discoursed with boldness ,
disputing for the space of three months ,
and evincing the things which related to the kingdom of God .
*
But as some were hardened ,
and would not believe ,
speaking reproachfully of this way before the multitude ,
he departed from them ,
and separated the disciples ,
disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus .
*
And this was done for the space of two years ,
so that all the inhabitants of Asia ,
both Jews and Greeks ,
heard the word of the Lord .
*
And God wrought extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul :
*
so that handkerchiefs ,
or aprons ,
were carried from his body to those who were sick ,
and the diseases removed from them ,
and the evil spirits came out .
*
And some of the strolling Jews ,
who were exorcists ,
undertook to name the name of the Lord Jesus ,
over those who had evil spirits ,
saying ,
We adjure you by Jesus ,
whom Paul preaches .
*
And there were seven sons of one Sceva ,
a Jewish chief priest ,
who did this .
*
But the evil spirit answering ,
said ,
Jesus I know ,
and Paul I know ;
but who are you ?
*
And the man in whom the evil spirit was ,
sprung upon them ,
and getting master of them prevailed against them ,
so that they fled out of the house ,
naked and wounded .
*
And this was known to all the Jews ,
and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus ;
and fear fell upon them all ,
and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified .
*
And many of them ,
who believed ,
came and confessed ,
and made a declaration of their deeds .
*
And a considerable number of those who had curious arts ,
bringing their books together ,
burnt them before all :
and they computed the value of them ,
and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver :
*
so powerfully did the word of the Lord grow ,
and prevail .
*
Now when these things were fulfilled ,
Paul proposed in spirit ,
that ,
passing through Macedonia and Achaia ,
he would go to Jerusalem ,
saying ,
After I have been there ,
it is necessary for me also to see Rome .
*
And sending two of those that ministered to him ,
Timothy and Erastus ,
into Macedonia ,
he himself staid some time in Asia .
*
And there happened ,
about that time ,
no small tumult concerning that way .
*
For a man whose name was Demetrius ,
a silversmith ,
by making silver shrines of Diana ,
procured no small gain to the artificers :
*
whom he gathered together ,
with the workmen employed about the business ,
and said ,
Men ,
you know that our maintenance arises from this manufacture ;
*
and you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded great numbers of people ,
not only of Ephesus ,
but almost of all Asia ,
and has turned them aside ,
saying that they are not deities which are made with hands ;
*
so that there is danger ,
not only that this occupation of ours should be depreciated ,
but also that the people of the great goddess Diana should be despised ,
and her grandeur destroyed ;
whom all Asia and the world worship .
*
And hearing this ,
they were filled with rage ;
and cried out ,
saying ,
Great is Diana of the Ephesians !
*
And the whole city was filled with confusion ;
and they rushed with one accord into the theater ,
dragging thither Gaius and Aristarchus ,
Macedonians ,
Paul '
s fellow-travelers .
*
And when Paul would have gone in to the people ,
the disciples would not permit him .
*
And some ,
too ,
the principal officers of Asia ,
as they had a friendship for him ,
sent to him ,
and desired that he would not venture himself into the theater .
*
Some ,
therefore ,
were crying one thing ,
and some another ;
for the congregation was confused ,
and the greater part did not know for what they were come together .
*
And they thrust forth forward Alexander ,
from amongst the multitude ,
the Jews urging him on .
And Alexander ,
beckoning with his hand ,
would have made a defense to the people .
*
But when they knew that he was a Jew ,
one voice arose from them all ,
crying out ,
for about the space of two hours ,
Great is Diana of the Ephesians !
*
But the chancellor ,
having pacified the people ,
said Ephesians ,
what man is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is devoted to the great Diana ,
and to the image that fell down from Jupiter .
*
Since ,
then ,
these things are incontestable ,
it is necessary for you to be quiet ,
and to do nothing in a precipitate manner ;
*
for you have brought these men ,
who are neither robbers of temples ,
nor blasphemers of your goddess .
*
If ,
therefore ,
Demetrius ,
and the artificers that are with him ,
have a charge against any one ,
courts are held ;
and there are the proconsuls ;
let them implead together .
*
But if you are inquiring anything concerning other matters ,
it shall be determined in a legal congregation .
*
And ,
indeed ,
we are in danger of being called in question for the insurrection which has happened this day ,
as there is no cause by which we can account for this concourse .
*
And when he had said these things ,
he dismissed the congregation .