Bible in 90 Days

Stephen becomes a target

⁸ Stephen was filled with grace and power, and performed great signs and wonders among the people. ⁹ But some from the “Freemen’s Synagogue,” as it was named, and from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia, stood up and disputed with Stephen. ¹⁰ They could not, however, resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

¹¹ Then they put up men to say, “We heard this man speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God!” ¹² They aroused the people, the elders and the scribes. They set upon him, seized him, and took him in front of the Assembly. ¹³ They set up false witnesses to say, “This man never stops speaking words against this holy place and the law! ¹⁴ We heard him say that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place, and change the customs which Moses handed down to us!”

¹⁵ Everyone who was sitting in the Assembly looked hard at Stephen. They all saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen tells the story

7 The high priest addressed Stephen.

“Are these things true?” he said.

² “My brothers and fathers,” replied Stephen, “please give me a hearing.

“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he moved to live in Haran. ³ ‘Leave your land and your family,’ he said to him, ‘and go to the land which I will show you.’ ⁴ So he left the land of the Chaldeans and went to live in Haran. Then, from there, after his father’s death, God moved him on to this land in which you now live. ⁵ God didn’t give him an inheritance here, not even a place to stand up in. Instead, he promised (when Abraham still had no child) that he would give it as a possession to his seed after him. ⁶ This is what God said to him: that his seed would be strangers in a foreign land, that they would serve there as slaves, and that they would be afflicted for four hundred years. ⁷ But God said that he would judge the nation that had enslaved them, and that they would then come out and worship him ‘on this mountain.’ ⁸ And he gave them the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and he circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “Now the patriarchs became angry with Joseph, and were jealous of him. They sold him into Egypt. But God was with him, ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles and gave him grace and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, making him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ But then there was a famine over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, which resulted in great hardship. Our ancestors couldn’t find food to eat. ¹² Jacob, however, heard that there was grain in Egypt, and sent our ancestors there on an initial visit. ¹³ On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and revealed to Pharaoh what family he was from. ¹⁴ So Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all the family, seventy-five people in all. ¹⁵ Jacob came to Egypt, and he and our ancestors died there. ¹⁶ They were brought back to Shechem, and buried in the tomb which Abraham had bought with silver, at a named price, from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”

Stephen and Moses

¹⁷ “God had sworn an oath to Abraham,” Stephen continued. “When the time drew near for this promise to be fulfilled, the people had increased and multiplied in Egypt, ¹⁸ until another king arose over Egypt, one who had not known Joseph. ¹⁹ He got the better of our people, and ill-treated our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their newborn children so that they would die.

²⁰ “It was at that time that Moses was born, and he was a noble-looking child. He was nursed for three months in his father’s house. ²¹ But, when they abandoned him, Pharaoh’s daughter claimed him and brought him up as her own son. ²² So Moses was educated in the full teaching of Egyptian wisdom, and he was powerful in what he said and did.

²³ “When he had grown to about forty years old, it came into his heart to see how his family, the children of Israel, were doing. ²⁴ He saw someone being wronged, and came to the man’s defense; he took revenge on behalf of the man who was being oppressed, by striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ He thought his kinsfolk would grasp the fact that God was sending him to their rescue, but they didn’t.

²⁶ “The next day he showed up as two Hebrews were fighting, and he tried to bring them back together again. ‘Now then, you two,’ he said, ‘you are brothers! Why are you wronging each other?’ ²⁷ But the man who was wronging the other wasn’t having it. ‘Who d’you think you are?’ he retorted, pushing him away. ‘Who made you a ruler or judge over us? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me in the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ At that word, Moses ran away, and lived as a guest in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.

³⁰ “After another forty years, an angel appeared to him in the desert at Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the vision. But, as he came closer to see, there came the voice of the Lord: ³² ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.’ Moses was very frightened, and didn’t dare to look. ³³ But the Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have looked long and hard at the trouble my people are having in Egypt. I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. So, come on now: I’m going to send you to Egypt.’ ”

Handmade shrines

³⁵ “So,” Stephen continued, “this same Moses—the one they rejected, saying ‘Who made you a ruler or judge?’—this is the man God sent as ruler and redeemer, by the hand of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ He did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and led them out, through the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. ³⁷ This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘God will raise up a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ³⁸ And this is the one who was in the assembly in the desert with the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to give to us.

³⁹ “This is the one whom our ancestors had not wanted to obey, but instead rejected him and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, ⁴⁰ by saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us; for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has become of him!’ ⁴¹ They made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to an idol. They celebrated things their own hands had made.

⁴² “Then God turned and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it stands written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring sacrifices and offerings to me in those forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? ⁴³ You took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god Rhephan, the carved images you made to worship! I will remove you beyond Babylon!’

⁴⁴ “Our ancestors had the ‘tent of meeting’ in the desert. God had commanded Moses to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. ⁴⁵ Our ancestors in their turn brought it in when, with Joshua, they dispossessed the nations whom God drove out before our ancestors, and it was there until the time of David. ⁴⁶ David found favor with God, and requested permission to establish a Tabernacle for the house of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who built him a house.

⁴⁸ “The Most High, however, does not live in shrines made by human hands. The prophet put it like this:

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are uncircumcised! You always resist the holy spirit, just as your ancestors did before you! ⁵² Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? And you killed those who announced in advance the coming of the Righteous One—and now you have betrayed him and murdered him. ⁵³ You received the law at the command of angels, but you didn’t keep it!”

The stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ What Stephen said was a blow right to the heart. When they heard it, they gnashed their teeth against him. ⁵⁵ He, however, was filled with the holy spirit, and looked steadily up into heaven. There he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.

⁵⁶ “Look!” he said. “I can see heaven opened, and the son of man standing at God’s right hand!”

⁵⁷ But they yelled at him at the tops of their voices, blocked their ears and made a concerted dash at him. ⁵⁸ They bundled him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ So they stoned Stephen.

“Lord Jesus,” he cried out, “receive my spirit.”

⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and shouted at the top of his voice, “Lord, don’t let this sin stand against them.”

Once he had said this, he fell asleep.

8 Now Saul was giving his consent to Stephen’s death.

That very day a great persecution was started against the church in Jerusalem. Everyone except the apostles was scattered through the lands of Judaea and Samaria. ² Devout men buried Stephen, and made a great lamentation over him. ³ But Saul was doing great damage to the church by going from one house to another, dragging off men and women and throwing them into prison.

Samaria, the spirit and Simon Magus

⁴ Those who were scattered went all over the place announcing the word. ⁵ Philip went off to a town in Samaria and announced the Messiah to them. ⁶ The crowds, acting as one, clung to what Philip was saying, as they heard him and saw the signs he performed. ⁷ For unclean spirits came out of many of them, and several who were paralyzed or lame were cured. ⁸ So there was great joy in that town.

⁹ But there was a man named Simon, who had lived in the town for some while and who practiced magic. He used to astonish the Samaritan people, giving out that he was some great personage. ¹⁰ Everyone, small and great alike, paid attention to him, and said, “This man is the one called ‘God’s Great Power’!” ¹¹ They had been under his spell for some time, since they were amazed at the magic he could perform. ¹² But when they believed Philip as he was announcing to them the message about God’s kingdom and the Name of Jesus the Messiah, they were baptized, men and women alike. ¹³ Simon too believed and was baptized, paying close attention to Philip. When he saw signs, and great and powerful deeds, it was his turn to be astonished.

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received God’s word, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for them, asking that they would receive the holy spirit, ¹⁶ since up to that point the spirit had come upon none of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the holy spirit.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.

¹⁹ “Give me this power too,” he said, “so that anyone I lay my hands on will receive the holy spirit.”

²⁰ “You and your silver belong in hell!” retorted Peter. “Did you really think that God’s gift could be bought with money? ²¹ You have no part or share in this word! Your heart is not straight before God. ²² So repent from this wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive the scheme you had in your heart. ²³ I can see that you are still stuck in the bitter poison and chains of unrighteousness.”

²⁴ “Pray to the Lord for me,” said Simon in reply, “that none of what you’ve said will happen to me.”

²⁵ After Peter and John had finished bearing witness and speaking the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, announcing the good news to many Samaritan villages.

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶ An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip.

“Get up and go south,” he said. “Go to the desert road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

²⁷ So he got up and went. Lo and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace (the queen of Ethiopia), who was in charge of her whole treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and was on his way back home. He was sitting in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹ “Go up and join his chariot,” said the spirit to Philip. ³⁰ So Philip ran up, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah.

“Do you understand what you’re reading?” he asked.

³¹ “How can I,” he replied, “unless someone gives me some help?”

So he invited Philip to get up and sit beside him. ³² The biblical passage he was reading was this one:

³⁴ “Tell me,” said the eunuch to Philip, “who is the prophet talking about? Himself or someone else?”

³⁵ Then Philip took a deep breath and, starting from this biblical passage, told him the good news about Jesus.

³⁶ As they were going along the road, they came to some water.

“Look!” said the eunuch. “Here is some water! What’s to stop me being baptized?”

³⁸ So he gave orders for the chariot to stop, and both of them went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch together, and he baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him anymore, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip, however, turned up at Azotus. He went through all the towns, announcing the good news, until he came to Caesarea.

The conversion of Saul

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats and murder on the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and requested from him official letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he could find people who belonged to the Way, men and women alike, tie them up and bring them back to Jerusalem.

³ While he was on the journey, and was getting near to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to him.

“Saul, Saul!” said the voice. “Why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” he asked.

“I am Jesus,” he said, “and you are persecuting me. ⁶ But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ The men who were traveling with Saul stood speechless. They heard the voice, but couldn’t see anybody. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he couldn’t see anything. So they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. ⁹ He went for three days, still unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

Ananias and Saul

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision.

“Ananias!” he said.

“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.

¹¹ “Get up,” said the Lord to him, “and go to the street called Straight. Inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. Look—he’s praying! ¹² And he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming and laying his hands on him so that he can see again.”

¹³ “Well, Lord,” replied Ananias, “I’ve heard about this man from several people . . . all about how he’s done wicked things to your holy people in Jerusalem . . . ¹⁴ and now he’s come here with authority from the chief priests to tie up everybody who calls on your Name!”

¹⁵ “Just go,” replied the Lord. “He is a chosen vessel for me, to carry my Name before nations and kings—and the children of Israel, too. ¹⁶ I am going to show him how many things he is going to have to suffer for the sake of my Name.”

¹⁷ So Ananias set off, went into the house, and laid his hands on him.

“Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me—yes, Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—so that you may be able to see again, and receive the holy spirit.”

¹⁸ At once something like scales fell off his eyes, and he was able to see. He got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ He had something to eat, and regained his strength.

“He is God’s son”

Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus for a few days. ²⁰ At once he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This really is the son of God!” ²¹ Everyone was astonished, and said, “Isn’t this the man who caused havoc to those in Jerusalem who call on this Name? And here he is, coming to tie them up and take them off to the high priests!” ²² But Saul grew all the stronger, and threw the Jews in Damascus into confusion by demonstrating that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.

²³ After some days, the Jews made a plot to kill him, ²⁴ but Saul got wind of their plan. They were watching the city gates day and night so that they could do away with him. ²⁵ But the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

²⁶ When he got back to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and explained to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

²⁸ He was with them in Jerusalem, coming and going and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He spoke, as well, to the Hellenists, who tried to kill him. ³⁰ But the family heard of it and took him down to Caesarea. There they sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹ So the church in all Judaea, Galilee and Samaria found itself at peace. It was built up and gained in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the holy spirit.

Back to Peter

³² As Peter was going through various places among all the believers, he went down to God’s people who lived in Lydda. ³³ There he found a paralyzed man named Aeneas who had been confined to bed for eight years.

³⁴ “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus the Messiah heals you! Stand up and fold up your bed!”

And at once he stood up. ³⁵ Everyone who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw it, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, whose name translates as “Dorcas.” She was full of good works and generous deeds. ³⁷ Around that time she fell ill and died. They washed her and laid her in an upper room. ³⁸ Lydda is near Joppa, and the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the urgent request that he shouldn’t delay, but come to them at once. ³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upper room, where all the widows were weeping. They showed him the tunics and the other clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out. Then he knelt down and prayed, and turned to the body.

“Tabitha,” he said, “get up!”

She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then he called God’s people, including the widows, and presented her alive.

⁴² This became known throughout the whole of Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ Peter stayed on in Joppa for some days, at the house of Simon the tanner.

Peter’s vision

10 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion with the cohort called “the Italian.” ² He was devout, and he and all his household revered God. He gave alms generously to the people, and constantly prayed to God.

³ He had a vision. Around three o’clock in the afternoon he saw, quite clearly, one of God’s angels coming to him.

“Cornelius!” said the angel.

⁴ He looked hard at him, terrified.

“What is it, Sir?” he said.

“Your prayers and your alms have come to God’s notice,” said the angel. ⁵ “What you must do is this. Send men to Joppa, and ask for someone called Simon, surnamed Peter. ⁶ He is staying with a man called Simon, a tanner, whose house is beside the sea.”

⁷ When the angel who had spoken with him went away, he called two of his household and a devout soldier from among his retinue. ⁸ He explained everything to them, and sent them off to Joppa.

⁹ The next day, as they were on their journey and getting near the town, Peter went up onto the roof of the house to pray. It was around midday; ¹⁰ he was hungry, and asked for something to eat. While they were preparing it, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened, and a vessel like a great sail coming down towards the earth, suspended by its four corners. ¹² In the sail there was every kind of four-footed creature, reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. ¹³ Then he heard a voice: “Get up, Peter!” said the voice. “Kill and eat!”

¹⁴ “Certainly not, Master!” said Peter. “I’ve never eaten anything common or unclean!”

¹⁵ “What God has made clean,” said the voice, coming now for a second time, “you must not regard as common.”

¹⁶ This all happened three times, and then suddenly the sail was whisked back up to heaven.

Peter goes to Cornelius

¹⁷ When Peter came to himself, he was puzzled as to what the vision he had seen was all about. Then, suddenly, the men sent by Cornelius appeared, standing by the gate. They had been asking for Simon’s house, ¹⁸ inquiring if someone by the name of Simon called Peter was staying there. ¹⁹ Peter was still pondering the vision, when the spirit spoke to him.

“Look,” said the spirit. “There are three men searching for you. ²⁰ It’s all right; get up, go down and go with them. Don’t be prejudiced; I have sent them.”

²¹ So Peter went down to the men.

“Here I am,” he said. “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

²² “There is a man called Cornelius,” they replied. “He is a centurion, and he is a righteous and God-fearing man. The whole people of the Jews will testify to him. A holy angel told him in a vision to send for you to come to his house, so that he can hear any words you may have to say.”

²³ So he invited them in and put them up for the night.

In the morning he got up and went with them. Some of the believers from Joppa went with him. ²⁴ They reached Caesarea the following day. Cornelius had summoned his relatives and close friends and was waiting for him.

²⁵ When Peter came in, Cornelius went to meet him. He fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶ “Get up!” said Peter, lifting him up. “I’m just a man, too.”

²⁷ So they talked together, and Peter came in and found lots of people assembled.

²⁸ “You must know,” he said to them, “that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to mix with or visit a Gentile. But God showed me that I should call nobody ‘common’ or ‘unclean.’ ²⁹ So I came when I was asked, and raised no objections. Do tell me, then, the reason why you sent for me.”

³⁰ “Four days ago,” answered Cornelius, “I was praying in my house at around this time, about three o’clock, and suddenly a man stood beside me in shining clothes. ³¹ ‘Cornelius,’ he said, ‘your prayer has been heard, and your almsgiving has been remembered by God. ³² So send someone to Joppa and call Simon, who is named Peter; he is staying in the house of Simon the tanner, beside the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. So now we are all here, in God’s presence, to listen to everything which the Lord has told you to say.”

Telling the Gentiles about Jesus

³⁴ Peter took a deep breath and began.

“It’s become clear to me,” he said, “that God really does show no favoritism. ³⁵ No: in every race, people who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him. ³⁶ He sent his word to the children of Israel, announcing peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all! ³⁷ You know all about this, and how the word spread through all Judaea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed.

³⁸ “God anointed this man, Jesus of Nazareth, with the holy spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were overpowered by the devil, since God was with him. ³⁹ We are witnesses of everything he did in the land of Judaea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day, and allowed him to be seen, ⁴¹ not indeed by all the people, but by those of us whom God had appointed beforehand. We ate and drank with him after he had been raised from the dead. ⁴² And he commanded us to announce to the people, and to bear testimony, that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets give their witness: he is the one! Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his Name.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still saying all this, the holy spirit fell on everyone who was listening to the word. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astonished, because the gift of the holy spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles too. ⁴⁶ They heard them speaking with tongues and praising God.

Then Peter spoke up.

⁴⁷ “Nobody can deny these people water to be baptized, can they?” he said. “They have received the holy spirit, just like we did!” ⁴⁸ So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah.

Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

Controversy and vindication

11 The apostles, and the brothers and sisters with them in Judaea, heard that the Gentiles had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who wanted to emphasize circumcision took issue with him.

³ “Why did you do it?” they asked. “Why did you go in to visit uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

⁴ So Peter began to explain it all, step by step.

⁵ “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and I was praying. I was in a trance, and I saw a vision: something like a great sail suspended by its four corners was let down from heaven, and came towards me. ⁶ I stared at it, then I began to look in, and I saw four-footed land animals, wild beasts, reptiles and birds of the air. ⁷ I heard a voice, saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!’ ⁸ ‘Certainly not, Lord,’ I replied. ‘Nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ ⁹ Then the voice came from heaven a second time: ‘What God made clean, you must not regard as common.’ ¹⁰ All this happened three times, and then the whole lot was drawn back up into heaven.

¹¹ “Just then, suddenly, three men appeared at the house where I was, sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² The spirit told me to go with them, without raising scrupulous objections. These six brothers also came with me, and we went into the man’s house. ¹³ He told us that he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and fetch Simon called Peter, ¹⁴ who will speak to you words by which you and all your house will be saved.’ ¹⁵ As I began to speak, the holy spirit fell on them, just as the spirit did on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word which the Lord had spoken: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the holy spirit.’

¹⁷ “So, then,” Peter concluded, “if God gave them the same gift as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus the Messiah, who was I to stand in the way of God?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they had nothing more to say. They praised God.

“Well, then,” they declared, “God has given the Gentiles, too, the repentance that leads to life!”

Taking root—and a name!—in Antioch

¹⁹ The people who had been scattered because of the persecution that came about over Stephen went as far afield as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jewish people. ²⁰ But some from among them, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene in the first place, arrived in Antioch and spoke to the Hellenists as well, announcing the good news of the Lord Jesus. ²¹ The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

²² News of all this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the grace of God he was glad, and he urged them all to stay firmly loyal to the Lord from the bottom of their hearts. ²⁴ He was a good man, full of the holy spirit and faith. And a substantial crowd was added to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul ²⁶ and, when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. They were there a whole year, and were received hospitably in the church, and taught a substantial crowd. And it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”

²⁷ Around that time, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, Agabus by name, stood up and gave an indication through the spirit that there would be a great famine over the whole world. (This took place in the reign of Claudius.) ²⁹ Each of the disciples determined, according to their ability, to send what they could to help the brothers and sisters living in Judaea. ³⁰ They carried out this plan, sending their gift to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Herod kills James

12 Around that time, King Herod began to use violence towards some members of the church. ² He killed James the brother of John with the sword. ³ When he saw that it pleased the Judaeans, he proceeded to arrest Peter, too. (This was around the time of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴ So, when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and gave four squads of soldiers the job of guarding him, with the intention of bringing him out to the people after Passover. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed earnestly to God on his behalf.

Peter’s rescue and Rhoda’s mistake

⁶ On the night when Herod was intending to bring Peter out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. There were guards on the doors, watching the prison. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shone in the cell.

The angel hit Peter on the side and woke him up.

“Get up quickly!” he said.

The chains fell off his hands. ⁸ Then the angel spoke again.

“Get dressed and put on your sandals,” he said. So Peter did.

“Put on your cloak and follow me,” said the angel.

⁹ So he went out, following the angel. He didn’t think all this business with the angel was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They went through the first set of guards; then the second; and then they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened all by itself. They went out and walked along a street. Suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to his senses.

“Now I know it’s true!” he said. “The Lord sent his angel and snatched me out of Herod’s hands. He rescued me from all the things the Judaeans were intending to do.”

¹² Once he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary, John Mark’s mother. Lots of people were gathered there, praying. ¹³ Peter knocked at the door in the outer gate, and a maid called Rhoda came to answer it. ¹⁴ When she heard Peter’s voice, she was so excited that she didn’t open the gate. Instead, she ran back in and told them that Peter was standing outside the gate.

¹⁵ “You’re mad!” they said to her. But she insisted that it really was true.

“It must be his angel!” they said.

¹⁶ Meanwhile Peter carried on knocking. They opened the door and saw him, and were astonished. ¹⁷ He made a sign with his hand for them to be quiet. Then he told them how the Lord had led him out of the prison.

“Tell this to James, and to the other brothers and sisters,” he said.

Then he left, and went somewhere else.

¹⁸ When morning came, there was quite a commotion among the guards as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ Herod looked for him but couldn’t find him. He interrogated the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he left Judaea and went down to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Herod’s vanity and death

²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They all came together to meet him, and they persuaded Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedchamber, to seek a reconciliation. (They were, you see, dependent on the king’s country for their food.) ²¹ So a day was set, and Herod dressed himself in his royal robes and took his seat on the official platform to make a public address to them.

²² The people began to shout, “The voice of a god, not of a mortal!”

²³ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory. He was eaten by worms and expired.

²⁴ But God’s word grew and multiplied. ²⁵ Barnabas and Saul had by now accomplished their ministry in Jerusalem, and they came back to Antioch, bringing John Mark with them.

Mission and magic

13 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen from the court of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. ² As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the holy spirit said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So they fasted and prayed; and then they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

⁴ So off they went, sent out by the holy spirit, and arrived at Seleucia. From there they set sail to Cyprus, ⁵ and when they arrived in Salamis they announced God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their assistant. ⁶ They went through the whole of the island, all the way to Paphos. There they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. ⁷ He was with the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. He called Barnabas and Saul and asked to hear the word of God. ⁸ The magician Elymas (that is the translation of his name) was opposing them, and doing his best to turn the governor away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, also named Paul, looked intently at him, filled with the holy spirit.

¹⁰ “You’re full of trickery and every kind of villainy!” he said. “You’re a son of the devil! You’re an enemy of everything that’s right! When are you going to stop twisting the paths that God has made straight? ¹¹ Now see here: the Lord’s hand will be upon you, and you will be blind for a while; you won’t even be able to see the sun!”

At once mist and darkness fell on him, and he went about looking for someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the governor saw what had happened, he believed, since he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Address in Antioch

¹³ Paul and his companions set off from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and went back to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But they came through from Perga and arrived in Antioch of Pisidia, where they went into the synagogue on the sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading of the law and the prophets, the ruler of the synagogue sent word to them.

“My brothers,” he said, “if you have any word of exhortation for the people, let us hear it.”

¹⁶ So Paul stood up and motioned with his hand for attention.

“Fellow Israelites,” he said, “and the godfearers among you: listen. ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, and he raised the people up to greatness during their stay in the land of Egypt. Then he led them out from there with his outstretched hand, ¹⁸ and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert. ¹⁹ He drove out seven nations from the land of Canaan, and gave them the land as their inheritance ²⁰ for about four hundred and fifty years. After that, he gave them judges, up until Samuel the prophet. ²¹ After that, they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. He ruled for forty years, ²² and after God had removed him he raised up for them David as king. He is the one to whom God bore witness when he said, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will accomplish all my purpose.’

²³ “From this man’s offspring, in accordance with his promise, God has produced a savior for Israel: Jesus! ²⁴ Before he appeared, John had announced a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. ²⁵ As John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose I am? I am not the one. But look: someone is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.’ ”

The messianic challenge

²⁶ “My brothers and sisters,” Paul continued, “children of Abraham’s family, and the godfearers among you: it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent! ²⁷ The people who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, didn’t recognize him, and they fulfilled the words of the prophets which are read to them every sabbath by condemning him. ²⁸ Even though they found no reason to condemn him to death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. ²⁹ When they had completed everything that had been written about him in prophecy, they took him down from the cross and put him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and he was seen for several days by those who had come with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people.

³² “We are here now to bring you the good news which was promised to our ancestors, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to us, their children, by raising Jesus. This corresponds, indeed, to what is written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ “That he raised him from the dead, never more to return to corruption, conforms to what was written:

³⁵ “Because, as it says in another place,

³⁶ “Now David served his own generation, and in the purposes of God he fell asleep and was gathered to his fathers. He did experience corruption. ³⁷ But the one God raised up did not experience corruption. ^38,39 “So let it be known to you, my brothers and sisters, that forgiveness of sins is announced through him.

“Everyone who believes is set right in relation to all the things which the law of Moses could not put right.

⁴⁰ “Beware, then, lest what the prophets foretold comes true of you:

⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were leaving, they begged them to come back the next sabbath and tell them more about these things. ⁴³ Many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed them once the synagogue was dismissed. They spoke to them some more, and urged them to remain in God’s grace.

A light to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ On the next sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with righteous indignation, and spoke blasphemous words against what Paul was saying.

⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas grew very bold.

“God’s word had to be spoken to you first,” they declared. “But since you are rejecting it, and judging yourselves unworthy of the life of God’s new age, look! We are turning to the Gentiles! ⁴⁷ This is what the Lord has commanded, you see:

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were thrilled, and they praised the word of the Lord. All those who were marked out for the life of God’s new age became believers. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord spread through the whole land.

⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the devout aristocratic women and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. ⁵¹ They, however, shook the dust off their feet and went on to Iconium. ⁵² The disciples were filled with joy and with the holy spirit.

Iconium

14 What happened in Iconium was much the same. They went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke, with the result that a large crowd, of both Jews and Greeks, came to faith. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against the brothers. ³ They stayed there a long time, speaking boldly on behalf of the Lord, who bore them witness to the word of his grace by giving signs and wonders which were done at their hands.

⁴ But the inhabitants of the city were divided. Some were with the Jews, and some with the apostles. ⁵ But then the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, made an attempt to ill-treat them and stone them. ⁶ They got wind of it, however, and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding countryside. ⁷ There they went on announcing the good news.

Confusion in Lystra

⁸ There was a man sitting in Lystra who was unable to use his feet. He had been lame from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. ⁹ He heard Paul speaking. When Paul looked hard at him, and saw that he had faith to be made well, ¹⁰ he said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!”

Up he jumped, and walked about.

¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted loudly in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”

¹² They called Barnabas “Zeus,” and Paul, because he was the main speaker, “Hermes.” ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the city gates. There was a crowd with him, and he was all ready to offer sacrifice.

¹⁴ But when the apostles, Paul and Barnabas, heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd.

¹⁵ “Men, men,” they shouted, “what on earth are you doing? We are just ordinary humans, with the same nature as you, and we are bringing you the wonderful message that you should turn away from these foolish things to the living God, the one who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In earlier generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways, ¹⁷ but even then he didn’t leave himself without witness. He has done you good, giving you rain from heaven and times of fruitfulness, filling your bodies with food and your hearts with gladness.”

¹⁸ Even by saying this, they only just restrained the crowds from offering them sacrifice. ¹⁹ But some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and persuaded the crowds to stone Paul. They dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰ The disciples gathered round him, however, and he got up and went into the city. The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe.

Opening the door of faith

²¹ They preached in Derbe, and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²² strengthening the hearts of the disciples, and urging them to remain in the faith. They warned them that getting into God’s kingdom would mean going through considerable suffering. ²³ In every church they appointed elders by laying hands on them. They fasted, prayed, and commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ They went through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia; ²⁵ and when they had spoken the word in Perga they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to Antioch, which was where they had been commended to God’s grace for the work which they had accomplished. ²⁷ Once there, they called the church together, and told them all the things which God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. ²⁸ They stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Is circumcision necessary?

15 Some people came from Judaea to Antioch and, on arrival, began to teach the Christians that they could not be saved unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses. ² This caused considerable uproar and dispute between them and Paul and Barnabas, and the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas, and some others from their fellowship, to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, to try to sort out the problem. ³ So they were sent off by the church. They traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling people as they went about the conversion of the Gentiles. They brought great joy to the Christian communities.

⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church, the apostles and the elders, and they told them all the things that God had done with them. ⁵ But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up.

“They must be circumcised,” they said, “and you must tell them to keep the law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and elders gathered together to see what to do about this matter. ⁷ After considerable argument, Peter got up.

“My brothers,” he said, “you know that from our early days together God chose that it should be from my mouth that the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness, by giving them the holy spirit just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, but he purified their hearts through faith. ¹⁰ So now, why are you putting God to the test, by placing a yoke on the disciples’ neck which neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ Rather, we believe that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we shall be saved, just like them.”

The judgment of James

¹² The whole company was silent, and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders which God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ After they had finished, James replied.

“My dear brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Symeon has explained how, at the beginning, God graciously favored the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his own name. ¹⁵ This, indeed, is in accordance with the words of the prophets, which say,

¹⁹ “Therefore this is my judgment: we should not cause extra difficulties for those of the Gentiles who have turned to God. ²⁰ Rather, we should send them a message, warning them to keep away from things that have been polluted by idols, from fornication, from what has been strangled, and from blood. ²¹ Moses, after all, has from ancient times had people proclaiming him from city to city, since he is read in the synagogues sabbath after sabbath.”

The letter to the churches

²² Then the apostles and elders, with the whole assembly, decided to send people from their number, Judas Barsabbas and Silas (men well thought of by the Christian community) to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. ²³ They sent a letter with them, which read as follows.

“The apostles and elders send greetings to our Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. ²⁴ Since we have heard that some of our number (not, however, sent by us) have been saying things which have troubled you, causing you distress of heart, ²⁵ we resolved unanimously that it would be best to send to you men whom we have chosen, together with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ who have risked their lives for the name of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. ²⁷ So we have sent Judas and Silas, and they will tell you the same things face to face. ²⁸ For it seemed good to the holy spirit and to us not to lay any burden on you beyond the following necessary things: ²⁹ that you should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what has been strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

³⁰ So they went off and came down to Antioch, where they gathered the people together and presented the letter. ³¹ When they read it, they were delighted with the message it contained. ³² Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, said a good deal to encourage the brothers and sisters, and they gave them strength. ³³ When they had spent some time there, they left the family in peace and returned to those who had sent them. ³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others as well.

A huge row

³⁶ After some days, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in all the various cities where we preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them. ³⁸ But Paul reckoned that it was not a good idea to take with them someone who had left them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the rest of the work. ³⁹ There was a huge row, which resulted in them splitting up. Barnabas took Mark and sailed off for Cyprus. ⁴⁰ Paul chose Silas, and went off, having been commended by the church to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ They went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Timothy—and new developments

16 Paul went on further, to Derbe and then Lystra. There was a disciple there by the name of Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but with a Greek father. ² The Christians in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to go with them, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews in those regions, since they all knew that his father was Greek. ⁴ When they went through the cities, they handed on to them the decisions which had been taken by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, so that they could observe them. ⁵ The churches were strengthened in faith, and grew in number every day.

⁶ They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, since the holy spirit had forbidden them to speak the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus didn’t allow them to do so. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. ⁹ Then a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from Macedonia was standing there, pleading with him, and saying, “Come across to Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰ When he saw the vision, at once we set about finding a way to get across to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the good news to them.

Preaching and prison in Philippi

¹¹ So we sailed away from Troas and made a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day to Neapolis. ¹² From there we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony, the chief city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in this city for some days.

¹³ On the sabbath day we went outside the gate to a place by a river where we reckoned there was a place of prayer, and there we sat down. Some women had gathered, and we spoke to them. ¹⁴ There was a woman called Lydia, a godfearer, who was a seller of purple from Thyatira. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. ¹⁵ She was baptized, with all her household.

“If you have judged me faithful to the Lord,” she begged us, “please come and stay at my home.”

So she persuaded us.

¹⁶ As we were going to the place of prayer we were met by a girl who had a spirit of divination. She and her oracles made a good living for her owners. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us.

“These men are servants of God Most High!” she would shout out. “They are declaring to you the way of salvation!”

¹⁸ She did this for many days. Eventually, Paul got fed up with it. He turned round and addressed the spirit.

“I command you in the name of Jesus the Messiah,” he said, “come out of her!”

And it came out then and there.

¹⁹ When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of profit had vanished, they seized Paul and Silas, dragged them into the public square before the authorities, ²⁰ and presented them to the magistrates.

“These men,” they said, “are throwing our city into an uproar! They are Jews, ²¹ and they are teaching customs which it’s illegal for us Romans to accept or practice!”

²² The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had their clothes torn off them and gave orders for them to be beaten with rods. ²³ When they had thoroughly beaten them, they threw them into prison, and gave orders to the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴ With that instruction, he put them into the innermost part of the prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Earthquake and salvation

²⁵ Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a huge earthquake, which shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains became loose. ²⁷ When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all still here!”

²⁹ The jailer called for lights and rushed in. Trembling all over, he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them outside.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “will you please tell me how I can get out of this mess?”

³¹ “Believe in the Lord Jesus,” they replied, “and you will be rescued—you and your household.”

³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, with everyone who was in his house. ³³ He took them, at that very hour of the night, and washed their wounds. Then at once he was baptized, and all his household with him. ³⁴ Then he took them into his house, put food on the table, and rejoiced with his whole house that he had believed in God.

Publicly vindicated

³⁵ When day broke, the magistrates sent their officers with the message, “Let those men go.” ³⁶ The jailer passed on what they said to Paul.

“The magistrates have sent word that you should be released,” he said. “So now you can leave and go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul objected.

“We are Roman citizens!” he said. “They beat us in public without a trial, they threw us into prison, and now they are sending us away secretly? No way! Let them come themselves and take us out.”