Acts of the Apostles 1
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1In my first book*1:1 The reference is to the Gospel of Luke. I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach
2until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
5John baptized with*1:5 Or in; also in 1:5b. water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
The Ascension of Jesus
6So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
10As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Matthias Replaces Judas
12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.*1:12 Greek a Sabbath day’s journey.
13When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.
Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James).
14They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15During this time, when about 120 believers*1:15 Greek brothers. were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them.
16“Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.”
18(Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines.
19The news of his death spread to all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)
20Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’*1:20 Pss 69:25; 109:8.
21“So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus—
22from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”
23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
24Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” 26Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.
Acts of the Apostles 2
The Holy Spirit Comes
1On the day of Pentecost*2:1 The Festival of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover (when Jesus was crucified). all the believers were meeting together in one place.
2Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,*2:4 Or in other tongues. as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
5At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.
6When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee,
8and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
13But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
Peter Preaches to the Crowd
14Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.
15These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
17‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
19And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’*2:17-21 Joel 2:28-32.
22“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene*2:22 Or Jesus of Nazareth. by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.
23But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25King David said this about him:
‘I see that the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26No wonder my heart is glad,
and my tongue shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
27For you will not leave my soul among the dead*2:27 Greek in Hades; also in 2:31.
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28You have shown me the way of life,
and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’*2:25-28 Ps 16:8-11 (Greek version).
29“Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us.
30But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.
32“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.
33Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
35until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.”’*2:34-35 Ps 110:1.
36“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”
37Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away*2:39 Or and to people far in the future, or and to the Gentiles.—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
The Believers Form a Community
42All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper*2:42 Greek the breaking of bread; also in 2:46.), and to prayer.
43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
44And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity*2:46 Or and sincere hearts.—47all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Acts of the Apostles 3
Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
1Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service.
2As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
4Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!”
5The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,*3:6a Or Jesus Christ of Nazareth. get up and*3:6b Some manuscripts do not include get up and. walk!”
7Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened.
8He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
9All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God.
10When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.
Peter Preaches in the Temple
12Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?
13For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. 14You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!
16“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.
17“Friends,*3:17 Greek Brothers. I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance.
18But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. 19Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’*3:22 Deut 18:15. 23Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’*3:23 Deut 18:19; Lev 23:29.
24“Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today.
25You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants*3:25 Greek your seed; see Gen 12:3; 22:18. all the families on earth will be blessed.’ 26When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
Acts of the Apostles 4
Peter and John before the Council
1While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.
2These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.
5The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.
6Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people,
9are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,*4:10 Or Jesus Christ of Nazareth. the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’*4:11 Ps 118:22.
12There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
13The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber*4:15 Greek the Sanhedrin. and conferred among themselves.
16“What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.
17But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
19But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
20We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
21The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God
22for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
The Believers Pray for Courage
23As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.
24When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’*4:25-26 Or his anointed one; or his Christ. Ps 2:1-2.
27“In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.
28But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
33The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
36For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus.
37He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
Acts of the Apostles 5
Ananias and Sapphira
1But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.
2He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.
4The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
5As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified.
6Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
10Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
The Apostles Heal Many
12The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.
13But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil*5:16 Greek unclean. spirits, and they were all healed.
The Apostles Meet Opposition
17The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20“Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council*5:21 Greek Sanhedrin; also in 5:27, 41.—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial.
22But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23“The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end.
25Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”
26The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them.
27Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. 28“We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”
29But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.
30The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.*5:30 Greek on a tree. 31Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”
33When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them.
34But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. 35Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! 36Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. 37After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered.
38“So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.
39But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”
40The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.
41The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.*5:41 Greek for the name.
42And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
Acts of the Apostles 6
Seven Men Chosen to Serve
1But as the believers*6:1 Greek disciples; also in 6:2, 7. rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
2So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.
3And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
5Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith).
6These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
7So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
Stephen Is Arrested
8Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.
9But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.
11So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.”
12This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.*6:12 Greek Sanhedrin; also in 6:15.
13The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses.
14We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth*6:14 Or Jesus the Nazarene. will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.
Acts of the Apostles 7
Stephen Addresses the Council
1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”
2This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.*7:2 Mesopotamia was the region now called Iraq. Haran was a city in what is now called Syria.
3God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’*7:3 Gen 12:1. 4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.
5“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet.
6God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 7‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’*7:5-7 Gen 12:7; 15:13-14; Exod 3:12.
8“God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.
9“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him
10and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.
11“But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food.
12Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors—to buy some. 13The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers,*7:13 Other manuscripts read Joseph was recognized by his brothers. and they were introduced to Pharaoh. 14Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. 15So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors. 16Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.
17“As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.
18But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 19This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.
20“At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months.
21When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. 22Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.
23“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel.
24He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. 25Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.
26“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’
27“But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked.
28‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.
30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.
31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, 32‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.
33“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
34I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’*7:31-34 Exod 3:5-10.
35“So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior.
36And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.
37“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’*7:37 Deut 18:15.
38Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.*7:38 Some manuscripts read to you.
39“But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.
40They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. 42Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written,
‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings
during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
43No, you carried your pagan gods—
the shrine of Molech,
the star of your god Rephan,
and the images you made to worship them.
So I will send you into exile
as far away as Babylon.’*7:42-43 Amos 5:25-27 (Greek version).
44“Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle*7:44 Greek the tent of witness. with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses.
45Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David.
46“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.*7:46 Some manuscripts read the house of Jacob.
47But it was Solomon who actually built it. 48However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
49‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Could you build me a temple as good as that?’
asks the Lord.
‘Could you build me such a resting place?
50Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’*7:49-50 Isa 66:1-2.
51“You stubborn people! You are heathen*7:51 Greek uncircumcised. at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!
52Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.*7:54 Greek they were grinding their teeth against him.
55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him
58and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.*7:58 Saul is later called Paul; see 13:9.
59As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
Acts of the Apostles 8
1Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.
Persecution Scatters the Believers
A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.
2(Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
