Acts 9

³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

¹³I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

⁹For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

⁵⁸They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

²³About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.

⁹But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

¹⁴I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

⁴I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

²²Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “When Lysias the commander comes, I will decide your case.”

¹⁴And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

¹²In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

¹³About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.

⁸And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth.

²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.

⁶About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.

¹⁶He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

²He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,

⁸For this is what the Lord of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—

¹²The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.

¹¹Just then the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

⁹In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

²²Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”

¹³I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

⁴Then the Lord called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”

⁵He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁹Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

⁹Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His?

¹⁰Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory.

⁴God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?

⁹So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰Then I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ ‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me. ‘There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’

¹⁴And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

¹⁶‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.

⁹Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.

³²Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’

²⁰And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”

⁹My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.

⁷Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and they ran and hid themselves.

¹³About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.

¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

⁴⁰Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

¹¹Because the brilliance of the light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.

¹⁸At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,

¹⁷Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

¹⁸As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.

¹¹Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

¹¹And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.

⁶When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

⁷Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink.

¹⁶“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”

¹²And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the Lord his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.

¹³And when he prayed to Him, the Lord received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

¹⁸As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

¹⁹His prayer and how God received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers.

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

³One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

¹²There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,

¹Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.

⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”

⁸Once again, for the third time, the Lord called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy.

⁹“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹¹In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’

³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

³“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

²⁵Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

³⁹But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak to the people.”

⁹So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁷Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?

⁸I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

²³and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”

¹⁷So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

¹³I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

¹⁴And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

¹⁹‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.

²⁰And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’

¹⁴So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me.

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest

⁹But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?

¹⁰As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.

²¹All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

⁵⁹While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

²²Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

¹⁶And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’

²and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

³As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,

¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁵But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased

¹⁶to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,

⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.

⁸Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

¹⁶At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.

¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

¹³I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry

¹⁷I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them

¹⁸to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

²¹Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

³so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this.

⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;

¹¹Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

²⁰Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

¹²For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.

¹⁴If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

⁶They presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

¹²There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,

¹³came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul,’ he said, ‘receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could see him.

⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

²²Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

¹⁴But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.

¹⁶And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’

³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

³⁷But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

³⁸Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

¹²When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

¹³After setting sail from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

²⁰First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.

¹²a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights.

¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

⁷Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:

³³Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food.

³⁴So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.”

²⁶and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

²⁸Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁰I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

²³They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁵If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

³¹But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

⁴and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

¹⁴And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

¹⁰on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.

⁵⁴Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.

⁵⁵“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

¹³For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

¹⁴I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

¹²Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

⁵And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

¹⁵For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

²⁹He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.

²⁷When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.

²⁸For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

¹³I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

¹⁸Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

¹⁵who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men,

¹⁶hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.

¹⁹Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.

⁵⁰The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.

¹⁶Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

¹⁷But beware of men, for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.

²⁶In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,

³²In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.

³to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

¹⁹I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews.

³where he stayed three months. And when the Jews formed a plot against him as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.

¹¹Though they intend You harm, the schemes they devise will not prevail.

¹⁰As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.

¹¹Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

³³But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp.

¹⁵Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.

¹¹Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”

¹²So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.

²⁰First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.

¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

¹⁸Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

²³On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

¹⁷Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance

¹⁸and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.’

⁴This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

³⁶Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),

²⁹And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

¹³When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.

²⁵So we all agreed to choose men to send to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

²¹Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

⁸The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.

⁷And now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.

¹⁶“May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation

¹⁷who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

²Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the Lord said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”

¹⁸Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

¹In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

²⁰But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.

⁹But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

²⁶In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,

¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.

²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

²⁵Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

⁴⁰But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

²¹Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

¹⁵Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!

¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—

¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.

⁶He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.

¹⁷Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord.

²⁶He who fears the Lord is secure in confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

²⁵And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.

⁸to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.

⁴¹Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

⁷To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides.

¹⁶Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”

¹Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth,

⁸In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.

²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said.

²²For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

³Then a paralytic was brought to Him, carried by four men.

⁴Since they were unable to get to Jesus through the crowd, they uncovered the roof above Him, made an opening, and lowered the paralytic on his mat.

⁶But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

¹²And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

⁶But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

¹⁸She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

²⁸After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked. “Yes, Lord,” they answered.

²⁹Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”

¹⁶By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence.

²¹The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

¹⁶They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its towns, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon.

⁴²This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

²It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.

²⁹Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

⁷In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,

⁸This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.

¹⁶We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”

²¹equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

¹³When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

⁸Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.

¹⁵And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

³⁷But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?”

³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”

⁴When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

³⁹So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

³⁶In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity.

²⁶and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

³²As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.

²⁸Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not deceive me?’”

²⁹So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

³and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

³⁰Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

³¹Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her at the gates.

⁷The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

³⁶I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?

⁴¹Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

²⁵After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

⁴⁰And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child.

⁴¹Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”

⁵⁴But Jesus took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!”

³²When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.

³³So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.

⁶⁰Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”

³¹So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

¹In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

¹²As He approached the town gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.

¹⁵And the dead man sat up and began to speak! Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

²³Then Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.

²⁶“Joseph is still alive,” they said, “and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” But Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them.

¹¹for on account of him many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.

²¹The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

⁴⁴Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.

³⁵and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.

¹⁷This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

¹⁸Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.

⁶He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

³²Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’