CHAPTER 1 My former narrative theophilus dealt with all that Jesus did and taught as a beginning, down to the day on which, after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up to heaven. He had also, after he suffered, shown himself alive to them with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during forty days and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while in their company he charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift, this you have heard of, he said, from me. For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Once when they were with him they asked him, Master, is this the time at which you are about to restore the kingdom of Israel? It is not for you, he replied, to know times or epochs which the Father has reserved within his own authority, and yet you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the remotest parts of the earth. When he had said this, and while they were looking at him, he was carried up, and a cloud closing beneath him hid him from their sight. But while they stood intently gazing into the sky as he went, suddenly there were two men in white garments standing by them, who said, Galileans, why stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have seen him going into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Olive Yard, which is near Jerusalem, about a mile off. They entered the city, and they went up to the upper room which was now their fixed place for meeting. Their names were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, Simon the zealot, and Judas the brother of James. All of these with one mind continued earnest in prayer, together with some women, and married the mother of Jesus and his brothers. It was on one of these days that Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, the entire number of persons present being about one hundred twenty, and said, Brethren, it was necessary that the scripture should be fulfilled, the prediction I mean which the Holy Spirit uttered by the lips of David about Judas, who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus, for Judas was reckoned as one of our number, and a share in this ministry was allotted to him.  This fact became widely known to the people of Jerusalem, so that the place received the name in their language of Akeldemach, which means the field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his encampment be desolate, let there be no one to dwell there, and his work let another take up. It is necessary therefore that of the men who have been with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from his baptism by John down to the day on which he was taken up again from us into heaven, one should be appointed to become a witness with us as to his resurrection. So two names were proposed, Joseph called Bar Sabas, and surnamed Justice, and Matthias, and the brethren prayed, saying, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all, show clearly which of these two thou hast chosen to occupy the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas through transgression fell in order to go to his own place. Then they drew lots between them. The lot fell on Matthias, and a place among the eleven apostles was voted to him. CHAPTER II At length on the day of the Harvest Festival they had all met in one place, when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This till the whole house where they were sitting, and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly and on the head of each person a tongue alighted. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every part of the world. So when this noise was heard they came crowding together, and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken. They were beside themselves with wonder, and exclaimed, Are not all these speakers Galileans? How then does each of us hear his own native language spoken by them? Some of us are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, some are inhabitants of Mesopotamia, of Judea or Cappadocia, of Pontus or the Asian province, of Phrygia or Pamphylia, of Egypt or of the parts of Africa towards Cyrene. Others are visitors from Rome, being either Jews or converts from heathenism, and others are Cretans or Arabians. Yet we all alike hear these Galileans speaking in our own language about the wonderful things which God has done. They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another, What can this mean? But others, scornfully jeering, said, They are brim full of sweet wine. Peter, however, together with the eleven, stood up and addressed them in a loud voice. Man of Judea and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem, he said, Be in no uncertainty about this matter, but pay attention to what I say, for this is not intoxication as you suppose, it being only the third hour of the day, but that which was predicted through the prophet Joel has happened. And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams. And even upon my bond servants, both men and women, at that time I will pour out my spirit, and they shall prophesy. I will display marvels in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, to usher in the day of the Lord, that great and illustrious day. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Listen, Israelites, to what I say. Jesus the Nazarene, a man accredited to you from God by miracles and marvels and signs which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know, him, delivered up through God's settled purpose and foreknowledge. You, by the hands of Gentiles, have nailed to a cross, and have put to death. But God has raised him to life, having terminated the throes of death, for in fact it was not possible for him to be held fast by death. For David says in reference to him, I constantly fixed my eyes upon the Lord, because he is at my right hand in order that I may continue unshaken. For this reason my heart is glad, and my tongue exalts, my body also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave me in the unseen world forsaken, nor give up thy holy one to undergo decay. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou wilt fill me with gladness in thy presence. As to the patriarch David, I need hardly remind you, brethren, that he died and was buried, and that we still have his tomb among us. Being a prophet, however, and knowing that God had solemnly sworn to him to see the descendant of his upon his throne, with prophetic foresight, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, to the effect that he was not left forsaken in the unseen world, nor did his body undergo decay. This Jesus, God has raised to life, a fact to which all of us testify. Being therefore lifted high by the mighty hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has poured out this which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into heaven, but he says himself, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make thy foes of footstool under thy feet. Therefore let the whole house of Israel know beyond all doubt that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Stung to the heart by these words, they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what are we to do? Repent, replied Peter, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, with a view to the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you belongs the promise, and to your children, and to all who are far off, whoever the Lord our God may call. And with many more appeals he solemnly warned and entreated them, saying, Escape from this crooked generation! Those therefore who joyfully welcomed his message were baptized, and on that one day about three thousand persons were added to them, and they were constant in listening to the teaching of the apostles and in their attendance at the communion, that is, the breaking of the bread, and at prayer. Fear came upon everyone, and many marvels and signs were done by the apostles, and all the believers kept together and had everything in common. They sold their lands and other property, and distributed the proceeds among all according to everyone's necessities, and, day by day, attending constantly in the temple with one accord, and breaking bread in private houses, they took their meals with great happiness and single heartedness, praising God and being regarded with favour by all the people. Also, day by day, the Lord added to their number those whom he was saving. CHAPTER 3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple for the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, and just then some men who were carrying their one who had been lame from birth, whom they were won't to place every day close to the beautiful gate, as it was called, of the temple, for him to beg from the people as they went in. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter, fixing his eyes on him, as John did also, said, Look at us! So he looked and waited, expecting to receive something from them. I have no silver or gold, Peter said, But what I have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk! Then taking his hand, Peter lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. Leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk, and went into the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognizing him as the man who used to sit at the beautiful gate of the temple asking for alms, they were filled with awe and amazement at what had happened to him. While he still clung to Peter and John, the people, awestruck, ran up crowding round them in what was known as Solomon's Portico. Peter, seeing this, spoke to the people. Israelites, he said, Why do you wonder at this man? For why gaze at us as though by any power or piety of our own we had enabled him to walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has conferred this honor on his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and disowned in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to let him go. Yes, you disowned the holy and righteous one, and asked as a favor the release of a murderer, the prince of life you put to death, but God has raised him from the dead, and we are witnesses as to that. It is his name, faith in that name being the condition which has strengthened this man whom you behold and know, and the faith which he has given has made this man sound and strong again as you can all see. And now, brethren, I know that it was in ignorance that you did it, as was the case with your rulers also. But in this way God has fulfilled the declarations he made through all the prophets that his Christ would suffer. Get therefore and reform your lives so that the record of your sins may be canceled, and that there may come seasons of revival from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed beforehand for you, even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until those times of which God has spoken from the earliest ages through the lips of his holy prophets, the times of the reconstitution of all things. Moses declared, the Lord your God will raise up a profit for you from among your brethren as he has raised me. In all that he says to you, you must listen to him. And everyone without exception who refuses to listen to that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel onwards, all who have spoken, have also announced the coming of this present time. You are the heirs of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your forefathers when he said to Abraham, and through your posterity all the families of the world shall be blessed. It is to you first that God, after raising his servant from the grave, has sent him to bless you by causing every one of you to turn from your wickedness. CHAPTER 4 While they were saying this to the people, the priests, the commander of the Temple Guard and the Sadducees came upon them, highly incensed at their teaching the people and proclaiming in the case of Jesus the resurrection from among the dead. They arrested the two apostles and lodged them in custody till the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had listened to their preaching believed, and the number of the adult men had now grown to be about five thousand. The next day a meeting was held in Jerusalem of their rulers, elders, and scribes, with Annas the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the other members of the High Priestly family. So they made the apostles stand in the center and demanded of them, By what power or in what name have you done this? Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he replied, Rulers and elders of the people, if we today are under examination concerning the benefit conferred on a man helplessly lame as to how this man has been cured, be it known to you all and to all the people of Israel that through the name of Jesus the anointed, the Nazarene whom you crucified, but whom God has raised from among the dead, through that name this man stands here before you in perfect health. This Jesus is the stone treated with contempt by you the builders, but it has been made the cornerstone, and in no other is the great salvation to be found, for in fact there is no second name under heaven that has been given among men through which we are to be saved. As they looked on Peter and John so fearlessly outspoken, and also discovered that they were illiterate persons untrained in the schools, they were surprised, and now they recognized them as having been with Jesus, and seeing the man standing with them, the man who had been cured, they had no reply to make, so they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin while they conferred among themselves. What are we to do with these men? They asked one another, for the fact that a remarkable miracle has been performed by them as well known to everyone in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it, but to prevent the matter spreading any further among the people, let us stop them by threats from speaking in the future in this name to anyone whatever, so they recalled the apostles and ordered them altogether to give up speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, Judge whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you instead of listening to God. As for us, what we have seen and heard, we cannot help speaking about. The court added further threats and then let them go, being quite unable to find any way of punishing them on account of the people, because all gave God the glory for the thing that had happened, for the man was over forty years of age on whom this miracle of restoration to hell had been performed. After their release the two apostles went to their friends and told them all that the high priests and elders had said, and they, upon hearing the story, all lifted up their voices to God and said, O sovereign Lord, it is Thou who didst make heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them, and didst say through the Holy Spirit by the lips of our forefather David thy servant, why have the nations stamped enraged and the people's formed futile plans? The kings of the earth came near and the rulers assembled together against the Lord and against his anointed. They did indeed assemble in this city in hostility to thy holy servant Jesus whom thou hadst anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and also the tribes of Israel, to do all that thy power and thy will had pre-determined should be done. And now, Lord, listen to their threats and enable thy servants to proclaim thy message with fearless courage, whilst thou stretchest out thine arm to cure men and to give signs and marvels through the name of thy holy servant Jesus. When they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled shook, and they were, one in all, filled with the Holy Spirit and proceeded to tell God's message with boldness. Among all those who had embraced the faith there was but one heart and soul, so that none of them claimed any of his possessions as his own, but everything they had was common property, while the apostles with great force of conviction delivered their testimony as to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. And in fact there was not a needy man among them, for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the money which they realized, and gave it to the apostles, and distribution was made to everyone according to his wants. In this way Joseph, whom the apostles gave the name of Bar Nabas, signifying son of encouragement, a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a farm which he had, and brought the money and gave it to the apostles. CHOPTER V There was a man of the name of Ananias, who with his wife Saphira sold some property, but with her full knowledge and consent dishonestly kept back part of the price which he received for it, though he brought the rest and gave it to the apostles. Ananias, said Peter, why has Satan taken possession of your heart that you should try to deceive the Holy Spirit and dishonestly keep back part of the price paid you for this land? While it remained unsold, was not the land your own? And when sold was it not at your own disposal? How is it that you have cherished this design in your heart? It is not to men you have told this lie, but to God. Upon hearing these words Ananias fell down dead, and all who heard the words were awestruck. The younger man, however, rose, and wrapping the body up, carried it out and buried it. About three hours had passed when his wife came in, knowing nothing of what had happened, Peter at once questioned her. Tell me, he said, whether you sold the land for so much. Yes, she replied, for so much. How was it, replied Peter, that you two agreed to try an experiment upon the spirit of the Lord? The men who have buried your husband are already at the door, and they will carry you out.  This incident struck terror into the whole church, and into the hearts of all who heard of it. Many signs and marvels continued to be done among the people by the apostles, and by common consent they all met in Solomon's portico. But none of the others dared to attach themselves to them, yet the people held them in high honor, and more and more believers in the Lord joined them, including great numbers both of men and women, so that they would even bring out their sick friends into the streets and lay them on light couches or mats in order that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on one or other of them. The inhabitants, too, of the towns in the neighborhood of Jerusalem came in crowds, bringing sick persons and some who were harassed by foul spirits, and they were cured, one and all. This roused the high priest. He and all his party, the sect of the Sadducees, were filled with angry jealousy, and laid hands upon the apostles, and put them into the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, Go and stand in the temple, and go on proclaiming to the people all this message of life. Having received that command, they went into the temple, just before daybreak, and began to teach. So when the high priest and his party came, and had called together the Sanhedrin, as well as all the elders of the descendants of Israel, they sent to the jail to fetch the apostles, but the officers went and could not find them in the prison. So they came back and brought word, saying, The jail we found quite safely locked, and the warders were on guard at the doors, but upon going in we found no one there. When the commander of the temple guards and the high priests heard this statement, they were utterly at a loss with regard to it, wondering what would happen next. And someone came and brought them word, saying, The men you put in prison are actually in the temple, standing there teaching the people. Upon this the commander went with the officers and brought the apostles, but without using violets, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. So they brought them and made them stand in front of the Sanhedrin, and then the high priest questioned them. We strictly forbade you to teach in that name, did we not? He said. And see, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying to make us responsible for that man's death. Peter and the other apostles replied, We must obey God rather than man. The God of our forefathers has raised Jesus to life whom you crucified and put to death. God has exalted him to his right hand as chief leader and as saviour, to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins, and we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him are witnesses as to these things. Infuriated at getting this answer, they were disposed to kill the apostles. But a Pharisee of the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honour by all the people, rose from his seat and requested that they should be sent outside the court for a few minutes. Israelites, he said, Be careful what you are about to do in dealing with these men. Years ago Theodos appeared, professing to be a person of importance, and a body of men some four hundred and number joined him. He was killed and all his followers were dispersed and annihilated. After him, at the time of the census, came Judas the Galilean, and was the leader in a revolt. He too perished and all his followers were scattered. And now I tell you to hold aloof from these men and leave them alone, for if this scheme or work is of human origin, it will come to nothing, but if it is really from God, you will be powerless to put them down, lest perhaps you find yourselves to be actually fighting against God. His advice carried conviction, so they called the apostles in, and, after flogging them, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then let them go. They therefore left the Sanhedrin and went their way, rejoicing that they had been deemed worthy to suffer disgrace on behalf of the name. But they did not desist from teaching every day in the temple or in private houses, and telling the good news about Jesus, the Christ. The end of chapters one through five of the Book of Acts from the New Testament in modern speech. Recording by Mark Penfold. About this time, as the number of disciples was increasing, complaints were made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were habitually overlooked in the Bible. The book of Acts, translated by Richard Francis Weymouth, chapter six. About this time, as the number of disciples was increasing, complaints were made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were habitually overlooked in the Bible. So the twelve called together the general body of the disciples and said, It does not seem fitting that we apostles should neglect the delivery of God's message and minister at tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among yourselves seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them to undertake this duty. But as for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the delivery of the message. The suggestion met with general approval, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Philip, Procurus, Nicanor, Taiman, Parmenus, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. These men they brought to the apostles, and after prayer they laid their hands upon them. Meanwhile, God's message continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem very greatly increased, and very many priests obeyed. And Stephen, full of grace and power, performed great marvels and sides among the people. But some members of the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen, together with some Cyrenians, Alexandrians, Solicians, and men from Roman Asia, were roused to encounter Stephen in debate. They were quite unable, however, to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they privately put forward men who declared, We have heard him speak blasphemous things against Moses and against God. In this way they excited the people, the elders, and the scribes.  Here they brought forward false witnesses who declared, This fellow is incessantly speaking against the holy place and the law, For we have heard him say that Jesus the Nazarene will pull this place down to the ground, And will change the customs which Moses handed down to us.  Then the High Priest asked him, Are these statements true? The reply of Stephen was, Sirs, brethren and fathers, listen to me. God most glorious appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was living in Mesopotamia, Before he settled in Haran, and said to him, Leave your country and your relatives and go into whatever land I point out to you. Thereupon he left Caldea and settled in Haran till after the death of his father, When God caused him to remove into this country where you now live, But he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not a single square yard of ground. And yet he promised to bestow the land as a permanent possession on him and his posterity after him, And promised this at a time when Abraham was childless.  Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision, And under this covenant he became the father of Isaac whom he circumcised on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, And Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt, But God was with him and delivered him from all his afflictions, And gave him favor and wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt, Who appointed him governor over Egypt and all the royal household. But there came a famine throughout the whole of Egypt and Canaan, And great distress so that our forefathers could find no food. When however Jacob heard that there was wheat to be had, He sent our forefathers into Egypt, that was the first time. On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, And Pharaoh was informed of Joseph's parentage. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his family, Numbering seventy-five persons to come to him, And Jacob went down into Egypt, there he died and so did our forefathers, And they were taken to Shechem and were laid in the tomb Which Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a sum of money paid in silver. But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, The people became many times more numerous in Egypt, Until there arose a foreign king over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. He adopted a crafty policy towards our race and oppressed our forefathers, Making them cast out their infants so that they might not be permitted to live. At this time Moses was born a wonderfully beautiful child, And for three months he was cared for in his father's house. At length he was cast out, but Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians And possessed great influence through his eloquence and his achievements. And when he was just forty years old it occurred to him to visit his brethren the descendants of Israel. Seeing one of them wrongfully treated he took his part and secured justice for the ill-treated man by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed his brethren to be aware that by him God was sending them deliverance. This however they did not understand. The next day also he came and found two of them fighting and he endeavored to make peace between them. Sirs, he said, you are brothers. Why are you wronging one another? But the man who was doing the wrong resented his interference and asked, Who appointed you magistrate and judge over us?  Alarmed at this question, Moses fled from the country and went to live in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons. But at the end of forty years there appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai An angel in the middle of a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw this he wondered at the sight. But on his going up to look further the voice of the Lord was heard saying, I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. Quaking with fear Moses did not dare gaze.  I have seen, yes, I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groans and I have come down to deliver them and now I will send you to Egypt.  That say Moses we find God sending as a magistrate and a deliverer by the help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This was he who brought them out after performing marvels and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the desert for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the descendants of Israel, God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brethren just as he raised me up. This is he who was among the congregation in the desert together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our forefathers who received everliving utterances to hand on to us. Our forefathers, however, would not submit to him but spurned his authority and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They said to Aaron, Make gods for us to march in front of us for as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt we do not know what has become of him. Moreover they made a calf at that time and offered a sacrifice to the idol and kept rejoicing in the gods which their own hands had made. So God turned from them and gave them up to the worship of the host of heaven as it is written in the Book of the Prophets. Were they victims and sacrifices which you offered me forty years in the desert? Oh, House of Israel!  Our forefathers had the tent of the testimony in the desert built as he who spoke to Moses had instructed him to make it in imitation of the model which he had seen. That tent was bequeathed to the next generation of our forefathers. Under Joshua they brought it with them when they were taking possession of the land of the Gentile nations whom God drove out before them. So it continued till David's time. David obtained favor with God and asked leave to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob but it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the most high does not dwell in buildings erected by men's hands but as the prophet declares the sky is my throne and earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me says the Lord or what resting place shall I have? Did not my hand form this universe?  Which of the prophets did not your forefathers persecute? Yes, they killed those who announced beforehand the advent of the righteous one whose betrayers and murderers you have now become you who received the law given through angels and yet have not obeyed it. As they listened to these words they became infuriated and gnashed their teeth at him but full of the Holy Spirit and looking up to heaven Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand. I can see heaven wide open, he said and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand. Upon this with a loud outcry they stopped their ears rushed upon Stephen in a body dragged him out of the city and stoned him with witnesses throwing off their outer garments and giving them into the care of a young man named Saul so they stoned Stephen while he prayed Lord Jesus, receive my spirit then rising on his knees he cried aloud Lord, do not reckon this sin against them and with these words he fell asleep. Chapter 8 Saul fully approved of his murder at this time a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria a party of devout men however buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him but Saul cruelly harassed the church he went into house after house and dragging off both men and women threw them into prison those however who were scattered abroad to place spreading the good news of God's message while Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ there crowds of people with one accord gave attention to what they heard from him listening and witnessing the signs which he did for with a loud cry foul spirits came out of many possessed by them and many paralytics and lame persons were restored to health and there was great joy in that city now for some time past there had been a man named Simon living there who had been practicing magic and astonishing the Samaritans pretending that he was more than human to him people of all classes paid attention declaring this man is the power of God known as the great power his influence over them arose from there having been for a long time bewildered by his sorceries but when Philip began to tell the good news about the kingdom of God and about the name of Jesus Christ and they embraced the faith they were baptized, men and women alike Simon himself also believed and after being baptized remained in close attendance on Philip and was full of amazement at seeing such signs and such great miracles performed when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted God's message they sent Peter and John to visit them they when they came down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit for he had not as yet fallen upon any of them they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus then the apostles placed their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit when however Simon saw that it was through the laying on of the apostles hands that the Spirit was bestowed he offered them money give me to, he said, that power so that everyone on whom I place my hands will receive the Holy Spirit perish your money and yourself replied Peter because you have imagined that you can obtain God's free gift with money no part or lot have you in this matter for your heart is not right in God's sight repent therefore of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord in the hope that the purpose which is in your heart may perhaps be forgiven you for I perceive that you have fallen into the bitterest bondage of unrighteousness pray both of you to the Lord for me answered Simon that nothing of what you have said may come upon me so the apostles after giving a solemn charge and delivering the Lord's message traveled back to Jerusalem making known the good news also in many of the Samaritan villages and an angel of the Lord said to Philip rise and proceed south to the road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza crossing the desert upon this he rose and went now as it happened an Ethiopian eunuch who was in a position of high authority with Candice, Queen of the Ethiopians as her treasurer had visited Jerusalem to worship there and was now on his way home and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah then the spirit said to Philip go and enter that chariot so Philip ran up and heard the eunuch reading the prophet Isaiah do you understand what you are reading? he asked why how can I? replied the eunuch unless someone explains it to me and he earnestly invited Philip to come up and sit with him the passage of scripture which he was reading was this like a sheep he was led to slaughter and just as a lamb before its shearer he's dumb so he opened not his mouth in his humiliation justice was denied him who will make known his posterity for he is destroyed from among men? pray of whom is the prophet speaking inquired the eunuch of himself or of someone else then Philip began to speak and commencing with that same portion of scripture told him the good news about Jesus so they proceeded on their way till they came to some water and the eunuch exclaimed see here is water what is there to prevent my being baptized so he stopped the chariot and both of them Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him but no sooner had they come up out of the water than the spirit of the Lord caught Philip away and the eunuch did not see him again with a glad heart he resumed his journey but Philip found himself at Ashtad then visiting town after town he everywhere made known the good news until he reached Caesarea chapter 9 now Saul whose every breath was a threat of destruction for the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest and begged from him letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus in order that if he found any believers there either men or women he might bring them in chains to Jerusalem but on the journey as he was getting near Damascus suddenly there flashed round him a light from heaven into the ground he heard a voice which said to him Saul Saul why are you persecuting me who art thou Lord he asked I am Jesus whom you are persecuting was the reply but rise and go to the city and you will be told what you are to do meanwhile the men who traveled with Saul were standing dumb with amazement hearing a sound but seeing no one then he rose from the ground but when he had opened his eyes he could not see and they led him by the arm and brought him to Damascus and for two days he remained without sight and did not eat or drink anything now in Damascus there was a disciple of the name of Ananias the Lord spoke to him in a vision saying Ananias I am here Lord he answered rise said the Lord and go to straight street and inquire at the house of Judas for a man called Saul from Tarsus for he is actually praying he has seen a man called Ananias come and lay his hands upon him so that he may recover his sight Lord answered Ananias I have heard about that man for many and I have heard of the great mischief he has done to thy people in Jerusalem and here he is authorized to arrest all who call upon thy name go replied the Lord he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name to the Gentiles and to kings and to the descendants of Israel for I will let him know the great sufferings which he must pass through for my sake so Ananias went and entered the house and laying his two hands upon Saul said Saul, brother Jesus who appeared to you on your journey has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit instantly there dropped from his eyes what seemed to be scales and he could see once more upon this he rose and received baptism after which he took food and regained his strength then he remained some little time with the disciples in Damascus and in the synagogues he began at once to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God and his hearers were all amazed and began to ask one another is not this the man who in Jerusalem tried to exterminate those who called upon that name and came here on purpose to carry them off in chains to the high priests Saul however gained more and more influence and as for the Jews living in Damascus he bewildered them with his proofs that Jesus is the Christ at length the Jews plotted to kill Saul and the information of their intention was given to him they even watched the gates day and night in order to murder him but his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall lowering him in a hamper so he came to Jerusalem and made several attempts to associate with the disciples but they were all afraid of him being in doubt as to whether he himself was a disciple Barnabas however came to his assistance with them how on his journey he had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him and how in Damascus he had fearlessly taught in the name of Jesus henceforth Saul was one of them going in and out of the city and speaking fearlessly in the name of the Lord and he often talked with the Hellenists and had discussions with them but they kept trying to take his life on learning this the brethren brought him down to Caesarea in Damascus the church however throughout the whole of Judea Galilee and Samaria had peace and was spiritually built up and grew in numbers living in the fear of the Lord and receiving encouragement from the Holy Spirit now Peter as he went to town after town came down also to God's people at Lod there he found a man of the name of Aeneas who for eight years had kept his bed through being paralyzed Peter said to him Aeneas Jesus Christ cures you rise and make your own bed he had once rose to his feet and all the people of Lod and Charon saw him and they turned to the Lord among the disciples at Jaffa was a woman called Tabitha or as the name may be translated Dorcas her life was wholly devoted to the good and charitable actions which she was constantly doing but as it happened at that time she was taken ill and died after washing her body they laid it out in a room upstairs Lod however being near Jaffa the disciples who had heard that Peter was at Lod sent two men to him with an urgent request that he would come across to them without delay so Peter rose and went with them on his arrival they took him upstairs and the widow women all came and stood by his side weeping and showing him the underclothing folks and garments of all kinds which Dorcas used to make while she was still with them Peter however putting everyone out of the room knelt down and prayed and then turning to the body he said Tabitha rise Dorcas at once opened her eyes and seeing Peter sat up then giving her his hand he raised her to her feet and calling to him God's people and the widows he gave her back to them alive this incident became known throughout Jaffa and many believed in the Lord and Peter remained for a considerable time at Jaffa staying at the house of a man called Simon, a Tanner Chapter 10 Now a captain of the Italian regiment named Cornelius was courted at Caesarea he was religious and God-fearing and so was every member of his household he was also liberal in his charities he was the people and continually offered prayer to God about three o'clock one afternoon he had a vision and distinctly saw an angel of God enter his house who called him by name saying Cornelius looking steadily at him and being much alarmed he said what do you want sir your prayers and charities he replied have gone up and have been recorded before God and now send to Jaffa and fetch to Jaffa he is staying as a guest with Simon a Tanner who has a house close to the sea so when the angel who had been speaking to him was gone Cornelius called two of his servants and a God-fearing soldier who was in constant attendance on him and after telling them everything he sent them to Jaffa the next day while they were still on their journey and were getting near the town about noon Peter went up on the house top to pray he was extremely hungry and wished for food but while they were preparing it he fell into a trance the sky had opened to his view and what seemed to be an enormous sail was descending being let down to the earth by ropes at the four corners in it were all kinds of quadrupeds, reptiles and birds and a voice came to him which said rise Peter kill and eat on no account lord anything unholy and impure again a second time a voice was heard which said what God has purified you must not regard as unholy this was said three times and immediately the sail was drawn up out of sight while Peter was greatly perplexed as to the meaning of the vision which he had seen just then the men sent by Cornelius having by inquiry found out Simon's house had come to the door and had called the men asking is Simon sir named Peter staying here and Peter was still earnestly thinking over the vision when the spirit said to him three men are now inquiring for you rise go down and go with them without any misgivings for it is I who have sent them to you so Peter went down and said to the men I am the Simon you are inquiring for what is the reason of your coming their reply was Cornelius a captain an upright and God-faring man of whom the whole Jewish nation speaks well has been divinely instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and listen to what you have to say upon hearing this Peter invited them in and gave them a lodging the next day he sent out with them some of the brethren from Jaffa going with him and the day after that they reached Caesarea there Cornelius was awaiting their arrival and had invited all his relatives and intimate friends to be present when Peter entered the house Cornelius met him and threw himself at his feet to do him homage but Peter lifted him up stand up he said I myself also am but a man so Peter went in and conversed with them and found a large company assembled he said to them you know better than most that a Jew is strictly forbidden to associate with a Gentile or visit him but God has taught me to call one unholy or unclean so for this reason when sent for I came without raising any objection I therefore ask why you sent for me just at this hour three days ago replied Cornelius I was offering afternoon prayer in my house when suddenly a man in shining rayman stood in front of me who said Cornelius your prayer has been heard and your charities have been put on record before God send therefore to Jaffa and invite Simon sir named Peter to come here he is staying as a guest in the house of Simon a tanner close to the sea immediately therefore I sent to you and I think you hardly for having come that is why all of us are now assembled here in God's presence to listen to what the Lord has commanded you to say then Peter began to speak I clearly see he said that God makes no distinctions between one man and another but that in every nation those who fear him and live good lives are acceptable to him the message which he sent to the descendants of Israel when he announced the good news of peace through Jesus Christ he is Lord of all that message you cannot but know the story I mean which has spread through the length and breadth of Judea beginning in Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed it tells how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power so that he went about everywhere doing acts of kindness and curing all who were being continually oppressed by the devil where God was with Jesus and we are witnesses as to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem but they even put him to death by crucifixion that same Jesus God raised to life on the third day and permitted him to appear unmistakably not to all the people but to witnesses men previously chosen by God namely to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead and he has commanded us to preach to the people and solemnly declared that this is he who has been appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead to him all the prophets bear witness and testified that through his name all who believe in him receive the forgiveness of their sins while Peter was speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the message and all the Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished that on the Gentiles also the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling the majesty of God then Peter said can anyone forbid the use of water and object to these persons being baptized men who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did and he directed that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ then they begged him to remain with them for a time Chapter 11 now the apostles and the brethren in various parts of Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received God's message and when Peter returned to Jerusalem the champions of circumcision found fault with him you went into the houses of men who are not Jews they said and you ate with them Peter however explained the whole matter to them from the beginning while I was in the town of Java offering prayer he said in a trance I saw a vision there descended what seemed to be an enormous sail being let down the sky by ropes at the four corners and it came close to me fixing my eyes on it I examined it closely and saw various kinds of quadrupeds wild beasts reptiles and birds I also heard a voice saying to me rise Peter kill and eat on no account Lord I replied for nothing unholy or impure has ever gone into my mouth but a voice answered speaking a second time from the sky what God has purified you must not regard as unholy this was said three times and then everything was drawn up again out of sight now at that very moment three men came to the house where we were having been sent from Caesarea to find me and the spirit told me to accompany them without any misgivings there also went with me these six brethren who are now present and we reached the Centurion's house then he described to us how he had seen the angel come and enter his house and say sent to Java and fetched Simon sir named Peter he will teach you truths by which you and all your family will be saved and said Peter no sooner had I begun to speak then the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as he fell upon us at the first then I remembered the Lord's words how he used to say John baptized with water but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit if therefore God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ why who was I to be able to thwart God this statement of Peter's silenced his opponents they extolled the goodness of God and said so then to the Gentiles also God has given the repentance which leads to life those however who had been driven in various directions by the persecution which broke out on account of Stephen made their way to Phoenicia Cyprus and Antioch delivering the message to none but Jews but some of them were Cyperians and Cyrenians who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also and told them the good news concerning the Lord Jesus the power of the Lord was with them and there was a vast number who believed and turned to the Lord when tidings of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch on getting there he was delighted to see the grace which God had bestowed and he encouraged them all to remain with fixed resolve faithful to the Lord man in was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith and the number of believers in the Lord greatly increased then Barnabas paid a visit to Tarsus to try to find Saul he succeeded and brought him to Antioch and for a whole year they attended the meetings of the church and taught a large number of people and it was in Antioch that the disciples first received the name of Christians at that time certain prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch one of them named Agabus being instructed by the Spirit publicly predicted the speedy coming of a great famine throughout the world it came in the reign of Claudius so the disciples decided to send relief everyone in proportion to his means to the brethren living in Judea this they did forwarding their contributions to the elders by Barnabas and Saul the end of chapters 6 through 11 of the book of Acts from the New Testament in Modern Speech recording by Mark Penfold chapters 12 through 16 of the Acts of the Apostles from the New Testament in Modern Speech this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Mark Penfold the book of Acts translated by Richard Francis Weymouth chapter 12 now about that time King Herod arrested certain members of the church in order to ill-treat them and James, John's brother he beheaded finding that this gratified the Jews he proceeded to seize Peter also these being the days of unleavened bread he had him arrested and lodged in jail handing him over to the care of sixteen soldiers and intended after the Passover to bring him out again to the people so Peter was kept in prison but long and fervent prayer was offered to God by the church on his behalf now when Herod was on the point of taking him out of prison that very night Peter was asleep between two soldiers bound with two chains and guards were on duty outside the door suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell and striking Peter on the side he woke him and said rise quickly instantly the chains dropped off his wrists fasten your girdle said the angel and tie on your sandals he did so then the angel said throw your cloak round you and follow me so Peter went out following him yet could not believe that what the angel was doing was real but supposed that he saw a vision and passing through the first ward and the second they came to the iron gate leading into the city this opened to them of itself following out they passed on through one of the streets and then suddenly the angel left him Peter coming to himself said now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and has rescued me from the power of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were anticipating so after thinking things over he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, sir named Mark where a large number of people were assembled praying when he knocked at the wicket in the door a maid servant named Rhoda came to answer the knock and recognizing Peter's voice for very joy she did not open the door but ran in and told them that Peter was standing there you are mad they said but she strenuously maintained that it was true it is his guardian angel they said meanwhile Peter went on knocking until at last they opened the door and saw that it was really he and were filled with amazement he positioned with his hand for silence and then described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison tell all this to James and the brethren he added then he left them and went to another place when morning came there was no little commotion among the soldiers as to what could possibly have become of Peter and when Herod had had him searched for and could not find him after sharply questioning the guards he ordered them away to execution he then went down from Judea to Alexandria and remained there now the people of Tyre and Sidon had incurred Herod's violent displeasure so they sent a large deputation to wait on him and having secured the goodwill of Blastus his treasurer they begged the king to be friendly with them again because their country was dependent on his for its food supply so on an appointed day Herod, having arrayed himself in royal robes took his seat on the tribunal and was herringing them and the people kept shouting it is the voice of a God and not of a man instantly an angel of the Lord struck him because he had not given the glory to God and being eaten up by worms he died but God's message prospered and converts were multiplied and Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem having discharged their mission and they brought with them John surnamed Mark Chapter 13 in Antioch in the church there as prophets and teachers Barnabas, Simeon surnamed the Black Lucius the Cyrenian Menean, who was Herod the tetrarch's foster-brother and Saul while they were worshiping the Lord in fasting the Holy Spirit said Set apart for me now at once Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them so after fasting in prayer and the laying on of hands they let them go they therefore being thus sent out by the Holy Spirit went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus having reached Salimus they began to announce God's message in the synagogues of the Jews and they had John as their assistant when they had gone through the whole length of the island as far as Paphos they there met with a Jewish magician and false prophet Bar-Jesus by name who was a friend of the proconsul Sergius Paulus the proconsul was a man of keen intelligence he sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked to be told God's message but Ilimas or the magician for such is the meaning of the name opposed them and tried to prevent the proconsul from accepting the faith then Saul who was also called Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and fixing his eyes on Ilimas you who are full of every kind of craftiness and unscrupulous cunning you son of the devil and foe to all that is right will you never cease to misrepresent the straight paths of the Lord the Lord's hand is now upon you and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the light of day instantly there fell upon him a mist and a darkness and as he walked about he begged people to lead him by the hand then the proconsul had happened, believed being struck with amazement at the teaching of the Lord from Paphos Paul and his party put out to see and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia John however left them and returned to Jerusalem but they themselves passing through from Perga came to Antioch in Pisidia here on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down after the reading of the law and the prophets the synagogue sent word to them brethren they said if you have anything encouraging to say to the people speak so Paul rose and motioning with his hand for silence said Israelites and you others who fear God pay attention to me the God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers and made the people great during their stay in Egypt until with wondrous power he brought them out from that land of about 40 years he fed them like a nurse in the desert then after overthrowing 7 nations in the land of Canaan he divided that country among them as their inheritance for about 450 years and afterwards he gave them judges down to the time of the prophet Samuel next they asked for a king and God gave them Saul the son of Kish a benjamite who reigned 40 years after removing him he raised up David to be their king to whom he also bore witness when he said I have found David the son of Jesse a man I love who will obey all my commands it is from among David's descendants that God in fulfillment of his promise has raised up a savior for Israel even Jesus before the coming of Jesus John had proclaimed to all the people of Israel a baptism of repentance but John towards the end of his career repeatedly asked the people what do you suppose me to be I am not the Christ but there is one coming after me whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten brethren descendants of the family of Abraham and all among you who fear God to us has this message of salvation been sent for the people of Jerusalem and their rulers by the judgment they pronounced on Jesus have actually fulfilled the predictions of the prophets which are read sabbath after sabbath through ignorance of those predictions and of him without having found him guilty of any capital offense they urged Pilate to have him put to death and when they had carried out everything which had been written about him they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb but God raised him from the dead and after a few days he appeared to the people who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now witnesses concerning him to the Jews and we bring you the good news about the promise made to our forefathers that God has ambly fulfilled it to our children in raising up Jesus as it is also written in the 2nd Psalm and as to his having raised him from among the dead never again to be in the position of one soon to return to decay he speaks thus I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David because in another Psalm also he says I will not give up thy holy one to undergo decay for David after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God's purpose did fall asleep was gathered to his forefathers and did undergo decay but he whom God raised to life underwent no decay understand therefore brethren that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is announced to you and in him every believer is absolved from all offenses from which he should not be absolved under the law of Moses beware then lest what is spoken in the prophets should come true of you behold you despisers be astonished and perish because I am carrying on a work in your time a work which you will utterly refuse to believe though it be fully declared to you as Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue the people earnestly begged to have all this repeated to them on the following Sabbath and when the congregation had broken up many of the Jews and of the devout converts from heathenism continued with Paul and Barnabas who talked to them and urged them to hold fast to the grace of God on the next Sabbath almost the whole population of the city came together to hear the Lord's message seeing the crowds the Jews filled with angry jealousy opposed Paul's statements and abused him then throwing off all reserve Paul and Barnabas said we were bound to proclaim God's message to you first but since you spurn it and judge yourselves to be unworthy for the life of the ages well we turn to the Gentiles for such is the Lord's command to us I have placed thee he says of Christ as a light to the Gentiles in order that thou mayest be a savior as far as the remotest parts of the earth the Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's message and all who were predestined for the life of the ages believed so the Lord's message spread through the whole district but the Jews influenced the gentle women of rank who worshipped with them and also the leading men in the city and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the district but they shook off the dust from their feet as a protest against them and came to Iconium and as for the disciples they were more and more filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit Chapter 14 At Iconium the apostles went together to the Jewish synagogue and preached with the result that a great number both of Jews and Greeks believed but the Jews who had refused obedience stirred up the Gentiles and embittered their minds against the brethren yet Paul and Barnabas remained there for a considerable time speaking freely and relying on the Lord while he bore witness to the message of his grace by permitting the sins and marvels to be done by them. At length the people of the city split into parties some citing with the Jews and some with the apostles and when a hostile movement was made by both Gentiles and Jews with the sanction of their magistrates to maltreat and stone them the apostles, having become aware of it made their escape into the Lake Ionian towns of Lystra and Derby and the neighboring country and there they continued to tell the good news now a man who had no power in his feet used to sit in the streets of Lystra, he had been lame from his birth and had never walked after this man had listened to one of Paul's sermons the apostle looking steadily at him and perceiving that he had faith to be cured said in a loud voice stand upright upon your feet so he sprang up and began to walk about then the crowds seeing what Paul had done rent the air with their shouts in the Lake Ionian language saying the gods have assumed human form and have come down to us they called Barnabas Zeus and Paul as being the principal speaker, Hermes and the priest of Zeus the temple of Zeus being at the entrance to the city brought bullocks and garlands to the gates and in company with the crowd was intending to offer sacrifices to them but the apostles, Barnabas and Paul heard of it and tearing their clothes pushed out into the middle of the crowd exclaiming sirs, why are you doing all this we also are about men with nature's kindred to your own and we bring you the good news that you are to turn from these unreal things to worship the ever living god the creator of earth and sky and sea and of everything that is in them in times gone by he allowed all the nations to go their own ways and yet by his beneficence he has not left his existence unattested, his beneficence I mean in sending you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons satisfying your hearts with food and joyfulness even with words like these they had difficulty in preventing the thronging crowd from offering sacrifices to them but now a party of Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and having run over the crowd they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town believing him to be dead when however the disciples had collected round him and sent back into the town the next day he went with Barnabas to Derby and after proclaiming the good news to the people there and gaining a large number of converts they retraced their steps to Lystra Iconium and Antioch everywhere they strengthened the disciples by encouraging them to hold fast to the faith and warned them saying it is through many afflictions that we must make our way into the kingdom of God and in every church after prayer they selected elders by show of hands and commended them to the Lord on whom their faith rested then passing through Pisidia they came into Pamphylia and after telling the message at Perga they came down to Ataliah thence they sailed to Antioch where they had previously been commended to the grace of God in connection with the work which they had now completed upon their arrival they called the church together and proceeded to report in detail what they were doing with them had done and how he had opened for the Gentiles the door of faith and they remained a considerable time in Antioch with the disciples Chapter 15 But certain persons who had come down from Judea tried to convince the brethren saying unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom you cannot be saved between these newcomers and Paul and Barnabas there was no little disagreement until at last it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some other brethren should go up to consult the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem on this matter so they set out being accompanied for a short distance by some other members of the church and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told the whole story of the conversion of the Gentiles and inspired all the brethren with great joy upon their arrival in Jerusalem they were cordially received by the church the Apostles and the Elders and they reported in detail all that God working with them had done but certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees but were now believers stood up in the assembly and said Yes! Gentile believers ought to be circumcised and be ordered to keep the law of Moses then the Apostles and Elders met to consider the matter and after there had been a long discussion Peter rose to his feet and said that God originally made choice among you that from my lips the Gentiles were to hear the message of the good news and believe and God who knows all hearts gave his testimony in their favor by bestowing the Holy Spirit on them just as he did on us and he made no difference between us and them in that he cleansed their hearts by their faith now therefore why try and experiment upon God by laying on the necks of these disciples neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear on the contrary we believe that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we as well as they shall be saved then the whole assembly remained silent while they listened to the statement made by Paul and Barnabas as to all the signs and marvels that God had done among the Gentiles through their instrumentality when they had finished speaking James said brethren listen to me Simeon has related how God first looked graciously on the Gentiles to take from among them a people to be called by his name and this is in harmony with the language of the prophets which says afterwards I will return and will rebuild David's fallen tent its ruins I will rebuild and I will set it up again in order that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord even all the nations which are called by my name says the Lord who has been making these things known from ages long past my judgment therefore against inflicting unexpected annoyance on those of the Gentiles who are turning to God yet let us send them written instructions to abstain from things polluted by connection with idolatry from fornication from meat killed by strangling and from blood for Moses from the earliest times has had his preachers in every town being read as he is Sabbath after Sabbath in the various synagogues thereupon it was decided by the apostles and elders with the approval of the whole church to choose suitable persons from among themselves and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas Judas called Bar-Sabbas and Silas leading men among the brethren were selected and they took with them the following letter the apostles and the elder brethren send greeting to the Gentile brethren throughout Antioch, Syria and Silesia as we have been informed that certain persons who have gone out from among us have disturbed you by their teaching and have settled your minds without having received any such instructions from us we have unanimously decided to select certain men and send them to you in company with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul who have endangered their very lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ we have therefore sent Judas and Silas who are themselves bringing you the same message by word of mouth for it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no burden heavier than these necessary requirements you must abstain from things sacrifice to idols from blood from things strangled and from fornication keep yourselves clear of these things and it will be well with you farewell they therefore having been solemnly sent came down to Antioch where they called together the whole assembly and delivered the letter the people read it and were delighted with the comfort it brought them and Judas and Silas being themselves also prophets gave them along an encouraging talk and strengthened them in the faith after spending some time there they received an affectionate farewell from the brethren to return to those who had sent them but Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch teaching and in company with many others telling the good news of the Lord's message after a while Paul said to Barnabas suppose we now revisit the brethren in the various towns in which we have made known the Lord's message prospering Barnabas however was bent on taking with them John whose other name was Mark while Paul deemed it undesirable to have as their companion one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work so there arose a serious disagreement between them which resulted in their parting from one another Barnabas taking Mark and setting sail for Cyprus but Paul chose Silas as his traveling companion and set out after being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord and he passed through Syria and Seleucia strengthening the churches he also came to Derby and to Lystra at Lystra he found a disciple Timothy by name the son of a Christian Jewish though he had a Greek father Timothy was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium and Paul desiring that he should accompany him on his journey took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in those parts for they all knew that his father was a Greek as they journeyed on from town to town they handed to the brethren for their observance the decisions which had been arrived at by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem so the churches went on gaining a stronger faith and growing in numbers from day to day then Paul and his companions passed through Phrygia Malaysia having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the message in the province of Asia when they reached the frontier of Mesia they were about to enter Bethenia but the spirit of Jesus would not permit this so passing along Mesia they came to Troas here one night Paul saw a vision there was a Macedonian who was standing in treating him and saying come over into Macedonia and help us so when he had seen the vision we immediately looked out for an opportunity of passing on into Macedonia confidently inferring that God had called us to proclaim the good news to the people there accordingly we put out to sea from Troas and ran a straight course to Samothrae's the next day we came to Neapolis and thence to Philippi which is a city in Macedonia the first in its district a Roman colony and there we stayed some little time on the Sabbath we went beyond the city gate to the riverside where we had reason to believe that there was a place for prayer and sitting down we talked with the women who had come together among our hearers was one named Lydia a dealer in purple goods she belonged to the city of Thyatira and was a worshipper of the true God the Lord opened her heart so that she gave attention to what Paul was saying when she and her household had been baptized she urged us saying if in your judgment I am a believer in the Lord come and stay at my house and she made us go there one day as we were on our way to the place of prayer a slave girl met us who claimed to be inspired and was accustomed to bring her owner's large profits by telling fortunes she kept following close behind Paul and the rest of us crying aloud these men are the bond-servants and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation this she persisted in for a considerable time until Paul, who hurried out turned round and said to the spirit I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her and it came out immediately but when her owner saw that their hopes of gain were gone they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them off to the magistrates in the public square then they brought them before the praetors the men, they said are creating a great disturbance in our city they are Jews and are teaching customs which we as Romans are not permitted to adopt or practice the crowd, too, joined in the outcry against them till at length the praetors ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods and after severely flogging them they threw them into jail and bade the jailer keep them safely he, having received an order like that lodged them in the inner prison and adhered their feet in the stocks about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them when suddenly there was such a violent shock of earthquake that the prison choked to its foundations instantly the doors all flew open and the chains fell off from every prisoner starting up from sleep and seeing the doors of the jail wide open the jailer drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself supposing that the prisoners had escaped loudly to him saying do yourself no injury, we are all here then calling for lights he sprang in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas and bringing them out of the prison he exclaimed, oh, sirs what must I do to be saved believe on the Lord Jesus they replied and both you and your household will be saved and they told the Lord's message to him as well as to all who were in his house then he took them and even at that time of night washed their wounds and he and all his household were immediately baptized and bringing the apostles up into his house he spread a meal for them and was filled with gladness with his whole household his faith resting on God in the morning the praetors sent their lictors with the order release those men so the jailer brought Paul word saying the praetors have sent orders for you to be released and proceed on your way in peace but Paul said to them after cruelly beating us in public without trial Roman citizens though we are they have thrown us into prison and are they now going to send us away privately no indeed let them come in person and fetch us out this answer the lictors took back to the praetors who were alarmed when they were told that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens accordingly they came and apologized to them and bringing them out asked them to leave the city then Paul and Silas having come out of the prison went to Lydia's house and after seeing the brethren and encouraging them they left Philippi the end of chapters 12 through 16 of the book of Acts from the New Testament in modern speech recording by Mark Penfold chapters 17 through 22 of the Acts of the apostles from the New Testament in modern speech this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Mark Penfold the book of Acts translated by Richard Francis Weymouth chapters 17 then passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia they went to Thessalonica here there was a synagogue of the Jews Paul following his usual custom he took himself to it and for three successive Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures which he clearly explained pointing out that it had been necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead and insisting the Jesus who I am announcing to you is the Christ some of the people were won over and attached themselves to Paul and Silas including many God-fearing Greeks and not a few gentle women of high rank but the jealousy of the Jews was aroused calling to their aid some ill-conditioned and idle fellows they got together a riotous mob and filled the city with uproar they then attacked the house of Jason and searched for Paul and Silas to bring them out before the assembly of people but failing to find them they dragged Jason and some of the other brethren before the magistrates of the city loudly accusing them these men, they said who have raised a tumult throughout the empire have come here also Jason has received them into his house and they all set Caesar's authority at defiance declaring that there is another emperor one called Jesus great was the excitement among the crowd and among the magistrates of the city when they heard these charges they required Jason and the rest to find substantial bail and after that they let them go the brethren at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea and they on their arrival went to the synagogue of the Jews the Jews at Berea were of a nobler disposition than those in Thessalonica for they very readily received the message and day after day searched the scriptures to see whether it was as Paul stated as the result many of them became believers and so did not a few of the Greeks gentle women of good position and men as soon however as the Jews of Thessalonica learned that God's message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea they came there also and incited the mob to a riot then the brethren promptly sent Paul down to the sea coast but Silas and Timothy remained behind those who were caring for Paul's safety went with him as far as Athens and then left him taking a message from him to Silas and Timothy asking them to join him as speedily as possible while Paul was waiting for them in Athens his spirit was stirred within him he was full of idols so he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the other worshippers and in the marketplace day after day with those whom he happened to meet a few of the Epicurean and Stark philosophers also encountered him some of them asked what has this beggarly babbler to say his business, said others seems to be to cry up some foreign gods this was because he had been telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection then they took him and brought him up to the Areopagus asking him may we be told what this new teaching of yours is for the things you are saying sound strange to us we should therefore like to be told exactly what they mean for all the Athenians and their foreign visitors used to devote their whole leisure to telling or hearing about something new so Paul taking his stand in the center of the Areopagus spoke as follows nor is he ministered to by human hands as though he needed anything but he himself gives to all men life and breath and all things he caused to spring from one forefather people of every race for them to live on the whole surface of the earth and marked out for them an appointed span of life and the boundaries of their homes that they might seek God if perhaps they could grope for him and find him yes though he is not far from any one of us for it is in closest union with him that we live and move and have our being as in fact some of the poets in repute among yourselves have said for we are also his offspring since then we are God's offspring we ought not to imagine that his nature resembles gold or silver or marble or anything sculptured by the art and inventive faculty of man those times of ignorance God viewed with indulgence but now he commands all men everywhere being that he has appointed a day on which before long he will judge the world in righteousness through the instrumentality of a man whom he has predestined to this work and has made the fact certain to everyone by raising him from the dead when they heard Paul speak of a resurrection of dead men some began to scoff but others said we will hear you again on that subject so Paul went away from them a few however attached themselves to him and believed among them being Dionysius a member of the council a gentle woman named Damaris and some others Chapter 18 After this he left Athens and came to Corinth here he found a Jew a native Apontus of the name of Aquila he and his wife Priscilla had recently come from Italy because of Claudius's edict expelling all the Jews from Rome so Paul paid them a visit and because he was of the same trade that of Tentmaker he lodged with them and worked with them but Sabbath after Sabbath he preached in the synagogue and tried to win over both Jews and Greeks now at the time when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia Paul was preaching fervently and was solemnly telling the Jews that Jesus is the Christ but upon their opposing him with abusive language he shook his clothes by way of protest and said to them your ruin will be upon your own heads I am not responsible in future I will go among the Gentiles so he left the place and went to the house of a person called Titius Justus a worshipper of the true God his house was next door to the synagogue and Christmas the warden of the synagogue believed in the Lord and so did all his household and from time to time many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and received baptism and in a vision by night the Lord said to Paul dismiss your fears go on speaking and do not give up I am with you and no one shall attack you to injure you for I have very many people in this city so Paul remained in Corinth for a year and six months teaching among them the message of God but when Galio became pro-console of Greece the Jews with one the court made a dead set at Paul and brought him before the court this man, they said is inducing people to offer unlawful worship to God but when Paul was about to begin his defense Galio said to the Jews if it had been some wrongful act or piece of cunning navery I might reasonably have listened to you Jews but since these are questions about words and names and your law you yourselves must see to them I refuse to be a judge in such matters so he ordered them out of court then the people all set upon Sosthenes the warden of the synagogue and beat him severely in front of the court Galio did not concern himself in the least about this after remaining a considerable time longer in Corinth Paul took leave of the brethren and set sail for Syria and Priscilla and Aquila were with him he had shaved his head at Sancre and was bound by a vow they put in at Ephesus and their Paul left his companions behind as for himself he went to the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews when they asked him to remain longer he did not consent but took leave of them with a promise I will return to you God willing so he set sail from Ephesus landing at Caesarea he went up to Jerusalem and inquired after the welfare of the church he went to Antioch after spending some time in Antioch Paul set out on a tour visiting the whole of Galatia and Phrygia in order and strengthening all the disciples meanwhile a Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus he was a native of Alexandria a man of great learning and well versed in the scriptures he had been instructed by word of mouth in the way of the Lord and being full of burning zeal in Ephesus though he knew of no baptism but John's he began to speak boldly in the synagogue and Priscilla and Aquila after hearing him took him home and explained God's way to him more accurately then as he had made up his mind to cross over into Greece the brethren wrote to the disciples in Corinth begging them to give him a kindly welcome upon his arrival he rendered valuable help to those who through grace had believed for he powerfully and in public overcame the Jews in argument proving to them from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ chapter 19 during the stay of Apollos in Corinth Paul after passing through the inland districts came to Ephesus where he found a few disciples did you receive the Holy Spirit when you first believed? he asked them no they replied we did not even hear that there is a Holy Spirit into what then were you baptized? he asked into John's baptism they replied John, he said administered a baptism of repentance bidding the people believe on one who was to come after him namely on Jesus on hearing this they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus and when Paul laid his hands upon them the Holy Spirit came on them and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy they numbered in all about twelve men afterwards he went into the synagogue there for three months he continued to preach fearlessly explaining in words which carried conviction the truths which concerned the kingdom of God but some grew obstinate in unbelief and spoke evil of the new faith before all the congregation so Paul left them and taking with him those who were disciples held discussions daily in Uranus's lecture hall this went on for two years so that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia Jews as well as Greeks heard the Lord's message God also brought about extraordinary miracles through Paul's instrumentality towels or aprons for instance which Paul had handled used to be carried to the sick and they recovered from their ailments or the evil spirits left them but there were also some wandering Jewish exorcists who undertook to invoke the name of Jesus over those who had the evil spirits saying I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches there were seven sons of one Sceva a Jew of high priestly family who were doing this Jesus I know the evil spirit answered and Paul I have heard of but who are you and the man in whom the evil spirit was spraying on two of them over mastered them both and treated them with such violence that they fled from the house stripped of their clothes and wounded all the people of Ephesus Jews as well as Greeks came to know of this there was widespread terror and they began to hold the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor many also of those who believed came confessing without reserve what their conduct had been and not a few of those who had practiced magical arts brought their books together and burnt them in the presence of all total value was reckoned and found to be fifty thousand silver coins thus mightily did the Lord's message spread and triumph when matters had reached this point Paul decided in his own mind to travel through Macedonia and Greece and go to Jerusalem after that he said I must also see Rome but he sent two of his assistants Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia while he himself remained for a while in Roman Asia now just at that time there arose no small commotion about the new faith there was a certain Demetrius a silversmith who made miniature silver sanctuaries of Diana a business which brought great gain to the mechanics in his employ he called his workmen together and others who were engaged in similar trades and said to them you men well know that our prosperity depends on this business of ours and you see and hear that not in Ephesus but in almost the whole province of Asia this fellow Paul has led away a vast number of people by inducing then to believe that they are not gods at all that are made by men's hands there is danger therefore not only that this our trade will become of no account but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will fall into utter disrepute and that before long she will be actually deposed from her majestic rank she who is now worshiped by the whole province of Asia, nay by the whole country after listening to this harangue they became furiously angry and kept calling out great is the Ephesian Diana the riot and uproar spread through the whole city till at last with one accord they rushed into the theater dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus to Macedonians who were fellow travelers with Paul then Paul would have liked to go in and address the people but the disciples would not let him do so a few of the public officials too who were friendly to him sent repeated messages in treating him not to venture into the theater the people meanwhile kept shouting some one thing and some another for the assembly was all uproar in confusion and the greater part had no idea why they had come together then some of the people crowded around Alexander whom the Jews had pushed forward and Alexander motioning with his hand to get silence was prepared to make a defense to the people no sooner however they see that he was a Jew that there arose from them all one roar of shouting lasting about two hours great is the Ephesian Diana they said at length the recorder quieted them down man of Ephesus he said who is there of all mankind that needs to be told that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Diana and of the image which fell down from Zeus these facts then being unquestioned it becomes you to maintain your self control and not act recklessly for you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess if however Demetrius and the mechanics who support his contention have a grievance against anyone there are a size days and there are procouncils not the persons interested accuse one another but if you desire anything further it will have to be settled in the regular assembly in connection with today's proceedings there is danger of our being charged with attempted insurrection there having been no real reason for this riot nor shall we be able to justify the behavior of this disorderly mob with these words he dismissed the assembly chapter 20 when the uproar had ceased Paul sent for the disciples and after speaking words of encouragement to them he took his leave and departed for Macedonia passing through those districts he encouraged the disciples infrequent in dresses and then came into Greece and spent three months there the Jews having planned to wailay him whenever he might be on the point of taking ship for Syria he decided to travel back by way of Macedonia he was accompanied as far as the province of Asia by Sopater the Berean the son of Pyrrhus by the Thessalonians the Aeos of Derby and Timothy and by the Asians Tychicus and Trofimus these brethren had gone on and were waiting for us in the Troad but we ourselves sailed from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread and five days later joined them in the Troad where we remained for a week on the first day of the week when we had met to break bread Paul who was going away the next morning was preaching to them and prolonged his discourse till midnight now there were a good many lamps in the room upstairs where we all were and a youth of the name of Tychus was sitting at the window this lad, gradually sinking into deep sleep while Paul preached at unusual length overcome at last by sleep fell from the second floor and was taken up dead Paul however went down threw himself upon him and folding him in his arms said do not be alarmed his life is still in him then we went upstairs again broke bread and took some food and after a long conversation which was continued till daybreak at last he parted from them they had taken the lad home alive and were greatly comforted the rest of us had already gone on board a ship and now we set sail for Asos intending to take Paul on board there for so he had arranged he himself intending to go by land accordingly when he met us at Asos we took him on board and came to Mitalini sailing from there we arrived the next day off Kios on the next we touched at Samos and on the day following reached Miletus for Paul's plan was to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend much time in the province of Asia since he was very desirous of being in Jerusalem, if possible on the day of the Harvest Festival from Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church to come to him upon their arrival he said to them you elders well know from the first day of my setting foot in the province of Asia the kind of life I lived among you the whole time serving the Lord in all humility and with tears and amid trials which came upon me through the plotting of the Jews and that I never shrank from declaring to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you in public and in your homes and urging upon both Jews and Greeks the necessity of turning to God and of believing in Jesus our Lord and now impelled by a sense of duty I am on my way to Jerusalem not knowing what will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit at town after town testifies to me that imprisonment and suffering are awaiting me but even the sacrifice of my life I count as nothing if only I may perfect my earthly course and be faithful to the duty which the Lord Jesus has entrusted to me of proclaiming as of supreme importance the good news of God's grace and now I know that none of you among whom I have gone in and out proclaiming the coming of the kingdom will any longer see my face therefore I protest to you today that I am not responsible for the ruin of any one of you for I have not shrunk from declaring to you God's whole truth take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit you to take the oversight for him and act as shepherds to the church of God which he has bought with his own blood I know that when I am gone cruel wolves will come among you and will not spare the flock and that from among your own selves men will rise up who will seek with their perverse talk to draw away the disciples after them therefore be on the alert and remember that night and day for three years I never ceased admonishing everyone even with tears and now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace he is able to build you up and to give you your inheritance among his people no one's silver or gold or clothing have I coveted you yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided for my own necessities and for the people with me in all things I have set you an example showing you that by working as I do you ought to help the weak and to bear in mind the words of the Lord Jesus how he himself said it is more blessed to give than to receive having spoken thus Paul knelt down and prayed with them all and with loud lamentation they all threw their arms round his neck and kissed him lovingly grieved above all things that his having told them that after that day they were no longer to see his face and they went with him to the ship CHAPTER XXI when at last we had torn ourselves away and had set sail we ran in a straight course to Koss the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara finding a ship bound for Phoenicia we went on board and put to sea after sighting Cyprus and leaving that island on our left we continued our voyage to Syria and put in at Tyre for there the ship was to unload her cargo having searched for the disciples and found them we stayed at Tyre for seven days and taught by the Spirit they repeatedly urged Paul not to proceed to Jerusalem when however our time was up we left and went on our way all the disciples and their wives and children coming to see us off then after kneeling down on the beach and praying we took leave of one another and we went on board while they returned home as for us our voyage was over when having sailed from Tyre here we inquired after the welfare of the brethren and remained a day with them on the Mara we left Ptolemaeus and went on to Caesarea where we came to the house of Philip the Evangelist who was one of the seven and stayed with him now Philip had four unmarried daughters who were prophetesses and during our somewhat lengthy stay a prophet of the name of Agibus came down from Judea when he arrived he took Paul's and bound his own feet and arms with it and said thus says the Holy Spirit so well the Jews in Jerusalem bind the owner of this loincloth and will hand him over to the Gentiles as soon as we heard these words both we and the brethren at Caesarea entreated Paul not to go up to Jerusalem his reply was what can you mean by thus breaking my heart with your grief why as for me not only to go to Jerusalem and be put in chains but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus so when he was not to be dissuaded we ceased remonstrating with him and said the Lord's will be done a few days afterwards we loaded our baggage cattle and continued our journey to Jerusalem some of the disciples from Caesarea also joined our party and brought with them Manasin a Cyprian the early disciples at whose house we were to lodge at length we reached Jerusalem and there the brethren gave us a hearty welcome on the following day we went with Paul to call on James and all the elders of the church came also after exchanging friendly greetings Paul told in detail all that God had done among the Gentiles through his instrumentality and they when they had heard his statement gave the glory to God and said you see brother how many tens of thousands of Jews there are among those who have accepted the faith and they are all zealous upholders of the law now what they have been repeatedly told about you is that you teach all the Jews among the Gentiles to abandon Moses and that you forbid them to circumcise their children or observe old established customs what then ought you to do they are sure to hear that you have come to tell you we have four men here who have a vow resting on them associate with these men and purify yourselves with them and pay their expenses so that they can shave their heads then everybody will know that there is no truth in these stories about you but that in your own actions you yourself scrupulously obey the law but as for the Gentiles who have accepted the faith we have communicated to them our decision that they are carefully to abstain from anything sacrificed to an idol from blood, from what is strangled and from fornication so Paul associated with the men and the next day having purified himself with them he went into the temple giving everyone to understand that the days of their purification were finished and there he remained until the sacrifice for each of them was offered but when the seven days were nearly over the Jews from the province of Asia having seen Paul in the temple set about rousing the fury of all the people against him they laid hands on him crying out man of Israel help help this is the man who goes everywhere preaching to everybody against the Jewish people and the law and this place and besides he has even brought Gentiles into the temple and has desecrated this holy place for they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city and imagined that Paul had brought him into the temple the excitement spread through the whole city and the people rushed in crowds to the temple and there laid hold of Paul and began to drag him out and the temple gates were immediately closed but while they were trying to kill Paul word was taken up to the tribune in command of the battalion that all Jerusalem was in a ferment he instantly sent for a few soldiers and their officers and came down among the people with all speed at the site of the tribune and the troops they ceased beating Paul then the tribune making his way to him arrested him and having ordered him to be secured with two chains proceeded to ask who he was and what he had been doing some of the crowd shouted one accusation against Paul and some another until as the uproar made it impossible for the truth to be ascertained with certainty the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks when Paul was going up the steps he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob for the whole mass of the people pressed on in the rear shouting away with him when he was about to be taken into the barracks Paul said to the tribune may I speak to you do you know Greek the tribune asked are you not the Egyptian who some years ago excited the riot of the four thousand cutthroats and led them out into the desert I am a Jew replied Paul belonging to ISIS in Solicia and I'm a citizen of no unimportant city give me leave I pray you to speak to the people so with his permission Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people to be quiet and when there was perfect silence he addressed them in Hebrew Chapter 22 brethren and fathers he said listen to my defense which I now make before you and on hearing him address them in Hebrew they kept all the more quiet and he said I am a Jew born at Tarsus in Solicia but brought up in this city I was carefully trained at the feet of Gamaliel in the law of our forefathers and like all of you today was zealous for God I persecuted to death this new faith continually binding both men and women and throwing them into prison as the high priest also and all the elders can bear me witness it was too from them that I received letters to the brethren in Damascus and I was already on my way to Damascus intending to bring those also who had fled there in chains to Jerusalem to be punished but on my way when I was now not far from Damascus about noon a sudden blaze of light from heaven shone round me I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me Sol Sol why are you persecuting me who art thou Lord I asked I am Jesus the Nazarene he replied whom you are persecuting now the men who were with me though they saw the light did not hear the words of him who spoke to me and I asked what am I to do Lord and the Lord said to me rise and go into Damascus there you shall be told of all that has been for you to do and as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling those who were with me had to lead me by the arm and so I came to Damascus and a certain Ananias a pious man who obeyed the law and bore a good character with all the Jews of the city came to me and standing at my side said rather Sol recover your sight I instantly regained my sight and looked up at him he said the God of our forefathers has appointed you to know his will and to see the righteous one and hear him speak for you shall be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard and now why delay rise get yourself baptized and wash off your sins calling upon his name after my return to Jerusalem and while praying in the temple I fell into a trance I saw Jesus and he said to me make haste and leave Jerusalem quickly because they will not accept your testimony about me Lord I replied they themselves well know how active I was in imprisoning and in flogging in synagogue after synagogue those who believe in thee and when they were shedding the blood of Stephen thy witness I was standing by fully approving of it and I held the clothes of those who were killing him go he replied I will send you as an apostle to nations far away until they heard this last statement the people listened to Paul but now with a roar of disapproval they cried out away with such a fellow from the earth he ought not to be allowed to live and when they continued their furious shouts throwing their clothes into the air and fleeing dust about the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks and be examined by flogging in order to ascertain the reason why they thus cried out against him but when they had tied him up with the straps Paul said to the captain who stood by does the law permit you to flog a Roman citizen and one too who is un-condemned on hearing this question the captain went to report the matter to the tribune what are you intending to do he said this man is a Roman citizen so the tribune came to Paul and asked him tell me are you a Roman citizen yes he said I paid a large sum for my citizenship said the tribune but I was born free said Paul so the men who had been on the point of putting him under torture immediately left him and the tribune too was frightened when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen for he had had him bound the next day wishing to know exactly what charge was being brought against him by the Jews the tribune ordered his chains to be removed and having sent word to the high priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble he brought Paul down and made him stand before them the end of chapters 17 through 22 of the book of acts from the New Testament in modern speech recording by Mark Penfold