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The New Jerusalem Bible with Apocrypha
Acts of the ApostlesThis is the story of the spread of the Christian faith across the Mediterranean world, first in Judaea, then further in Palestine and finally in the capital of the empire, Rome. The main figures are Peter, leader of the apostles, and Paul, apostle of the gentiles, closely related in their work by similarities in preaching and in miracles. The whole Christian community is filled with the Spirit of Jesus, whose guidance inspires every new initiative, and who ensures the harmony of the early community in its prayer, joy and praise. Even persecution brings only joy and thanksgiving, for the early Jerusalem community is presented as a model of perseverance, generosity and devotion. But although it is stressed that Christianity is the logical outcome of Judaism and is in full continuity with it, the Jews reject it again and again, even stirring up trouble with the Roman authorities and forcing the missionaries to turn to the gentiles. The author, like any historian, moulds his material to bring out its message. Paul the Roman citizen, and the other Christians are unfailingly loyal to the authorities, and Christianity is a benign influence. By comparison with Paul's letters and other NT epistles the picture of the early Church seems idealised: there were differences of opinion and even bitter dissensions in the Church, particularly over relationships between gentile and Jewish Christians. Modern historians and archaeologists, however, have confirmed the accuracy of the legal and constitutional information given. Certain passages in the travel-story are related in the first person, showing that the author of these actually travelled with Paul. Nevertheless considerable divergences from Paul's own account of some events and particularly of his theological views (e.g. on observance of the Jewish Law) raise doubts about how well the author actually knew Paul-unless he adjusted the picture to fit his theme of church harmony. He certainly followed contemporary convention in composing speeches for Peter and Paul: each sermon follows a set pattern (story of Jesus' death and resurrection, his ministry, an appeal to Scripture, a call to commitment to Christ and repentance), and the argumentation from Scripture is highly elaborate, often relying on the Gk text of the Bible, though the speech must originally have been delivered in Hebrew or Aramaic. Of all the books of the Bible Acts is the one most at home in the classical Roman world: the author is a civilised and urbane hellenistic Jew. Style, vocabulary and theological emphases all combine to show that Acts and Luke issue from the same pen. Acts is the latter part of a two-volume work, split when the four gospels were gathered together about AD 150. There is no clear evidence of the date of the book. No event later than the early 60s is mentioned, but Paul's arrival in Rome is a natural cut-off point for the story, and no conclusions about the date may be drawn from Acts' failure to narrate later history. It must have been written in the last quarter of the century.
Chapter 1
prologue
1:1In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning 2until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. 3He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. 4While at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. 'It is', he had said, 'what you have heard me speak about: 5John baptised with water but, not many days from now, you are going to be baptised with the Holy Spirit.'
The ascension
6Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come for you to restore the kingdom to Israel?' 7He replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, 8but you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to earth's remotest end.' 9As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. 10They were still staring into the sky as he went, when suddenly two men in white were standing beside them, 11and they said, 'Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven.'
THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM
The group of apostles12So from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, they went back to Jerusalem, a short distance away, no more than a Sabbath walk; 13and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James. 14With one heart all these joined constantly in prayer, together with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Judas is replaced
15One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers-there were about a hundred and twenty people in the congregation, 16'Brothers,' he said, 'the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who acted as guide to the men who arrested Jesus- 17after being one of our number and sharing our ministry. 18As you know, he bought a plot of land with the money he was paid for his crime. He fell headlong and burst open, and all his entrails poured out. *[Ws 4:19. Ps 69:5; 109:8 are also used.] 19Everybody in Jerusalem heard about it and the plot came to be called "Bloody Acre", in their language Hakeldama. 20Now in the Book of Psalms it says: Reduce his encampment to ruin and leave his tent unoccupied. And again: Let someone else take over his office. 21'Out of the men who have been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was living with us, 22from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us, one must be appointed to serve with us as a witness to his resurrection.' 23Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias, 24they prayed, 'Lord, you can read everyone's heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.' 26They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the twelve apostles.
Chapter 2
Pentecost
2:1When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, 2when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; 3and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves. 5Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, 6and at this sound they all assembled, and each one was bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. 7They were amazed and astonished. 'Surely,' they said, 'all these men speaking are Galileans? 8How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; residents of Rome- 11Jews and proselytes alike-Cretans and Arabs, we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.' 12Everyone was amazed and perplexed; they asked one another what it all meant. 13Some, however, laughed it off. 'They have been drinking too much new wine,' they said.
Peter's address to the crowd
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud voice: 'Men of Judaea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, make no mistake about this, but listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you imagine; why, it is only the third hour of the day. 16On the contrary, this is what the prophet was saying: 17In the last days-the Lord declares-I shall pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young people shall see visions, your old people dream dreams. 18Even on the slaves, men and women, shall I pour out my Spirit. 19I will show portents in the sky above and signs on the earth below. 20The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the day of the Lord comes, that great and terrible Day. 21And all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.*[Jl 3:1-5] 22'Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you know. 23This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified and killed by men outside the Law. 24But God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, 25as David says of him: I kept the Lord before my sight always, for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me. 26So my heart rejoiced my tongue delighted; my body, too, will rest secure, 27for you will not abandon me to Hades or allow your holy one to see corruption. 28You have taught me the way of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence.*[Ps 16:8-11 LXX.] 29'Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. 30But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, 31he spoke with foreknowledge about the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not see corruption. 32God raised this man Jesus to life, and of that we are all witnesses. 33Now raised to the heights by God's right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit. 34For David himself never went up to heaven, but yet he said: The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand, 35till I have made your enemies your footstool.*[Ps 110:1] 36'For this reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that the Lord and Christ whom God has made is this Jesus whom you crucified.'
The first conversions
37Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'What are we to do, brothers?' 38'You must repent,' Peter answered, 'and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God is calling to himself.' *[Ps 57:19] 40He spoke to them for a long time using many other arguments, and he urged them, 'Save yourselves from this perverse generation.' 41They accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
The early Christian community
42These remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. 43And everyone was filled with awe; the apostles worked many signs and miracles. 44And all who shared the faith owned everything in common; 45they sold their goods and possessions and distributed the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. 46Each day, with one heart, they regularly went to the Temple but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; 47they praised God and were looked up to by everyone. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved.
Chapter 3
The cure of a lame man
*[cf. Ac 14:8-10; Lk 8:51]3:1Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, 2it happened that there was a man being carried along. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in. 3When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. 4Peter, and John too, looked straight at him and said, 'Look at us.' 5He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them, 6but Peter said, 'I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!' 7Then he took him by the right hand and helped him to stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm, 8he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God. 9Everyone could see him walking and praising God, 10and they recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. They were all astonished and perplexed at what had happened to him.
Peter's address to the people
11Everyone came running towards them in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called, where the man was still clinging to Peter and John. 12When Peter saw the people he addressed them, 'Men of Israel, why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness? 13It is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant *[Ex 3:6 with Is 52:13] Jesus whom you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after he had given his verdict to release him. 14It was you who accused the Holy and Upright One, you who demanded that a murderer should be released to you 15while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are witnesses; 16and it is the name of Jesus which, through faith in him, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in him that has restored this man to health, as you can all see. 17'Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; 18but this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. 19Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, 20and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus, 21whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets. 22Moses, for example, said, "From among your brothers the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me; you will listen to whatever he tells you. 23Anyone who refuses to listen to that prophet shall be cut off from the people." *[Dt 18:15, 19] 24In fact, all the prophets that have ever spoken, from Samuel onwards, have predicted these days. 25'You are the heirs of the prophets, the heirs of the covenant God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, "All the nations of the earth will be blessed in your descendants". *[Gn 22:18] 26It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you as every one of you turns from his wicked ways.'
Chapter 4
Peter and John before the Sanhedrin
4:1While they were still talking to the people the priests came up to them, accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. 2They were extremely annoyed at their teaching the people the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. 3They arrested them, and, as it was already late, they kept them in prison till the next day. 4But many of those who had listened to their message became believers; the total number of men had now risen to something like five thousand. 5It happened that the next day the rulers, elders and scribes held a meeting in Jerusalem 6with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, Jonathan, Alexander and all the members of the high-priestly families. 7They made the prisoners stand in the middle and began to interrogate them, 'By what power, and by whose name have you men done this?' 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed them, 'Rulers of the people, and elders! 9If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple and asking us how he was healed, 10you must know, all of you, and the whole people of Israel, that it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, and God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man stands before you cured. 11This is the stone which you, the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. *[Ps 118:22.] Only in him is there salvation; 12for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.' 13They were astonished at the fearlessness shown by Peter and John, considering that they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus; 14but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no answer. 15So they ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private discussion. 16'What are we going to do with these men?' they asked. 'It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a notable miracle has been worked through them, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop the whole thing spreading any further among the people, let us threaten them against ever speaking to anyone in this name again.' 18So they called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John retorted, 'You must judge whether in God's eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. 20We cannot stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.' 21The court repeated the threats and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened. 22The man who had been miraculously cured was over forty years old.
The apostles' prayer under persecution
23As soon as they were released they went to the community and told them everything the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24When they heard it they lifted up their voice to God with one heart. 'Master,' they prayed, 'it is you who made sky and earth and sea, and everything in them; 25it is you who said through the Holy Spirit and speaking through our ancestor David, your servant: Why this uproar among the nations, this impotent muttering of the peoples? 26Kings on earth take up position, princes plot together against the Lord and his Anointed. *[Ps 2:1-2] 27'This is what has come true: in this very city Herod and Pontius Pilate plotted together with the gentile nations and the peoples of Israel, against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed, 28to bring about the very thing that you in your strength and your wisdom had predetermined should happen. 29And now, Lord, take note of their threats and help your servants to proclaim your message with all fearlessness, 30by stretching out your hand to heal and to work miracles and marvels through the name of your holy servant Jesus.' 31As they prayed, the house where they were assembled rocked. From this time they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God fearlessly.
The early Christian community
32The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common. 33The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all accorded great respect. 34None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, 35to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any who might be in need.
The generosity of Barnabas
36There was a Levite of Cypriot origin called Joseph whom the apostles surnamed Barnabas (which means 'son of encouragement'). 37He owned a piece of land and he sold it and brought the money and presented it to the apostles.
Chapter 5
The fraud of Ananias and Sapphira
5:1There was also a man called Ananias. He and his wife, Sapphira, agreed to sell a property; 2but with his wife's connivance he kept back part of the price and brought the rest and presented it to the apostles. 3Peter said, 'Ananias, how can Satan have so possessed you that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land? 4While you still owned the land, wasn't it yours to keep, and after you had sold it wasn't the money yours to do with as you liked? What put this scheme into your mind? You have been lying not to men, but to God.' 5When he heard this Ananias fell down dead. And a great fear came upon everyone present. 6The younger men got up, wrapped up the body, carried it out and buried it. 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had taken place. 8Peter challenged her, 'Tell me, was this the price you sold the land for?' 'Yes,' she said, 'that was the price.' 9Peter then said, 'Why did you and your husband agree to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Listen! At the door are the footsteps of those who have buried your husband; they will carry you out, too.' 10Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in they found she was dead, and they carried her out and buried her by the side of her husband. 11And a great fear came upon the whole church and on all who heard it.
The general situation
12The apostles worked many signs and miracles among the people. One in heart, they all used to meet in the Portico of Solomon. 13No one else dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise 14and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. Many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the hands of the apostles 15so that the sick were even taken out into the streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past. 16People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem, bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were cured.
The apostles' arrest and miraculous deliverance
*[cf. 12:6-11; 16:26-27]17Then the high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Filled with jealousy, 18they arrested the apostles and had them put in the public gaol. 19But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, 20'Go and take up position in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.' 21They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach.
A summons to appear before the Sanhedrin
When the high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin-this was the full Senate of Israel-and sent to the gaol for them to be brought. 22But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not inside, so they went back and reported, 23'We found the gaol securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one inside.' 24When the captain of the Temple and the chief priests heard this news they wondered what could be happening. 25Then a man arrived with fresh news. 'Look!' he said, 'the men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are standing there preaching to the people.' 26The captain went with his men and fetched them-though not by force, for they were afraid that the people might stone them. 27When they had brought them in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demanded an explanation. 28'We gave you a strong warning', he said, 'not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt for this man's death on us.' 29In reply Peter and the apostles said, 'Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; 30it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, whom you executed by hanging on a tree. 31By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. 32We are witnesses to this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.' 33This so infuriated them that they wanted to put them to death.
Gamaliel's intervention
34One member of the Sanhedrin, however, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the men taken outside for a time. 35Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, 'Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people. 36Some time ago there arose Theudas. He claimed to be someone important, and collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them. 37And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he was killed too, and all his followers dispersed. 38What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; 39but if it does in fact come from God you will be unable to destroy them. Take care not to find yourselves fighting against God.' His advice was accepted; 40and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. 41And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name. 42Every day they went on ceaselessly teaching and proclaiming the good news of Christ Jesus, both in the temple and in private houses.
Chapter 6
THE EARLIEST MISSIONS
The institution of the Seven6:1About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists *[Jews from outside Palestine, or Gk-speakers.] made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. 2So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; 3you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we can hand over this duty. 4We ourselves will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.' 5The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6They presented these to the apostles, and after prayer they laid their hands on them. 7The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.
Stephen's arrest
8Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. 9Then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. 10They found they could not stand up against him because of his wisdom, and the Spirit that prompted what he said. 11So they procured some men to say, 'We heard him using blasphemous language against Moses and against God.' 12Having turned the people against him as well as the elders and scribes, they took Stephen by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13There they put up false witnesses to say, 'This man is always making speeches against this Holy Place and the Law. 14We have heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, is going to destroy this Place and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us.' 15The members of the Sanhedrin all looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.
Chapter 7
Stephen's speech
*[A survey using chiefly Gn and Ex.]7:1The high priest asked, 'Is this true?' 2He replied, 'My brothers, my fathers, listen to what I have to say. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham, while he was in Mesopotamia before settling in Haran, 3and said to him, "Leave your country, your kindred and your father's house for this country which I shall show you." 4So he left Chaldaea and settled in Haran; and after his father died God made him leave that place and come to this land where you are living today. 5God did not give him any property in this land or even a foothold, yet he promised to give it to him and after him to his descendants, childless though he was. 6The actual words God used when he spoke to him are that his descendants would be exiles in a land not their own, where they would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 7"But I will bring judgement on the nation that enslaves them," God said, "and after this they will leave, and worship me in this place." 8Then he made the covenant of circumcision with him: and so when his son Isaac was born Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day; similarly Isaac circumcised Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs. 9'The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him, 10and rescued him from all his miseries by making him so wise that he won the favour of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of his household. 11Then a famine set in that caused much suffering throughout Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find nothing to eat. 12When Jacob heard that there were supplies in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on a first visit; 13and on the second Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh came to know his origin. 14Joseph then sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, a total of seventy-five people. 15Jacob went down into Egypt and after he and our ancestors had died there, 16their bodies were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought for money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. 17'As the time drew near for God to fulfil the promise he had solemnly made to Abraham, our nation in Egypt became very powerful and numerous, 18there came to power in Egypt a new king who had never heard of Joseph. 19He took precautions and wore down our race, forcing our ancestors to expose their babies rather than letting them live. 20It was at this time that Moses was born, a fine child before God. He was looked after for three months in his father's house, 21and after he had been exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up like a son. 22So Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a man with power both in his speech and in his actions. 23'At the age of forty he decided to visit his kinsmen, the Israelites. 24When he saw one of them being ill-treated he went to his defence and rescued the man by killing the Egyptian. 25He thought his brothers would realise that through him God would liberate them, but they did not. 26The next day, when he came across some of them fighting, he tried to reconcile them, and said, "Friends, you are brothers; why are you hurting each other?" 27But the man who was attacking his kinsman pushed him aside, saying, "And who appointed you to be prince over us and judge? 28Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" 29Moses fled when he heard this and he went to dwell in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons. 30'When forty years were fulfilled, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in a flame blazing from a bush that was on fire. 31Moses was amazed by what he saw. As he went nearer to look at it, the voice of the Lord was heard, 32"I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Moses trembled and was afraid to look. 33The Lord said to him, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, I have heard them crying for help, and I have come down to rescue them. So come here; I am sending you into Egypt." 35'It was the same Moses that they had disowned when they said, "Who appointed you to be our leader and judge?" whom God sent to be both leader and redeemer through the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. 36It was this man who led them out, after performing miracles and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the desert for forty years. 37It was this Moses who told the sons of Israel, "From among your own brothers God will raise up a prophet like me." 38When they held the assembly in the desert it was he who was with our ancestors and the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai; it was he who was entrusted with words of life to hand on to us. 39This is the man that our ancestors refused to listen to; they pushed him aside, went back to Egypt in their thoughts, 40and said to Aaron, "Make us a god to go at our head; for that Moses, the man who brought us here from Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." 41It was then that they made the statue of a calf and offered sacrifice to the idol. They were perfectly happy with something they had made for themselves. 42God turned away from them and abandoned them to the worship of the army of heaven, as scripture says in the book of the prophets: Did you bring me sacrifices and oblations those forty years in the desert, House of Israel? 43No, you carried the tent of Moloch on your shoulders and the star of the god Rephan, the idols you made for yourselves to adore, and so now I am about to drive you into captivity beyond Babylon. *[Am 5:25-27] 44'While they were in the desert our ancestors possessed the Tent of Testimony that had been constructed according to the instructions God gave Moses, telling him to work to the design he had been shown. 45It was handed down from one ancestor of ours to another until Joshua brought it into the country that had belonged to the nations which were driven out by God before us. Here it stayed until the time of David. 46He won God's favour and asked permission to find a dwelling for the House of Jacob, 47though it was Solomon who actually built a house for God. 48Even so the Most High does not live in a house that human hands have built: for as the prophet says: 49With heaven my throne and earth my footstool, what house could you build me, says the Lord, what place for me to rest, 50when all these things were made by me? *[Is 66:1-2] 51'You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Upright One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. 53In spite of being given the Law through angels, you have not kept it.' 54They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him.
The stoning of Stephen
Saul as persecutor55But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand. 56'Look! I can see heaven thrown open,' he said, 'and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.' 57All the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they made a concerted rush at him, 58thrust him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. 59As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' 60Then he knelt down and said aloud, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And with these words he fell asleep.
Chapter 8
8:1Saul approved of the killing. That day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles scattered to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria. 2There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him. 3Saul then began doing great harm to the church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.
Philip in Samaria
4Once they had scattered, they went from place to place preaching the good news. 5And Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. 6The people unanimously welcomed the message Philip preached, because they had heard of the miracles he worked and because they saw them for themselves. 7For unclean spirits came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. 8As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.
Simon the magician
9Now a man called Simon had for some time been practising magic arts in the town and astounded the Samaritan people. He had given it out that he was someone momentous, 10and everyone believed in him; eminent citizens and ordinary people alike had declared, 'He is the divine power that is called Great.' 11He had this following because for a considerable period they had been astounded by his wizardry. 12But when they came to accept Philip's preaching of the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women, 13and even Simon himself became a believer. After his baptism Simon went round constantly with Philip and was astonished when he saw the wonders and great miracles that took place. 14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15and they went down there and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, 16for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19with the words, 'Give me the same power so that anyone I lay my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.' 20Peter answered, 'May your silver be lost for ever, and you with it, for thinking that money could buy what God has given for nothing! 21You have no share, no part, in this: God can see how your heart is warped. 22Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that this scheme of yours may be forgiven; 23it is plain to me that you are held in the bitterness of gall and the chains of sin.' 24Simon replied, 'Pray to the Lord for me yourselves so that none of the things you have spoken about may happen to me.' 25Having given their testimony and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem, preaching the good news to a number of Samaritan villages.
Philip baptises a eunuch
26The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Set out at noon and go along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.' 27So he set off on his journey. Now an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia; he was her chief treasurer. 28He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29The Spirit said to Philip, 'Go up and join that chariot.' 30When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' 31He replied, 'How could I, unless I have someone to guide me?' So he urged Philip to get in and sit by his side. 32Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this: Like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb in front of its shearers, he never opens his mouth. 33In his humiliation fair judgement was denied him. Who will ever talk about his descendants, since his life on earth has been cut short? *[Is 53:7-8] 34The eunuch addressed Philip and said, 'Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?' 35Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the good news of Jesus to him. 36Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'Look, 37here is some water; is there anything to prevent my being baptised?'*[v. 37, omitted here, is a very ancient gloss: 'And Philip said, ''If you believe with all your heart, you may.'' And he replied, ''I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.'' ']
38He ordered the chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water and he baptised him.
39But after they had come up out of the water again Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip appeared in Azotus and continued his journey, proclaiming the good news in every town as far as Caesarea.
Chapter 9
The conversion of Saul
*[26; cf. 2 M3]9:1Meanwhile Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men or women, that he might find. 3It happened that while he was travelling to Damascus and approaching the city, suddenly a light from heaven shone all round him. 4He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 5'Who are you, Lord?' he asked, and the answer came, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do.' 7The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless, for though they heard the voice they could see no one. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. 9For three days he was without his sight and took neither food nor drink. 10There was a disciple in Damascus called Ananias, and he had a vision in which the Lord said to him, 'Ananias!' When he replied, 'Here I am, Lord,' 11the Lord said, 'Get up and go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, 12and has seen a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight.' 13But in response, Ananias said, 'Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14He has come here with a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.' 15The Lord replied, 'Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16I myself will show him how much he must suffer for my name.' 17Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and laid his hands on Saul and said, 'Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' 18It was as though scales fell away from his eyes and immediately he was able to see again. So he got up and was baptised, 19and after taking some food he regained his strength.
Saul's preaching at Damascus
After he had spent only a few days with the disciples in Damascus, 20he began preaching in the synagogues, 'Jesus is the Son of God.' 21All his hearers were amazed, and said, 'Surely, this is the man who did such damage in Jerusalem to the people who invoke this name, and who came here for the sole purpose of arresting them to have them tried by the chief priests?' 22Saul's power increased steadily, and he was able to throw the Jewish colony at Damascus into complete confusion by the way he demonstrated that Jesus was the Christ. 23Some time passed, and the Jews worked out a plot to kill him, 24but news of it reached Saul. They were keeping watch at the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25but the disciples took him by night and let him down from the wall, lowering him in a basket.
Saul's visit to Jerusalem
*[Ga 1:18-19?]26When he got to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple. 27Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the Lord had appeared to him and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached fearlessly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28Saul now started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord. 29But after he had spoken to the Hellenists and argued with them, they became determined to kill him. 30When the brothers got to know of this, they took him to Caesarea and sent him off from there to Tarsus.
A lull
31The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up and living in the fear of the Lord; encouraged by the Holy Spirit, they continued to grow.
Peter cures a paralytic at Lydda
32It happened that Peter visited one place after another and eventually came to God's holy people living down in Lydda. 33There he found a man called Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. 34Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you: get up and make your bed.' Aeneas got up immediately; 35everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they were converted to the Lord.
Peter raises a woman to life at Jaffa
36At Jaffa there was a disciple called Tabitha, or in Greek, Dorcas, who never tired of doing good or giving to those in need. 37But it happened that at this time she became ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in an upper room. 38Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to urge him, 'Come to us without delay.' 39Peter went back with them immediately, and on his arrival they took him to the upper room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. 40Peter sent everyone out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, 'Tabitha, stand up.' She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. 41Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the members of the congregation and widows and showed them she was alive. 42The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord. 43Peter stayed on some time in Jaffa, lodging with a leather-tanner called Simon.
Chapter 10
Peter visits a Roman centurion
10:1One of the centurions of the Italica cohort stationed in Caesarea was called Cornelius. 2He and the whole of his household were devout and God-fearing, and he gave generously to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. 3One day at about the ninth hour he had a vision in which he distinctly saw the angel of God come into his house and call out to him, 'Cornelius!' 4He stared at the vision in terror and exclaimed, 'What is it, Lord?' The angel answered, 'Your prayers and charitable gifts have been accepted by God. 5Now you must send some men to Jaffa and fetch a man called Simon, known as Peter, 6who is lodging with Simon the tanner whose house is by the sea.' 7When the angel who said this had gone, Cornelius called two of the slaves and a devout soldier of his staff, 8told them all that had happened, and sent them off to Jaffa. 9Next day, while they were still on their journey and had only a short distance to go before reaching the town, Peter went to the housetop at about the sixth hour to say his prayers. 10He felt hungry and was looking forward to his meal, but before it was ready he fell into a trance 11and saw heaven thrown open and something like a big sheet being let down to earth by its four corners; 12it contained every kind of animal, reptile and bird. 13A voice then said to him, 'Now, Peter, kill and eat!' 14But Peter answered, 'Certainly not, Lord; I have never yet eaten anything profane or unclean.' 15Again, a second time, the voice spoke to him, 'What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane.' 16This was repeated three times, and then suddenly the container was drawn up to heaven again. 17Peter was still at a loss over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men sent by Cornelius arrived. They had asked where Simon's house was and they were now standing at the door, 18calling out to know if the Simon known as Peter was lodging there. 19While Peter's mind was still on the vision, the Spirit told him, 'Look! Some men have come to see you. 20Hurry down, and do not hesitate to return with them; it was I who told them to come.' 21Peter went down and said to them, 'I am the man you are looking for; why have you come?' 22They said, 'The centurion Cornelius, who is an upright and God-fearing man, highly regarded by the entire Jewish people, was told by God through a holy angel to send for you and bring you to his house and to listen to what you have to say.' 23So Peter asked them in and gave them lodging. Next day, he was ready to go off with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Jaffa. 24They reached Caesarea the following day, and Cornelius was waiting for them. He had asked his relations and close friends to be there, 25and as Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet him, fell at his feet and did him reverence. 26But Peter helped him up. 'Stand up,' he said, ' after all, I am only a man!' 27Talking together they went in to meet all the people assembled there, 28and Peter said to them, 'You know it is forbidden for Jews to mix with people of another race and visit them; but God has made it clear to me that I must not call anyone profane or unclean. 29That is why I made no objection to coming when I was sent for; but I should like to know exactly why you sent for me.' 30Cornelius replied, 'At this time three days ago I was in my house saying the prayers for the ninth hour, when I suddenly saw a man in front of me in shining robes. 31He said, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have not been forgotten by God; 32so now you must send to Jaffa and fetch Simon known as Peter who is lodging in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea." 33So I sent for you at once, and you have been k ind enough to come. Here we all are, assembled in front of you to hear all the instructions God has given you.'
Peter's address in the house of Cornelius
34Then Peter addressed them, 'I now really understand', he said, 'that God has no favourites, 35but that anybody of any nationality who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36'God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace was brought *[Is 52:7 and in v. 38 Is 61:1.] by Jesus Christ-he is the Lord of all. 37You know what happened all over Judaea, how Jesus of Nazareth began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. 38God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. 39Now we are witnesses to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and they killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40yet on the third day God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, 41not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses that God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses-we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead- 42and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to bear witness that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. 43It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.'
Baptism of the first gentiles
44While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came down *[cf. 2:3-4.] on all the listeners. 45Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were all astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit should be poured out on gentiles too, 46since they could hear them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness of God. Peter himself then said, 47'Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these people, now they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' 48He then gave orders for them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterwards they begged him to stay on for some days.
Chapter 11
Jerusalem: Peter justifies his conduct
11:1The apostles and the brothers in Judaea heard that gentiles too had accepted the word of God, 2and when Peter came up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers protested to him 3and said, 'So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them!' 4Peter in reply gave them the details point by point, 5'One day, when I was in the town of Jaffa,' he began, 'I fell into a trance as I was praying and had a vision of something like a big sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners. This sheet came right down beside me. 6I looked carefully into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of heaven. 7Then I heard a voice that said to me, "Now, Peter, kill and eat!" 8But I answered, "Certainly not, Lord; nothing profane or unclean has ever crossed my lips." 9And a second time the voice spoke from heaven, "What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane." 10This was repeated three times, before the whole of it was drawn up to heaven again. 11'Just at that moment, three men stopped outside the house where we were staying; they had been sent from Caesarea to fetch me, 12and the Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going back with them. The six brothers here came with me as well, and we entered the man's house. 13He told us he had seen an angel standing in his house who said, "Send to Jaffa and fetch Simon known as Peter; 14he has a message for you that will save you and your entire household." 15'I had scarcely begun to speak when the Holy Spirit came down on them in the same way as it came on us at the beginning, 16and I remembered that the Lord had said, "John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit." 17I realised then that God was giving them the identical gift he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and who was I to stand in God's way?' 18This account satisfied them, and they gave glory to God, saying, 'God has clearly granted to the gentiles too the repentance that leads to life.'
Foundation of the church of Antioch
19Those who had scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they proclaimed the message only to Jews. 20Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching also to the Greeks, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus to them. 21The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord. 22The news of them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas out to Antioch. 23There he was glad to see for himself that God had given grace, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; 24for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of people were won over to the Lord. 25Barnabas then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. And it happened that they stayed together in that church a whole year, instructing a large number of people. It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians'.
Barnabas and Saul sent as deputies to Jerusalem
27While they were there some prophets came down to Antioch from Jerusalem, 28and one of them whose name was Agabus, seized by the Spirit, stood up and predicted that a severe and universal famine was going to happen. This in fact happened while Claudius was emperor. 29The disciples decided to send relief, each to contribute what he could afford, to the brothers living in Judaea. 30They did this and delivered their contributions to the elders through the agency of Barnabas and Saul.
Chapter 12
Peter's arrest and miraculous deliverance
12:1It was about this time that King Herod started persecuting certain members of the church. 2He had James the brother of John beheaded, 3and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he went on to arrest Peter as well. 4As it was during the days of Unleavened Bread that he had arrested him, he put him in prison, assigning four sections of four soldiers each to guard him, meaning to try him in public after the Passover. 5All the time Peter was under guard the church prayed to God for him unremittingly. 6On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. 7Then suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. 'Get up!' he said, 'Hurry!'-and the chains fell from his hands. 8The angel then said, 'Put on your belt and sandals.' After he had done this, the angel next said, 'Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.' 9He followed him out, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed through the first guard post and then the second and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. 11It was only then that Peter came to himself. And he said, 'Now I know it is all true. The Lord really did send his angel and save me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.' 12As soon as he realised this he went straight to the house of Mary the mother of John Mark, where a number of people had assembled and were praying. 13He knocked at the outside door and a servant called Rhoda came to answer it. 14She recognised Peter's voice and was so overcome with joy that, instead of opening the door, she ran inside with the news that Peter was standing at the main entrance. 15They said to her, 'You are out of your mind,' but she insisted that it was true. Then they said, 'It must be his angel!' 16Peter, meanwhile, was still knocking. When they opened the door, they were amazed to see that it really was Peter himself. 17He raised his hand for silence and described to them how the Lord had led him out of prison. He added, 'Tell James and the brothers.' Then he left and went elsewhere. 18When daylight came there was a great commotion among the soldiers, who could not imagine what had become of Peter. 19Herod put out an unsuccessful search for him; he had the guards questioned, and before leaving Judaea to take up residence in Caesarea he gave orders for their execution.
The death of the persecutor
*[cf. 2 M 9:5-28]20Now Herod was on bad terms with the Tyrians and Sidonians. Yet they sent a joint deputation which managed to enlist the support of Blastus, the king's chamberlain, and through him negotiated a treaty, since their country depended for its food supply on the king's territory. 21A day was fixed, and Herod, wearing his robes of state and seated on a throne, began to make a speech to them. 22The people acclaimed him with, 'It is a god speaking, not a man!' 23and at that moment the angel of the Lord struck him down, because he had not given the glory to God. He was eaten away by worms and died.
Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch
24The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers. 25Barnabas and Saul completed their task at Jerusalem and came back, bringing John Mark with them.
Chapter 13
THE MISSION OF BARNABAS AND PAUL
THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM
The mission sent out13:1In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, 'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.' 3So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Cyprus: the magician Elymas
4So these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there set sail for Cyprus. 5They landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; John acted as their assistant. 6They travelled the whole length of the island, and at Paphos they came in contact with a Jewish magician and false prophet called Bar-Jesus. 7He was one of the attendants of the proconsul Sergius Paulus, who was an extremely intelligent man. The proconsul summoned Barnabas and Saul and asked to hear the word of God, 8but Elymas the magician (this is what his name means in Greek) tried to stop them so as to prevent the proconsul's conversion to the faith. 9Then Saul, whose other name is Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked at him intently 10and said, 'You utter fraud, you impostor, you son of the devil, you enemy of all uprightness, will you not stop twisting the straightforward ways of the Lord? 11Now watch how the hand of the Lord will strike you: you will be blind, and for a time you will not see the sun.' That instant, everything went misty and dark for him, and he groped about to find someone to lead him by the hand. 12The proconsul, who had watched everything, became a believer, being much struck by what he had learnt about the Lord.
They arrive at Antioch in Pisidia
13Paul and his companions went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem. 14The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats. 15After the passages from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them a message, 'Brothers, if you would like to address some words of encouragement to the congregation, please do so.' 16Paul stood up, raised his hand for silence and began to speak:
Paul's preaching before the Jews
*[Paul uses Dt 1:31; 7:1; Ps 89:14; 2:7; Is 55:3; Ps 16:9; Hab 1:5]'Men of Israel, and fearers of God, listen! 17The God of our nation Israel chose our ancestors and made our people great when they were living in Egypt, a land not their own; then by divine power he led them out 18and for about forty years took care of them in the desert. 19When he had destroyed seven nations in Canaan, he put them in possession of their land 20for about four hundred and fifty years. After this he gave them judges, down to the prophet Samuel. 21Then they demanded a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. After forty years, 22he deposed him and raised up David to be king, whom he attested in these words, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will perform my entire will." 23To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David's descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, 24whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. 25Before John ended his course he said, "I am not the one you imagine me to be; there is someone coming after me whose sandal I am not fit to undo." 26'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this message of salvation is meant for you. 27What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every Sabbath. 28Though they found nothing to justify his execution, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him put to death. 29When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people. 32'We have come here to tell you the good news that the promise made to our ancestors has come about. 33God has fulfilled it to their children by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the psalms: You are my son: today I have fathered you. 34The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to return to corruption, is no more than what he had declared: To you I shall give the holy things promised to David which can be relied upon. 35This is also why it says in another text: You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption. 36Now when David in his own time had served God's purposes he died; he was buried with his ancestors and has certainly seen corruption. 37The one whom God has raised up, however, has not seen corruption. 38'My brothers, I want you to realise that it is through him that forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. Through him justification from all sins from which the Law of Moses was unable to justify 39is being offered to every believer. 40'So be careful-or what the prophets say will happen to you. 41Cast your eyes around you, mockers; be amazed, and perish! For I am doing something in your own days that you would never believe if you were told of it.' 42As they left they were urged to continue this preaching the following Sabbath. 43When the meeting broke up many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas, and in their talks with them Paul and Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.
Paul and Barnabas preach to the gentiles
44The next Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. 45When they saw the crowds, the Jews, filled with jealousy, used blasphemies to contradict everything Paul said. 46Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly. 'We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, here and now we turn to the gentiles. 47For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of the earth.' *[Is 49:6; cf. 18:6; 28:25] 48It made the gentiles very happy to hear this and they gave thanks to the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. 49Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside. 50But the Jews worked on some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city; they stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their territory. 51So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went off to Iconium; but the converts were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 14
Iconium evangelised
14:1It happened that at Iconium they went to the Jewish synagogue, in the same way, and they spoke so effectively that a great many Jews and Greeks became believers. 2(However, the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the gentiles against the brothers and set them in opposition.) 3Accordingly Paul and Barnabas stayed on for some time, preaching fearlessly in the Lord; and he attested all they said about his gift of grace, allowing signs and wonders to be performed by them. 4The people in the city were divided; some supported the Jews, others the apostles, 5but eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by gentiles as well as Jews to make attacks on them and to stone them. 6When they came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of Lystra and Derbe and in the surrounding country, 7they preached the good news.
Healing of a cripple
8There was a man sitting there who had never walked in his life, because his feet were crippled from birth; 9he was listening to Paul preaching, and Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had the faith to be cured. 10Paul said in a loud voice, 'Get to your feet-stand up,' and the cripple jumped up and began to walk. 11When the crowds saw what Paul had done they shouted in the language of Lycaonia, 'The gods have come down to us in human form.' 12They addressed Barnabas as Zeus, and since Paul was the principal speaker they called him Hermes. 13The priests of Zeus-outside-the-Gate, proposing that all the people should offer sacrifice with them, brought garlanded oxen to the gates. 14When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening they tore their clothes, and rushed into the crowd, shouting, 15'Friends, what do you think you are doing? We are only human beings, mortal like yourselves. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who made sky and earth and the sea and all that these hold. 16In the past he allowed all the nations to go their own way; 17but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you: he sends you rain from heaven and seasons of fruitfulness; he fills you with food and your hearts with merriment.' 18With this speech they just managed to prevent the crowd from offering them sacrifice.
End of the mission
19Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against them. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. 20The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 21Having preached the good news in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. 22They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith, saying, 'We must all experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God.' 23In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe. 24They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. 25Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia 26and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the gentiles. 28They stayed there with the disciples for some time.
Chapter 15
Controversy at Antioch
15:1Then some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.' 2This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the question with the apostles and elders. 3The members of the church saw them off, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told how the gentiles had been converted, and this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by all the brothers. 4When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done through them.
Controversy at Jerusalem
5But certain members of the Pharisees' party who had become believers objected, insisting that gentiles should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. 6The apostles and elders met *[Two disputes are combined: Peter's speech concerns obligations of gentiles to keep the Jewish Law, James' concerns social contact.] to look into the matter, 7and after a long discussion, Peter stood up and addressed them.
Peter's speech
'My brothers,' he said, 'you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the gentiles were to learn the good news from me and so become believers. 8And God, who can read everyone's heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. 9God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. 10Why do you put God to the test now by imposing on the disciples the very burden that neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were strong enough to support? 11But we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.' 12The entire assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the gentiles.
James' speech
13When they had finished it was James who spoke. 'My brothers,' he said, 'listen to me. 14Simeon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the gentiles. 15This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets, since the scriptures say: 16After that I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; I shall make good the gaps in it and restore it. 17Then the rest of humanity, and of all the nations once called mine, will look for the Lord, says the Lord who made this 18known so long ago. *[Am 9:11-12] 19'My verdict is, then, that instead of making things more difficult for gentiles who turn to God, 20we should send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from illicit marriages, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21For Moses has always had his preachers in every town and is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath.'
The apostolic letter
22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose delegates from among themselves to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, 23and gave them this letter to take with them: 'The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of gentile birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. 24We hear that some people coming from here, but acting without any authority from ourselves, have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds; 25and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with our well-beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26who have committed their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written. 28It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to impose on you any burden beyond these essentials: 29you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from illicit marriages. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.'
The delegates at Antioch
30The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter. 31The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them. 32Judas and Silas, being themselves prophets, spoke for a long time, encouraging and strengthening the brothers. 33These two spent some time there, and then the brothers wished them peace and 34theywent back to those who had sent them. *[Some MSS add v. 34 'But Silas decided to stay there'.] 35Paul and Barnabas, however, stayed on in Antioch, and there with many others they taught and proclaimed the good news, the word of the Lord.
PAUL'S MISSIONS
Paul separates from Barnabas and recruits Silas36On a later occasion Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord, so that we can see how they are doing.' 37Barnabas suggested taking John Mark, 38but Paul was not in favour of taking along the man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had refused to share in their work. 39There was sharp disagreement so that they parted company, and Barnabas sailed off with Mark to Cyprus. 40Before Paul left, he chose Silas to accompany him and was commended by the brothers to the grace of God.
Lycaonia: Paul recruits Timothy
41He travelled through Syria and Cilicia, consolidating the churches.
Chapter 16
16:1From there he went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra, where there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was Jewish and had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. 2The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him, 3and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek. 4As they visited one town after another, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, with instructions to observe them. 5So the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as growing daily in numbers.
The crossing into Asia Minor
6They travelled through Phrygia and the Galatian country, because they had been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia. 7When they reached the frontier of Mysia they tried to go into Bithynia, but as the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, 8they went through Mysia and came down to Troas. 9One night Paul had a vision: a Macedonian appeared and kept urging him in these words, 'Come across to Macedonia and help us.' 10Once he had seen this vision we lost no time in arranging a passage to Macedonia, convinced that God had called us to bring them the good news.
Arrival at Philippi
11Sailing from Troas we made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis, 12and from there for Philippi, a Roman colony and the principal city of that district of Macedonia. 13After a few days in this city we went outside the gates beside a river as it was the Sabbath and this was a customary place for prayer. We sat down and preached to the women who had come to the meeting. 14One of these women was called Lydia, a woman from the town of Thyatira who was in the purple-dye trade, and who revered God. She listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying. 15After she and her household had been baptised she kept urging us, 'If you judge me a true believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay with us.' And she would take no refusal.
Imprisonment of Paul and Silas
16It happened one day that as we were going to prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who was a soothsayer and made a lot of money for her masters by foretelling the future. 17This girl started following Paul and the rest of us and shouting, 'Here are the servants of the Most High God; they have come to tell you how to be saved!' 18She did this day after day until Paul was exasperated and turned round and said to the spirit, 'I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave that woman.' The spirit went out of her then and there. 19When her masters saw that there was no hope of making any more money out of her, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities. 20Taking them before the magistrates they said, 'These people are causing a disturbance in our city. They are Jews 21and are advocating practices which it is unlawful for us as Romans to accept or follow.' 22The crowd joined in and showed its hostility to them, so the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be flogged. 23They were given many lashes and then thrown into prison, and the gaoler was told to keep a close watch on them. 24So, following such instructions, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The miraculous deliverance of Paul and Silas
25In the middle of the night Paul and Silas were praying and singing God's praises, while the other prisoners listened. 26Suddenly there was an earthquake that shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open and the chains fell from all the prisoners. 27When the gaoler woke and saw the doors wide open he drew his sword and was about to commit suicide, presuming that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, 'Do yourself no harm; we are all here.' 29He called for lights, then rushed in, threw himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas, 30and escorted them out, saying, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' 31They told him, 'Become a believer in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, and your household too.' 32Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all his household. 33Late as it was, he took them to wash their wounds, and was baptised then and there with all his household. 34Afterwards he took them into his house and gave them a meal, and the whole household celebrated their conversion to belief in God. 35When it was daylight the magistrates sent the lictors with the order: 'Release those men.' 36The gaoler reported the message to Paul, 'The magistrates have sent an order for your release; you can go now and be on your way.' 37'What!' Paul replied. 'Without trial they gave us a public flogging, though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison, and now they want to send us away on the quiet! Oh no! They must come and escort us out themselves.' 38The lictors reported this to the magistrates, who were terrified when they heard they were Roman citizens. 39They came and urged them to leave the town. 40From the prison they went to Lydia's house where they saw all the brothers and gave them some encouragement; then they left.
Chapter 17
Thessalonica: difficulties with the Jews
17:1Passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they eventually reached Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2Paul as usual went in and for three consecutive Sabbaths developed the arguments from scripture for them, 3explaining and proving how it was ordained that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead. 'And the Christ', he said, 'is this Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.' 4Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, and so did a great many godfearing people and Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women. 5The Jews, full of resentment, enlisted the help of a gang from the market place, stirred up a crowd, and soon had the whole city in an uproar. They made for Jason's house, hoping to bring them before the People's Assembly; 6however, they found only Jason and some of the brothers, and these they dragged before the city council, shouting, 'The people who have been turning the whole world upside down have come here now; 7they have been staying at Jason's. They have broken Caesar's edicts by claiming that there is another king, Jesus.' 8Hearing this, the citizens and the city councillors were alarmed, 9and they made Jason and the rest give security before setting them free.
Fresh difficulties at Beroea
10When it was dark the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away to Beroea, where they went to the Jewish synagogue as soon as they arrived. 11Here the Jews were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they welcomed the word very readily; every day they studied the scriptures to check whether it was true. 12Many of them became believers, and so did many Greek women of high standing and a number of the men. 13When the Jews of Thessalonica came to learn that the word of God was being preached by Paul in Beroea as well, they went there to make trouble and stir up the people. 14So the brothers arranged for Paul to go immediately as far as the coast, leaving Silas and Timothy behind. 15Paul's escort took him as far as Athens, and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.
Paul in Athens
16Paul waited for them in Athens and there his whole soul was revolted at the sight of a city given over to idolatry. 17In the synagogue he debated with the Jews and the godfearing, and in the market place he debated every day with anyone whom he met. 18Even a few Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, 'What can this parrot mean?' And, because he was preaching about Jesus and Resurrection, others said, 'He seems to be a propagandist for some outlandish gods.' 19They got him to accompany them to the Areopagus, where they said to him, 'Can we know what this new doctrine is that you are teaching? 20Some of the things you say seemed startling to us and we would like to find out what they mean.' 21The one amusement the Athenians and the foreigners living there seem to have is to discuss and listen to the latest ideas. 22So Paul stood before the whole council of the Areopagus and made this speech:
Paul's speech before the council of the Areopagus
'Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, 23because, as I strolled round looking at your sacred monuments, I noticed among other things an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. In fact, the unknown God you revere is the one I proclaim to you. 24'Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. 25Nor is he in need of anything, that he should be served by human hands; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything-including life and breath-to everyone. 26From one single principle he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed the times and limits of their habitation. 27And he did this so that they might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him; and indeed he is not far from any of us, 28since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, *[From the Gk poet Epimenides.] as indeed some of your own writers have said: We are all his children. *[The Gk philosopher Aratus.] 29'Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man. 30'But now, overlooking the times of ignorance, God is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, 31because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged in uprightness by a man he has appointed. And God has publicly proved this by raising him from the dead.' 32At this mention of rising from the dead, some of them burst out laughing; others said, 'We would like to hear you talk about this another time.' 33After that Paul left them, 34but there were some who attached themselves to him and became believers, among them Dionysius the Aeropagite and a woman called Damaris, and others besides.
Chapter 18
Foundation of the church of Corinth
18:1After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, 2where he met a Jew called Aquila whose family came from Pontus. He and his wife Priscilla had recently left Italy because an edict of Claudius had expelled all the Jews from Rome. Paul went to visit them, 3and when he found they were tentmakers, of the same trade as himself, he lodged with them, and they worked together. 4Every Sabbath he used to hold debates in the synagogues, trying to convert Jews as well as Greeks. 5After Silas and Timothy had arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to preaching, declaring to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6When they turned against him and started to insult him, he took his cloak and shook it out in front of them, *[cf. 13:47; 28:25.] saying, 'Your blood be on your own heads; from now on I will go to the gentiles with a clear conscience.' 7Then he left the synagogue and moved to the house next door that belonged to a worshipper of God called Justus. 8Crispus, president of the synagogue, and his whole household, all became believers in the Lord. Many Corinthians when they heard this became believers and were baptised. 9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, 'Be fearless; speak out and do not keep silence: 10I am with you. I have so many people that belong to me in this city that no one will attempt to hurt you.' 11So Paul stayed there preaching the word of God among them for eighteen months.
The Jews take Paul to court
12But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, 13'We accuse this man of persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law.' 14Before Paul could open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, 'Listen, you Jews. If this were a misdemeanour or a crime, it would be in order for me to listen to your plea; 15but if it is only quibbles about words and names, and about your own Law, then you must deal with it yourselves-I have no intention of making legal decisions about these things.' 16Then he began to hustle them out of the court, 17and at once they all turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue president, and beat him in front of the tribunal. Gallio refused to take any notice at all.
Return to Antioch and departure for the third journey
18After staying on for some time, Paul took leave of the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, because of a vow he had made. 19When they reached Ephesus, he left them, but first he went alone to the synagogue to debate with the Jews. 20They asked him to stay longer, but he declined, 21though when he took his leave he said, 'I will come back another time, God willing.' Then he sailed from Ephesus. 22He landed at Caesarea and went up to greet the church. Then he came down to Antioch 23where he spent a short time before continuing his journey through the Galatian country and then through Phrygia, encouraging all the followers.
Apollos
24An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos *[cf. 1 Co 1:12; 3:4-11.] now arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures, and yet, 25though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual fervour and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had experienced only the baptism of John. 26He began to teach fearlessly in the synagogue and, when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they attached themselves to him and gave him more detailed instruction about the Way. 27When Apollos thought of crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote asking the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived there he was able by God's grace to help the believers considerably 28by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Chapter 19
The disciples of John at Ephesus
19:1It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. 2When he asked, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?' they answered, 'No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.' 3He asked, 'Then how were you baptised?' They replied, 'With John's baptism.' 4Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him-namely Jesus.' 5When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, 6and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. 7There were about twelve of these men in all.
Foundation of the church of Ephesus
8He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out fearlessly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months, 9till the attitude of some of the congregation hardened into unbelief. As soon as they began attacking the Way in public, he broke with them and took his disciples apart to hold daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years, with the result that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, were able to hear the word of the Lord.
The Jewish exorcists
11So remarkable were the miracles worked by God at Paul's hands 12that handkerchiefs or aprons which had touched him were taken to the sick, and they were cured of their illnesses, and the evil spirits came out of them. 13But some itinerant Jewish exorcists too tried pronouncing the name of the Lord Jesus over people who were possessed by evil spirits; they used to say, 'I adjure you by the Jesus whose spokesman is Paul.' 14Among those who did this were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest. 15The evil spirit replied, 'Jesus I recognise, and Paul I know, but who are you?' 16and the man with the evil spirit hurled himself at them and overpowered first one and then another, and handled them so violently that they fled from that house stripped of clothing and badly mauled. 17Everybody in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, heard about this episode; everyone was filled with awe, and the name of the Lord Jesus came to be held in great honour. 18Some believers, too, came forward to admit in detail how they had used spells 19and a number of them who had practised magic collected their books and made a bonfire of them in public. The value of these was calculated to be fifty thousand silver pieces. 20In this powerful way the word o