The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even unto me:

upon which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw the fourfooted beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and birds of the heaven.

And I heard also a voice saying unto me, Rise, Peter; kill and eat.

But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.

But a voice answered the second time out of heaven, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.

And this was done thrice: and all were drawn up again into heaven.

And behold, forthwith three men stood before the house in which we were, having been sent from Cæsarea unto me.

And the Spirit bade me go with them, making no distinction. And these six brethren also accompanied me; and we entered into the man’s house:

and he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, Send to Joppa, and fetch Simon, whose surname is Peter;

who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house.

And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.

And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

If then God gave unto them the like gift as [he did] also unto us, when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?

And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.

They therefore that were scattered abroad upon the tribulation that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none save only to Jews.

But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number that believed turned unto the Lord.

And the report concerning them came to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas as far as Antioch:

who, when he was come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad; and he exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord:

for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.

And he went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul;

and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught much people; and that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Now in these days there came down prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great famine over all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius.

And the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren that dwelt in Judæa:

which also they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Now about that time Herod the king put forth his hands to afflict certain of the church.

And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. And [those] were the days of unleavened bread.

And when he had taken him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him; intending after the Passover to bring him forth to the people.

Peter therefore was kept in the prison: but prayer was made earnestly of the church unto God for him.

And when Herod was about to bring him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and guards before the door kept the prison.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shined in the cell: and he smote Peter on the side, and awoke him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And he did so. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

And he went out, and followed; and he knew not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision.

And when they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth into the city; which opened to them of its own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and straightway the angel departed from him.

And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a truth, that the Lord hath sent forth his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

And when he had considered [the thing], he came to the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together and were praying.

And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid came to answer, named Rhoda.

And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for joy, but ran in, and told that Peter stood before the gate.

And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she confidently affirmed that it was even so. And they said, It is his angel.

But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed.

But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the prison. And he said, Tell these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went to another place.

Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.

And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the guards, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judæa to Cæsarea, and tarried there.

Now he was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: and they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was fed from the king’s country.

And upon a set day Herod arrayed himself in royal apparel, and sat on the throne, and made an oration unto them.

And the people shouted, [saying], The voice of a god, and not of a man.

And immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

But the word of God grew and multiplied.

And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministration, taking with them John whose surname was Mark.

Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was [there], prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

And when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John as their attendant.

And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus;

who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. The same called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.

But Saul, who is also [called] Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,

and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.

But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and they went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

And Paul stood up, and beckoning with the hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken:

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm led he them forth out of it.

And for about the time of forty years as a nursing-father bare he them in the wilderness.

And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave [them] their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty years:

and after these things he gave [them] judges until Samuel the prophet.

And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years.

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who shall do all my will.

Of this man’s seed hath God according to promise brought unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus;

when John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not [he]. But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to unloose.

Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth.

For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled [them] by condemning [him].

And though they found no cause of death [in him], yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain.

And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.

But God raised him from the dead:

and he was seen for many days of them that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people.

And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers,

that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, I will give you the holy and sure [blessings] of David.

Because he saith also in another [psalm], Thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption.

For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

but he whom God raised up saw no corruption.

Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins:

and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Beware therefore, lest that come upon [you] which is spoken in the prophets:

Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; For I work a work in your days, A work which ye shall in no wise believe, if one declare it unto you.

And as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath.

Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

And the next sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.

But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.

And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

For so hath the Lord commanded us, [saying], I have set thee for a light of the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

And the word of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region.