Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 and Sha’ul gave his approval to his murder.

Starting with that day, there arose intense persecution against the Messianic Community in Yerushalayim; all but the emissaries were scattered throughout the regions of Y’hudah and Shomron.

2 Some godly men buried Stephen and mourned him deeply.

3 But Sha’ul set out to destroy the Messianic Community — entering house after house, he dragged off both men and women and handed them over to be put in prison.

4 However, those who were scattered announced the Good News of the Word wherever they went.

5 Now Philip went down to a city in Shomron and was proclaiming the Messiah to them;

6 and the crowds were paying close attention to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was doing.

7 For many people were having unclean spirits driven out of them, shrieking; also many paralytics and crippled persons were being healed;

8 so that there was great joy in that city.

9 But there was a man named Shim‘on in the city who for some time had been practicing magic and astonishing the nation of Shomron, claiming to be somebody great.

10 Everyone gave heed to him, from the lowest to the highest, saying, “This man is the power of God called ‘The Great Power’.”

11 They followed him because for a considerable time he had amazed them with his magic.

12 But when they came to believe Philip, as he announced the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Yeshua the Messiah, they were immersed, both men and women.

13 Moreover, Shim‘on himself came to believe; and after being immersed, he attached himself closely to Philip; and he was amazed as he saw the miraculous signs and great works of power that kept taking place.

14 When the emissaries in Yerushalayim heard that Shomron had received the Word of God, they sent them Kefa and Yochanan,

15 who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive theRuach HaKodesh.

16 For until then he had not come upon any of them; they had only been immersed into the name of the Lord Yeshua.

17 Then, as Kefa and Yochanan placed their hands on them, they received theRuach HaKodesh.

18 Shim‘on saw that the Spirit was given when the emissaries placed their hands on them, and he offered them money.

19 “Give this power to me, too,” he said, “so that whoever I place my hands on will receive theRuach HaKodesh.”

20 But Kefa said to him, “Your silver go to ruin — and you with it, for thinking the free gift of God can be bought!

21 You have no part at all in this matter; because in the eyes of God, your heart is crooked.

22 So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps you will yet be forgiven for holding such a thought in your heart.

23 For I see that you are extremely bitter and completely under the control of sin!”

24 Shim‘on answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that none of the things you have spoken about will happen to me.”

25 Then, after giving a thorough witness and speaking the Word of the Lord, Kefa and Yochanan started back to Yerushalayim, announcing the Good News to many villages in Shomron.

26 An angel ofAdonaisaid to Philip, “Get up, and go southward on the road that goes down from Yerushalayim to ‘Azah, the desert road.”

27 So he got up and went. On his way, he caught sight of an Ethiopian, a eunuch who was minister in charge of all the treasure of the Kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia. He had been to Yerushalayim to worship;

28 and now, as he was returning home, he was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Yesha‘yahu.

29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot, and stay close to it.”

30 As Philip ran up, he heard the Ethiopian reading from Yesha‘yahu the prophet. “Do you understand what you’re reading?” he asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him.

32 Now the portion of theTanakhthat he was reading was this:

“He was like a sheep led to be slaughtered;

like a lamb silent before the shearer, he does not open his mouth.

33 He was humiliated and denied justice.

Who will tell about his descendants,

since his life has been taken from the earth?”

34 The eunuch said to Philip, “Here’s my question to you — is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”

35 Then Philip started to speak — beginning with that passage, he went on to tell him the Good News about Yeshua.

36 As they were going down the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Here’s some water! Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be immersed?”

37

38 He ordered the chariot to stop; then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip immersed him.

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch saw no more of him, because he continued on his way — full of joy.

40 But Philip showed up at Ashdod and continued proclaiming the Good News as he went through all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

1 Meanwhile, Sha’ul, still breathing murderous threats against the Lord’stalmidim, went to thecohen hagadol

2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Dammesek, authorizing him to arrest any people he might find, whether men or women, who belonged to “the Way,” and bring them back to Yerushalayim.

3 He was on the road and nearing Dammesek, when suddenly a light from heaven flashed all around him.

4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?”

5 “Sir, who are you?” he asked. “I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting me.

6 But get up, and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.”

7 The men traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

8 They helped Sha’ul get up off the ground; but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So, leading him by the hand, they brought him into Dammesek.

9 For three days he remained unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

10 There was atalmidin Dammesek, Hananyah by name; and in a vision the Lord said to him, “Hananyah!” He said, “Here I am, Lord.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to Straight Street, to Y’hudah’s house; and ask for a man from Tarsus named Sha’ul; for he is praying,

12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Hananyah coming in and placing his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 But Hananyah answered, “Lord, many have told me about this man, how much harm he has done to your people in Yerushalayim;

14 and here he has a warrant from the headcohanimto arrest everyone who calls on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name to theGoyim, even to their kings, and to the sons of Isra’el as well.

16 For I myself will show him how much he will have to suffer on account of my name.”

17 So Hananyah left and went into the house. Placing his hands on him, he said, “Brother Sha’ul, the Lord — Yeshua, the one who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with theRuach HaKodesh.”

18 In that moment, something like scales fell away from Sha’ul’s eyes; and he could see again. He got up and was immersed;

19 then he ate some food and regained his strength.

Sha’ul spent some days with thetalmidimin Dammesek,

20 and immediately he began proclaiming in the synagogues that Yeshua is the Son of God.

21 All who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Isn’t he the man who in Yerushalayim was trying to destroy the people who call on this name? In fact, isn’t that why he came here, to arrest them and bring them back to the headcohanim?”

22 But Sha’ul was being filled with more and more power and was creating an uproar among the Jews living in Dammesek with his proofs that Yeshua is the Messiah.

23 Quite some time later, the non-believing Jews gathered together and made plans to kill him;

24 but their plot became known to Sha’ul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to do away with him;

25 but under cover of night, histalmidimtook him and let him down over the city wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 On reaching Yerushalayim, he tried to join thetalmidim; but they were all afraid of him — they didn’t believe he was atalmid.

27 However, Bar-Nabba got hold of him and took him to the emissaries. He told them how Sha’ul had seen the Lord while traveling, that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Dammesek Sha’ul had spoken out boldly in the name of Yeshua.

28 So he remained with them and went all over Yerushalayim continuing to speak out boldly in the name of the Lord.

29 He talked and debated with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they began making attempts to kill him.

30 When the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

31 Then the Messianic community throughout Y’hudah, the Galil and Shomron enjoyed peace and was built up. They lived in the fear of the Lord, with the counsel of theRuach HaKodesh; and their numbers kept multiplying.

32 As Kefa traveled around the countryside, he came down to the believers in Lud.

33 There he found a man named Aeneas who had lain bedridden for eight years, because he was paralyzed.

34 Kefa said to him, “Aeneas! Yeshua the Messiah is healing you! Get up, and make your bed!”

35 Everyone living in Lud and the Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Now in Yafo there was atalmidahnamed Tavita

36 (which means “gazelle”); she was always doingtzedakahand other good deeds.

37 It happened that just at that time, she took sick and died. After washing her, they laid her in a room upstairs.

38 Lud is near Yafo, and thetalmidimhad heard that Kefa was there, so they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come to us without delay.”

39 Kefa got up and went with them.

When he arrived, they led him into the upstairs room. All the widows stood by him, sobbing and showing all the dresses and coats Tavita had made them while she was still with them.

40 But Kefa put them all outside, kneeled down and prayed. Then, turning to the body, he said, “Tavita! Get up!” She opened her eyes; and on seeing Kefa, she sat up.

41 He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet; then, calling the believers and the widows, he presented her to them alive.

42 This became known all over Yafo, and many people put their trust in the Lord.

43 Kefa stayed on in Yafo for some time with a man named Shim‘on, a leather-tanner.

1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Regiment.

2 He was a devout man, a “God-fearer,” as was his whole household; he gave generously to help the Jewish poor and prayed regularly to God.

3 One afternoon around three o’clock he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

4 Cornelius stared at the angel, terrified. “What is it, sir?” he asked. “Your prayers,” replied the angel, “and your acts of charity have gone up into God’s presence, so that he has you on his mind.

5 Now send some men to Yafo to bring back a man named Shim‘on, also called Kefa.

6 He’s staying with Shim‘on the leather-tanner, who has a house by the sea.”

7 As the angel that had spoken to him went away, Cornelius called two of his household slaves and one of his military aides, who was a godly man;

8 he explained everything to them and sent them to Yafo.

9 The next day about noon, while they were still on their way and approaching the city, Kefa went up onto the roof of the house to pray.

10 He began to feel hungry and wanted something to eat; but while they were preparing the meal, he fell into a trance

11 in which he saw heaven opened, and something that looked like a large sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners.

12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling creatures and wild birds.

13 Then a voice came to him, “Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!”

14 But Kefa said, “No, sir! Absolutely not! I have never eaten food that was unclean ortreif.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time: “Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately taken back up into heaven.

17 Kefa was still puzzling over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men Cornelius had sent, having inquired for Shim‘on’s house, stood at the gate

18 and called out to ask if the Shim‘on known as Kefa was staying there.

19 While Kefa’s mind was still on the vision, the Spirit said, “Three men are looking for you.

20 Get up, go downstairs, and have no misgivings about going with them, because I myself have sent them.”

21 So Kefa went down and said to the men, “You were looking for me? Here I am. What brings you here?”

22 They answered, “Cornelius. He’s a Roman army officer, an upright man and a God-fearer, a man highly regarded by the whole Jewish nation; and he was told by a holy angel to have you come to his house and listen to what you have to say.”

23 So Kefa invited them to be his guests.

The next day, he got up and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Yafo;

24 and he arrived at Caesarea the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them — he had already called together his relatives and close friends.

25 As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet.

26 But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I myself am just a man.”

27 As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered.

28 He said to them, “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean;

29 so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?”

30 Cornelius answered, “Three days ago around this time, I was atminchahprayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me

31 and said, ‘God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity.

32 Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim‘on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim‘on, a leather-tanner, by the sea.’

33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”

34 Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites,

35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.

36 “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcingshalomthrough Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything.

37 You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed;

38 how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with theRuach HaKodeshand with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.

39 “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;

40 but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen,

41 not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.

42 “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.

43 All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 Kefa was still saying these things when theRuach HaKodeshfell on all who were hearing the message.

45 All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of theRuach HaKodeshwas also being poured out

46 on theGoyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was,

47 “Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received theRuach HaKodesh, just as we did.”

48 And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days.

1 The emissaries and the brothers throughout Y’hudah heard that theGoyimhad received the word of God;

2 but when Kefa went up to Yerushalayim, the members of the Circumcision faction criticized him,

3 saying, “You went into the homes of uncircumcised men and even ate with them!”

4 In reply, Kefa began explaining in detail what had actually happened:

5 “I was in the city of Yafo, praying; and in a trance I had a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came down to me.

6 I looked inside and saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, crawling creatures and wild birds.

7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!’

8 I said, ‘No, sir! Absolutely not! Nothing unclean ortreifhas ever entered my mouth!’

9 But the voice spoke again from heaven: ‘Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean.’

10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled back up into heaven.

11 “At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying;

12 and the Spirit told me to have no misgivings about going back with them. These six brothers also came with me, and we went into the man’s house.

13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Yafo and bring back Shim‘on, known as Kefa.

14 He has a message for you which will enable you and your whole household to be saved.’

15 “But I had hardly begun speaking when theRuach HaKodeshfell on them, just as on us at the beginning!

16 And I remembered that the Lord had said, ‘Yochanan used to immerse people in water, but you will be immersed in theRuach HaKodesh.’

17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift as he gave us after we had come to put our trust in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

18 On hearing these things, they stopped objecting and began to praise God, saying, “This means that God has enabled theGoyimas well to dot’shuvahand have life!”

19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution which had arisen over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch; they spoke God’s word, but only to Jews.

20 However, some of these, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, when they arrived at Antioch, began speaking to the Greeks too, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Yeshua.

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

22 News of this reached the ears of the Messianic community in Yerushalayim, and they sent Bar-Nabba to Antioch.

23 On arriving and seeing for himself the grace of God at work, he was glad; and he encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with their whole hearts;

24 for he was a good man, full of theRuach HaKodeshand trust.

25 Then Bar-Nabba went off to Tarsus to look for Sha’ul;

26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. They met with the congregation there for a whole year and taught a sizeable crowd. Also it was in Antioch that thetalmidimfor the first time were called “Messianic.”

27 During this time, some prophets came down from Yerushalayim to Antioch;

28 and one of them named Agav stood up and through the Spirit predicted that there was going to be a severe famine throughout the Roman Empire. (It took place while Claudius was Emperor.)

29 So thetalmidimdecided to provide relief to the brothers living in Y’hudah, each according to his means;

30 and they did it, sending their contribution to the elders in the care of Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul.

1 It was around this time that King Herod began arresting and persecuting certain members of the Messianic community;

2 and he had Ya‘akov, Yochanan’s brother, put to death by the sword.

3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Judeans, he went on to arrest Kefa as well. It was during the Days ofMatzah,

4 so when Herod seized him, he threw him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, with the intention of bringing him to public trial afterPesach.

5 So Kefa was being held under watch in prison, but intense prayer was being made to God on his behalf by the Messianic community.

6 The night before Herod was going to bring him to trial, Kefa was sleeping between two soldiers. He was bound with two chains; and guards were at the door, keeping watch over the prison.

7 Suddenly an angel ofAdonaistood there, and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Kefa’s side and woke him. “Hurry! Get up!” he said; and the chains fell off his hands.

8 The angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals,” and he did. “Throw on your robe,” he said, “and follow me!”

9 Going out, Kefa followed him but did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real — he thought he was seeing a vision.

10 Having passed a first guard and a second, they arrived at the iron gate leading to the city. This opened to them by itself, and they made their exit. They went down the length of one street, and suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Kefa came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod’s power and from everything the Judean people were hoping for.”

12 Realizing what had happened, he went to the house of Miryam the mother of Yochanan (surnamed Mark), where many people had gathered to pray.

13 He knocked at the outside door, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.

14 She recognized Kefa’s voice and was so happy that she ran back in without opening the door, and announced that Kefa was standing outside.

15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said to her. But she insisted it was true. So they said, “It is his angel.”

16 Meanwhile, Kefa kept knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

17 Motioning to them with his hand to be quiet, he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison and said, “Tell all this to Ya‘akov and the brothers.” Then he left and went elsewhere.

18 When daylight came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Kefa.

19 Herod had a thorough search made for him, but they failed to find him, so he cross-examined the guards and ordered them put to death. Then Herod went down from Y’hudah to Caesarea and spent some time there.

20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tzor and Tzidon, so they joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, the king’s chief personal servant, they asked for peace; because they depended on the king’s lands for their food supply.

21 A day was set, and Herod in his royal robes sat on the throne and made a speech to them.

22 The mob cried out, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

23 At once, because Herod did not give the glory to God, an angel ofAdonaistruck him down. He was eaten away by worms and died.

24 But the word of the Lord went on growing and being multiplied.

25 Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul, having completed their errand, returned from Yerushalayim, bringing with them Yochanan, surnamed Mark.

1 In the Antioch congregation were prophets and teachers — Bar-Nabba, Shim‘on (known as “the Black”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Menachem (who had been brought up with Herod the governor) and Sha’ul.

2 One time when they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, theRuach HaKodeshsaid to them, “Set aside for me Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them.”

3 After fasting and praying, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

4 So these two, after they had been sent out by theRuach HaKodesh, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.

5 After landing in Salamis, they began proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues, with Yochanan (Mark) as an assistant;

6 and thus they made their way throughout the whole island.

They ended up in Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and pseudo-prophet named Bar-Yeshua.

7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. Now the governor had called for Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul and was anxious to hear the message about God;

8 but the sorcerer Elymas (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them, doing his best to turn the governor away from the faith.

9 Then Sha’ul, also known as Paul, filled with theRuach HaKodesh, stared straight at him and said,

10 “You son of Satan, full of fraud and evil! You enemy of everything good! Won’t you ever stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

11 So now, look! The hand of the Lord is upon you; and for a while you will be blind, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over Elymas; and he groped about, trying to find someone to lead him by the hand.

12 Then, on seeing what had happened, the governor trusted, astounded by the teaching about the Lord.

13 Having set sail from Paphos, Sha’ul and his companions arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. There Yochanan left them and returned to Yerushalayim,

14 but the others went on from Perga to Pisidian Antioch, and onShabbatthey went into the synagogue and sat down.

15 After the reading from theTorahand from the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent them a message, “Brothers, if any of you has a word of exhortation for the people, speak!”

16 So Sha’ul stood, motioned with his hand, and said:

“Men of Isra’el and God-fearers, listen!

17 The God of this people Isra’el chose our fathers. He made the people great during the time when they were living as aliens in Egypt and with a stretched-out arm he led them out of that land.

18 For some forty years he took care of them in the desert,

19 and after he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Kena‘an he gave their land to his people as an inheritance.

20 All this took about 450 years. After that, he gave them judges, down to the prophet Sh’mu’el.

21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Sha’ul Ben-Kish, a man from the tribe of Binyamin. After forty years,

22 God removed him and raised up David as king for them, making his approval known with these words, ‘I found David Ben-Yishai to be a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want.’

23 “In keeping with his promise, God has brought to Isra’el from this man’s descendants a deliverer, Yeshua.

24 Now before the coming of Yeshua, Yochanan proclaimed to all the people of Isra’el an immersion in connection with turning to God from sin.

25 But as Yochanan was ending his work, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? Well — I’m not! But after me is coming someone, the sandals of whose feet I am unworthy to untie.’

26 “Brothers! — sons of Avraham and those among you who are ‘God-fearers’! It is to us that the message of this deliverance has been sent!

27 For the people living in Yerushalayim and their leaders did not recognize who Yeshua was or understand the message of the Prophets read everyShabbat, so they fulfilled that message by condemning him.

28 They could not find any legitimate ground for a death sentence; nevertheless they asked Pilate to have him executed;

29 and when they had carried out all the things written about him, he was taken down from the stake and placed in a tomb.

30 “But God raised him from the dead!

31 He appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from the Galil to Yerushalayim; and they are now his witnesses to the people.

32 “As for us, we are bringing you the Good News that what God promised to the fathers,

33 he has fulfilled for us the children in raising up Yeshua, as indeed it is written in the second Psalm,

‘You are my Son;

today I have become your Father.’

34 And as for his raising him up from the dead, to return to decay no more, he said,

‘I will give the holy and trustworthy things of David to you.’

35 This is explained elsewhere:

‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’

36 For David did indeed serve God’s purposes in his own generation; but after that, he died, was buried with his fathers and did see decay.

37 However, the one God raised up did not see decay.

38 “Therefore, brothers, let it be known to you that through this man is proclaimed forgiveness of sins!

39 That is, God clears everyone who puts his trust in this man, even in regard to all the things concerning which you could not be cleared by theTorahof Moshe.

40 “Watch out, then, so that this word found in the Prophets may not happen to you:

41 ‘You mockers! Look, and marvel, and die!

For in your own time, I am doing a work

that you simply will not believe,

even if someone explains it to you!’ ”

42 As they left, the people invited Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba to tell them more about these matters the followingShabbat.

43 When the synagogue meeting broke up, many of the born Jews and devout proselytes followed Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba, who spoke with them and urged them to keep holding fast to the love and kindness of God.

44 The nextShabbat, nearly the whole city gathered together to hear the message about the Lord;

45 but when the Jews who had not believed saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and spoke up against what Sha’ul was saying and insulted him.

46 However, Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba answered boldly: “It was necessary that God’s word be spoken first to you. But since you are rejecting it and are judging yourselves unworthy of eternal life — why, we’re turning to theGoyim!

47 For that is whatAdonaihas ordered us to do:

‘I have set you as a light for theGoyim,

to be for deliverance to the ends of the earth.’ ”

48 The Gentiles were very happy to hear this. They honored the message about the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life came to trust.

49 And the message about the Lord was carried throughout the whole region.

50 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the women ‘God-fearers’ of high social standing and the leading men of the city, and they organized persecution against Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba and expelled them from their district.

51 However, Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba shook off the dust of their feet against them and went on to Iconium;

52 and thetalmidimwere filled with joy and with theRuach HaKodesh.

1 In Iconium the same thing happened — they went into the synagogue and spoke in such a way that a large number of both Jews and Greeks came to trust.

2 But the Jews who would not be persuaded stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

3 Therefore, Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba remained for a long time, speaking boldly about the Lord, who bore witness to the message about his love and kindness by enabling them to perform signs and miracles.

4 However, the people of the city were divided — some sided with the unbelieving Jews, others with the emissaries.

5 Eventually the unbelievers, both Jews and Gentiles, together with their leaders, made a move to mistreat the emissaries, even to stone them;

6 but they learned of it and escaped to Lystra and Derbe, towns in Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country,

7 where they continued proclaiming the Good News.

8 There was a man living in Lystra who could not use his feet — crippled from birth, he had never walked.

9 This man listened to Sha’ul speaking. Sha’ul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” He jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowds saw what Sha’ul had done, they began to shout in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the form of men!”

12 They began calling Bar-Nabba “Zeus” and Sha’ul “Hermes,” since he did most of the talking;

13 and the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, intending to offer a sacrifice to them with the people.

14 When the emissaries Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul heard of it, they tore their clothes and ran into the crowd, shouting,

15 “Men! Why are you doing this? We’re just men, human like you! We are announcing Good News to you — turn from these worthless things to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them!

16 In times past, he allowed all peoples to walk in their own ways;

17 yet he did not leave himself without evidence of his nature; because he does good things, giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons, filling you with food and your hearts with happiness!”

18 Even saying this barely kept the crowds from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some unbelieving Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They won over the crowds, stoned Sha’ul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

20 But as thetalmidimgathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day, he left with Bar-Nabba for Derbe.

21 After proclaiming the Good News in that city and making many people intotalmidim, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,

22 strengthening thetalmidim, encouraging them to remain true to the faith, and reminding them that it is through many hardships that we must enter the Kingdom of God.

23 After appointing elders for them in every congregation, Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord in whom they had put their trust.

24 Passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

25 After speaking the message in Perga, they came down to Attalia; and from there, they sailed back to Antioch,

26 the place where they had been handed over to the care of God for the work which they had now completed.

27 When they arrived, they gathered the Messianic community together and reported what God had done through them, that he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

28 And they stayed for some time there with thetalmidim.

1 But some men came down from Y’hudah to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, “You can’t be saved unless you undergob’rit-milahin the manner prescribed by Moshe.”

2 This brought them into no small measure of discord and dispute with Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba. So the congregation assigned Sha’ul, Bar-Nabba and some of themselves to go and put thissh’eilahbefore the emissaries and the elders up in Yerushalayim.

3 After being sent off by the congregation, they made their way through Phoenicia and Shomron, recounting in detail how the Gentiles had turned to God; and this news brought great joy to all the brothers.

4 On arrival in Yerushalayim, they were welcomed by the Messianic community, including the emissaries and the elders; and they reported what God had done through them.

5 But some of those who had come to trust were from the party of theP’rushim; and they stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe theTorahof Moshe.”

6 The emissaries and the elders met to look into this matter.

7 After lengthy debate, Kefa got up and said to them, “Brothers, you yourselves know that a good while back, God chose me from among you to be the one by whose mouth theGoyimshould hear the message of the Good News and come to trust.

8 And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness by giving theRuach HaKodeshto them, just as he did to us;

9 that is, he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their heart by trust.

10 So why are you putting God to the test now by placing a yoke on the neck of thetalmidimwhich neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear?

11 No, it is through the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua that we trust and are delivered — and it’s the same with them.”

12 Then the whole assembly kept still as they listened to Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul tell what signs and miracles God had done through them among the Gentiles.

13 Ya‘akov broke the silence to reply. “Brothers,” he said, “hear what I have to say.

14 Shim‘on has told in detail what God did when he first began to show his concern for taking from among theGoyima people to bear his name.

15 And the words of the Prophets are in complete harmony with this for it is written,

16 ‘“After this, I will return;

and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David.

I will rebuild its ruins,

I will restore it,

17 so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,

that is, all theGoyimwho have been called by my name,”

18 saysAdonai, who is doing these things.’

All this has been known for ages.

19 “Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of theGoyimwho are turning to God.

20 Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood.

21 For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues everyShabbat.”

22 Then the emissaries and the elders, together with the whole Messianic community, decided to select men from among themselves to send to Antioch with Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba. They sent Y’hudah, called Bar-Sabba, and Sila, both leading men among the brothers,

23 with the following letter:

From: The emissaries and the elders, your brothers

To: The brothers from among the Gentiles throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia

Greetings!

24 We have heard that some people went out from among us without our authorization, and that they have upset you with their talk, unsettling your minds.

25 So we have decided unanimously to select men and send them to you with our dear friends Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul,

26 who have dedicated their lives to upholding the name of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.

27 So we have sent Y’hudah and Sila, and they will confirm in person what we are writing.

28 For it seemed good to theRuach HaKodeshand to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements:

29 to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing.

Shalom!

30 The messengers were sent off and went to Antioch, where they gathered the group together and delivered the letter.

31 After reading it, the people were delighted by its encouragement.

32 Y’hudah and Sila, who were also prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

33 After they had spent some time there, they were sent off with a greeting of “Shalom!” from the brothers to those who had sent them.

34

35 But Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba stayed in Antioch, where they and many others taught and proclaimed the Good News of the message about the Lord.

36 After some time, Sha’ul said to Bar-Nabba, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we proclaimed the message about the Lord, and see how they’re doing.”

37 Now Bar-Nabba wanted to take with them Yochanan, the one called Mark.

38 But Sha’ul thought it would be unwise to take this man with them, since he had gone off and left them in Pamphylia to do the work by themselves.

39 There was such sharp disagreement over this that they separated from each other, with Bar-Nabba taking Mark and sailing off to Cyprus.

40 However, Sha’ul chose Sila and left, after the brothers had committed him to the love and kindness of the Lord.

41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the congregations.

1 Sha’ul came down to Derbe and went on to Lystra, where there lived atalmidnamed Timothy. He was the son of a Jewish woman who had come to trust, and a Greek father.

2 All the brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy.

3 Sha’ul wanted Timothy to accompany him; so he took him and did ab’rit-milah, because of the Jews living in those areas; for they all knew that his father had been a Greek.

4 As they went on through the towns, they delivered to the people the decisions reached by the emissaries and the elders in Yerushalayim for them to observe.

5 Accordingly, the congregations were strengthened in the faith and increased in number day by day.

6 They traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by theRuach HaKodeshfrom speaking the message in the province of Asia.

7 When they came to the frontier of Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit of Yeshua would not let them.

8 So, after passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

9 There a vision appeared to Sha’ul at night. A man from Macedonia was standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

10 As soon as he had seen the vision, we lost no time getting ready to leave for Macedonia; for we concluded that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

11 Sailing from Troas, we made a straight run to Samothrace; the next day we went to Neapolis;

12 and from there, we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that part of Macedonia. We spent a few days in this city;

13 then onShabbat, we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we understood aminyanmet. We sat down and began speaking to the women who had gathered there.

14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in fine purple cloth. She was already a “God-fearer,” and the Lord opened up her heart to respond to what Sha’ul was saying.

15 After she and the members of her household had been immersed, she gave us this invitation: “If you consider me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she insisted till we went.

16 Once, when we were going to the place where theminyangathered, we were met by a slave girl who had in her a snake-spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes.

17 This girl followed behind Sha’ul and the rest of us and kept screaming, “These men are servants of GodHa‘Elyon! They’re telling you how to be saved!”

18 She kept this up day after day, until Sha’ul, greatly disturbed, turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Yeshua the Messiah, I order you to come out of her!” And the spirit did come out, at that very moment.

19 But when her owners saw that what had come out was any further prospect of profit for them, they seized Sha’ul and Sila and dragged them to the market square to face the authorities.

20 Bringing them to the judges, they said, “These men are causing a lot of trouble in our city, since they are Jews.

21 What they are doing is advocating customs that are against the law for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans.”

22 The mob joined in the attack against them, and the judges tore their clothes off them and ordered that they be flogged.

23 After giving them a severe beating, they threw them in prison, charging the jailer to guard them securely.

24 Upon receiving such an order, he threw them into the inner cell and clamped their feet securely between heavy blocks of wood.

25 Around midnight, Sha’ul and Sila were praying and singing hymns to God, while the other prisoners listened attentively.

26 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake which shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

27 The jailer awoke, and when he saw the doors open he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, for he assumed that the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Sha’ul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!”

29 Calling for lights, the jailer ran in, began to tremble and fell down in front of Sha’ul and Sila.

30 Then, leading them outside, he said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They said, “Trust in the Lord Yeshua, and you will be saved — you and your household!”

32 Whereupon they told him and everyone in his household the message about the Lord.

33 Then, even at that late hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed off their wounds; and without delay, he and all his people were immersed.

34 After that, he brought them up to his house and set food in front of them; and he and his entire household celebrated their having come to trust in God.

35 The next morning, the judges sent police officers with the order, “Release those men.”

36 The jailer told Sha’ul, “The judges have sent word to release both of you. So come out, and go on your way in peace.”

37 But Sha’ul said to the officers, “After flogging us in public when we hadn’t been convicted of any crime and are Roman citizens, they threw us in prison. Now they want to get rid of us secretly? Oh, no! Let them come and escort us out themselves!”

38 The officers reported these words to the judges, who became frightened when they heard that Sha’ul and Sila were Roman citizens.

39 They came and apologized to them; then, after escorting them out, requested them to leave the city.

40 From the prison they went to Lydia’s house, and after seeing and encouraging the brothers they departed.

1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Sha’ul and Sila came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue.

2 According to his usual practice, Sha’ul went in; and on threeShabbats he gave themdrashes from theTanakh,

3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and that “this Yeshua whom I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”

4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and threw in their lot with Sha’ul and Sila, as did a great many of the Greek men who were “God-fearers,” and not a few of the leading women.

5 But the unbelieving Jews grew jealous; so they got together some vicious men from the riffraff hanging around in the market square, collected a crowd and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s house, hoping to bring Sha’ul and Sila out to the mob.

6 But when they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city authorities and shouted, “These men who have turned the whole world upside down have come here too!

7 And Jason has let them stay in his home! All of them are defying the decrees of the Emperor; because they assert that there is another king, Yeshua!”

8 Their words threw the crowd and the authorities into a turmoil,

9 so that only after Jason and the others had posted bond did they let them go.

10 But as soon as night fell, the brothers sent Sha’ul and Sila off to Berea.

As soon as they arrived, they went to the synagogue.

11 Now the people here were of nobler character than the ones in Thessalonica; they eagerly welcomed the message, checking theTanakhevery day to see if the things Sha’ul was saying were true.

12 Many of them came to trust, as did a number of prominent Greek women and not a few Greek men.

13 But when the unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Sha’ul in Berea as well, they went there too to make trouble and agitate the crowds.

14 The brothers sent Sha’ul away at once to go down to the seacoast, while Sila and Timothy stayed behind.

15 Sha’ul’s escort went with him as far as Athens, then left with instructions for Sila and Timothy to come as quickly as they could.

16 While Sha’ul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit within him was disturbed at the sight of the city full of idols.

17 So he began holding discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the “God-fearers,” and in the market square every day with the people who happened to be there.

18 Also a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers started meeting with him. Some asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others, because he proclaimed the Good News about Yeshua and the resurrection, said, “He sounds like a propagandist for foreign gods.”

19 They took and brought him before the High Council, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20 Some of the things we are hearing from you strike us as strange, and we would like to know what they mean.”

21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their spare time talking or hearing about the latest intellectual fads.)

22 Sha’ul stood up in the Council meeting and said, “Men of Athens: I see how very religious you are in every way!

23 For as I was walking around, looking at your shrines, I even found an altar which had been inscribed, ‘To An Unknown God.’ So, the one whom you are already worshipping in ignorance — this is the one I proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-made temples;

25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone.

26 “From one man he made every nation living on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the limits of their territories and the periods when they would flourish.

27 God did this so that people would look for him and perhaps reach out and find him although in fact, he is not far from each one of us,

28 ‘for in him we live and move and exist.’ Indeed, as some of the poets among you have said, ‘We are actually his children.’

29 So, since we are children of God, we shouldn’t suppose that God’s essence resembles gold, silver or stone shaped by human technique and imagination.

30 “In the past, God overlooked such ignorance; but now he is commanding all people everywhere to turn to him from their sins.

31 For he has set a Day when he will judge the inhabited world, and do it justly, by means of a man whom he has designated. And he has given public proof of it by resurrecting this man from the dead.”

32 At the mention of a resurrection of dead people, some began to scoff; while others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”

33 So Sha’ul left the meeting.

34 But some men stayed with him and came to trust, including the High Council member Dionysius; there was also a woman named Damaris; and others came to trust along with them.