council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in honour of all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while. 35 And he said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these

the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not 2 fit that we should forsake the word of God, and serve tables. Look ye out therefore, bre- 3 thren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the

36 For before these days rose up

Theudas, giving himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves : who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas

of Galilee in the days of the enrolment, and drew away some of the people after him: he also perished; and all, as many as obeyed him, were 38 scattered abroad. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will be over39 thrown: but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting a40 gainst God. And to him they

agreed: and when they had called the apostles unto them, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them 41 go. They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dis42 honour for the Name. And every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ.

we

may appoint over this business. But we will continue 4 stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word. And the 5 saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: whom they set be- 6 fore the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

And the word of God in- 7 creased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

And Stephen, full of grace 8 and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people. But there arose certain 9 of them that were of the synagogue called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able 10 to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, 11 which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the 12 people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council, and set 13 up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak

Brethren and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, 3 before he dwelt in Haran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land 2 Or, he 4 which I shall shew thee. Then

came he out of the land of the Chaldæans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence, when his father was dead, God removed him into this land, 5 wherein ye now dwell: and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as 6 yet he had no child. And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil, 7 four hundred years. And the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in 8 this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob the twelve 9 patriarchs. And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into

the

3 Gr. be preserved alive.

4 Or, fair unto God

Egypt: and God was with him, and delivered him out of all 10 his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Now 11 there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. But 12 when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time. And 13 at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's race became manifest unto Pharaoh. And Jo- 14 seph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. And Jacob went down 15 into Egypt; and he died, himself, and our fathers; and they 16 were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of i Hamor in Shechem. But as 17 the time of the promise drew nigh, which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till there arose another king 18 over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. The same dealt sub- 19 tilly with our race, and evil entreated our fathers, that 2 they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live. At which season 20 Moses was born, and was 4 exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house: and when he 21 was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. And 22 Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works. But when 23 he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to

visit his brethren the children 24 of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the 25 Egyptian: and he supposed that his brethren understood how that God by his hand was giving them 1 deliverance; 26 but they understood not. And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to 27 another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wouldest thou kill me, as thou

1 Or, salvation

2 Gr. redeemer.

3 Or, as he raised

up me

killedst the Egyptian yester29 day? And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where 30 he begat two sons. And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in 31 a flame of fire in a bush. And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there 32 came a voice of the Lord, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Mo-4 Or, con ses trembled, and durst not 33 behold. And the Lord said

unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy 34 ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them and now come, I will 35 send thee into Egypt. This

Moses whom they refused, say-
ing, Who made thee a ruler
and a judge? him hath God
sent to be both a ruler and
a 2 deliverer with the hand of
the angel which appeared to

gregation

5 Gr.

Jesus.

him in the bush. This man led 36
them forth, having wrought
wonders and signs in Egypt,
and in the Red sea, and in
the wilderness forty years.
This is that Moses, which said 37
unto the children of Israel, A
prophet shall God raise up
unto you from among your
brethren, 3 like unto me. This 38
is he that was in the 4 church
in the wilderness with the an-
gel which spake to him in the
mount Sinai, and with our
fathers: who received living
oracles to give unto us: to 39
whom our fathers would not
be obedient, but thrust him
from them, and turned back
in their hearts unto Egypt,
saying unto Aaron, Make us 40
gods which shall go before us:
for as for this Moses, which
led us forth out of the land of
Egypt, we wot not what is be-
come of him. And they made a 41
calf in those days, and brought
a sacrifice unto the idol, and
rejoiced in the works of their
hands. But God turned, and 42
gave them up to serve the host
of heaven; as it is written in
the book of the prophets,

Did ye offer unto me slain
beasts and sacrifices
Forty years in the wilder-
ness, O house of Israel?
And ye took up the taber- 43
nacle of Moloch,

And the star of the god
Rephan,

The figures which ye made
to worship them:

And I will carry you away
beyond Babylon.

Our fathers had the tabernacle 44
of the testimony in the wil-
derness, even as he appointed
who spake unto Moses, that
he should make it according
to the figure that he had
seen. Which also our fathers, 45
in their turn, brought in with
5 Joshua when they entered on

the possession of the nations, which God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto 46 the days of David; who found

favour in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a 48 house. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49

50

The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet:

What manner of house will

ye build me? saith the Lord:

Or what is the place of my rest?

Did not my hand make all these things?

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, 52 so do ye. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them which shewed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become 53 betrayers and murderers; ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not. 54 Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on 55 him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on 56 the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right 57 hand of God. But they cried

out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the

city, and stoned him: and the l

witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they 59 stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And 60 he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was 8 consenting unto his death.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men buried Ste- 2 phen, and made great lamentation over him. But Saul 3 laid waste the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

They therefore that were 4 scattered abroad went about preaching the word. And Phi- 5 lip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. And the 6 multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did. 2 For from 7 many of those which had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed. And there was much joy in 8 that city.

But there was a certain 9 man, Simon by name, which beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to whom they all gave heed, 10 from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called

11 Great. And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them 12 with his sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the 1 Gr. name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and 13 women. And Simon also himself believed and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great 1 miracles wrought, he was amazed.

14

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them 15 Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might re16 ceive the Holy Ghost: for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they had been

powers.

2 Some ancient authorities omit Holy.

ye have spoken come upon

me.

They therefore, when they 25 had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

But an angel of the Lord 26 spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go 5 toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert. And he 27 arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem for to worship; and he was 28 returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading, the prophet Isaiah. And the Spi- 29 rit said unto Philip, Go near,

riot. And Philip ran to him, 30
and heard him reading Isaiali
the prophet, and said, Under-
standest thou what thou read-
est? And he said, How can I, 31
except some one shall guide
me? And he besought Philip
to come up and sit with him.
Now the place of the scrip- 32
ture which he was reading was
this,

He was led as a sheep to
the slaughter;

And as a lamb before his
shearer is dumb,

So he openeth not his
mouth:

In his humiliation his judge- 38
ment was taken away:
His generation who shall
declare?

For his life is taken from

the earth.

And the eunuch answered 34 Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? And Philip open- 35