Study Desk

But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out for a while,

As the apostles left the Council, they were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of Jesus.

So the twelve apostles called the whole group of believers together and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the preaching of God's word in order to handle finances.

This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be slaves and will be badly treated for four hundred years.

Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.

"When the time drew near for God to keep the promise he had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger.

It was at this time that Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months,

The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

He led the people out of Egypt, performing miracles and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert.

So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘People of Israel! It was not to me that you slaughtered and sacrificed animals for forty years in the desert.

He won God's favor and asked God to allow him to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

‘Heaven is my throne, says the Lord, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house would you build for me? Where is the place for me to live in?

Some devout men buried Stephen, mourning for him with loud cries.

A man named Simon lived there, who for some time had astounded the Samaritans with his magic. He claimed that he was someone great,

They paid this attention to him because for such a long time he had astonished them with his magic.

When they arrived, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

For the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

But Peter answered him, "May you and your money go to hell, for thinking that you can buy God's gift with money!

Repent, then, of this evil plan of yours, and pray to the Lord that he will forgive you for thinking such a thing as this.

For I see that you are full of bitter envy and are a prisoner of sin."