Study Desk

Now the apostles and ^(C1)the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^(F1)(C1)the Jewish believers took issue with him,

saying, "^(C1)You ^(F1)went to ^(F2)uncircumcised men and ate with them."

But Peter began and explained at length to them ^(C1)in an orderly sequence, saying,

"^(C1)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ^(C2)a vision, an ^(F1)object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was,

and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the ^(F1)crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky.

"I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; ^(F1)kill and eat.'

"But I said, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing ^(F1)unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

"But a voice from heaven answered a second time, '^(C1)What God has cleansed, no longer ^(F1)consider unholy.'

"This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.

"And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from ^(C1)Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying.

"^(C1)And the Spirit told me to go with them ^(C2)without ^(F1)misgivings. ^(C3)These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house.

"And he reported to us how he had seen the angel ^(F1)standing in his house, and saying, 'Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;

and he will speak ^(C1)words to you by which you will be saved, you and ^(C2)all your household.'

"And as I began to speak, ^(C1)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just ^(C2)as He did upon us at the beginning.

"And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, '^(C1)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^(F1)with the Holy Spirit.'

"Therefore, if ^(C1)God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(C2)who was I that I could ^(F1)stand in God's way?"

When they heard this, they ^(F1)quieted down and ^(C1)glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the ^(C2)repentance that leads to life."

^(C1)So then those who were scattered because of the ^(F1)persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^(F2)to ^(C2)Phoenicia, ^(C3)Cyprus, and ^(C4)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.

But there were some of them, men of ^(C1)Cyprus and ^(C2)Cyrene, who came to ^(C3)Antioch and began speaking to the ^(F1)(C4)Greeks as well, ^(C5)preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus.

And ^(C1)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(C2)a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

The ^(F1)news about them ^(F2)reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent ^(C1)Barnabas off ^(F3)to ^(C2)Antioch.

Then when he arrived and ^(F1)witnessed ^(C1)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^(F2)resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;

for he was a good man, and ^(C1)full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And ^(F1)(C2)considerable numbers were added to the Lord.

And he left for ^(C1)Tarsus to look for Saul;

and when he had found him, he brought him to ^(C1)Antioch. And for an entire year they ^(F1)met with the church and taught ^(F2)considerable numbers of people; and ^(C2)the disciples were first called ^(C3)Christians in ^(C1)Antioch.

Now ^(F1)at this time some ^(C1)prophets came down from Jerusalem to ^(C2)Antioch.

One of them, named ^(C1)Agabus, stood up and ^(F1)indicated ^(F2)by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine ^(C2)all over the ^(F3)world. ^(F4)And this took place in the reign of ^(C3)Claudius.

And to the extent that any of ^(C1)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^(F1)relief of ^(C2)the brothers and sisters living in Judea.

^(C1)And they did this, sending it ^(F1)with ^(C2)Barnabas and Saul to the ^(C3)elders.

Now about that time ^(F1)Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm.

And he ^(C1)had James the brother of John ^(C2)executed with a sword.

When he saw that it ^(C1)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were ^(F1)(C2)the days of Unleavened Bread.)

When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four ^(F1)(C1)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after ^(C2)the Passover to bring him before the people.

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God ^(F1)intensely by the church.

On ^(F1)the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(C1)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

And behold, ^(C1)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(C2)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And ^(C3)his chains fell off his hands.

And the angel said to him, "Put on your belt and ^(F1)strap on your sandals." And he did so. And he ^(*)said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me."

And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing ^(C1)a vision.

Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which ^(C1)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

When Peter ^(C1)came ^(F1)to himself, he said, "Now I know for sure that ^(C2)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all ^(F2)that the Jewish people were expecting."

And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(C1)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(C2)were praying.

When he knocked at the door of the gate, ^(C1)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer.

When she recognized Peter's voice, ^(C1)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, "It is ^(C1)his angel."

But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.

But ^(C1)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these things to ^(F1)(C2)James and ^(C3)the brothers." Then he left and went to another place.

Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to ^(F1)what could have become of Peter.

When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they ^(C1)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to ^(C2)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Now he was very angry with the people of ^(C1)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king's chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because ^(C2)their country was supported with grain from the king's country.

On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the ^(F1)rostrum and began delivering an address to them.

The people repeatedly cried out, "The voice of a god and not of a man!"

And immediately ^(C1)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^(F1)died.

But ^(C1)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

And ^(C1)Barnabas and ^(C1)Saul returned ^(C2)when they had fulfilled their ^(F1)mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them ^(C3)John, who was also called Mark.