Nov 17 - Acts 12-13
Acts
1Now at the same time, king Herod extended his hand, in order to afflict some from the Church2Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword3And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he set out next to apprehend Peter also. Now it was the days of Unleavened Bread4So when he had apprehended him, he sent him into prison, handing him over into the custody of four groups of four soldiers, intending to produce him to the people after the Passover5And so Peter was detained in prison. But prayers were being made without ceasing, by the Church, to God on his behalf6And when Herod was ready to produce him, in that same night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, and was bound with two chains. And there were guards in front of the door, guarding the prison7And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood near, and a light shined forth in the cell. And tapping Peter on the side, he awakened him, saying, "Rise up, quickly." And the chains fell from his hands8Then the Angel said to him: "Dress yourself, and put on your boots." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your garment around yourself and follow me.9And going out, he followed him. And he did not know this truth: that this was being done by an Angel. For he thought that he was seeing a vision10And passing by the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate which leads into the city; and it opened for them by itself. And departing, they continued on along a certain side street. And suddenly the Angel withdrew from him11And Peter, returning to himself, said: "Now I know, truly, that the Lord sent his Angel, and that he rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the people of the Jews were anticipating.12And as he was considering this, he arrived at the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was surnamed Mark, where many were gathered and were praying13Then, as he knocked at the door of the gate, a girl went out to answer, whose name was Rhoda14And when she recognized the voice of Peter, out of joy, she did not open the gate, but instead, running in, she reported that Peter stood before the gate15But they said to her, "You are crazy." But she reaffirmed that this was so. Then they were saying, "It is his angel.16But Peter was persevering in knocking. And when they had opened, they saw him and were astonished17But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he explained how the Lord had led him away from prison. And he said, "Inform James and those brothers." And going out, he went away to another place18Then, when daylight came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers, as to what had happened concerning Peter19And when Herod had requested him and did not obtain him, having had the guards interrogated, he ordered them led away. And descending from Judea into Caesarea, he lodged there20Now he was angry with those of Tyre and Sidon. But they came to him with one accord, and, having persuaded Blastus, who was over the bedchamber of the king, they petitioned for peace, because their regions were supplied with food by him21Then, on the appointed day, Herod was clothed in kingly apparel, and he sat in the judgment seat, and he gave a speech to them22Then the people were crying out, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!23And immediately, an Angel of the Lord struck him down, because he had not given honor to God. And having been consumed by worms, he expired24But the word of the Lord was increasing and multiplying25Then Barnabas and Saul, having completed the ministry, returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John, who was surnamed Mark
1Now there were, in the Church at Antioch, prophets and teachers, among whom were Barnabas, and Simon, who was called the Black, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manahen, who was the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul2Now as they were ministering for the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them: "Separate Saul and Barnabas for me, for the work for which I have selected them.3Then, fasting and praying and imposing their hands upon them, they sent them away4And having been sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia. And from there they sailed to Cyprus5And when they had arrived at Salamis, they were preaching the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John in the ministry6And when they had traveled throughout the entire island, even to Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesu7And he was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. This man, summoning Barnabas and Saul, wanted to hear the Word of God8But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) stood against them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the Faith9Then Saul, who is also called Paul, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him10and he said: "So full of every deceit and of all falsehoods, son of the devil, enemy of all justice, you never cease to subvert the righteous ways of the Lord11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you. And you will be blinded, not seeing the sun for a length of time." And immediately a fog and a darkness fell over him. And wandering around, he was seeking someone who might lead him by the hand12Then the proconsul, when he had seen what was done, believed, being in wonder over the doctrine of the Lord13And when Paul and those who were with him had sailed from Paphos, they arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. Then John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem14Yet truly, they, traveling on from Perga, arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. And upon entering the synagogue on the Sabbath day, they sat down15Then, after the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent to them, saying: "Noble brothers, if there is in you any word of exhortation to the people, speak.16Then Paul, rising up and motioning for silence with his hand, said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen closely17The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people, when they were settlers in the land of Egypt. And with an exalted arm, he led them away from there18And throughout a time of forty years, he endured their behavior in the desert19And by destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land among them by lot20after about four hundred and fifty years. And after these things, he gave them judges, even until the prophet Samuel21And later on, they petitioned for a king. And God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years22And having removed him, he raised up for them king David. And offering testimony about him, he said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man according to my own heart, who will accomplish all that I will.23From his offspring, according to the Promise, God has brought Jesus the Savior to Israel24John was preaching, before the face of his advent, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel25Then, when John completed his course, he was saying: ‘I am not the one you consider me to be. For behold, one arrives after me, the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to loosen.26Noble brothers, sons of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, it is to you the Word of this salvation has been sent27For those who were living in Jerusalem, and its rulers, heeding neither him, nor the voices of the Prophets that are read on every Sabbath, fulfilled these by judging him28And although they found no case for death against him, they petitioned Pilate, so that they might put him to death29And when they had fulfilled everything that had been written about him, taking him down from the tree, they placed him in a tomb30Yet truly, God raised him up from the dead on the third day31And he was seen for many days by those who went up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who even now are his witnesses to the people32And we are announcing to you that the Promise, which was made to our fathers33has been fulfilled by God for our children by raising up Jesus, just as it has been written in the second Psalm also: ‘You are my Son. This day I have begotten you.34Now, since he raised him from the dead, so as to no longer return to corruption, he has said this: ‘I will give to you the holy things of David, the faithful one.35And also then, in another place, he says: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption.36For David, when he had ministered to his generation in accordance with the will of God, fell asleep, and he was placed next to his fathers, and he saw corruption37Yet truly, he whom God has raised from the dead has not seen corruption38Therefore, let it be known to you, noble brothers, that through him is announced to you remission from sins and from everything by which you were not able to be justified in the law of Moses39In him, all who believe are justified40Therefore, be careful, lest what was said by the Prophets may overwhelm you41‘You despisers! Look, and wonder, and be scattered! For I am working a deed in your days, a deed which you would not believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.’ 42Then, as they were departing, they asked them if, on the following Sabbath, they might speak these words to them43And when the synagogue had been dismissed, many among the Jews and the new worshipers were following Paul and Barnabas. And they, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God44Yet truly, on the following Sabbath, nearly the entire city came together to hear the Word of God45Then the Jews, seeing the crowds, were filled with envy, and they, blaspheming, contradicted the things that were being said by Paul46Then Paul and Barnabas said firmly: "It was necessary to speak the Word of God first to you. But because you reject it, and so judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles47For so has the Lord instructed us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ 48Then the Gentiles, upon hearing this, were gladdened, and they were glorifying the Word of the Lord. And as many as believed were preordained to eternal life49Now the word of the Lord was disseminated throughout the entire region50But the Jews incited some devout and honest women, and the leaders of the city. And they stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas. And they drove them away from their parts51But they, shaking the dust from their feet against them, went on to Iconium52The disciples were likewise filled with gladness and with the Holy Spirit