They stood these men before the apostles, who prayed<n id="1" /> and placed<n id="2" /> their hands on them.

He<n id="1" /> found favor<n id="2" /> with<n id="3" /> God and asked that he could<n id="4" /> find a dwelling place<n id="5" /> for the house<n id="6" /> of Jacob.

and said, &#8216;Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity<n id="1" /> have been remembered before God.<n id="2" />

After he said this, Paul<n id="1" /> took bread<n id="2" /> and gave thanks to God in front of them all,<n id="3" /> broke<n id="4" /> it, and began to eat.

For David says about him,p> <p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<b><i>I saw the Lord always in front of me,i>b><n id="1" />p> <p class="otpoetry"><i><b>for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shakenb>.i>p>

But Peter and John replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Whether it is right before God to obey<n id="2" /> you rather than God, you decide,

The<n id="1" /> proposal pleased the entire group, so<n id="2" /> they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with<n id="3" /> Philip,<n id="4" /> Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism<n id="5" /> from Antioch.<n id="6" />

But the Lord said to him, &#8220;Go, because this man is my chosen instrument<n id="1" /> to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.<n id="2" />

Cornelius<n id="1" /> replied,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Four days ago at this very hour, at three o&#8217;clock in the afternoon,<n id="3" /> I was praying in my house, and suddenly<n id="4" /> a man in shining clothing stood before me

Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come.<n id="1" /> So now we are all here in the presence of God<n id="2" /> to listen<n id="3" /> to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

But when<n id="1" /> some were stubborn<n id="2" /> and refused to believe, reviling<n id="3" /> the Way<n id="4" /> before the congregation, he left<n id="5" /> them and took the disciples with him,<n id="6" /> addressing<n id="7" /> them every day<n id="8" /> in the lecture hall<n id="9" /> of Tyrannus.

Large numbers<n id="1" /> of those who had practiced magic<n id="2" /> collected their books<n id="3" /> and burned them up in the presence of everyone.<n id="4" /> When<n id="5" /> the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins.<n id="6" />

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ<n id="1" /> the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy.