Ye men and brethren, children of the generation off Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is this word of health sent. The inhabiters of Ierusalem, and their rulers because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every saboth day, have fulfilled them in condemning him. And when they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate to kill him. And when they had fulfilled all that were written of him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a sepulchre: But God raised him again from death, and he was seen many days of them, which came with him from Galile to Ierusalem which are his witnesses unto the people.
And we declare unto you, how that the promise made unto the fathers, God hath now fulfilled unto us the children, in that he raised up Iesus again, even as it is written in the first {other second} psalm: Thou art my son, this same day begat I thee. As concerning that he so raised him up from death, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise: The holy promises made to David I will keep faithfully. Wherefore he saith also in another place: Thou shalt not suffer thy saincte to see corruption. For David after he had in his time fulfilled the will of God, he slept, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
Be it known unto you therefore ye men and brethren, that thorow this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, And by him are all that believe justified from all things from the which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore lest that fall on you, which is spoken of in the prophets: Behold ye despisers, and wonder, and perish ye: for I do a work in your days, which ye shall not believe, if a man would declare it you.
When the jews were gone out of the Synagogue, the gentiles besought them that they would preach the word to them between the saboth days. When the congregation was broken up, many of the jews and virtuous proselites followed Paul and Barnabas, which spake to them and exhorted them to continue in the grace of God.
And the next saboth day came Almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. When the jews saw the people, they were full of indignation and spake against those things which were spoken of Paul, They spake against it, and dispraised it, rayling on it. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said: it was meet that the word of God should first have been preached to you. But seeing ye put it from you, and think yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the gentiles. For so hath the lord commanded us: I have made thee a light to the gentiles, that thou be health unto the end of the world.
The gentiles heard, and were glad and glorified the word of the lord, and believed even as many as were ordained unto eternal life. And the word of the lord was published thorowout all the region. But the jews moved the worshipful and honorable women, and the chief men of the city. And raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust off their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the holy ghost.
The .xiiij. Chapter.
It fortuned in Iconium that they went both together into the synagogue of the jewes, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the jewes and also of the greeks believed. But the unbelieving jews, stirred up and unquieted the minds of the gentiles against the brethren. Long time abode they there and quit themselves boldly with the help of the lord, the which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, And caused signs and wonders to be done by their hands. The people of city were divided: and part held with the jews, and part with the Apostles.
When there was a fault made both of the gentiles and also of the jewes with their rulers, to put them to shame and to stone them, they were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derba, cities of Licaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about, and there preached the gospell. And there sat a certain man at Lystra weak in his feet, being halt from his mother's womb, and never walked. The same heard Paul preach, which beheld him and perceived that he had faith to be whole, and said with a loud voice: stand upright on thy feet. And he started up, and walked. When the people saw what Paul had done, they lift up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia: Goddes are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Iupiter, and Paul Mercurius, because he was the preacher. Then Iupiters priest, which dwelt before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the church porch, and would have done sacrifice with the people. When the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul heard that, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying and saying: sirs, why do ye this? We are mortal men like unto you, and preach unto you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is, the which in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he shewed his benefits, in giving us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings, scarce refrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
Thither came certain jews from Antioche and Iconium, and obtained the peoples' consent and stoned Paul, and drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. As the disciples stood round about him, he arose up and came into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derba. After they had preached to that city, and taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium and Antioche, and strengthened the disciples souls, exhorting them to continue in the faith, affirming that we must thorow much adversity enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them seniors by election in every congregation, after they had prayed and fasted, they commended them to God on whom they believed.