Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Acts

Part 1

Produced by Martin Ward

Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Acts

Third Edition 1913

R. F. Weymouth

Book 44 Acts

001:001 My former narrative, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught as a beginning, down to the day on which,

001:002 after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen, He was taken up to Heaven.

001:003 He had also, after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God.

001:004 And while in their company He charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift. "This you have heard of," He said, "from me.

001:005 For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

001:006 Once when they were with Him, they asked Him, "Master, is this the time at which you are about to restore the kingdom of Israel?"

001:007 "It is not for you," He replied, "to know times or epochs which the Father has reserved within His own authority;

001:008 and yet you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and Samaria and to the remotest parts of the earth."

001:009 When He had said this, and while they were looking at Him, He was carried up, and a cloud closing beneath Him hid Him from their sight.

001:010 But, while they stood intently gazing into the sky as He went, suddenly there were two men in white garments standing by them,

001:011 who said, "Galilaeans, why stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into Heaven will come in just the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven."

001:012 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Oliveyard, which is near Jerusalem, about a mile off.

001:013 They entered the city, and they went up to the upper room which was now their fixed place for meeting. Their names were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the brother of James.

001:014 All of these with one mind continued earnest in prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

001:015 It was on one of these days that Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren--the entire number of persons present being about 120--and said,

001:016 "Brethren, it was necessary that the Scripture should be fulfilled-- the prediction, I mean, which the Holy Spirit uttered by the lips of David, about Judas, who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

001:017 For Judas was reckoned as one of our number, and a share in this ministry was allotted to him."

001:018 (Now having bought a piece of ground with the money paid for his wickedness he fell there with his face downwards, and, his body bursting open, he became disembowelled.

001:019 This fact became widely known to the people of Jerusalem, so that the place received the name, in their language, of Achel-damach, which means `The Field of Blood.')

001:020 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "`Let his encampment be desolate: let there be no one to dwell there'; and "`His work let another take up.'

001:021 "It is necessary, therefore, that of the men who have been with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--

001:022 beginning from His baptism by John down to the day on which He was taken up again from us into Heaven--one should be appointed to become a witness with us as to His resurrection."

001:023 So two names were proposed, Joseph called Bar-sabbas-- and surnamed Justus--and Matthias.

Part 2

001:024 And the brethren prayed, saying, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all, show clearly which of these two Thou hast chosen

001:025 to occupy the place in this ministry and Apostleship from which Judas through transgression fell, in order to go to his own place."

001:026 Then they drew lots between them. The lot fell on Matthias, and a place among the eleven Apostles was voted to him.

002:001 At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met in one place;

002:002 when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where they were sitting;

002:003 and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person a tongue alighted.

002:004 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter.

002:005 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every part of the world.

002:006 So when this noise was heard, they came crowding together, and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken.

002:007 They were beside themselves with wonder, and exclaimed, "Are not all these speakers Galilaeans?

002:008 How then does each of us hear his own native language spoken by them?

002:009 Some of us are Parthians, Medes, Elamites. Some are inhabitants of Mesopotamia, of Judaea or Cappadocia, of Pontus or the Asian Province, of Phrygia or Pamphylia,

002:010 of Egypt or of the parts of Africa towards Cyrene. Others are visitors from Rome--being either Jews or converts from heathenism--and others are Cretans or Arabians.

002:011 Yet we all alike hear these Galilaeans speaking in our own language about the wonderful things which God has done."

002:012 They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another, "What can this mean?"

002:013 But others, scornfully jeering, said, "They are brim-full of sweet wine."

002:014 Peter however, together with the Eleven, stood up and addressed them in a loud voice. "Men of Judaea, and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem," he said, "be in no uncertainty about this matter but pay attention to what I say.

002:015 For this is not intoxication, as you suppose, it being only the third hour of the day.

002:016 But that which was predicted through the Prophet Joel has happened:

002:017 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams;

002:018 and even upon My bondservants, both men and women, at that time, I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

002:019 I will display marvels in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke.

002:020 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, to usher in the day of the Lord--that great and illustrious day;

002:021 and every one who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

002:022 "Listen, Israelites, to what I say. Jesus, the Nazarene, a man accredited to you from God by miracles and marvels and signs which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know, Him--

002:023 delivered up through God's settled purpose and foreknowledge-- you by the hands of Gentiles have nailed to a cross and have put to death.

002:024 But God has raised Him to life, having terminated the throes of death, for in fact it was not possible for Him to be held fast by death.

002:025 For David says in reference to Him, "`I constantly fixed my eyes upon the Lord, because He is at my right hand in order that I may continue unshaken.

Part 3

002:026 For this reason my heart is glad and my tongue exults. My body also shall rest in hope.

002:027 For Thou wilt not leave me in the Unseen World forsaken, nor give up Thy holy One to undergo decay.

002:028 Thou hast made known to me the ways of Life: Thou wilt fill me with gladness in Thy presence.'

002:029 "As to the patriarch David, I need hardly remind you, brethren, that he died and was buried, and that we still have his tomb among us.

002:030 Being a Prophet, however, and knowing that God had solemnly sworn to him to seat a descendant of his upon his throne,

002:031 with prophetic foresight he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, to the effect that He was not left forsaken in the Unseen World, nor did His body undergo decay.

002:032 This Jesus, God has raised to life--a fact to which all of us testify.

002:033 "Being therefore lifted high by the mighty hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out this which you see and hear.

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