16 Paul stood up, and amotioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and byou who fear God, listen:

17 “The God of this people Israel achose our fathers and 1bmade the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm cHe led them out from it.

18 “For aa period of about forty years bHe put up with them in the wilderness.

19 “aWhen He had destroyed bseven nations in the land of Canaan, He cdistributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took dabout four hundred and fifty years.

20 “After these things He agave them judges until bSamuel the prophet.

21 “Then they aasked for a king, and God gave them bSaul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

22 “After He had aremoved him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘bI have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My 1will.’

23 “aFrom the descendants of this man, baccording to promise, God has brought to Israel ca Savior, Jesus,

24 after aJohn had proclaimed before 1His coming a bbaptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25 “And while John awas completing his course, bhe kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of athis salvation has been sent.

27 “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their arulers, brecognizing neither Him nor the 1utterances of cthe prophets which are dread every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.

28 “And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they aasked Pilate that He be 1executed.

29 “When they had acarried out all that was written concerning Him, bthey took Him down from cthe 1cross and dlaid Him in a tomb.

30 “But God araised Him from the dead;

31 and for many days aHe appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now bHis witnesses to the people.

32 “And we apreach to you the good news of bthe promise made to the fathers,

33 that God has fulfilled this promise 1to our children in that He araised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘bYou are My Son; today i have begotten You.’

34 “As for the fact that He araised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘bI will give you the holy and 1sure blessings of David.’

35 “Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘aYou will not 1allow Your 2Holy One to 3undergo decay.’

36 “For aDavid, after he had 1served bthe purpose of God in his own generation, cfell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and 2underwent decay;

37 but He whom God araised did not 1undergo decay.

38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that athrough 1Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

39 and 1through Him aeveryone who believes is 2freed 3from all things, from which you could not be 2freed 3through the Law of Moses.

40 “Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of ain the Prophets may not come upon you:

41 ‘aBehold, you scoffers, and marvel, and 1perish;

For I am accomplishing a work in your days,

A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’ ”