He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come.

Then he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick,

After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you."

"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, on the road to the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee, land of the Gentiles!

The Jewish authorities said among themselves, "Where is he about to go so that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live, and teach the Greeks?

The Jewish believers who had come from Joppa with Peter were amazed that God had poured out his gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also.

"These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptized with water?"

The apostles and the other believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

"You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!"

"While I was praying in the city of Joppa, I had a vision. I saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it stopped next to me.

Then I heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat!'

The voice spoke again from heaven, 'Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.'

At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying.

He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter.

And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them just as on us at the beginning.

It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!"

'Go,' the Lord said to me, 'for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "

They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air.

For I tell you that Christ's life of service was on behalf of the Jews, to show that God is faithful, to make his promises to their ancestors come true,

and to enable even the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. As the scripture says, "And so I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to you."

They even tried to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles the message that would bring them salvation. In this way they have brought to completion all the sins they have always committed. And now God's anger has at last come down on them!

The emperor of Assyria took people from the cities of Babylon, Cuth, Ivvah, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the exiled Israelites. They took possession of these cities and lived there.

The emperor of Assyria was told that the people he had settled in the cities of Samaria did not know the law of the god of that land, and so the god had sent lions, which were killing them.

So an Israelite priest who had been deported from Samaria went and lived in Bethel, where he taught the people how to worship the LORD.

the people of Babylon made idols of the god Succoth Benoth; the people of Cuth, idols of Nergal; the people of Hamath, idols of Ashima;

These people also worshiped the LORD and chose from among their own number all sorts of people to serve as priests at the pagan places of worship and to offer sacrifices for them there.

They still carry on their old customs to this day. They do not worship the LORD nor do they obey the laws and commands which he gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

You shall obey me, the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt with great power and strength; you are to bow down to me and offer sacrifices to me.

and you shall not forget the covenant I made with you.

But those people would not listen, and they continued to follow their old customs.

He sent messengers ahead of him, who went into a village in Samaria to get everything ready for him.

When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"

In Samaria he came to a town named Sychar, which was not far from the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

The woman answered, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan---so how can you ask me for a drink?" (Jews will not use the same cups and bowls that Samaritans use.)

"My Samaritan ancestors worshiped God on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where we should worship God."

You Samaritans do not really know whom you worship; but we Jews know whom we worship, because it is from the Jews that salvation comes.

God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is."

But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

And Saul approved of his murder. That very day the church in Jerusalem began to suffer cruel persecution. All the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria.

Philip went to the principal city in Samaria and preached the Messiah to the people there.

Evil spirits came out from many people with a loud cry, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.

A man named Simon lived there, who for some time had astounded the Samaritans with his magic. He claimed that he was someone great,

They paid this attention to him because for such a long time he had astonished them with his magic.

Simon himself also believed; and after being baptized, he stayed close to Philip and was astounded when he saw the great wonders and miracles that were being performed.

When they arrived, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

and said, "Give this power to me too, so that anyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit."

You have no part or share in our work, because your heart is not right in God's sight.

For I see that you are full of bitter envy and are a prisoner of sin."

After they had given their testimony and proclaimed the Lord's message, Peter and John went back to Jerusalem. On their way they preached the Good News in many villages of Samaria.