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So Paul rose, and motioning with his hand for silence, said, "Israelites, and you others who fear God, pay attention to me.
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The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers, and made the people great during their stay in Egypt, until with wondrous power He brought them out from that land.
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For a period of about forty years, He fed them, like a nurse, in the Desert.
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Then, after overthrowing seven nations in the land of Canaan, He divided that country among them as their inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years;
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and afterwards He gave them judges down to the time of the Prophet Samuel.
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Next they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who reigned forty years.
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After removing him, He raised up David to be their king, to whom He also bore witness when He said, "`I have found David the son of Jesse, a man I love, who will obey all My commands.'
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"It is from among David's descendants that God, in fulfilment of His promise, has raised up a Saviour for Israel, even Jesus.
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Before the coming of Jesus, John had proclaimed to all the people of Israel a baptism of repentance.
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But John, towards the end of his career, repeatedly asked the people, "`What do you suppose me to be? I am not the Christ. But there is One coming after me whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.'
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"Brethren, descendants of the family of Abraham, and all among you who fear God, to us has this Message of salvation been sent.
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For the people of Jerusalem and their rulers, by the judgement they pronounced on Jesus, have actually fulfilled the predictions of the Prophets which are read Sabbath after Sabbath, through ignorance of those predictions and of Him.
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Without having found Him guilty of any capital offence they urged Pilate to have Him put to death;
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and when they had carried out everything which had been written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.
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"But God raised Him from the dead.
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And, after a few days, He appeared to the people who had gone up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now witnesses concerning Him to the Jews.
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And we bring you the Good News about the promise made to our forefathers,
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that God has amply fulfilled it to our children in raising up Jesus; as it is also written in the second Psalm, `Thou art My Son: to-day I have become Thy Father.'
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And as to His having raised Him from among the dead, never again to be in the position of one soon to return to decay, He speaks thus: `I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David.'
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Because in another Psalm also He says, `Thou wilt not give up Thy Holy One to undergo decay.'
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For David, after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God's purpose, did fall asleep, was gathered to his forefathers, and did undergo decay.
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But He whom God raised to life underwent no decay.
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"Understand therefore, brethren, that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is announced to you;
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and in Him every believer is absolved from all offences, from which you could not be absolved under the Law of Moses.
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Beware, then, lest what is spoken in the Prophets should come true of you:
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`Behold, you despisers, be astonished and perish, because I am carrying on a work in your time--a work which you will utterly refuse to believe, though it be fully declared to you.'"