THE STORY CONTINUES

¹O most honored Friend of Creator (Theophilus), I have already told you the story of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), about the many things he did and taught among the people ²from his birth until the day he returned to the spirit-world above. ³After he had suffered by being put to death on the cross, he returned to life and then appeared to his message bearers, giving them many proofs that he was truly alive again.

FORTY DAYS OF INSTRUCTION

For forty days he continued to appear to them, and through the Holy Spirit he instructed them further about Creator’s good road. ⁴Once, during a meal with his followers, he said to them, “Wait here in the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), for the gift from my Father that I already told you about—the Holy Spirit. ⁵He Shows Goodwill (John) performed the purification ceremony1 with water, but not many days from now, you will participate in the purification ceremony^a with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶They crowded around Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “Wisdomkeeper,” they asked him, “will you now give the good road back to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel)?

⁷“Times and seasons are in the Father’s hands,” he answered. “These things are not for you to know. ⁸Instead, set your hearts and minds on the Holy Spirit, who will give you strong medicine when he comes. You will then tell my story in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), in all the Land of Promise (Judea) and High Place (Samaria), and then to the farthest parts of the earth—to all languages, tribes, and nations.”

⁹As he spoke these words, he was taken up and went into a cloud where they could no longer see him.

¹⁰As they watched him go up into the spirit-world above, two men appeared before them in pure white garments.

¹¹“Men of Circle of Nations (Galilee)!” they said. “Why are you looking up into the sky? This same Creator Sets Free (Jesus), whom you saw going up into the spirit-world above, will return in the same manner you have seen him go.”

THE UPPER ROOM

¹²Village of Peace (Jerusalem) was nearby, about as far as one is permitted to walk on a Day of Resting. ¹³So the followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) walked down Olive Mountain and returned to the village and to the place where they were staying, at a lodging house in an upstairs room.

Stands on the Rock (Peter), He Shows Goodwill (John), He Takes Over (James), Stands with Courage (Andrew), Friend of Horses (Philip), Looks Like His Brother (Thomas), Son of Ground Digger (Bartholomew), Gift from Creator (Matthew), He Takes Charge (James) son of First to Change (Alphaeus), One Who Listens (Simon) the Firebrand (Zealot), and Speaks Well Of (Judas),2 the son of He Takes Hold (James).

¹⁴Bitter Tears (Mary), the mother of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), was there along with some of his brothers. Also many of the honored women were welcomed among them. They were all gathering together, night and day, to send their voices to the Great Spirit.

¹⁵This group had grown into one big family, about a hundred and twenty of them, who all trusted in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), that he was the Chosen One.

A NEW MESSAGE BEARER CHOSEN

So during this time Stands on the Rock (Peter) stood up to speak.

¹⁶“Friends and family,” he said to all, “Much Loved One (David), guided by the Holy Spirit, foretold in the Sacred Teachings the things that found their full meaning in Speaks Well Of (Judas), who betrayed Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into the hands of the ones who arrested him.

¹⁷“From the first, Speaks Well Of (Judas) was one of the twelve chosen to walk with us as one of his followers.

¹⁸“After he betrayed Creator Sets Free (Jesus), he used the blood money he was paid to buy a field. There he hung himself on a tree.4 His body fell to the ground and broke open, spilling out his insides. ¹⁹News about this spread throughout Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and so that place became known in our native language as Akeldama, meaning Field of Blood.”

²⁰Stands on the Rock (Peter) continued, “This gives full meaning to the words of the Sacred Book of Songs (Psalms), ‘Let his land become deserted, a place where no one will live.’5 It also says, ‘Let another take his place in the council.’6

²¹“We must now choose another to replace Speaks Well Of (Judas). He must be one who was with us the whole time while we were walking the road with our Wisdomkeeper, ²²from the time he participated in the purification ceremony7 with He Shows Goodwill (John) until the day Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was taken up from us to the spirit-world above. Then, along with us, he will be able to tell what his own eyes have seen, about the rising from the dead of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

THE COUNCIL OF TWELVE IS RESTORED

²³Two men were selected who met the requirements: He Adds More (Joseph), who was called Son of Resting (Barsabbas), also known as Stands Upright (Justus), and Gifted From Creator (Matthias).

²⁴They stood the men before the council and prayed over them, “O Great Chief, Knower of Hearts, show to us the one you have chosen ²⁵to be your message bearer in the place of Speaks Well Of (Judas), who left the path given him and chose his own path.”

²⁶They decided to choose by drawing straws. The straw was in favor of Gifted From Creator (Matthias), and so he was added to the eleven message bearers to form a council of twelve—representing the twelve tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

FESTIVAL OF WEEKS

¹The time for the full meaning of the ancient festival had now arrived.

WIND AND FLAMES OF FIRE

They had all gathered together in one place, ²when suddenly the sound of a great windstorm came from the spirit-world above and could be heard throughout the house where they were sitting. ³They saw flames of fire coming down from above, separating and resting on each of their heads. ⁴The Holy Spirit had come down upon them and began to fill them with his life and power. New languages began to flow out from their mouths, languages they had never learned, given from the Holy Spirit.

⁵The Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem) was filled with devoted members of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), who had come for the festival from every nation under the sun. ⁶A crowd began to gather when they heard the loud noise.

⁷In wonder and amazement the crowd began to ask, “How is it that these people from Circle of Nations (Galilee) are speaking in our many languages? ⁸For we all can understand them in the languages of the places we have come from! ^9-11There are people here for the festival from nations and places close by and far away who are members of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), and those from Outside Nations who have been taken into the tribes.

“They come from Land of Victory (Parthia), Land in the Middle (Media), and Land of the Ancient Ones (Elam). Many come from Land Between Rivers (Mesopotamia), Land of Promise (Judea), Land of Handsome Horses (Cappadocia), Land of Black Waters (Pontus), and Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). Some come from Dry Wood (Phrygia) and Many Tribes (Pamphylia), and the territory of Land of Tears (Lybia) near the village of Strong Wall (Cyrene). There are travelers from Village of Iron (Rome), both Tribal Members and Outsiders who have become Tribal Members, along with those who come from Flesh Eater Island (Crete) and Land of Wanderers (Arabia).

“We can hear them, in the languages of these nations, telling about the great and powerful things done by the Great Spirit!” ¹²Many were amazed and confused and began to ask each other, “What can this mean?” ¹³But others in the crowd just laughed and said, “They are drunk on new wine!”

STANDS ON THE ROCK SPEAKS OUT

¹⁴Stands on the Rock (Peter), along with the other eleven message bearers, stood up to the crowd, and with a loud voice said, “Tribal members from far away and all who live in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), listen closely to me. I will tell you what this means!”

¹⁵“No one among us is drunk on wine, for it is still the middle of the morning. This is not what you think it is. ¹⁶This is what the prophet Creator Is the Great Spirit (Joel) spoke of long ago when he said, ¹⁷‘“In the last days,” says Creator, “I will rain down my Spirit upon all human beings from every nation. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Young warriors will see visions and elders will have dreams. ¹⁸When that time comes, my Spirit will rain down on all who serve me, both men and women, and they will boldly speak my words. ¹⁹There will be powerful signs and omens in the spirit-world above and on the earth below—blood and fire with clouds of smoke. ²⁰The sun will grow dark and the moon will be red like blood, as the great and dreadful day of Creator shines like the sun. ²¹Then the ones who cry out to the Great Spirit will be made whole and set free.”’”8

²²Stands on the Rock (Peter) cried out, “Listen to me, you men of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel)! You already know about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) and about the powerful signs and the wonders he performed among the people that proved Creator was with him. ^23-24Creator knew, before it happened, that the tribes would use the power of the People of Iron (Romans)9 to have him violently killed by nailing him to a tree-pole—the cross. But the Maker of Life let you have your way with him, because he had made a plan, long ago, to bring him back to life. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was released from the painful grip of death, for even death itself could not hold him captive.

ANCIENT PROPHECIES FULFILLED

²⁵“When the great chief Much Loved One (David) spoke these words long ago, he was telling us about Creator Sets Free (Jesus). Listen to what he said, ‘The Great Spirit will never leave me. I will not tremble with fear, for he is close by my side, and guides me on the pathways of life. ²⁶My heart is glad and my mouth sings! I have hope that ²⁷even after my body is dead, I will not be left alone in the ground to return to dust. You will not leave your Holy One in the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades). ²⁸For you have given me a clear path to your life of beauty and harmony. When I stand before you face to face, my heart will leap for joy!’”10

²⁹Then he said, “My fellow Tribal Members, there is no doubt that our ancestor, Much Loved One (David), died and was buried long ago. His burial cave is with us to this very day. ^30-31The Great Spirit gave him a sacred promise that one of his descendants would be a Great Chief to rule over all the tribes. Much Loved One (David) was a prophet and saw, ahead of time, that the Chosen One would rise from the dead and that he would not be left alone in the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades), nor would his body return to the dust of the earth.

³²“Creator Sets Free (Jesus) is this Chosen One who has been raised to life from death! We have seen him with our own eyes. ³³He has now returned to his seat of honor at the right hand of the Great Spirit. The Father above has gifted him with the Holy Spirit whom he promised to send. This Spirit has now been poured out upon us like the rain. This is the meaning of what you now see and hear.

³⁴“Much Loved One (David) did not go up into the spirit-world above, so when he says, ‘The Great Chief said to my Great Chief, “Sit down beside me at my right hand, my place of greatest honor, ³⁵until I defeat and humble all your enemies,”’11 he was not talking about himself. He was talking about the Chosen One.

³⁶“So let all the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) have no doubt about what the Great Spirit has done. He has made Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one you put to death on a tree-pole—the cross—to be both Chief of all the tribes and the Chosen One, the one he promised to send long ago.”

THE CROWD RESPONDS

³⁷When they heard this, the words pierced their hearts like a long knife. With troubled hearts they lifted their voices to Stands on the Rock (Peter) and all the message bearers.

“Fellow Tribal Members,” they said, “tell us what we must do.”

³⁸“Change your thinking,” Stands on the Rock (Peter) instructed them, “and participate in the purification ceremony12 that is done in the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, representing him and initiating you into his right ways. You will then be healed from your bad hearts, released from your broken ways, and gifted with the Holy Spirit, who will give you the strength to walk the good road with him. ³⁹He has promised this to all generations of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), and to all the Nations who live far away. For the Great Spirit, our Creator, is calling out to all who will, to share in this life of beauty and harmony.”

⁴⁰Stands on the Rock (Peter) said many more things to the ones who were listening. With strong words he kept telling them, “This is how you will be set free and rescued from the bent and twisted ways of this generation.”

⁴¹The ones who believed the words of Stands on the Rock (Peter) became a part of Creator’s new sacred family and participated in the purification ceremony.^c About three thousand people were added to the family on that day!

A NEW FAMILY IS FORMED

⁴²This newly formed family continued daily to learn from the twelve message bearers. They lived together in harmony, ate ceremonial meals, and prayed with one another. ⁴³Great respect and awe came down upon all, and the message bearers performed many powerful signs. ⁴⁴As these new followers lived together in peace, their harmony grew stronger, and they shared all things. ⁴⁵Many of them had a giveaway to provide for all who were in need.

⁴⁶Each day they gathered at the sacred lodge. With good and pure hearts they feasted together in their homes and shared the ceremonial meal of frybread and wine given to them by Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ⁴⁷They gave honor and thanks to the Great Spirit and were respected by the people. Each day Creator sent more people who were being set free to join with them.

RISE UP AND WALK

¹In the middle of the afternoon the people would gather at the sacred lodge for a time of prayer. Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) were walking together on their way to the lodge. ²Some people were carrying a man who had been unable to walk from his birth. Each day they would lay him down by the entrance to the lodge called the Beautiful Gate, so he could ask for handouts from the ones who were going into the lodge.

³When the man saw Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) passing by, he asked them for a handout. ⁴They stopped right in front of the man, looked straight at him, and said, “Look at us!”

⁵The man did as they said, hoping they would give him something.

^6-7Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to him, “I have no silver or gold to give to you, but I have a gift for you that is worth much more.”

He reached his hand out to the man and said, “I represent the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). In his name I tell you now—stand up and walk!”

Stands on the Rock (Peter) took hold of his hand and began to pull him up. ⁸The man felt strength returning to his legs and feet and pushed himself up on his own feet and began to walk! He danced through the Beautiful Gate and went into the lodge, walking and leaping and giving praise to the Great Spirit.

⁹All the people looked at the man ¹⁰and saw that he was the same one who sat and asked for handouts at the gate. Wonder and amazement swept through the crowd like a wildfire when they saw him healed and strong.

¹¹The man threw his arms around Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) and would not let go of them. A great crowd of people ran up and began to circle around them under the covered walkway named after the great chief Stands in Peace (Solomon). They looked at Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) with wonder and amazement on their faces.

STANDS ON THE ROCK SPEAKS OUT AGAIN

¹²When Stands on the Rock (Peter) saw all the people, he lifted up his voice to give the people an answer for the healing of the crippled man.

“Fellow Tribal Members,” he said to them, “you should not be amazed at us, or think that we are holy enough to make a crippled man walk. ¹³It was the one who walked with Father of Many Nations (Abraham), He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), and Heel Grabber (Jacob)—the Great Spirit of our ancestors, who has done this.

“The Giver of Life has honored Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one who served him and did all he asked. The same one you turned over to Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate), the governor from the People of Iron (Romans), to be put on trial for his life. The same one you turned your back on, in front of Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate), when he wanted to release him.

¹⁴“But you turned your back on the Holy and Upright One and then asked for a violent murderer to be set free. ¹⁵In doing so you killed the Maker of Life! But the Giver of Breath brought him back to life from the dead! This we have seen with our own eyes.

¹⁶“It is only because of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and all that his name represents, that this man stands before you healed and strong now. You can see for yourselves what trusting in Creator Sets Free (Jesus) has done for him.”

THIS IS WHAT THE PROPHETS FORETOLD

¹⁷“Fellow Tribal Members,” he said, “I understand that neither you nor your leaders knew what they were doing when they had Creator Sets Free (Jesus) killed. ¹⁸But this is how the Great Spirit fulfilled all that the prophets foretold when they spoke of the suffering of the Chosen One.

¹⁹“You must think in a new way and return to the Great Spirit to walk this new path he has chosen for us all. Then you will be healed of your broken ways, ²⁰and Creator will shine his face on you and give you cool, fresh water to drink from his river of life. He will then give to you the one he selected to be his Chosen One—Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ²¹He has gone up into the spirit-world above to remain there until the time comes when Creator will restore all things.

“Creator spoke of these things long ago through his holy prophets. ²²Listen to the words of Drawn from the Water (Moses), when he said, ‘The Great Spirit Chief will raise up a prophet from among the tribes, in the same manner he raised me up. You must listen to this prophet and do all he says, ²³for any among the tribes who fail to follow his ways will come to a bad end.’13

²⁴“All the prophets, from Creator Hears Him (Samuel) and all who spoke in the generations that followed, told about these very days we are living in. ²⁵Every Tribal Member is a descendant of those prophets and of the peace treaty Creator made with our ancestors. Did not the Great Spirit promise our ancestor Father of Many Nations (Abraham) that through his descendants he would bless all the families who dwell on earth?

²⁶“That day has come! The Great Spirit has raised up his servant, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and sent him first to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) to bless you and turn you back from your worthless, evil ways.”

ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED

¹While Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) were speaking to the people, the head lodge soldier, along with the Upright Ones (Sadducees) and some holy men, came up to them. ²They were offended because the message bearers were telling the people that the rising from the dead had begun with Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ³They took hold of Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) to bring them to the council, but because it was late in the day, they held them in prison until the next day. ⁴But a large number of over five thousand men who heard Stands on the Rock (Peter) speak believed the message!

FACING THE GRAND COUNCIL

⁵On the following day the headmen, elders, and scroll keepers held a council in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁶Both Walks Humbly (Annas) the chief holy man and Hollow in the Rock (Caiaphas) sat in the council along with He Shows Goodwill (John), Man Fighter (Alexander), and other members of the family of the chief holy man. ⁷They brought Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) to sit before them and give an answer to the council.

“Where did the power to heal this man come from? What is the name of the one you represent? Tell us!” they demanded.

⁸The Holy Spirit rose up inside Stands on the Rock (Peter).

“Headmen and elders among the people,” he said with boldness, ⁹“if we are being questioned today before this council about the kindness we showed to a man who could not walk, by healing him, ¹⁰then let all the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) know the truth. It is because of the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One, and all he represents, that this man stands before you healed and whole! Yes! The same Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) whom you killed on a tree-pole—the cross. The Maker of Life has brought him back to life from the world of the dead. ¹¹He is ‘the log you builders threw away, which has become the Chief Lodgepole.’14 ¹²No one else can restore us. No other human being can represent the Great Spirit and carry in his name the kind of power needed to rescue us and set us free.”

THE COUNCIL DECIDES

¹³When the council saw the courage of Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John), they were amazed to find that they were common and unschooled men. They also took notice that they had walked the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ¹⁴But what could they say? The man who had been healed was standing right there with them! ¹⁵They ordered them to wait outside of the council house while they decided what to do with them.

¹⁶“What should we do with these men?” they asked. “Anyone living in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) can see that a powerful sign has been done by them. We cannot deny this. ¹⁷But to keep this from spreading to more people, we must warn them to no longer represent Creator Sets Free (Jesus) or to speak to anyone in his name.”

¹⁸The council agreed and summoned the message bearers to face their decision. They warned them, “You must never again say anything representing Creator Sets Free (Jesus) or instruct others in his teachings.”

¹⁹Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) disagreed with the council’s decision.

“We will let you decide for yourselves whether we should follow the Great Spirit or weak human beings like yourselves,” they said with boldness. ²⁰“But we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears!”

²¹So the council warned and threatened them again, but released them and let them go on their way. The council dared not do anything to punish them, because the people were giving thanks to Creator for this powerful sign. ²²For the man who had been healed was over forty winters old.

THE MESSAGE BEARERS RETURN

²³Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) went back to their newly formed family and told them what had happened to them and what the council had decided. ²⁴When the sacred family members heard this, they formed a circle around the message bearers, joined their hearts together, and sent their voices to the Great Spirit.

PRAYER FOR HELP

“O Great Father of the sky above and the earth below, of the great waters and all that is in them,” they prayed. “Hear our cry! ²⁵Long ago your Holy Spirit spoke these words through our ancestor Much Loved One (David), who served you.

“The Spirit said, ‘Why did the Nations, in their great anger, make empty threats? Why did the people waste their time forming useless plans? ²⁶The war chiefs of the land took their stand, and the war councils schemed together. But who were they planning to fight? It was against the Great Spirit Chief and his Chosen One!’15

²⁷“The truth of this is plain to see, for right here in the Village of Peace (Jerusalem) they gathered together and took their stand against your Holy Servant, Creator Sets Free (Jesus). Chief Looks Brave (Herod) and Spear of the Great Waters (Pontius Pilate) together with the People of Iron (Romans) and the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) ²⁸did what you, in your great wisdom, had decided long ago would be done.

²⁹“So we ask, O Great One, look down and see their threats against us. Help us to be brave and tell your story well ³⁰by performing many powerful signs as we represent your Holy Servant, Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

³¹When they finished praying, the place where they had gathered began to rumble and shake. The Holy Spirit filled them with his power, and with brave and strong hearts they began to tell Creator’s Story!

THEY SHARE THEIR POSSESSIONS

³²With one heart and mind all who trusted in Creator Sets Free (Jesus) shared their possessions with each other. No one claimed their belongings to be only for themselves. ³³With great power the message bearers told the story of how their Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had defeated death and returned to life. Creator’s gift of great kindness was covering all of them like a warm blanket, ³⁴and no one among them was in need. Those who owned houses or land sold them and brought what they had gained ³⁵and gave it to the message bearers to share with everyone.

³⁶There was a man among them named Creator Adds More (Joseph), who was also given the name Son of Comfort (Barnabas) by the message bearers. He was from the tribe of Holy Men (Levites), who was born in Island of Flowers (Cyprus). ³⁷He sold a piece of land that was his and brought the money and gave it to the message bearers.

LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

^1-2A man named Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias), along with his wife, Stone of Beauty (Sapphira), sold some of their land. He, with his wife knowing about it, gave the money to the message bearers. They let them think they had given all, but they secretly held back some for themselves.

³But Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias), “Why did you let Accuser (Satan), that evil trickster snake, fill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You have kept back some of the money from the sale of your land for yourself! ⁴You did not have to sell your land, and even after selling it you still could do whatever you wanted. So why did you try to deceive us? You have lied not only to human beings but to the Great Spirit himself!”

⁵When Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) heard this, he fell to the ground and breathed out his last breath. Great fear and awe fell on all who heard what had happened. ⁶Some of the young men wrapped his body in a blanket, carried him out, and buried him.

⁷About three hours later the wife of Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) came in, but she did not know what had happened.

⁸Stands on the Rock (Peter) asked her, “Was this how much you sold the land for?”

“Yes,” she said, “That is the right amount.”

⁹Stands on the Rock (Peter) then said to her, “How could both of you agree to put Creator’s Spirit to the test? Look! The ones who buried your husband are coming to do the same for you.”

¹⁰Right then she fell down in front of him and breathed her last. The young men came in, and when they saw she had crossed over to death, they carried her away and buried her next to her husband. ¹¹Once again great fear and awe took hold of all in the sacred family and also of all who heard what had happened.

SIGNS AND WONDERS CONTINUE

¹²The message bearers were performing many powerful signs among the people. The people were all gathering together under the entryway at the sacred lodge named after the great chief Stands in Peace (Solomon). ¹³The people respected them greatly, but many did not dare to join in with them. ¹⁴Even so, the crowds grew, and more and more people put their trust in Creator and his Son.

¹⁵The people carried the sick into the village pathways and laid them on their sleeping bundles and mats so that when Stands on the Rock (Peter) walked by, his shadow might fall on them. ¹⁶The crowds came from the villages near Village of Peace (Jerusalem). They brought the sick and the ones tormented by evil spirits—and all of them were healed!

OPPOSITION FROM THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS

¹⁷When the chief holy man and other spiritual leaders of the Upright Ones (Sadducees) heard what was happening, the fire of jealousy burned in their bellies. ¹⁸They took hold of the message bearers and put them in the local jail. ¹⁹But a spirit-messenger from Creator came in the night and set them free.

²⁰“Go and stand in the sacred lodge,” the spirit-messenger instructed them, “and speak all the words of this new life to the people.”

²¹They did what they were told and went to the sacred lodge, and just as the sun was rising, they began to teach the people.

When the chief holy man arrived, along with the spiritual leaders, they called together the Grand Council and the elders of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). They sent some lodge soldiers to the local jail to have the message bearers brought before the council. ²²When the lodge soldiers arrived at the jail, they could not find the prisoners, so they returned to report to the Grand Council.

²³“When we arrived at the jail,” they said to the council, “we found the jail doors locked and guarded. But when we opened the doors, there was no one to be found!”

²⁴The head lodge soldier and the head holy men could not believe their ears! While they were wondering about this, ²⁵a messenger came up to them.

“Look!” the messenger said, “the ones you put in jail are standing in the sacred lodge and teaching the people!”

²⁶The head lodge soldier, along with his soldiers, went to arrest the message bearers again, but not by force, for they were afraid the people might throw stones at them.

THEY STAND BEFORE THE GRAND COUNCIL

²⁷So they took the message bearers to stand before the Grand Council to be questioned by the chief holy man.

²⁸“We clearly instructed you not to speak representing this man’s name or his teaching. Now Village of Peace (Jerusalem) has been filled with your teaching. Do you mean to bring this man’s blood upon our heads by blaming us for his death?”

STANDING STRONG

²⁹Stands on the Rock (Peter) and the other message bearers answered back, “We must obey the Great Spirit instead of weak human beings. ³⁰The Great Spirit of our ancestors has raised up Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹Creator has honored him to the highest place, at his own right hand to be our Chief, the one who will set us free and give us a new path to walk. This is how we, the people of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), will be set free from our bad hearts and broken ways. ³²We have seen these things with our own eyes! The Holy Spirit also agrees with these things, the one Creator will give to those who walk in his ways.”

WISE WORDS FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER

³³When the Grand Council heard this, the anger in them burned like a fire—they wanted to kill them. ³⁴But then, Creator Has Honored (Gamaliel) stood up to speak. He was a highly respected council member, a Separated One (Pharisee) and a teacher of tribal law. He instructed them to remove the message bearers outside for a while.

³⁵Then he said to the council, “You men of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), think carefully about what you plan to do with these men. ³⁶Remember when Flows with Water (Theudas) made himself out to be a great one, with a following of four hundred men? He was killed, and all his followers were scattered and came to nothing. ³⁷After him, Speaks Well Of (Judas) from Circle of Nations (Galilee) rose up during the days of the census. He also had many follow him, but he was also killed and his followers scattered.

³⁸“My counsel to you is to let these men go and trouble them no longer. If what they do is a weak human idea, then it will come to nothing. ³⁹But if Creator is with them, you will not be able to stand against them, and you may find yourselves fighting the Great Spirit!”

THE MESSAGE BEARERS ARE RELEASED

The Grand Council listened to his wisdom. ⁴⁰They brought the message bearers back in, beat them with a whip, and instructed them to speak no longer in the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) or represent his teachings.

⁴¹So the message bearers left the Grand Council. Their hearts were glad that they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the reputation of Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ⁴²Day by day, in the sacred lodge and from house to house, they kept telling the good story about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and showing the truth that he is the Chosen One.

THE SACRED FAMILY GROWS

¹In those days, when the sacred family was growing in number, the Tribal Members who spoke the language of the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) grumbled against the Tribal Members who spoke their own language. They complained to the twelve that their widows were being overlooked during the daily meals. ²So the twelve message bearers invited everyone to a council meeting.

They said to all, “It is not a good thing for us to give so much of our time to seeing over these meals. This gives us little or no time to teach about Creator’s message. ³We want you to choose seven men of good reputation, who are filled with Creator’s Spirit and wisdom, who will serve in our place. ⁴Then we can give ourselves to prayer and to the teaching of Creator’s message.”

⁵This seemed like a good thing to all the people, so they chose Many Feathers (Stephen), a man strong in his faith and full of the Holy Spirit. They also chose Lover of Horses (Philip), Head Singer (Prochorus), Man of Victory (Nicanor), Man of Honor (Timon), Stands Close By (Parmenas), and He Overcomes (Nicolas), an outsider from Stands Against (Antioch) who had been taken into the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). ⁶They stood these men before the message bearers, who then placed their hands on them and sent their voices to the Great Spirit.

⁷Creator’s message was told far and wide. In Village of Peace (Jerusalem) the number of followers continued to grow, and many holy men believed and began to walk in this new way.

MANY FEATHERS TAKEN CAPTIVE

⁸Many Feathers (Stephen), who was filled with Creator’s good medicine, was performing powerful signs among the people. ⁹But some men, from what is called the gathering house of Men Set Free, opposed him. They were Tribal Members from Land of Power (Cyrene), Village of Defense (Alexandria), Turns Over (Cilicia), and from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). ¹⁰Even though they stood against Many Feathers (Stephen) with strong words, they were not strong enough to defeat the wisdom given to him by the Spirit.

¹¹So they talked some men into telling lies about him.

“We have heard him speak against Drawn from the Water (Moses) and against the Great Spirit!” they said to the people, elders, and scroll keepers.

¹²This turned them against Many Feathers (Stephen), so they took hold of him and brought him before the Grand Council. ¹³Then they brought in the ones who were falsely accusing him to speak to the council.

“This man keeps speaking against the sacred lodge and against our tribal law,” they said to the Grand Council. ¹⁴“We heard him say that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) will bring an end to this Holy Place and change the tribal traditions given to us by Drawn from the Water (Moses).”

¹⁵But all who were sitting in the council were staring at the face of Many Feathers (Stephen) because his face was shining like the face of a spirit-messenger.

MANY FEATHERS ANSWERS THE COUNCIL

¹“Are these things spoken against you true?” the chief holy man asked him.

²He said to them, “Fellow Tribal Members, my brothers and fathers, hear what I have to say! The Great Mystery, the one who shines like the sun, appeared to our ancestor Father of Many Nations (Abraham) while he was still living in Land Between Rivers (Mesopotamia), before he pitched his tipi at Mountain Where the Roads Cross (Haran).

³“‘Leave your people and the land of your ancestors,’ Creator instructed him, ‘and go to the land that I will show to you.’16

⁴“So he went out from the people of the land of Field of Spirits (Chaldeans) and pitched his tipi at Mountain Where the Roads Cross (Haran) until his father crossed over to death. Creator then moved him to the land where you now live, ⁵but he found no place to live there, not even a piece of ground to set his foot on. It was there that Creator promised him and his descendants a lasting home—even though he had no children.

⁶“The Great Spirit told him that his descendants would be wanderers in a land of strangers, who would force them to work hard for them and mistreat them for four hundred winters. ⁷‘But I will decide against this nation that forced them to be slaves,’ Creator promised, ‘and when they are set free, they will honor and serve me in this land.’17

⁸“Creator gave to Father of Many Nations (Abraham) the peace treaty that was sealed with the cutting of the flesh ceremony. Then Father of Many Nations (Abraham) became the father of He Made Us Laugh (Isaac) and, eight days after he was born, performed the cutting of the flesh ceremony on him. He Made Us Laugh (Isaac) became the father of Heel Grabber (Jacob), and he became the father of the twelve ancestors of our nation.

⁹“Our ancestors became jealous of Creator Gives More (Joseph) and sold him as a slave into Black Land (Egypt), but the Great Spirit stood with him and ¹⁰set him free from all his troubles. Creator then honored him in the eyes of Great House (Pharaoh), the ruler of Black Land (Egypt), who made him a ruler over Black Land (Egypt) and over his own family.

¹¹“A time of hunger came upon Black Land (Egypt) and Lowland (Canaan). It was a time of great suffering for our ancestors, for they could not find enough food. ¹²When Heel Grabber (Jacob) heard that there was grain in Black Land (Egypt), he sent his sons—our ancestors—there to trade for some. ¹³When Heel Grabber (Jacob) sent them a second time, their brother, Creator Gives More (Joseph), whom they had sold as a slave, made himself known to them. That is how Great House (Pharaoh) learned about his family. ¹⁴Then Creator Gives More (Joseph) sent a message to his father Heel Grabber (Jacob) and welcomed him and all his family—seventy-five in all—to come to Black Land (Egypt) under his protection.

¹⁵“So Heel Grabber (Jacob) pitched his tipi in Black Land (Egypt). It was there that he and our ancestors all crossed over to death. ¹⁶Their bones were later moved to Burden Carrier (Shechem) and placed in a burial cave that Father of Many Nations (Abraham) had traded for from the sons of Red Donkey (Hamor).

¹⁷“Many generations later, when the time had come for the Great Spirit to keep his promise to Father of Many Nations (Abraham), the number of our people in Black Land (Egypt) had grown from small clans to a great tribe. ¹⁸But a new ruler arose in Black Land (Egypt) who did not know about Creator Gives More (Joseph). ¹⁹This new ruler oppressed our people and forced them to leave their newborn children outside to die, to make our numbers smaller.

²⁰“It was during this time that Drawn from the Water (Moses) was born—a beautiful baby. Creator’s eye was on this one! For three moons his family fed and cared for him. ²¹When the time came that they had to leave him outside to die, the daughter of Great House (Pharaoh) rescued him and raised him as her own son. ²²So that is how Drawn from the Water (Moses) was taught all the wisdom of the people of Black Land (Egypt) and became powerful in his words and in all that he did.

²³“When he was a full-grown man of forty winters, he decided to visit his tribal family—the descendants of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). ²⁴When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his defense and, on fire for justice, he struck down the man of Black Land (Egypt). ²⁵He thought his tribal family would understand that the Great Spirit had sent him to set them free—but they did not.

²⁶“The following day Drawn from the Water (Moses) saw two Tribal Members fighting and tried to make peace between them.

“‘Men!’ he said to them. ‘You are brothers. Why do you want to hurt each other?’

²⁷“But the one who had attacked his fellow Tribal Member pushed Drawn from the Water (Moses) away from him.

“‘Who made you our ruler and judge?’ the man said in anger. ²⁸‘Do you want to kill me the way you killed that man of Black Land (Egypt) yesterday?’

²⁹“When he heard the man’s words, Drawn from the Water (Moses) ran from there as fast as he could and went to live as an outsider among the people in Land of Conflict (Midian). It was there that he had two sons.

³⁰“Forty winters later, in the desert wilderness near Mountain of Small Trees (Sinai), a spirit-messenger appeared to him in the flames of a burning thorn bush. ³¹When Drawn from the Water (Moses) saw it, he wondered what it was. As he came close to see it better, he heard the voice of Creator.

³²“‘I am the Great Spirit of your ancestors. The Great Spirit of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), and of He Made Us Laugh (Isaac), and of Heel Grabber (Jacob).’18

“Drawn from the Water (Moses) began to tremble with fear, and he dared not to even look at the bush.

³³“‘Take your moccasins off and let your feet touch the earth,’ Creator said to him, ‘for the ground you are standing on is sacred.’”

³⁴“‘With my own eyes I have seen the way my people have suffered in Black Land (Egypt). I have heard their deep sighs and groanings, and I have come down to set them free. Come now, it is time to go, for I am sending you back to Black Land (Egypt).’19

³⁵“So Creator sent back the same man who had been rejected by his own people when they said, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge?’ Through the spirit-messenger, who appeared to him in the burning thorn bush, the Great Spirit sent Drawn from the Water (Moses) to be both their ruler and the one who would pay the price to set them free. ³⁶With the powerful signs and omens he performed in Black Land (Egypt), at the Red Sea, and in the desert wilderness, he set them free and guided them through the desert wilderness for forty winters.

³⁷“Drawn from the Water (Moses) was the same one who said to the descendants of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), ‘The Great Spirit will raise up a prophet like me from among your own people.’ ³⁸When our ancestors were gathered together in the desert wilderness, Drawn from the Water (Moses) was there with them. On the Mountain of Small Trees (Sinai) a spirit-messenger from Creator spoke to him. It was there that he and our ancestors were given the words of life, which have been handed down to us.

³⁹“But our ancestors were not willing to follow his guidance. They turned away from him and turned their hearts back to the ways of Black Land (Egypt). ⁴⁰They said to Light Bearer (Aaron), the brother of Drawn from the Water (Moses), ‘We do not know what has become of Drawn from the Water (Moses), so carve for us an image of spirit-beings who can guide us.’

⁴¹“So they formed an image shaped like a calf, offered ceremonial sacrifices to it, and celebrated what their own hands had formed. ⁴²But the Maker of Life turned his face away from them and then handed them over to serve the evil warrior-spirits who rule in the dark spirit-world above and around us.

“In the book of the prophets, it says, ‘Was it to me that you offered ceremonial sacrifices for forty winters in the desert?’ Creator asked the family descendants of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). ‘No! ⁴³Instead you carried an altar for Child-Burning Spirit (Moloch) and one for Wandering Star Spirit (Rephan). These were images you formed with your own hands that you chose to serve. So, because you have chosen this path, I will make you walk it to and beyond Village of Confusion (Babylon).’20

⁴⁴“Our ancestors carried the sacred tent of Creator’s peace treaty with them during their desert wanderings. The Great Spirit gave Drawn from the Water (Moses) a vision for this sacred tent and the full instructions on how to make it. ⁴⁵When the time came to enter the Land of Promise, our ancestors carried this sacred tent with them as Creator Gives Freedom (Joshua) led the way. The Great Spirit removed the Outside Nations from the land, and our ancestors took possession of it. The sacred tent remained there until the days of Much Loved One (David). ⁴⁶Creator’s great kindness rested on Much Loved One (David), so he asked whether he could build a lodge for the Great Spirit of Heel Grabber (Jacob). ⁴⁷But it was his son Stands in Peace (Solomon) who built a lodge for him.

⁴⁸“But the One Above Us All does not live in lodges built by human hands, for the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) has said, ⁴⁹‘The spirit-world above is my seat of honor, and the earth below is a resting place for my feet. Could you build me a lodge like this?’ says the Great Spirit. ‘One that I could rest in? ⁵⁰Have I not formed all of these things with my own hands?’”21

⁵¹“You are a bullheaded people! Your hearts of stone and deaf ears have made you no different from the nations around you. Just like your ancestors, you continue to oppose the Holy Spirit. ⁵²Did not your ancestors hunt down, torture, and kill the prophets who foretold the coming of the Upright One? You have now become his betrayers and murderers! ⁵³You, the ones to whom our tribal law was given by spirit-messengers, a law that you have not followed!”

THE GRAND COUNCIL HAS HIM KILLED

⁵⁴When the council heard these words, they were filled with rage and ground their teeth in anger and frustration at him. ⁵⁵But then the Holy Spirit filled Many Feathers (Stephen) with a great vision. He looked up into the spirit-world above and saw a bright light shining from the Great Spirit, and standing next to him at his right hand was Creator Sets Free (Jesus)!

⁵⁶“Look!” he said, “I can see into the spirit-world above! The sky has opened, and there at the right hand of the Great Spirit is the True Human Being!”

⁵⁷But they put their hands over their ears and screamed out loud as they all rushed together to take hold of him. ⁵⁸They dragged him outside of the village and began to throw stones at him to kill him. Those who spoke against him laid their outer garments at the feet of a young man whose name was Man Who Questions (Saul).

⁵⁹As they threw the stones at Many Feathers (Stephen), he was sending his voice to the Great Spirit.

“Creator Sets Free (Jesus) my Honored Chief,” he called out to Creator. “Welcome my spirit as I come to you!”

⁶⁰He then fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Honored One, do not hold this wrong against them!”

Then, with a final breath, he fell asleep and crossed over to death.

A GREAT PERSECUTION BEGINS

¹Man Who Questions (Saul) stood in agreement with the death of Many Feathers (Stephen), and on that same day a great persecution of the sacred family in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) began. All except for the message bearers were scattered about in the territories of the Land of Promise (Judea) and High Place (Samaria). ²With loud cries and many tears, some good-hearted men buried Many Feathers (Stephen). ³But Man Who Questions (Saul) was bringing great harm to the sacred family. Going from house to house, he dragged both men and women away to put them in prison.

LOVER OF HORSES GOES TO HIGH PLACE

⁴Everywhere the ones who had been scattered went, they told others the story about Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ⁵Lover of Horses (Philip) went to a village in High Place (Samaria) and began to tell them about the Chosen One. ⁶When the people heard him and saw the powerful signs that he did, they all agreed to listen to what Lover of Horses (Philip) had to say. ⁷The evil spirits shrieked out loud as he forced them out, and many who could not walk or move about were healed. ⁸This filled the hearts of the people of that village with great joy!

A BAD MEDICINE MAN BELIEVES

⁹In that same village there was a man named Man Who Hears (Simon), who had practiced bad medicine22 and had made himself out to be someone great. ¹⁰He had a reputation among the people, both small and great, that he was the power of the Great Spirit. ¹¹His reputation came from the bad medicine he amazed them with.

¹²But when Lover of Horses (Philip) told them about Creator’s good road and the name and reputation of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One, both men and women put their trust in him and participated in the purification ceremony.23 ¹³Even Man Who Hears (Simon) believed and participated in the ceremony. After the ceremony he stayed close to Lover of Horses (Philip), for he was amazed at the powerful signs and miracles he saw.

SOME MESSAGE BEARERS COME TO PRAY

¹⁴The message bearers in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) heard that the people in High Place (Samaria) had welcomed Creator’s message. So they sent Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) to them. ¹⁵The two went there and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶for they had only participated in the purification ceremony^b in the name our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and the Spirit had not yet come down on them.

MAN WHO HEARS LEARNS A LESSON

¹⁷When Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) placed their hands on them and prayed, they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸But Man Who Hears (Simon), when he saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the hands of the message bearers, offered them money to get this power.

¹⁹“Give me also this power,” he said to them, “so that anyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰“Both you and your money are on a path to a bad end,” Stands on the Rock (Peter) warned him, “because you thought Creator’s gift could be bought with money! ²¹This message has found no home in you, for your heart is not straight before the Great Spirit. ²²Turn away from these evil thoughts and pray that, if possible, Creator will forgive you for this wrong way of thinking. ²³For I see that a bitter root has poisoned you and an evil power has captured your thinking.”

²⁴“Pray to Creator for me!” Man Who Hears (Simon) said with a trembling voice, “so that nothing you have said will happen to me.”

²⁵So Stands on the Rock (Peter) and He Shows Goodwill (John) continued to speak Creator’s words of truth and then returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). On the way they told the good story about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to many more people in the villages of High Place (Samaria).

A SPIRIT-MESSENGER SPEAKS

²⁶A spirit-messenger from Creator came and spoke to Lover of Horses (Philip).

“Rise up,” the spirit-messenger told him, “and go south on the road that will take you from Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to Strong Place (Gaza).”

This road goes through the desert wilderness. ^27-28So Lover of Horses (Philip) followed the guidance of the spirit-messenger. He got up and began to go toward the south.

MAN FROM EYES OF FIRE

While on the road, he came across a man from Eyes of Fire (Ethiopia). He had great authority because he was a trusted official24 of the female chief of Eyes of Fire (Ethiopia) and managed all her wealth and possessions. This man had traveled to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to participate in the lodge ceremonies and was returning home.

As this man was traveling, he was sitting in a fancy horse-drawn covered wagon25 and reading from the Sacred Teachings of the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah).

²⁹The Spirit of Creator said to Lover of Horses (Philip), “Go and walk next to this covered wagon.”

³⁰So Lover of Horses (Philip) ran to where the man was and overheard him reading from the prophecies of Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah).

“Do you understand what you are reading?” Lover of Horses (Philip) asked him.

³¹“How can I,” the man answered, “unless someone guides me?”

So he welcomed Lover of Horses (Philip) to sit with him. ³²The man was reading these words from the Sacred Teachings: “Like a sheep led to the slaughter or like a lamb being sheared, he was silent and did not open his mouth. ³³He was shamed and denied a fair trial. No one even imagined he had a future, for he was cut down in the prime of his life.”26

³⁴“I ask you,” the man said to Lover of Horses (Philip), “is the prophet speaking about himself or someone else?”

³⁵Then Lover of Horses (Philip) took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and began from that prophecy27 to tell him the good story about Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ³⁶As they traveled the road, they came to a watering hole.

PURIFICATION CEREMONY

“Look!” the man said, “There is much water here. Why should I not participate in the purification ceremony?”28

³⁷“If from your heart you truly believe,” Lover of Horses (Philip) answered, “you may.”

“I believe that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) is the Son of the Great Spirit,” the man replied.29

³⁸He instructed them to stop the carriage, and they both waded out into the water, and Lover of Horses (Philip) performed the purification ceremony^a for him. ³⁹When they came up from the water, Creator’s Spirit snatched Lover of Horses (Philip) away from the man’s sight. So he continued on his journey with a glad heart.

⁴⁰He found himself in Strong Fort (Azotus), and as he walked throughout the territory, he told everyone the good story until he arrived at Chief Village (Caesarea).

A RAMPAGE OF THREATS AND MURDER

¹Man Who Questions (Saul) was on a rampage, breathing threats and murder against the followers of our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He went to the chief holy man ²and asked for written documents to give to the tribal gathering houses in the village of Silent Weaver (Damascus). This would permit him to take any followers of the Way, men or women, bind them in chains, and take them to Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

A VOICE FROM THE WORLD ABOVE

³So on his way to Silent Weaver (Damascus), just as he came near the village, without warning a light from the spirit-world above shone down all around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and then heard a voice speaking.

“Man Who Questions (Saul), Man Who Questions (Saul),” the voice called out his name twice, “why are you pursuing and mistreating me?”

⁵“Honored One,” he asked, “who are you?”

“I am Creator Sets Free (Jesus),” the voice answered, “the one you are pursuing and mistreating. ⁶Now stand to your feet and go into the village. There you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with him stood silent, saying nothing, for they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸Man Who Questions (Saul) stood to his feet and opened his eyes, but he could not see. The ones who were with him took him by the hand and guided him into the village of Silent Weaver (Damascus). ⁹He stayed there without eating or drinking, and after three days he still could not see.

GUIDANCE FROM A SACRED VISION

¹⁰Now in that village there was a man named Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias), a follower of Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He was given a sacred vision from the Great Spirit.

“Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias)!” the voice called out to him in the vision.

“I am here, Honored One!” he answered back.

¹¹“Get up and go to the house of Speaks Well Of (Judas), on the village pathway called Straight. There you must ask for a man from Tree Village (Tarsus) named Man Who Questions (Saul). He is praying right now. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man with your name come to him and lay his hands on him so that he might see again.”

¹³“Honored One,” Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) answered him back, “I have heard of this man and how much harm he has done to your holy people in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ¹⁴The head holy men have given him the authority to put in prison all who call upon your name.”

¹⁵“Go to him,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered him, “for I have chosen this man to represent me to the Outside Nations, to their rulers and to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer in order to represent who I am.”

HE FOLLOWS THE VISION

¹⁷Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) followed the guidance given to him in the vision and went to the house, and there he placed his hands on Man Who Questions (Saul).

“Man Who Questions (Saul), my brother,” he said to him, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus), our Honored Chief, the one who appeared to you on the road, has sent me to you so you may see again and be filled with his Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Right then something like fish scales fell from his eyes and he could see again! Then he stood up and went to participate in the purification ceremony.30 ¹⁹After that he ate some food and his strength returned. He stayed in the village of Silent Weaver (Damascus) for a few days with some followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

HE BEGINS TO TELL THE STORY

²⁰Right away he went to the local gathering houses and began to tell them that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) is the Son of the Great Spirit, ²¹and all who heard him could not believe their ears!

“Is this not the man who in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) was waging war against the ones who called upon this name?” they asked. “Did he not come here to take them bound to the head holy men?”

²²But Man Who Questions (Saul) became more powerful in his speech, proving that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was the Chosen One, leaving the local tribal leaders confused and unable to argue against him.

THE PLOT TO KILL MAN WHO QUESTIONS

²³A few days later the tribal leaders formed a council to put him to death, ²⁴but he found out what they were planning. They kept watch day and night at the village gates so they could take and kill him. ²⁵But some of his followers snuck him out at night by lowering him down in a basket from an opening in the village walls.

²⁶He went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and tried to join together with the followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), but they were afraid and did not trust that he was a true follower. ²⁷But Son of Comfort (Barnabas) came alongside him and took him to the message bearers.

Man Who Questions (Saul) then told them the story of what happened on the road, how he had seen and heard the voice of our Honored Chief. He also told them that he had been representing Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and speaking out boldly to the Tribal Members in the village of Silent Weaver (Damascus).

SPEAKING BOLDLY

²⁸So Man Who Questions (Saul) stayed with them. He walked the roads all around Village of Peace (Jerusalem) representing Creator Sets Free (Jesus) by speaking out boldly about him.

²⁹He spoke to the Greek-speaking tribal leaders arguing with them, but it just made them look for a way to kill him. ³⁰When the members of the sacred family heard about this, they took him away to Chief Village (Caesarea) and from there sent him to Tree Village (Tarsus).

³¹Finally, the sacred family in the territory of the Land of Promise (Judea), Circle of Nations (Galilee), and High Place (Samaria) were at peace and growing strong. As they walked in a sacred manner with great respect for Creator, the Holy Spirit comforted them and made their numbers grow.

A POWERFUL HEALING

³²Stands on the Rock (Peter) was walking the road from place to place. On his journey he came upon some of Creator’s holy ones who lived in the village of Almond Tree (Lydda). ³³There he found a man named Man of Honor (Aeneas), who could not move his body and had been unable to leave his bed for eight winters.

³⁴“Man of Honor (Aeneas),” Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to him, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One heals you! Stand up and fold up your bed blankets.”

The man stood right up, ³⁵and all who lived in Almond Tree (Lydda) and those who lived in Flatland (Sharon) saw him and turned their hearts to Creator’s Honored One.

A RESPECTED WOMAN CROSSES OVER

³⁶Now in the nearby Village of Beauty (Joppa) there lived a follower of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) whose name was Deer Woman (Tabitha), which is translated into our tribal language as Deer Eyes (Dorcas). She was a doer of many good deeds and always gave to the ones who had little. ³⁷During the time that Stands on the Rock (Peter) was in Almond Tree (Lydda), she became ill and crossed over to death. So they ceremonially washed her body and laid her in an upstairs room.

³⁸Since Almond Tree (Lydda) is near to Village of Beauty (Joppa), the followers there sent two men to Stands on the Rock (Peter), begging him to come right away.

³⁹Stands on the Rock (Peter) got right up and went with the men. When they arrived, they took him to where her body lay in the upstairs room. The widows came and stood next to him. The tears rolled down their faces as they showed him the beautiful garments Deer Eyes (Dorcas) had made when she was with them.

POWER OVER DEATH

⁴⁰Stands on the Rock (Peter) sent them all outside. He then fell to his knees and sent his voice to the Great Spirit. After he prayed, he turned toward the dead body of the woman.

“Deer Woman (Tabitha),” he said to her, “get up!”

She opened her eyes, and when she saw Stands on the Rock (Peter), she sat up. ⁴¹He reached out his hand to her and helped her up. He then called all the holy ones and the widows and stood her before them. She was alive! ⁴²Word of this spread throughout all of Village of Beauty (Joppa), and many put their trust in our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

⁴³Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) stayed a good number of days in Village of Beauty (Joppa) in the home of Hearing Man (Simon), a tanner of leather.

A POWERFUL VISION

¹Now there lived a man in Chief Village (Caesarea) whose name was Little Horn (Cornelius). He was a head soldier in the Young Bulls (Italian) band of the People of Iron (Romans). ²He was a spiritual man who had deep respect for the Great Spirit. He, along with all his family, gave with a big heart to the poor and prayed to Creator at all times.

³One day, in the middle of the after-noon, he had a sacred vision. He could clearly see a spirit-messenger from Creator coming toward him.

“Little Horn (Cornelius)!” the messenger said to him.

⁴Little Horn (Cornelius) could only stare at the spirit-messenger and tremble with fear.

“What is it you want, Honored One?” he asked the messenger.

“Your prayers and gifts of kindness have been remembered. They have risen like sweet-smelling smoke to the Great Spirit. ⁵Now you must send messengers to Village of Beauty (Joppa) to find One Who Hears (Simon), who is also named Stands on the Rock (Peter) and ask him to come to your home. ⁶He is lodging at a house near the great waters at the home of Hearing Man (Simon), the tanner of hides.”

⁷After the spirit-messenger who spoke to him had left, Little Horn (Cornelius) called two servants and a trusted soldier from the ones who were under his command. ⁸After he told them everything they needed to know, he sent them to Village of Beauty (Joppa).

ANOTHER SACRED VISION

⁹On the next day, as the messengers were traveling and coming close to the village, Stands on the Rock (Peter) climbed up onto the flat roof of the house to send his voice to Creator. It was about midday. ¹⁰He became hungry and wanted something to eat. As they were cooking the food, he fell into a trance and had a sacred vision.

¹¹He saw an opening in the sky and something like a large, soft blanket that was being lowered to the ground by its four corners. ¹²On the blanket were all kinds of four-legged animals, creeping things from the ground, and winged ones who soar in the sky.

¹³“Stands on the Rock (Peter), rise up!” a voice said to him. “Kill and eat.”

¹⁴“I cannot, O Honored One!” he answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

¹⁵Then the Voice spoke to him a second time, “What the Great Spirit has made clean, you must not consider impure.”

¹⁶This was repeated three times, and then the blanket was taken right back up into the spirit-world above.

THE MESSENGERS FROM LITTLE HORN ARRIVE

¹⁷Stands on the Rock (Peter) was troubled, trying to understand the meaning of the vision. At the same time the men who were sent by Little Horn (Cornelius) stood at the gate ¹⁸and called out to see whether Stands on the Rock (Peter) was lodging there.

¹⁹While Stands on the Rock (Peter) was meditating on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you. ²⁰Now rise up, go down into the house, and do not hesitate to go with these men, because I have sent them.”

²¹So Stands on the Rock (Peter) went down from the rooftop to where the men were and said to them, “I am the one you are looking for. What is it you want from me?”

²²“Little Horn (Cornelius), who is a head soldier of the People of Iron (Romans), sent us. He is a man with a good heart who has deep respect for the Great Spirit and is well spoken of by all in your tribal nation. He was instructed by a sacred spirit-messenger to send messengers to you, to ask you to come to his house so he can hear your words.”

HE GOES WITH THE MESSENGERS

²³Stands on the Rock (Peter) then welcomed them into the house and gave them lodging for the night. The next day he awoke and set out with them, and some of his spiritual brothers from Village of Beauty (Joppa) also went along.

²⁴On the following day they came to Chief Village (Caesarea). Little Horn (Cornelius), who was waiting for them to come, had gathered together many relatives and close friends.

IN THE HOUSE OF OUTSIDERS

²⁵As soon as Stands on the Rock (Peter) came into the house, Little Horn (Cornelius) dropped to his knees and began to pray to him.31 ²⁶But Stands on the Rock (Peter) made him stand to his feet.

“Stand up!” he said to him, “I am only a weak human being, just as you are.”

²⁷Stands on the Rock (Peter) kept talking to him as they went inside the house. There he saw all the people who had gathered to hear him.

²⁸“As all of you must know,” he said to them, “it is against our law for a Tribal Member like myself to have anything to do with someone from an Outside Nation. But Creator has helped me to see that I should not consider anyone to be impure or unclean. ²⁹So when I was asked to come here, I did not hesitate to come. So tell me, why have you sent for me?”

LITTLE HORN TELLS HIS STORY

³⁰Little Horn (Cornelius) spoke up and said to him, “It has now been four days to this very hour. In the middle of the afternoon, while I was praying, I looked up and saw a man standing before me, and his garments were shining bright.

³¹“‘Little Horn (Cornelius),’ he said to me, ‘your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have risen like sweet-smelling smoke before the Great Spirit. He has remembered what you have done. ³²Send messengers to Village of Beauty (Joppa) to One Who Hears (Simon), who is also named Stands on the Rock (Peter), and ask him to come. He is lodging at the house of Hearing Man (Simon), a tanner of hides, who lives near the great waters.’

³³“I sent for you right away, and I thank you for coming. So we have all gathered here, in the sight of the Great Spirit, to hear what Creator has instructed you to tell us.”

STANDS ON THE ROCK SPEAKS TO ALL

³⁴Stands on the Rock (Peter) took another deep breath, opened his mouth, and began.

“I speak from my heart,” he said to them. “I now see that Creator does not favor one human being over another. ³⁵He accepts people of all nations who have a deep respect for him and do what is right.

³⁶“This is the message he has given to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), a message of peace that comes through Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. He is the one who has been honored above all others!

³⁷“You must have heard about it. It all began with the purification ceremony32 announced by He Shows Goodwill (John) in Circle of Nations (Galilee). From there his message has spread like wildfire throughout the Land of Promise (Judea).

³⁸“It is the story of how the Great Spirit chose Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth), and how the power of Holy Spirit came to rest upon him. How he walked the land, with Creator at his side, doing good and healing all who were pushed down and crushed by the evil trickster.

³⁹“We are his message bearers, telling the truth about all that he did in the territory of our Tribal Members and in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), where they had him killed by hanging him on a tree. ⁴⁰He is the one whom Creator, on the third day, brought back to life from the world of the dead. He then appeared, ⁴¹not to everyone, but to us, the ones he chose ahead of time to tell the truth about what we saw, we who ate and drank with him after he returned to life from the dead.

⁴²“He has instructed us to tell this story in a sacred manner, so that all people will know that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) has been chosen by the Great Spirit to decide the fate of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets from long ago have spoken of him, that all who put their trust in him will be released from their bad hearts and broken ways through his name.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES DOWN

⁴⁴While Stands on the Rock (Peter) was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down upon all who were listening to his words. ^45-46They began to speak in new languages and give praise and honor to the Great Spirit. This amazed the Tribal Members who came with Stands on the Rock (Peter), for they could hear and see with their own eyes that even on people from Outside Nations, the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out.

Then Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to all, ⁴⁷“Who can now refuse water for these people to participate in the purification ceremony?^a For they have received the Holy Spirit in the same manner that we did.”

⁴⁸So he instructed them to participate in the purification ceremony^a in the name of the Chosen One Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and all he represents, welcoming them into the sacred family.

After that they asked Stands on the Rock (Peter) to remain with them for a number of days.

STANDS ON THE ROCK IS QUESTIONED

¹Back in the Land of Promise (Judea), the message bearers and other followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard that people from the Outside Nations had welcomed Creator’s message. ²So when Stands on the Rock (Peter) returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the strict Tribal Members there began to question him.

³“How is it that you went into the house of Outsiders and ate with them?” they asked.

STANDS ON THE ROCK RETELLS HIS STORY

⁴So he told them, step by step, the journey he had been on.

⁵“In the Village of Beauty (Joppa), where I was lodging, I was sending my voice to the Great Spirit. I went into a trance and was given a sacred vision. I saw something that looked like a large, soft blanket coming down from the sky, being lowered by its four corners. As it came near to me, ⁶I looked into it wondering what it was. I saw four-legged animals of the land, wild animals, snakes, creeping things, and winged ones who soar in the sky.

⁷“Then I heard a Voice say, ‘Stands on the Rock (Peter), kill and eat.’

⁸“‘I cannot! O Honored One,’ I answered, ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’

⁹“Then the Voice from the spirit-world above spoke to me a second time, ‘If Creator has made it clean, then you must not consider it impure.’

¹⁰“This happened three times. Then the blanket was taken back up into the spirit-world above. ¹¹Right then three men who had been sent to me from Chief Village (Caesarea) arrived at the house where we were lodging. ¹²The Spirit told me to have no doubts about going with them. So I and six spiritual brothers went to the man’s house and were welcomed inside.

¹³“The man of the house told us how he had seen a spirit-messenger standing in his house. The messenger told him to send a message to Village of Beauty (Joppa) to One Who Hears (Simon), who is also named Stands on the Rock (Peter), ¹⁴who will tell you and all your family and friends how to be set free and made whole.

¹⁵“Just as I was beginning to speak to them, the Holy Spirit came down upon them in the same manner he did for us at first. ¹⁶Then I remembered what our Wisdomkeeper had said to us: ‘He Shows Goodwill (John) performed the purification ceremony33 with water, but you will participate in the purification ceremony^a with the Holy Spirit.’

¹⁷“If Creator gave them the same gift he gave to us when we put our trust in our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, who was I to stand in the way of the Great Spirit?”

¹⁸When they heard these words, they sat there in silence with nothing to say. Then they gave honor to Creator.

“So then,” they said with wondering voices, “the Great Spirit has also given the Outside Nations the way to return to the path of life.”

TELLING THE GOOD STORY

¹⁹The ones who had been scattered because of the persecution that began when Many Feathers (Stephen) was killed had made their way as far as Land of Palm Trees (Phoenicia), Island of Flowers (Cyprus), and Stands Against (Antioch). They were telling the good story, but only to the Tribal Members, not to anyone from the Outside Nations.

²⁰But there were others, men from Island of Flowers (Cyprus) and Land of Power (Cyrene), who came to Stands Against (Antioch) and began to tell the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) from Outside Nations about Creator Sets Free (Jesus), our Honored Chief. ²¹The strong hand of the Great Spirit was with them, and a large number of them trusted in our Honored Chief.

²²Word of this came to the ears of the sacred family in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ^23-24So they sent to them Son of Comfort (Barnabas), a good-hearted man who was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. When he saw Creator’s great kindness at work in them, it made his heart glad. He then spoke wise counsel to them, telling them to have brave hearts and to stand strong, looking to our Honored Chief.

²⁵So he went to Tree Village (Tarsus) to look for Man Who Questions (Saul). ²⁶When he found him, he took him back to Stands Against (Antioch). For a whole year they gathered there, together with the sacred family. There they taught a large number of people. It was in the village of Stands Against (Antioch) that the followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were first called Followers of the Chosen One.

²⁷It was in those days that some prophets came down from Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to the village of Stands Against (Antioch). ²⁸One of them, named Grasshopper (Agabus), foretold by the Spirit that soon there would be a shortage of food all over the territory of the People of Iron (Romans). This happened during the rule of Walks with a Limp (Claudius).

²⁹So the followers who lived in Stands Against (Antioch) decided to send help to the sacred family in the Land of Promise (Judea)—as much as they could spare. ³⁰Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Man Who Questions (Saul) hand-carried the gifts to the elders.

MORE PERSECUTION

¹During those days, Looks Brave (Herod)34 used his power as chief to bring harm to the sacred family. ²He had He Takes Over (James) the brother of He Shows Goodwill (John) killed with the long knife. ³When he found out that this pleased the corrupt tribal leaders, he decided to take Stands on the Rock (Peter) captive also—during the Festival of Bread Without Yeast. ⁴After capturing him, he put him in prison and assigned sixteen soldiers to guard him—four at a time. Looks Brave (Herod) planned to bring him before the people during the Passover festival.

RESCUED BY A SPIRIT-MESSENGER

⁵But while Stands on the Rock (Peter) was in prison, the sacred family prayed for him with strong hearts as they sent their voices to the Great Spirit.

⁶On the night before Looks Brave (Herod) was planning to bring him before the people, Stands on the Rock (Peter) was sound asleep between two soldiers who were guarding him. He was bound with two chains, and more guards were guarding the prison gate.

⁷Out of nowhere a spirit-messenger from Creator appeared, and a light shone all around them. The spirit-messenger nudged Stands on the Rock (Peter) in his side to wake him up.

“Get up quickly!” the messenger instructed him, and right then the chains fell from his hands. ⁸“Tighten your sash and put on your moccasins,” he added. He did so, and the messenger said, “Now put on your outer garment and follow me.”

⁹Stands on the Rock (Peter) went out with the spirit-messenger, but he thought he was having a vision and did not know it was really happening. ¹⁰They had passed by the first guard, then the second, when they came to the iron gate that leads into the village. The gate opened by itself, they walked down a village path, and right then the messenger left him.

¹¹After his thoughts cleared up, he said to himself, “Now I know for sure that Creator has sent his spirit- messenger to rescue me from the hand of Looks Brave (Herod) and from all that the Tribal Members thought would happen to me.”

AT THE HOUSE OF SOBER TEARS

¹²So Stands on the Rock (Peter) went to the home of Sober Tears (Mary), the mother of Walks in Kindness (John), who is also named War Club (Mark). Many of the sacred family had gathered there praying for him.

¹³He knocked at the gate outside the door, and a servant girl named Rose Bush (Rhoda) went to answer. ¹⁴When she recognized the voice of Stands on the Rock (Peter), she ran back inside without opening the gate and told everyone it was Stands on the Rock (Peter) who was at the gate.

¹⁵“You have lost your mind!” they said to her, but she assured them that it was he.

“It must be his spirit-messenger,” they kept saying to each other.

¹⁶Meanwhile Stands on the Rock (Peter) was still knocking at the gate. When they opened the door and saw him at the gate, they could not believe their eyes. ¹⁷Stands on the Rock (Peter) motioned to them with his hand to be silent. He then told them how Creator had rescued him from the prison.

“Tell He Leads the Way (James) and the others what has happened,” he said to them. He then left to go to another place.

¹⁸The next morning the soldiers who were guarding Stands on the Rock (Peter) were in a big uproar, for he was gone! ¹⁹Looks Brave (Herod) came and searched for him also. When he could not find him, he questioned the guards and then ordered them to be put to death. He then traveled down from the Land of Promise (Judea) to Chief Village (Caesarea) and stayed there.

EATEN BY WORMS

²⁰Looks Brave (Herod) was angry with the people of Rock Land (Tyre) and Hunting Grounds (Sidon), so they sent some messengers to him to make peace, for their people depended on the food that came from the land Looks Brave (Herod) ruled over. The messengers won the favor of Budding Branch (Blastus), the most trusted servant of Looks Brave (Herod).

²¹After that Looks Brave (Herod) chose a day to make his decision about this matter. He put on his chiefly regalia and sat down on the Seat of Deciding to speak to the people using many words.

²²The crowd began to shout, “This is not the voice of a man, but of a great spirit!”

²³Because Looks Brave (Herod) did not give the honor over to the Great Spirit, a spirit-messenger from Creator struck him down. He was then eaten by worms and crossed over to death.

²⁴Meanwhile, Creator’s message continued to grow strong among the people and to spread far and wide. ²⁵Their task was now complete, so Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Man Who Questions (Saul) returned from Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to Stands Against (Antioch), taking with them Walks in Kindness (John) who was also named War Club (Mark).

PROPHETS AND TEACHERS

¹There were prophets and teachers among the sacred family that gathered in Stands Against (Antioch). There was Son of Comfort (Barnabas), Creator Hears (Simeon) who was also called Black Man (Niger), also Bright Light (Lucius) from Land of Power (Cyrene), Man of Comfort (Manaen) who was taken into the family of Chief Looks Brave (Herod),35 and Man Who Questions (Saul).

²They were performing their ceremonies to Creator and going without food when the Holy Spirit spoke to them, “Set apart Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Man Who Questions (Saul), so they can do what I have chosen them to do.”

NEW MESSAGE BEARERS SENT OUT

³So after they continued to go without food and pray, they laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. ⁴Then Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Man Who Questions (Saul) followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit and journeyed to Crashing Waves (Seleucia). From there they canoed to Island of Flowers (Cyprus).

⁵When they came to Village of Salt (Salamis), they went to the local tribal gathering house. There, with the help of Walks in Kindness (John), they began to share Creator’s message with them.

CONFLICT WITH A FALSE PROPHET

⁶They traveled the whole island as far as Foaming Water (Paphos). There they met a man named Son of He Sets Free (Bar-Jesus), a Tribal Member and false prophet who practiced bad medicine. ⁷He was with the local official of the People of Iron (Romans), whose name was Small One Who Serves (Sergius Paulus), a man of understanding, who had sent for Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Man Who Questions (Saul) because he wanted to hear Creator’s message.

⁸But the bad medicine man, who was also called Wise One (Elymas) in the local language, opposed them and tried to turn the official from believing their message. ⁹Then Man Who Questions (Saul), with the power of the Holy Spirit, looked straight into his eyes.

¹⁰“You son of the evil trickster!” he spoke sharply to Wise One (Elymas). “You who speak with a forked tongue! You are the enemy of all that is good and right. When will you ever stop making Creator’s straight paths crooked? ¹¹Keep your eyes open while you can. Creator’s hand is against you, and for a while your eyes will not see, even the light of the sun.”

As soon as Man Who Questions (Saul) finished speaking, a mist of darkness came upon the man, and he stumbled about looking for someone to take him by the hand. ¹²When the official saw what happened, he believed and was struck with wonder at the lesson Creator had given.

THEY CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY

¹³At Foaming Water (Paphos) Small Man (Paul)36 and the ones who were with him set out in their canoes and journeyed to Earth Village (Perga) in the territory of Many Tribes (Pamphylia). From there Walks in Kindness (John) left them and returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

SMALL MAN TELLS THE GOOD STORY

¹⁴But Small Man (Paul) and the others continued on and went to another village, named Stands Against (Antioch) in the territory of Tree Sap (Pisidia). On the next Day of Resting they went into the local tribal gathering house and sat down. ¹⁵After the people read out loud from the Law and the Prophets, the headmen of the gathering house sent a message to them.

“Fellow Tribal Members,” the message said, “If there is anything you want to say to encourage the people, please speak up.”

¹⁶So Small Man (Paul) stood up, motioned with his hands, and said, “Men from the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) and all who have deep respect for the Great Spirit, listen to me now! ¹⁷The Great Spirit of our people chose to make our ancestors into a great nation when they were still slaves in Black Land (Egypt). He then lifted them up with his strong arm and led them out into the desert wilderness. ¹⁸There he put up with their ways for forty winters. ¹⁹He then defeated seven nations in the territory of Lowland (Canaan) and gave their land to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) for the generations that would follow. ²⁰All this took about four hundred and fifty winters in all.

“After that he gave them spiritual leaders37 until the days of the prophet Creator Hears Him (Samuel). ²¹When they asked for an earthly chief, Creator gave them Man Who Questions (Saul) the son of Sets His Trap (Kish) from the tribe of Son of My Right Hand (Benjamin), who was their chief for forty winters.

²²“After removing him as chief, Creator chose Much Loved One (David) to be the chief of our ancestors. This is what he said about him: ‘I have found one who makes my heart glad, who will do all that I ask of him. He is Much Loved One (David) son of Original Man (Jesse).’

²³“Creator has kept his promise to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) and has raised up a descendant of Much Loved One (David) to be the one to set his people free from their bad hearts and wrongdoings. This descendant is Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²⁴“Before Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came to us, the Great Spirit first sent He Shows Goodwill (John), who announced a purification ceremony38 to return our tribes to the right way of thinking and walking. ²⁵When the work of He Shows Goodwill (John) was coming to an end, he said many times, ‘Do you think I am the Chosen One? I am not. I am not worthy to untie the moccasins of the one who is coming after I am done.’

²⁶“My fellow members of the sacred family, descendants of Father of Many Nations (Abraham), and all who have deep respect for the Great Spirit, it is to all of us that this message has been given. This is a message that will set us free and make us whole.

^27-28“It was the people who live in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and their leaders, who had him put to death because they did not recognize him. Even though they failed to understand the words of the prophets, which are read out loud on every Day of Resting, they fulfilled these words when they had Spear of the Great Waters (Pilate) put him to death—even though he had done nothing wrong.

²⁹“Then, when they did all that was foretold about him, they lowered him from the tree and laid him in a burial cave. ³⁰But the Great Spirit brought him back to life, ³¹and for many days he was seen by the ones who had walked the road with him from Circle of Nations (Galilee) to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). They are now his truth tellers to the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

THE PROMISE HAS COME TRUE

³²“Today, we are here to tell you this good story that completes the promise that was made to our ancestors. ³³The Giver of Life has made his promise come true for us, their descendants, by raising up Creator Sets Free (Jesus), just as it says in the second Sacred Song (psalm), ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’39

³⁴“To show that he would raise up Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from the dead, to never die again, he said, ‘I will gift you with the sacred promises spoken to Much Loved One (David).’40

³⁵“And, here is another verse from the book of Sacred Songs (Psalms), where it says, ‘You will not let the body of your Holy One return to the ground.’41

³⁶“It is clear that Much Loved One (David), after he served Creator’s purpose for the people of his own day, crossed over into the death-sleep, was buried with his ancestors, and his body returned to the ground. ³⁷But the body of the one that Creator raised up did not return to the ground.

FINAL WORDS

^38-39“My fellow Tribal Members, I want you to know that it is through Creator Sets Free (Jesus) that we are released from our bad hearts and broken ways. Whoever trusts in him is set free and put into good standing with Creator. This is something the law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses) could never do.

⁴⁰“So then,” Small Man (Paul) said as he finished his talk, “make sure that another thing the prophets foretold does not happen to you, for they said, ⁴¹‘Watch out, you who laugh and scorn! You will die in your amazement, for I am doing something you will not believe even when you are told that it has happened!’42”

THE PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR MORE

⁴²As they were leaving, the people begged them to stay and talk with them again on the next Day of Resting. ⁴³After the meeting at the gathering house ended, many of the Tribal Members and others who had been ceremonially taken into the tribe followed after Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas), who urged them to keep walking in Creator’s gift of great kindness.

A LIGHT TO THE OUTSIDE NATIONS

⁴⁴Seven days later, on the following Day of Resting, almost the whole village gathered together to hear Creator’s word. ⁴⁵But the local Tribal Members became jealous when they saw how large the crowd was. They spoke lies against Small Man (Paul) and argued against everything he said. But both Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) stood up to them.

⁴⁶“It was of great importance,” they said with strong hearts, “that we would bring Creator’s message first to you who are our Tribal Members. But now that you have shown no respect for this message and decided that you are not worthy of the life of the world to come, we will turn to the people from the Outside Nations.

⁴⁷“For this is what the Great Spirit instructed us to do when he said, ‘I have chosen you to be a light to all nations, so that all who live upon the earth may know Creator’s power to rescue and make them whole.’”43

⁴⁸When the ones who were from other nations heard this, it made their hearts glad, and they honored Creator’s message. And all who had been chosen from long ago for the life of the world to come that never fades away, put their trust in the message.

⁴⁹So Creator’s message spread throughout the whole territory. ⁵⁰But the Tribal Members stirred up the spiritual leaders, both the women and men, against Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and forced them out of that area. ⁵¹So they shook the dust from their moccasins, as a sign against them, and went from there to Spirit Village (Iconium).

⁵²The followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

CONFLICT IN SPIRIT VILLAGE

¹The same thing happened at Spirit Village (Iconium). Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) went to the local tribal gathering house and spoke with such powerful words that many Tribal Members and Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) put their trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²But the Tribal Members who did not believe poisoned the minds of the people from Outside Nations and turned them against their new family members. ³So the message bearers, Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas), remained there a long time and spoke with boldness about our Honored Chief. Through their hands Creator did many wonderful and powerful signs, confirming the message of the gift of his great kindness.

⁴But the people of Spirit Village (Iconium) were split apart. Some stood with the Tribal Members and some with the message bearers. ^5-6But when the message bearers heard that some of the Tribal Members and Outsiders, along with their rulers, were planning to harm them and even stone them to death, they fled for safety. They went to the villages of She Wolf (Lycaonia), Set Free (Lystra), Hide Tanner (Derbe), and their surrounding territories. ⁷And everywhere they went they told the good story.

A POWERFUL HEALING

⁸Now in the village of Set Free (Lystra) sat a man who was born with bad feet and unable to walk. ⁹He sat listening as Small Man (Paul) was speaking. Small Man (Paul) looked closely at the man and saw that he had faith to be healed.

¹⁰“Stand up on your feet!” he said with a loud voice.

The man jumped to his feet and began walking.

¹¹When the crowd of people saw what Small Man (Paul) had done, they all began to shout in their local language, “Powerful spirits44 have come down to us in the form of human beings!”

¹²Son of Comfort (Barnabas) they called Skyfather (Zeus), and Small Man (Paul) they called High Messenger (Hermes) because he was the chief speaker. ¹³The sacred lodge of Skyfather (Zeus) was at the village gate, and the holy man of the lodge, along with the people, brought out cattle wearing ceremonial wreaths to make an offering to Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas).

¹⁴When the two message bearers heard what was happening, in humble desperation they tore their clothes and rushed out to the center of the crowd.

¹⁵“Friends!” they shouted. “Why are you doing this? We are only weak two-leggeds like yourselves. We came to tell you the good story so you would turn away from these empty ways and turn to the Great Spirit, who is the maker of the sky, the earth, the great waters, and everything in them. ¹⁶In past generations he permitted all nations to walk in their own ways, ¹⁷yet in his goodness he gave each of us signs of his existence. He gave us rain from the sky above and seasons of harvest to feed us and make our hearts glad.”

¹⁸Even these words barely kept the people from sacrificing an offering to them. ¹⁹But some Tribal Members from Stands Against (Antioch) and Spirit Village (Iconium) came and caused people to listen to their lies and turned them against Small Man (Paul). They threw stones at him and dragged him outside the village, thinking he was dead. ²⁰But when some followers gathered around him, he got up and returned to the village. The next day he and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) left to go to the village of Hide Tanner (Derbe).

THEY FINISH THEIR JOURNEY

²¹After telling the good story in that village and making many new followers, they made their way back through the village of Set Free (Lystra), then on to Spirit Village (Iconium), and back to Stands Against (Antioch), where they began their journeys.

²²On the way they strengthened the hearts of the new followers, telling them to stand tall as they walked this path of trusting.

“Following Creator’s good road to the end,” they counseled them, “is a difficult path with many hardships.”

²³They chose elders to watch over every sacred family gathering. After praying and going without food, they dedicated them to our Honored Chief in whom they had put their trust.

²⁴On their journey they walked back through the territory of Tree Sap (Pisidia) and Many Tribes (Pamphylia). ²⁵There in Earth Village (Perga) they told the good story to the people before traveling on to the village of Grows More (Attalia). ²⁶From there they traveled by water to Stands Against (Antioch), where, by Creator’s great kindness, they had been sent out on this journey that was now complete.

²⁷After arriving, they gathered the sacred family together and told the story of all that Creator had done among them, about how he had opened a pathway of faith for all Nations. ²⁸And they remained there with the sacred family for a long time.

THE COUNCIL AT VILLAGE OF PEACE

¹While Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) were in Stands Against (Antioch), some men came down from the Land of Promise (Judea) and began to teach the followers there.

They said, “Unless you have participated in the traditional cutting of the flesh ceremony, given by Drawn from the Water (Moses), you cannot be set free and made whole.”

²But Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) did not agree with them and had a strong argument with them. It was decided that Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas), along with a few others, would go to the message bearers and elders at Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to settle this among them.

³So, having been sent on their way by the sacred family, they traveled through Land of Palm Trees (Phoenicia) and High Place (Samaria). As they traveled, they told how the Outside Nations had come to faith. This made the hearts of all the followers glad.

⁴When they came to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the message bearers, elders, and the sacred family welcomed them. They told them the stories of all that the Great Spirit had done through them. ⁵But some of the sacred family members who belonged to the band of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) stood up among them to make their voice heard.

“The Outside Nations,” said the Separated Ones (Pharisees), “must participate in the cutting of the flesh ceremony and be required to follow our tribal law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses).”

⁶The message bearers and elders sat in council together to discuss this matter. ⁷After much talk and debate, Stands on the Rock (Peter) stood up among them.

“My fellow members of the sacred family,” he said to all, “you know that a good while ago Creator chose me to be the one to help the Outside Nations come to faith by telling them the good story. ⁸The Knower of Hearts made this clear when he gave them the Holy Spirit in the same manner as he did for us. ⁹The Great Spirit made no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts when they trusted in him. ¹⁰So why put Creator to the test by putting a burden on their shoulders that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to carry?

¹¹“So then,” Stands on the Rock (Peter) finished, “we believe it is because of the gift of great kindness from Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, that we will be set free and made whole. It is the same for us and them!”

¹²Silence fell upon all who had gathered there as they listened to Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Small Man (Paul) tell about the wondrous and powerful signs the Great Spirit had done through them when they were with the Outside Nations.

MORE DISCUSSION

¹³When they were finished speaking, He Leads the Way (James) stood up and spoke to the gathering.

“My fellow Tribal Members,” he said. “Hear what I have to say. ¹⁴One Who Hears (Simon) has spoken well to remind us of how the Great Spirit first showed to us his concern for the Outside Nations, by choosing from among them those who would represent him. ¹⁵This agrees with the words of the prophets from long ago.

“It is written in the Sacred Teachings, ¹⁶‘At that time I will return and repair the sacred tent of Much Loved One (David) that has fallen to the ground. I will raise it up from its tattered ruins and mend its tears, ¹⁷so that the rest of humankind may search for the Great Spirit—all the Outside Nations who have also been chosen to represent me. This is what Creator is saying, ¹⁸for he made these things known long ago.’45

¹⁹“So, as I see it, we should not put stumbling stones in the path of the ones in these Outside Nations who are turning to the Great Spirit. ²⁰The message we should send to them is that they should stay away from things offered to evil spirits,46 from sexual impurity, from the meat of a strangled animal, and from drinking blood. ²¹For from ancient times the ways of Drawn from the Water (Moses) have been taught in every village, and his words are read out loud in the tribal gathering houses on every Day of Resting.”

THE COUNCIL DECIDES

²²Then the message bearers, the elders, and all of the sacred family agreed that it was a good thing to choose some men, along with Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas), to take a message to Stands Against (Antioch). They chose Speaks Well Of (Judas) who is also called Son of Resting (Barsabbas) and Woods Man (Silas), spiritual leaders among the sacred family.

THE COUNCIL WRITES A MESSAGE

²³Here is the message they sent in a letter: “Greetings, from the message bearers and elders of the sacred family, to our brothers and sisters who are from the Outside Nations in the villages of Stands Against (Antioch), Bright Sun (Syria), and Turns Over (Cilicia).

²⁴“We heard that some of our people came to you, even though we did not send them, and that they said things that troubled and confused you. ²⁵We all agreed it would be good to send some men to represent us—along with our much-loved Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Small Man (Paul). ²⁶These are men who have risked their lives representing our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One. ²⁷So we sent Speaks Well Of (Judas) and Woods Man (Silas) to tell you the same things we have written.

²⁸“So then, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to place on you no burden other than these necessary things: ²⁹that you stay away from things offered to evil spirits, from drinking blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual impurity. If you stay away from these things you will be walking in a good way. Safe journeys to you.”

THE MESSAGE IS SENT

³⁰So they sent the messengers to Stands Against (Antioch). ³¹When they gathered everyone together and read the message, their hearts were encouraged and made glad. ³²Speaks Well Of (Judas) and Woods Man (Silas), who were also prophets, lifted their spirits and made their hearts strong with many words.

RETURN TO VILLAGE OF PEACE

³³After some time there, they sent the messengers back with a blessing of peace on those who had sent them. ³⁴Woods Man (Silas) thought it good to remain there.47 ³⁵Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) also remained in Stands Against (Antioch). There, along with many others, they taught the message of the good story about our Honored Chief.

SEPARATE WAYS

³⁶After they had stayed there for a while, Small Man (Paul) said to Son of Comfort (Barnabas), “Come with me and we will visit the sacred family in every village where we taught Creator’s message, to see how well they are doing.”

³⁷Now Son of Comfort (Barnabas) wanted Walks in Kindness (John), who is also named War Club (Mark), to go with them. ³⁸But Small Man (Paul) did not think it wise, for he had deserted them in the territory of Many Tribes (Pamphylia) and did not complete his task.

³⁹Their argument became so strong that they split apart and went their separate ways. Son of Comfort (Barnabas) took War Club (Mark) and set out by water for Island of Flowers (Cyprus), ⁴⁰but Small Man (Paul) chose Woods Man (Silas). So they were given Creator’s blessing by the sacred family and set out, ⁴¹traveling through Bright Sun (Syria) and Turns Over (Cilicia). There they gave strength to the sacred family gatherings in that territory.

HE GIVES HONOR JOINS THE JOURNEY

¹Small Man (Paul) also went to the village of Hide Tanner (Derbe) and then to Set Free (Lystra). In that village was a follower named He Gives Honor (Timothy). His mother was a Tribal Woman who trusted in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and his father was from an Outside Nation.48 ²He Gives Honor (Timothy) was well spoken of by the sacred family at Set Free (Lystra) and Spirit Village (Iconium).

³Small Man (Paul) wanted to take He Gives Honor (Timothy) with him, so he performed the cutting of the flesh ceremony for him, because of the Tribal People in the area who knew his father was from an Outside Nation.^b

⁴As they journeyed through the villages, they instructed the sacred family gatherings to follow the decisions made by the message bearers and elders who were in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵So the members of the sacred family were made strong in the faith, and their numbers grew larger each day.

GUIDANCE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT

⁶Small Man (Paul) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) continued their journey through the territory of Dry Wood (Phrygia) and Land of Pale Skinned People (Galatia), for the Holy Spirit had held them back from telling the good story in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). ⁷When they came to Land of Beech Trees (Mysia), they tried to go to Rushing Storm (Bithynia), but the Spirit of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would not permit them. ⁸So they went around Land of Beech Trees (Mysia) and traveled on to the village of Cut Through (Troas).

⁹During the night Small Man (Paul) had a vision in which he saw a man from Land of Tall People (Macedonia) standing in front of him. The man was begging him and saying, “Come over to our land and help us!”

¹⁰When the vision was done, right away we tried to go into the Land of Tall People (Macedonia), trusting that Creator had chosen us to tell them the good story.

¹¹So we set off by water straight from Cut Through (Troas) to Sign of Rags (Samothrace). The next day we came to New Village (Neapolis), ¹²and from there we went on to Village of Horses (Philippi), the chief village of Land of Tall People (Macedonia) under the rule of the People of Iron (Romans). There we remained for a number of days.

WELCOMED BY A WOMAN OF FAITH

¹³Then on the Day of Resting we went outside of the village gate to a nearby river to find a place to send our voices to the Great Spirit. We sat down on the riverbank and spoke to some women who had gathered there. ¹⁴One of the women there, named Bitter Fruit (Lydia), from High Rock House (Thyatira), was a trader in purple cloths and had great respect for Creator. As Small Man (Paul) spoke, she listened closely to the message, and Creator opened her heart. ¹⁵She and her family then participated in the purification ceremony.49

“If you consider me to be one who trusts in our Honored Chief,” she said to us firmly, “then you must come and stay at my house.” And she would not take no for an answer.

THEY FORCE OUT AN EVIL SPIRIT

¹⁶As we were on our way to where we gathered for prayer, a slave-girl who had an evil snake spirit met us.50 She brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.

¹⁷She began to follow after Small Man (Paul) and shout out loud, “These men, who serve the One Above Us All, are showing us the way to be set free and made whole.”

¹⁸She did this for many days. By so doing, she greatly troubled Small Man (Paul), who finally turned and spoke to the evil spirit, “As one who represents Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, I tell you now to come out of this woman!”

¹⁹Right away the spirit left her. When her owners saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they took hold of Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) and dragged them to the village rulers at the trading post.

ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED

²⁰They brought them before the village council and said, “These men are from the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). They are bringing trouble to our village ²¹by trying to force their tribal customs on us. Since we are of the People of Iron (Romans), we are not permitted to accept or follow these customs.”

²²The people who had gathered there also began to speak against them, so the village council stripped their clothes off them and gave orders for them to be beaten with sticks. ²³When they finished beating them, they threw them into prison and told the headman of the prison to lock them up. ²⁴So he followed his instructions, put them deep into the prison, and locked their feet in iron bindings.

AN EARTHQUAKE OPENS PRISON DOORS

²⁵In the middle of the night Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) were sending up prayers and singing sacred songs to the Great Spirit. The other prisoners were listening, ²⁶when suddenly the earth began to shake violently, and the stones holding the prison up began to tremble. Right then the prison doors were opened, and everyone’s iron bindings fell off.

THE HEADMAN BECOMES A FOLLOWER

²⁷When the headman of the prison woke up and saw all the prison doors standing open, he took his long knife and was going to kill himself, for he thought all the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸But Small Man (Paul) shouted out to him, “Do not harm yourself, we are all here!”

²⁹The headman of the prison asked for a torch, and, trembling with fear, he rushed inside and fell down before Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas).

³⁰He then took them outside and said, “What must I do to be set free and made whole?”

³¹“Put your trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), our Honored Chief,” they said to him. “He will make you whole and set you and all your family free to follow him.”

³²Then they told Creator’s good story to him and all his family. ³³It was still late in the night, but the headman took Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) and washed their wounds. Then right away the headman and his family all participated in the purification ceremony.51 ³⁴He then invited them into his home and fed them. His heart was glad because he and all his family had put their trust in the Great Spirit.

THE COUNCIL RELEASES THEM

³⁵In the morning the village council sent messengers, saying, “Release these men.”

³⁶So the headman of the prison told Small Man (Paul), “The council has instructed me to release you. You may go in peace.”

³⁷But Small Man (Paul) said, “We are citizens of the People of Iron (Romans)! They have beaten us before the village without a trial and thrown us in prison, and now they would send us away in secret? No! Let them come here and take us out themselves!”

³⁸The messengers went back and reported what they said to the village council. When they heard that they were citizens of the People of Iron (Romans), they were afraid. ³⁹So they came and apologized to them, released them, and asked them to leave the village. ⁴⁰So after they left the prison, they went to the home of Bitter Fruit (Lydia). There they encouraged the sacred family, and then left to continue their journey.

THE MESSAGE BRINGS COMFORT AND CONFLICT

¹After traveling through Circle Village (Amphipolis) and Village of Destroyer (Apollonia), they came to a tribal gathering house at the village of False Victory (Thessalonica). ²As was his custom, Small Man (Paul) went to the gathering house on the next three Days of Resting. He tried to convince them from the Sacred Teachings, ³explaining and proving to them that the Chosen One had to suffer and then rise again from the dead.

Then he said to them, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one I have been telling you about, is the Chosen One!”

⁴Some of them were won over and joined with Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas), including a large number of Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) who had deep respect for Creator and also many of the local headwomen.

⁵But the Tribal Members became jealous. Banding together with some troublemakers from the trading post, they gathered a crowd and caused an uprising in the village. They broke into the house of a man named Healer (Jason), looking for Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) so they could bring them before the people. ⁶Not finding them there, they took hold of Healer (Jason) and some of the other sacred family members and dragged them before the village council.

“The ones who have turned the world upside down,” they shouted, “have also come here! ⁷And Healer (Jason) has welcomed them into his house. They are going against the laws of the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), by saying there is another ruler—Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

⁸This troubled the people and the village council, ⁹so after taking payment as a promise from Healer (Jason) and the others that there would be no more trouble, they let them go.

SMALL MAN IS SENT AWAY

¹⁰Right away, under the cover of night, members of the sacred family sent Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) to Much Water (Berea). When they arrived, they went to the local tribal gathering house. ¹¹The Tribal Members there were more honorable than the ones in False Victory (Thessalonica), for they welcomed the message with glad hearts, and each day they searched the Sacred Teachings to see whether their message agreed. ¹²In this way many Tribal Members came to the faith, including honored women and men from the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks).

¹³When the Tribal Members from False Victory (Thessalonica) found out that Small Man (Paul) was telling the Sacred Story in Much Water (Berea), they also came there to stir up the crowds and make trouble for them. ¹⁴So right away the sacred family sent Small Man (Paul) away to the great sea, but Woods Man (Silas) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) remained behind.

¹⁵The ones who went with Small Man (Paul) took him to Wondering Place (Athens). Small Man (Paul) told them to send Woods Man (Silas) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) to him right away, and so they went back to Much Water (Berea).

SMALL MAN AT WONDERING PLACE

¹⁶While Small Man (Paul) was waiting for them at Wondering Place (Athens), he saw that this large village was filled with images of powerful spirit-beings. ¹⁷So every day at the tribal gathering house he would argue with the Tribal Members, and at the trading posts he would talk with any spiritual people who happened to be there. ¹⁸Some traditional wisdom seekers52 also argued with him.

Others wondered, “What is this talking head saying?” while others said, “He seems to be talking about strange and powerful spirits.”

SMALL MAN SPEAKS AT MARS HILL

They said this because he was telling them the good story about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his rising from the dead. ¹⁹So they took him to the council at Mars Hill (Areopagus).

“Explain this new teaching to us,” they asked him, ²⁰“for your message is strange to us, and we want to know its meaning.”

²¹The people who lived in Wondering Place (Athens) would spend all their time telling or hearing about some new thing.

²²So Small Man (Paul) stood up in the center of Mars Hill (Areopagus) and said, “People of Wondering Place (Athens), I can see that in all things you are a very spiritual people. ²³As I walked around, I saw some of your sacred objects. One altar had this message carved into it:

“So then, the one you sacredly honor without knowing is the one I will make known to you. ²⁴The Great Spirit is the one who created the universe and all things in it. Since he is the rightful ruler of the spirit-world above and the earth below, he does not live in lodges built by human hands. ²⁵Creator does not really need human beings to do things for him, since he is the one who gives all people life and breath and everything we need.

²⁶“Beginning with the first human being, he made all tribes and nations. He wanted people to live all over the face of the earth. He decided ahead of time when and where each tribe would live. ²⁷He did this so that all people could look for him and find the trail that leads to him. Creator is not far away from any one of us. ²⁸It is through him that we live, walk, and have our being.

“As some of your song makers have said, ‘We are children of the Great Spirit.’ ²⁹Since we are his children, we should not think that he is made of gold or silver or wood or stones. He is not like the carvings that people have thought up in their minds and made with their hands.

³⁰“In times past Creator overlooked this empty way of thinking. But now he wants all people everywhere to return to the right way of thinking, ³¹because he has chosen a day when he will decide, for all people, who has done right and who has done wrong. He has chosen a man who will do this and has shown all people who he is by bringing him back to life again from the dead.”

³²When they heard about the rising from the dead, some mocked him, but others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

³³So Small Man (Paul) went on his way. ³⁴Some of the people believed and joined with him, including one of the council members of Mars Hill (Areopagus) named Shining Tree (Dionysius) and a woman named Good Wife (Damaris), along with a few others.

SMALL MAN AT VILLAGE OF PLEASURE

¹Small Man (Paul) left from Wondering Place (Athens) and went to Village of Pleasure (Corinth). ²There he found a Tribal Member named Strong Eagle (Aquila) who lived in Land of Black Waters (Pontus). He and his wife, Lives Long (Priscilla), had recently moved from Land of Young Bulls (Italy) because Walks with a Limp (Claudius), the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), had ordered the removal of all Tribal Members from that territory.

³Small Man (Paul) found out they were both tentmakers, as he was, so he lodged with them and joined them in their work. ⁴Then on every Day of Resting in the gathering houses he debated with his local Tribal Members and the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks), trying to convince them about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

⁵After Woods Man (Silas) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) came from Land of Tall People (Macedonia), Small Man (Paul) became like a man on fire—trying to convince his Tribal Members that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was the Chosen One. ⁶But when they stood against him and spoke evil of him, he shook the dust from his clothes.

“You have decided your own fate!” he told them. “I have done all I can do. From now on I will go to the Outside Nations.”

THE HEADMAN BELIEVES

⁷So he left them and went to the house of Stands Upright with Fire (Titius Justus), a man with deep respect for Creator and whose house was next door to the tribal gathering house. ⁸A man named Curly Hair (Crispus), who was headman of the gathering house, put his trust in our Honored Chief, and both he and his family participated in the purification ceremony.53 When others who lived in Village of Pleasure (Corinth) heard about this, they also believed and participated in the purification ceremony.^a

⁹During the night Creator spoke to Small Man (Paul) in a sacred vision.

“Do not fear!” he said to him. “Keep speaking and do not be silent, ¹⁰for I am standing with you. No one will harm you, for I have many people in this village.”

¹¹So Small Man (Paul) stayed there for one year and six moons, teaching Creator’s message to the people.

AN UPRISING AGAINST SMALL MAN

¹²During the days when Rooster (Gallio) was the governor of Land of Sorrow (Achaia), the Tribal Members joined together in an attack on Small Man (Paul) and took him before the governor to accuse him of wrongdoing.

¹³“This man is convincing people to serve the Great Spirit in ways that go against our tribal law,” they accused.

¹⁴But before Small Man (Paul) could open his mouth to defend himself, the governor spoke to the Tribal Members.

“If a wrong had been done or some kind of evil had been committed, then I would hear your accusations,” he said to them, ¹⁵“but if this is simply a question about words and names and how to interpret your own laws, then you must decide for yourselves. I want nothing to do with deciding these things.”

¹⁶So he sent them away from his council house. ¹⁷The Tribal Members then took Strong Protector (Sosthenes), the headman of the gathering house, and began to beat him right in front of the governor. But he turned his head the other way.

SMALL MAN’S JOURNEY

¹⁸After staying there for a number of days, Small Man (Paul) said farewell to the sacred family. Then he, along with Lives Long (Priscilla) and Strong Eagle (Aquila), set off by water to Bright Sun (Syria). At Small Seed Village (Cenchreae) Small Man (Paul) ceremonially shaved his head because he had made a solemn promise.

¹⁹From there they traveled to Village of Desire (Ephesus). Small Man (Paul) left his traveling friends in the village, but he went to the local tribal gathering house to speak with the Tribal Members there. ²⁰They asked him to stay, but he turned them down and said his farewells.

²¹“If Creator permits it,” he told them, “I will return.”

He then set out from the village by water. ²²He came to land at Chief Village (Caesarea), greeted the sacred family there, and then made his way to Stands Against (Antioch).

²³He stayed there a number of days, then left and walked here and there, strengthening the hearts of the sacred family members throughout the territory of Land of Pale Skinned People (Galatia) and Dry Wood (Phrygia).

BACK IN THE VILLAGE OF DESIRE

²⁴There was a Tribal Member named He Tears Down (Apollos) from Village of Defense (Alexandria) who came to Village of Desire (Ephesus). He was a powerful wisdom speaker who had a deep understanding of the Sacred Teachings. ²⁵Even though he had only participated in the purification ceremony54 of Gift of Goodwill (John), he was well instructed in the Way of our Honored Chief, and a fire burned in his spirit as he spoke clearly about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²⁶At the local tribal gathering house he began to speak openly. But when Lives Long (Priscilla) and Strong Eagle (Aquila) heard him speak, they took him with them and helped him see Creator’s Way more clearly. ²⁷Then, when he desired to go to Land of Sorrow (Achaia), the sacred family sent along a message to instruct the followers there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to the ones who had trusted in the gift of Creator’s great kindness, ²⁸for he spoke powerfully to his Tribal Members, proving to them from the Sacred Teachings that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was the Chosen One.

VILLAGE OF DESIRE

¹While He Tears Down (Apollos) was at Village of Pleasure (Corinth), Small Man (Paul) journeyed through the inland territories and arrived at Village of Desire (Ephesus), where he found some followers.

²“When you put your trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus),” Small Man (Paul) asked them, “did you receive the Holy Spirit?”

“What do you mean?” they replied. “We have not even heard about this ‘Holy Spirit.’”

³“What kind of purification ceremony^a did you participate in?” he asked.

“It was the purification ceremony^a performed by Gift of Goodwill (John),” they answered.

⁴“Gift of Goodwill (John) performed a purification ceremony^a for the ones who turned to Creator’s right ways of thinking and doing,” Small Man (Paul) said to them. “In this way they would be ready to put their trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one he was preparing the way for.”

⁵When they heard this, they participated in the purification ceremony^a done in the name of our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ^6-7Small Man (Paul) then laid his hands on the men, about twelve in all, and they spoke in languages they had not learned and prophesied when the Holy Spirit came down upon them.

SMALL MAN TELLS THE GOOD STORY

⁸Then for three moons Small Man (Paul) went to their tribal gathering house and spoke out boldly to convince the people living there about Creator’s good road. ⁹But some, who were stubborn, with hearts like stone, refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way to all who gathered there.

So Small Man (Paul) left there, taking with him the new followers. He went to the teaching lodge of Harsh Ruler (Tyrannus) to teach there. ¹⁰He continued this for two winters, until all the Tribal Members and Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) who lived in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) had heard the message about our Honored One.

POWERFUL SIGNS AND WONDERS

¹¹Through the hands of Small Man (Paul), Creator was doing some unusually powerful signs. ¹²Face cloths and sashes that had touched his body were taken to heal the sick and force out evil spirits.

¹³Then some Tribal Members who traveled about forcing out evil spirits tried to use the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) over those with evil spirits, saying, “I force you out by the sacred power of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one whom Small Man (Paul) proclaims.”

¹⁴These men were the seven sons of Weak Hand (Sceva), a Tribal Member who was representing himself as a chief holy man.

¹⁵But the evil spirit spoke back to them, “I know of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and I have heard of Small Man (Paul), but who are you?”

¹⁶Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and so overpowered them that they ran from the house naked, bruised, and bleeding.

¹⁷Word spread to all the Tribal Members and the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) who lived in Village of Desire (Ephesus). Great awe and respect came upon all, and the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was spoken of with respect.

¹⁸Many who had chosen to follow Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came forward and admitted to their evil practices. ¹⁹A number of them who had practiced bad medicine gathered their mystic writings and burned them in the sight of all. These books were found to be worth about fifty thousand silver coins.55 ²⁰In this way Creator’s message grew strong and spread like wildfire.

²¹After this, Small Man (Paul) decided in his spirit that he should travel through Land of Tall People (Macedonia) and Land of Sorrow (Achaia) and then on to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). “After that,” he said, “I must also go to Village of Iron (Rome).” ²²So he sent his two helpers, He Gives Honor (Timothy) and Much Desired (Erastus), ahead of him to Land of Tall People (Macedonia), while he remained for a time in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

AN UPRISING IN THE VILLAGE

²³Now during that time there was a great uprising at Village of Desire (Ephesus) about the Way. ²⁴There was a man there named Corn Spirit (Demetrius), who worked with silver and made little silver lodges for the spirit-image of Hunting Woman (Artemis). His work helped support many of the artists who traded there. ²⁵He gathered them together, along with the others who also worked with silver.

“Fellow workers,” he said to them, “you all know that this work we do provides for us. ²⁶You have all seen and heard what this Small Man (Paul) has done, not only in our village but also in most of Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). He has convinced many people to turn away from our spirit-images, saying that spirit-images made by hands are not powerful spirits.”

²⁷“We are in danger that the work we do will be looked down on, and that the sacred lodge of the spirit-image of Hunting Woman (Artemis), the one whom all in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) and the world bows down to, will be seen as worthless, and her great beauty and power will fall to the ground.”

²⁸When the crowd heard this, a great anger filled their hearts, and they shouted, “Great is Hunting Woman (Artemis) of Village of Desire (Ephesus)!”

²⁹The whole village was thrown into confusion. With one purpose they ran into the teaching lodge, dragging with them Glad Heart (Gaius) and Good Chief (Aristarchus) from Land of Tall People (Macedonia), who were traveling with Small Man (Paul).

³⁰Small Man (Paul) wanted to go into the crowd, but the other followers would not let him. ³¹Also, some of the village leaders who were friendly toward him sent word for him not to come into the teaching lodge.

³²The gathering became one of turmoil and confusion. Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most did not even know why they had gathered!

³³Some of the Tribal Members in the crowd pushed Man Fighter (Alexander) to the front, instructing him what to say. He motioned with his hand that he wanted to speak, ³⁴but when they saw that he was a man of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), they cried out with one voice, “Great is Hunting Woman (Artemis) of Village of Desire (Ephesus)!”

Over and over again they kept shouting as the day wore on,56 ³⁵until the village scroll keeper finally quieted them down.

“People of Village of Desire (Ephesus),” he said to all, “who among us does not know that the people of Village of Desire (Ephesus) are the sacred lodge keepers of the great Hunting Woman (Artemis) and of her spirit-image that fell from the spirit-world above? ³⁶Since these things cannot be denied, you should lower your voices and do nothing without thinking clearly first.

³⁷“The men you have brought here did not come to steal from your sacred lodge and they do not speak against Hunting Woman (Artemis). ³⁸If Corn Spirit (Demetrius) and the other artists with him want to accuse anyone, let them bring these accusations to the village council or the local officials. ³⁹Anything else should also be brought to the village council meeting. ⁴⁰For we are in danger today of being charged with causing an uprising, with no good reason for it.”

⁴¹After saying this, he sent the crowd away.

SMALL MAN CONTINUES HIS TRAVELS

¹After the uprising had calmed down, Small Man (Paul) gathered the local sacred family members together to strengthen their hearts and say his farewell to them. He then left for Land of Tall People (Macedonia).

²As he traveled through that territory, with many words he lifted the hearts of the members of the sacred family who lived there. He then came to Land of Wisdom Seekers (Greece) ³and stayed there for three moons. Just as he was about to set out by water to Bright Sun (Syria), the Tribal Members there hatched a plot against him, so he decided to return through Land of Tall People (Macedonia).

SMALL MAN’S TRAVELING FRIENDS

⁴The men who went with him are Defends His Father (Sopater) the son of Red Fire (Pyrrhus) from Much Water (Berea), Good Chief (Aristarchus) and Second Blessing (Secundus) from False Victory (Thessalonica), also Glad Heart (Gaius) from Hide Tanner (Derbe), He Gives Honor (Timothy), and He Is at Ease (Tychicus) and He Eats Well (Trophimus) from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

⁵These men traveled ahead of us and were waiting for us at Cut Through (Troas). ⁶They had to wait five days because we stayed for the Festival of Bread Without Yeast. Then we set out by water from Village of Horses (Philippi) and joined with them at Cut Through (Troas) and stayed there for seven days.

POWER OVER DEATH

⁷It was the first day of the week, when we gather to eat our sacred meal together.57 Small Man (Paul) was doing the talking because he planned to leave the next day. He was long-winded and kept talking until the middle of the night. ⁸There were many torches burning in the upper room of the house where we had all gathered.

⁹As Small Man (Paul) spoke on and on, a young man named Greatly Blessed (Eutychus), who was sitting on the window ledge, began to sink into a deep sleep. When the sleep overcame him, he fell from the third-floor window and was found dead. ¹⁰Small Man (Paul) went down, bent over the young man, and put his arms around him.

“Do not fear!” he said to all. “His life has returned to him.”

¹¹Small Man (Paul) went back to the upper room, ate the ceremonial meal with them, and continued speaking until sunrise. He then went on his way, ¹²and with glad hearts they took the young man home alive!

MORE TRAVELS

¹³We all climbed into our canoes and headed to Move Toward (Assos), where we would take Small Man (Paul) aboard, for he had decided to travel there on land. ¹⁴So he met us there and joined us as we went on to Bent Horn (Mitylene). ¹⁵We set off from there, and on the following day we came to shore across from Snow Island (Chios). The next day we touched shore at Sand Cliff (Samos), and the day after that we came to White Sheep Wool (Miletus).

¹⁶We did not stop at Village of Desire (Ephesus), because Small Man (Paul) was in a hurry to get to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), if possible, for the Festival of Weeks,58 and did not want to take the time to go to Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

¹⁷From White Sheep Wool (Miletus), Small Man (Paul) sent a messenger to Village of Desire (Ephesus) to ask the elders of the sacred family to come to him.

¹⁸He said to them, “You all know how I lived among you the whole time I was with you, from the first day that I set foot in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). ¹⁹I did all Creator asked of me with a humble heart, as I walked a trail of tears when the Tribal Members schemed against me. ²⁰You also know that I held back nothing that would help you, as I taught openly and from house to house. ²¹I spoke truth in a sacred manner to both the Tribal Members and the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks), as I told them about turning their thoughts and hearts to the Great Spirit by trusting their lives to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), our Honored Chief.

²²“And now, a captive of the Spirit, I am on my way to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). I do not know what will happen to me there. ²³I only know the Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that in every village I will be hunted down and taken captive. ²⁴But my life means nothing to me. I only want to finish walking the road the Maker of Life has set before me, telling the good story of the gift of his great kindness as I follow Creator Sets Free (Jesus), my Honored Chief.

²⁵“I now know that none of you will see my face again. You are the ones I have taught clearly about the good road. ²⁶Hear me this day! I speak from my heart, I am no longer responsible for the fate of any of you, ²⁷for I held back nothing from you. All that Creator has made known to me, I have given to you.

²⁸“Stay alert and care for one another. The Holy Spirit has given you elders the task of watching over his people. Like shepherds that guard the sheep, you will watch over his sacred family, the ones he paid the highest price for with his own lifeblood.

²⁹“I know that after I am gone savage wolves will sneak in who care nothing for the sheep. ³⁰Even some of your own elders will rise up and lead people down a false path, just to have their own followers. ³¹So I tell you again, stay alert! Do not forget that night and day, for three winters, I kept giving you wise counsel and warning each of you with many tears.

³²“I now give you over to the Great Spirit’s care and to the message of the gift of his great kindness. A message that will make you stand strong and give you his promised blessings, together with all the ones he has made holy.

³³“I never asked anyone for their silver, gold, or fine clothes. ³⁴You all have seen that I worked hard with my own hands to provide for myself and for the ones who traveled with me. ³⁵In this way, I have walked a path for you to follow, working hard to give help to the weak. We must never forget the words of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) when he said, ‘Giving to others is a greater blessing than getting from others.’”

³⁶When Small Man (Paul) had finished speaking, he knelt down beside the elders of the sacred family and sent his voice to the Great Spirit. ³⁷With many tears they put their arms around his neck and kissed him. ³⁸Their greatest sorrow was from his words, “You will not see my face again.”

Then they walked with him to our canoe to see us on our way.

JOURNEY TO VILLAGE OF PEACE

¹After we had torn ourselves away from them we set out in our canoe and followed the shortest distance to the island of High Point (Kos). On the next day we went to Rose Island (Rhodes), and then to Walked Over (Patara). ²From there we found a large canoe that was headed for Land of Palm Trees (Phoenicia) and traveled with them. ³We could see Island of Flowers (Cyprus) to our left as we traveled on toward Bright Sun (Syria), and then went to shore at Rock Land (Tyre) to unload trading goods from the canoe.

⁴We looked for members of the sacred family who lived there and, after finding them, we stayed with them for seven days. Guided by the Spirit, they kept telling Small Man (Paul) not to go to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵At the end of our time with them, as we were on our way to leave, the men of the sacred family, along with their wives and children, followed us outside the village. We all knelt down at the shoreline, sent our voice to the Great Spirit, ⁶and said our farewells. We then climbed into the canoe as they went back to their homes.

⁷From Rock Land (Tyre) we continued on to Village of War (Ptolemais). We were welcomed by the sacred family and stayed the rest of the day with them. ⁸The next day we left and went to Chief Village (Caesarea) and lodged there at the home of Lover of Horses (Philip), a teller of the good story and one of the seven. ⁹Lover of Horses (Philip) had four unmarried daughters who spoke words of prophecy from the Holy Spirit.

¹⁰We stayed there a number of days. During our stay a prophet named Grasshopper (Agabus) came to us from Land of Promise (Judea). ¹¹He took the sash from Small Man’s (Paul’s) waist and tied it around his own feet and hands.

“This is what the Holy Spirit is saying,” he prophesied. “‘The tribal leaders in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) will do the same to the owner of this sash. They will tie him up and turn him over to the People of Iron (Romans).’”60

¹²When we, along with the sacred family there, heard this, we all urged Small Man (Paul) not to go to Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

¹³“Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?” he said to them. “I am representing our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus). I am ready not only to be bound but even to die for him in Village of Peace (Jerusalem).”

¹⁴Nothing we could say would change his mind. “Let Creator’s will be done,” we said and then remained silent.

ARRIVAL AT VILLAGE OF PEACE

¹⁵We then prepared to leave on our journey to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ¹⁶Some of the sacred family members from Chief Village (Caesarea) traveled with us, along with a longtime follower named He Will Remember (Mnason), from Island of Flowers (Cyprus), in whose house we would stay. ¹⁷When we arrived at Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the sacred family welcomed us with glad hearts.

MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL

¹⁸The next day Small Man (Paul) went with us to meet with He Leads the Way (James) and the elders who were with him. ¹⁹After giving them a respectful greeting, he told them about all the things Creator had done as he had worked among the Outside Nations. ²⁰When they heard this, they gave praise to the Great Spirit.

“Our brother,” they said to him, “you can see how many thousands of our Tribal Members have become followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and how our tribal law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses) burns like a fire in them!”

²¹“They have heard that you are teaching our Tribal Members who live among the Outside Nations to turn away from Drawn from the Water (Moses). They have also heard that they should not perform the cutting of the flesh ceremony for their children or follow our tribal traditions. ²²What will happen when they find out you are here? What can be done?”

²³“Listen, and do what we say,” they said to him. “We have four men who have taken a solemn vow of dedication. ²⁴Go and join with them in this vow and provide for the shaving of their heads. In this way you will show everyone that these rumors are false and that you still walk in our traditional tribal law.61”

²⁵“As for the ones from the Outside Nations who have trusted in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), we sent them a message with our decision that they should stay away from things offered to evil spirits,62 from drinking blood, from the meat of a strangled animal, and from sexual impurity.”

²⁶So the next day Small Man (Paul) went with the men to the sacred lodge. He purified himself with them and told them the number of days before the vow would be complete and the sacrifice that would be offered for them.

SMALL MAN TAKEN CAPTIVE

²⁷Seven days later, when the time was complete, Small Man (Paul) returned to the sacred lodge. Some Tribal Members were there from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). When they saw him in the sacred lodge, they took hold of him and began to stir up the crowd against him.

²⁸“Fellow Tribal Members!” they shouted out to the crowd. “Help us! This is the man who teaches everywhere against our people, our tribal law, and this holy place! Even worse, he has brought Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) into the lodge and has defiled this holy place.”

²⁹They said this because they had seen He Eats Well (Trophimus) from Village of Desire (Ephesus) with Small Man (Paul) in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and thought he had brought him into the sacred lodge.

³⁰The village was in an uproar! A group of people came together, took hold of Small Man (Paul), dragged him outside the lodge, closed the gates behind him, and tried to kill him.

³¹A messenger went from them and told the local head soldier of the People of Iron (Romans) that there was an uprising in the Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ³²At once he took some soldiers and their officers with him and ran to where they were attacking Small Man (Paul). When the crowd saw the head soldier and his men, they stopped beating Small Man (Paul).

³³The head soldier arrested him and had him bound with two chains of iron. He then asked the crowd who this man was and what he had done. ³⁴Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another. Since the head soldier could not figure out what happened, he decided to take Small Man (Paul) back to the soldiers’ lodge. ³⁵The crowd became so violent that Small Man (Paul) had to be carried up the stairs.

³⁶“Take him away!” they shouted over and over again as they pressed close, following behind the soldiers.

³⁷Just before they got to the soldiers’ lodge, Small Man (Paul) turned to the head soldier.

“Is it permitted for me to speak to you?” he asked in the soldier’s language.

³⁸“You speak the language of the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks),” he replied. “Then you are not the man from Black Land (Egypt) who some time ago caused an uprising and took four thousand assassins out into the desert wilderness.”

³⁹“I am a Tribal Man of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel),” Small Man (Paul) answered, “from Tree Village (Tarsus) in the territory of Turns Over (Cilicia), a citizen of a well-known village.”

“I beg you,” he said to the head soldier, “let me speak to my people!”

⁴⁰The head soldier gave him permission, so Small Man (Paul) stood on the steps overlooking the crowd and motioned his hand to the people. A great hush settled over them, so Small Man (Paul), speaking in the language of his own people, took a deep breath and with respect began to speak to them.

SMALL MAN SPEAKS TO THE CROWD

¹“My fellow Tribal Members, my fathers,” he said, “hear me now as I explain myself to you.”

²When the people heard him speak in their native language, they quieted down even more.

³“I am a fellow Tribal Man, born in Tree Village (Tarsus) in the territory of Turns Over (Cilicia), but I was raised in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and was taught at the feet of Creator Has Honored (Gamaliel). I learned to closely follow all of our traditional tribal laws, and a fire for the Great Spirit burned in my belly, just as it does in yours today.

⁴“I hunted down and even killed the followers of this Way. I put both men and women in iron chains and took them to prison. ⁵Our chief holy man and the whole council of elders are witnesses to the truth of what I say. I asked for and received written authority to give to the local Tribal Council in Silent Weaver (Damascus), with instructions to capture any followers of the Way and take them to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to be punished.

⁶“It was midday on the journey to Silent Weaver (Damascus). As I came near the village, suddenly a bright light from the spirit-world above was shining all around me. ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to me and twice calling out my name.

“‘Man Who Questions (Saul), Man Who Questions (Saul),’ the voice said, ‘why are you pursuing and mistreating me?’

⁸“‘Honored One,’ I asked, ‘who are you?’

“‘I am Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth),’ the voice answered, ‘the one you are pursuing and mistreating.’

⁹“The men who were traveling with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me.

¹⁰“‘Honored One,’ I asked, ‘what is it you want me to do?’

“‘Stand to your feet and go into the village,’ he said to me, ‘and there you will be told all that I want you to do.’

¹¹“Since I was still unable to see because of the bright light, the men with me led me by the hand to Silent Weaver (Damascus).

SMALL MAN AND CREATOR SHOWS KINDNESS

¹²“A man named Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias), who had deep respect for our tribal law and had a good reputation among our Tribal Members who lived there, ¹³came and stood beside me.

“‘Man Who Questions (Saul), my brother,’ he said to me, ‘look up and see again!’

“I looked up, and right then sight returned to my eyes!

¹⁴“Then he said to me, ‘The Great Spirit of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Upright One and hear his voice, spoken from his own mouth. ¹⁵You will tell all people the truth of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶What are you waiting for? Rise up and participate in the purification ceremony,63 washing you clean from your broken ways, as you call out to him, trusting in all that his name represents.’

¹⁷“Sometime later, after I had returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), I was in the sacred lodge sending my voice to the Great Spirit. I fell into a sacred vision ¹⁸and saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

“‘You must hurry and leave Village of Peace (Jerusalem) right away,’ he said to me, ‘for they will not believe what you tell them about me.’

¹⁹“‘Honored One,’ I said to him, ‘they know that I used to go from one gathering house to another, capturing and whipping the ones who trusted in you. ²⁰When the blood of Many Feathers (Stephen) your truth teller was being shed, they saw that I was standing in agreement and guarding their garments while they killed him.’

²¹“‘Go!’ he said to me. ‘I am sending you far away to the Outside Nations.’”

THE CROWD TURNS AGAINST HIM

²²The Tribal Members listened to him, up until this last word.

“Away with this one!” they shouted, “He has no right to even live on this earth!”

²³The crowd was wailing out loud! They tore off their outer garments and threw dust into the air. ²⁴The head soldier ordered his men to take Small Man (Paul) back to their lodge with instructions to beat him with whips until he told them the reason the crowd was so angry with him.

²⁵But as they stretched him out and prepared to whip him, Small Man (Paul) turned to the head soldier standing there.

“Does your law permit you to whip a citizen of Village of Iron (Rome),” he asked, “without a fair trial?”

²⁶Hearing this, the head soldier reported to his head officer.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “This man is a citizen of the People of Iron (Romans).”

²⁷The head officer went to Small Man (Paul).

“Tell me,” he asked, “Are you a citizen of Village of Iron (Romans)?”

“Yes, I am,” Small Man (Paul) replied.

²⁸“I paid a high price to become a citizen,” the officer said to him.

“But I was born a citizen of Village of Iron (Rome),” Small Man (Paul) replied.

²⁹Right away the soldiers who were about to question him backed away. Fear came upon the head officer as he realized that he had bound a citizen of Village of Iron (Rome) in chains.

BEFORE THE GRAND COUNCIL

³⁰But the head officer wanted to know what Small Man (Paul) was being accused of by the Tribal Members, so, before releasing him, he instructed the head holy men and the Grand Council to meet. He then brought in Small Man (Paul) and stood him before them.

HE SPEAKS TO THE GRAND COUNCIL

¹Small Man (Paul) looked deeply into the eyes of the members of the Grand Council.

“My fellow Tribal Members,” he said to the council, “All my life I have walked in a good way, with a pure heart before the Great Spirit.”

²Hearing this, Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) the chief holy man ordered the ones standing near Small Man (Paul) to strike his mouth.

³“Creator will strike you, you false-faced pretender!” Small Man (Paul) said back to him. “Do you sit there using our own tribal law to decide my fate, and then break the same law by ordering me struck?”

⁴The ones standing near him said, “How dare you speak in a disrespectful manner to Creator’s chief holy man?”

⁵“Fellow Tribal Members,” he replied, “I did not recognize that he was the chief holy man, for it is written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘You must not speak against a leader of your people.’64”

⁶Small Man (Paul), knowing that both the Upright Ones (Sadducees) and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) sat on the Grand Council, said to them, “My fellow Tribal Members, I am a Separated One (Pharisee). It is because of my hope that the dead will rise to life again that I am on trial here today.”

THE COUNCIL IS DIVIDED

⁷When he said this, an argument broke out between the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the Upright Ones (Sadducees). This created a division in the council, ⁸for the Upright Ones (Sadducees) say the dead will not rise and that there are no spirits or spirit-messengers, but the Separated Ones (Pharisees) believe in them all.

⁹The arguments grew louder and louder. Then some scroll keepers who were among the Separated Ones (Pharisees) stood up and voiced their argument forcefully.

“We find no reason to condemn this man,” they cried out. “It could be that a spirit or spirit-messenger has spoken to him!”

¹⁰The division broke out into violence. The head officer, afraid that Small Man (Paul) would be torn apart by them, ordered his soldiers to take him by force and bring him back to their lodge.

¹¹That night Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came and stood near him in a sacred vision.

“Be strong of heart,” he said to him, “for in the same manner you have represented me in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), you must also represent me in Village of Iron (Rome).”

THE PLOT TO KILL SMALL MAN

¹²Early the next day, some of the Tribal Members schemed together against Small Man (Paul). They bound themselves in a solemn promise that they would not eat or drink until they had killed him. ¹³There were more than forty men who bound themselves to each other in this twisted plan.

¹⁴They went to the head holy men and elders and said to them, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn promise to neither eat nor drink until we have killed Small Man (Paul). ¹⁵So we want you and the council to ask the head officer to bring him to you. Tell him that you plan to ask Small Man (Paul) some more questions. We will then be ready to ambush him on the way and kill him.”

WARNING FROM A NEPHEW

¹⁶But when Small Man’s (Paul’s) nephew heard about the ambush, he snuck into the place where Small Man (Paul) was being held and warned him.

¹⁷Small Man (Paul) then called out to one of the head soldiers, “This young man has something important to report, so take him to your head officer.”

¹⁸Hearing this, the head soldier took him to the head officer, and said, “The prisoner Small Man (Paul) asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something important to tell you.”

¹⁹So the head officer took the young man aside, and asked, “What is it you want to report to me?”

²⁰“Some Tribal Members from the council have agreed to ask you to bring Small Man (Paul) before them, as if they want to question him some more,” he told the head officer. ²¹“But do not let them fool you, for there are more than forty men waiting to ambush him on the way. They have bound themselves by a solemn promise to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. They are ready now and waiting for you to agree to bring him.”

²²The head officer told the young man to say nothing, sent him away, ²³and then called two head soldiers to himself.

SMALL MAN SENT TO THE GOVERNOR

“I want you to be ready by the third hour of the night,” he instructed them. “Gather seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen and take them as far as Chief Village (Caesarea).”

²⁴The head officer also provided a horse and horsemen for Small Man (Paul), to bring him safely to Happy Man (Felix), the governor for the People of Iron (Romans).

²⁵Then he wrote a letter for them to give to the governor:

²⁶“Greetings from Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) to the most noble Happy Man (Felix), governor representing the People of Iron (Romans).

²⁷“This man, who has been brought before you, was taken captive by the Tribal People, who were about to kill him. But when I learned that he was also a citizen of the People of Iron (Romans), I had my soldiers rescue him. ²⁸To find out what he was accused of, I took him before their Grand Council. ²⁹I learned that he was being accused of matters relating to their own tribal laws, but nothing deserving death or imprisonment. ³⁰When I was told of a plot against this man, I had him sent to you at once, and told his accusers to bring their accusations to you.”

³¹So the soldiers, following their instructions, took Small Man (Paul) by night to First Ancestor Village (Antipatris). ³²The next day the soldiers let the horsemen take him further, while they returned to their lodge. ³³When the horsemen came to Chief Village (Caesarea), they gave the letter to the governor and turned Small Man (Paul) over to him. ³⁴After reading the letter, the governor asked which territory he was from. Learning that Small Man (Paul) was from Turns Over (Cilicia), he agreed to hear his case.

³⁵“I will make my decision,” he said to Small Man (Paul), “after your accusers arrive.”

He then ordered that Small Man (Paul) should be kept under guard in their lodge, which used to be the lodge of Looks Brave (Herod), the bad-hearted chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

SMALL MAN ACCUSED

¹Five days later Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) the chief holy man, along with some of the elders and a legal expert named Third (Tertullus), came before Happy Man (Felix), and with many words they brought to him their accusations against Small Man (Paul). ²When they brought Small Man (Paul) before them, the legal expert began to accuse him.

“O Most Honored Happy Man (Felix),” he began his speech, “our hearts are glad that under your guidance we have had many winters of peace. Because of your wisdom, many good changes have come to the people, ³changes that we fully welcome with glad and open hearts. ⁴So we beg you, in your kindness, to hear our short complaint.

⁵“We have found this man to be a troublemaker who, all over the world, stirs up our Tribal People in a bad way. He is a headman of the wayward band called Seed Planters (Nazarenes). ⁶When he tried to defile our sacred lodge, we arrested him65and would have judged him by our own tribal law. ⁷But the head officer Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) came and forcefully took him out of our hands. He then ordered his accusers to come to you. ⁸When you question him for yourself, you will learn from him that we speak the truth.”

⁹The Tribal Members who were there also joined in the accusations, saying it was all true.

¹⁰The governor then motioned for Small Man (Paul) to speak.

“I know that for many winters you have been a judge over this nation,” Small Man (Paul) said. “My heart is glad that I can clear the air regarding these things. ¹¹As you will find out from others, it has not been more than twelve days since I went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to offer my prayers and participate in traditional ceremonies at the sacred lodge.

¹²“No one there found me making trouble or stirring up a crowd. Not at the sacred lodge, the gathering house, or in the village. ¹³No one here can prove the accusations they now bring against me.

¹⁴“I speak from my heart. I am only guilty of following the Way, which they say is false. But this is the way I follow the Great Spirit of my ancestors. This Way is in agreement with the law of my people and what has been foretold by our prophets. ¹⁵This gives me the same hope in Creator that my accusers have. That all who have died, both those who do good and those who do bad, will rise to life again. ¹⁶Knowing this, my aim is to walk with a clear heart toward the Great Spirit and my fellow human beings.

¹⁷“After being away for a number of winters, I returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). I brought gifts for the poor of my nation, as well as ceremonial offerings. ¹⁸When they found me, I was in the sacred lodge participating in a ceremony. There was no crowd or disturbance. ¹⁹Some Tribal Members from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) were there at that time. If they have any accusation against me, they are the ones who should make it.

²⁰“Let these men who are here tell you what I did wrong when I stood before the council. ²¹The only thing they can say against me is what I said to them: ‘I am on trial today because I believe in the rising of the dead!’”

²²But Happy Man (Felix), who knew more about the Way, delayed his decision.

“I will make my decision,” he said, “when Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) arrives.”

²³He then ordered the head soldier to keep Small Man (Paul) under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to care for his needs.

²⁴A number of days later Happy Man (Felix) returned with Tender Woman (Drusilla), his wife, who was a member of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). He had Small Man (Paul) brought to him, and he and his wife listened to him tell about his trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One. ²⁵They talked back and forth about Creator’s right ways, about self-control, and about the judgment that was to come. But Happy Man (Felix) became afraid.

“Leave me for now,” he said. “I will send for you when I have more time to talk.”

²⁶He was hoping that Small Man (Paul) would offer him a bribe, so from time to time he would send for him and talk with him, but Small Man (Paul) remained under guard. ²⁷Two winters later Happy Man (Felix) was replaced as governor by Pig Festival (Porcius Festus). Then to gain favor with the Tribal Members, he left Small Man (Paul) in prison.

SMALL MAN PUT ON TRIAL

¹Three days after Festival (Festus) arrived, he went from Chief Village (Caesarea) to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ²So the head holy men and other tribal leaders wasted no time and brought to him their accusations against Small Man (Paul). They begged him, ³as a favor to their nation, to have Small Man (Paul) returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). They were hatching a plot to have him killed along the way.

⁴“Small Man (Paul) is being guarded in Chief Village (Caesarea),” Festival (Festus) said to them, “and I am returning there soon. ⁵Have your tribal leaders travel with me. If this man has done wrong, I will hear your accusations against him there.”

⁶So after eight or ten more days he left for Chief Village (Caesarea). The next day he sat down in his council chair, where he would decide this case, and ordered Small Man (Paul) to be brought before him. ⁷As soon as he arrived, the Tribal Members who had come from Village of Peace (Jerusalem) circled around him and began to make accusations against him that they could not prove.

⁸Small Man (Paul) stood up and said, “I have not spoken against our tribal law, our sacred lodge, or against the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).”

⁹But then Festival (Festus), wishing to gain the favor of the tribal leaders, responded to Small Man (Paul) and asked, “Do you wish to stand trial before me in Village of Peace (Jerusalem)?”

¹⁰“I am making my stand here, before you, at the council chair of the People of Iron (Romans). This is where the decision about me should be made. By now, it should be clear to you that I have done nothing wrong against my own people.”

¹¹“If I have done anything to deserve death,” he continued, “I will not try to escape. But if their accusations are false, you have no power to turn me over to them. I appeal to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).”

¹²Festival (Festus), after speaking to his council, said to him, “You have made your appeal to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), and to him you will go.”

SMALL MAN AND CHIEF WILD HORSE

¹³A number of days later Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa), along with his sister Bringer of Victory (Bernice), came to pay their respects to the new governor Festival (Festus). ¹⁴Since they were lodging with him for a number of days, he explained to the chief about the accusations made against Small Man (Paul) by the tribal leaders.

“There is a man here who was left by Happy Man (Felix) as a prisoner. ¹⁵When I went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the head holy men and the tribal elders told me about him. They wanted me to find him guilty. ¹⁶I informed them that the laws of the People of Iron (Romans) would not permit me to hand over anyone until they could stand face to face with their accusers and make a defense for themselves.

¹⁷“So when they came here, I wasted no time. The next day I sat as head of the council and sent for him to stand trial. ¹⁸I expected to hear from his accusers about some great evil, ¹⁹but instead their accusations were about their own spiritual ways and about a man named Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who was dead but who Small Man (Paul) said was alive.

²⁰“Since I knew nothing about these things, I asked if he wished to go to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and face his accusers there. ²¹But he appealed his case to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar) and to be kept under guard until I could send him to our Ruler for his decision.”

²²Wild Horse (Agrippa) then said to Festival (Festus), “I would like to hear from this man for myself.”

“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festival (Festus) replied.

SMALL MAN BEFORE CHIEF WILD HORSE

²³The next day Wild Horse (Agrippa) and Bringer of Victory (Bernice), making a big show of it, came into the council room along with the head officers and leaders of the village. Festival (Festus) gave the order, and Small Man (Paul) was brought in.

²⁴“Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) and all who are here,” the governor said, “standing before you is the man whom the whole tribal nation has asked me to condemn to death. ²⁵But I have not found him guilty of anything deserving death. Since he has appealed to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), I will send him to Village of Iron (Rome).

²⁶“But, since I am not sure what message to send to my Ruler about him, I have decided to bring him to you all, and above all to you, Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa), so you can give me counsel in this matter. ²⁷For it seems unwise to me to send a prisoner there without a clear report of the accusations made against him.”

SMALL MAN TELLS HIS STORY

¹Then Wild Horse (Agrippa) said to Small Man (Paul), “You are permitted to speak and tell your side of this story.”

So Small Man (Paul) stretched out his hand and began to tell his side of the story.

²“Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa),” he began, “Since my accusers are all Tribal Members, like yourself, it seems good to me that I can defend myself before you today, ³mainly because you know so well how we disagree about many of our tribal traditions. So I humbly ask that you listen to me with patience.

⁴“All of our Tribal People know the manner I have walked, even from the days of my youth, when I lived among our people in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵They have known from the first, if they will admit to it, that I walked in the way of a Separated One (Pharisee), the most demanding of all our spiritual paths.

⁶“The reason I stand here on trial before you today is my hope in the promise made by the Great Spirit to our ancestors. ⁷It is a promise our twelve tribes solemnly strive for as they serve him night and day with prayers and ceremonies. It is for this hope, O honored chief, that I stand here accused by our tribal leaders! ⁸Why would any of our people find it impossible to believe that the Great Spirit raises the dead?

⁹“At first, I myself was convinced that I should do as much harm as I could to destroy the reputation of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) of Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). ¹⁰In Village of Peace (Jerusalem), I obtained permission from the head holy men to capture and put many of Creator’s holy ones into prison. Not only that, but I voted against them when they were being killed. ¹¹In all our gathering houses I violently punished them, trying to force them to speak against Creator Sets Free (Jesus). Like a threatening storm I took out my anger on them, even pursuing them to faraway places.

SMALL MAN TELLS HIS SACRED VISION

¹²“On one of these journeys I was on my way to Silent Weaver (Damascus) with the full approval and authority of the head holy men. ¹³Then at midday, O honored chief, I saw a light from the spirit-world above shining down on me and my fellow travelers. ¹⁴We all had fallen to the ground when I heard a voice speaking to me in our tribal language.

“‘Man Who Questions (Saul), Man Who Questions (Saul),’ the voice called my name twice, and asked, ‘why are you pursuing and mistreating me? It is a hard and painful thing to fight against me, like a horse pushing back against the spurs.’

¹⁵“‘Honored One,’ I said back to the voice, ‘who are you?’

“‘I am Creator Sets Free (Jesus),’ the voice answered, ‘the one you are pursuing and mistreating. ¹⁶Now rise up! Stand to your feet! I have chosen you to be my servant, a witness who will tell others what you have seen with your own eyes and what I will reveal to you.

¹⁷“‘I will rescue you from your own people and from the Outside Nations, the ones to whom I am sending you. ¹⁸My message will open their eyes so they may turn from the path of darkness to walk the road of life, and turn away from the power of the Accuser (Satan) to the power of the Great Spirit, so they may be released and set free from their bad hearts and wrongdoings. In this way, they will find their place among all who are made holy by trusting in me.’

SMALL MAN FINISHES HIS STORY

¹⁹“So then, Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa), I was true to this sacred vision. ²⁰First I told those in Silent Weaver (Damascus). Then I told the people in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and all in the territory of the Land of Promise (Judea), and to the Outside Nations. I told them all that they should change their thinking, return to Creator’s ways, and walk in a manner worthy of this change of heart.

²¹“This was the reason that these Tribal Members took hold of me at the sacred lodge and tried to kill me. ²²Up to this day, with the help of the Great Spirit, I have told the truth to both small and great. I have said only what was foretold by the ancient prophets and by Drawn from the Water (Moses). ²³I said that the Chosen One must suffer, and then, being the first to rise from the dead, he would be the light bearer, shining both on our people and on the Outside Nations.”

²⁴Right then, as Small Man (Paul) was still speaking, Festival (Festus) interrupted. “Small Man (Paul),” he shouted, “you are sick in the head! Your much learning is twisting your mind!”

²⁵“O most noble Festival (Festus),” Small Man (Paul) replied, “what I am saying is clear and understandable. ²⁶Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) understands these things, so I am speaking boldly to him and holding nothing back. I am convinced that he is aware of all that I speak of, for none of these things happened in a cave.”

²⁷“Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa),” he boldly asked, “do you believe in what the prophets have spoken? I know that you do!”

²⁸“Do you think that in such a short time I could be talked into becoming a follower of the Chosen One?” he replied.

²⁹“I pray to the Great Spirit that, whether in a short time or long, all who hear me today would become as I am—except for these chains.”

³⁰After hearing these words Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) stood to his feet. The governor and Bringer of Victory (Bernice) and all the others stood up with him.

³¹They left the room, and after talking together they said, “This man has done nothing that deserves prison or death.”

³²Then Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) said to the governor, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).”

VOYAGE OF TROUBLE

¹They decided to send Small Man (Paul) by a great canoe to Land of Young Bulls (Italy).

So Small Man (Paul), along with some other prisoners, was turned over to a head soldier of the Royal Guard, named Soft Haired Man (Julius). ²At Harbor of Death (Adramyttium) we climbed aboard a canoe that was going our way, making stops at harbors along the shoreline of Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). So we launched out into the great waters. A man named Good Chief (Aristarchus) from False Victory (Thessalonica), in the territory of the Land of Tall People (Macedonia), also journeyed with us.

³On the following day we came ashore at Hunting Grounds (Sidon). There Soft Haired Man (Julius) was kind to Small Man (Paul) and permitted him to go to his friends so they could care for him.

⁴From there we launched out again into the great waters but remained close to the shoreline of the Island of Flowers (Cyprus), for the winds were strong against us. ⁵From there we crossed the open waters near Turns Over (Cilicia) and Many Tribes (Pamphylia), and then came to land at Weeping Waters (Myra) in the territory of Land of Wolves (Lycia).

⁶At Weeping Waters (Myra) the head soldier found a great wooden sea canoe on its way from Man Fighter (Alexandria) to Land of Young Bulls (Italy) that would give us passage, so we climbed aboard. ⁷For a number of days we traveled along slowly until with difficulty we came near Old Village (Cnidus). The wind was against us and began to force us off course, so we remained close to the shoreline of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) near Village of Garments (Salmone). ⁸From there we struggled along the shoreline until we came to a place called Good Harbor, near Shaggy Village (Lasea).

⁹The journey was no longer safe. Too much time had passed, for the Festival of Release from Wrongdoings66 had already passed. So Small Man (Paul) gave them his advice.

¹⁰“Fellow travelers,” he said to them, “I can see that this journey ahead of us will end in injury and loss, not only of the canoe and its goods, but also of our lives.”

¹¹But the head soldier was more convinced by the headman of the canoe than by the words of Small Man (Paul). ¹²And because the harbor was not a good place to stay the winter, a greater number of people decided it was best to launch out into the great waters and try to reach Palm Tree (Phoenix). This was a harbor on the shore of Flesh Eater Island (Crete), facing both to the southwest and to the northwest.

¹³But then, when a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they could reach their journey’s end. So they prepared their canoe and launched out into the great waters again. They stayed close to the shoreline of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) for safety, ¹⁴but it was not long before a violent wind roared down from the island—a wind they call the Northeaster.

¹⁵The canoe was caught in the wind, and when we could make no headway against it, we gave up trying and let it force us along. ¹⁶Then, when we came under some cliffs, we were finally able to get the canoe under control. ¹⁷We roped the life raft we were towing behind us to the side of the canoe, and then tied the ropes around the canoe to hold it together. Then, fearing we would be caught in the shallow sandbars, we lowered our anchor rock and let the canoe be dragged along by the fierce winds.

¹⁸But the next day, after being pounded by the storm, they began to throw the goods overboard. ¹⁹Then, on the third day, with their bare hands they threw the benches and whatever else they could find into the water. ²⁰For many days the storm continued to rage, the sun did not shine, nor could the stars be seen at night. All hope of being rescued was gone.

VISITED BY A SPIRIT-MESSENGER

²¹After they had gone for many days without food, Small Man (Paul) stood up among them.

“Fellow travelers,” he said to them, “if you would have listened to me and not set out from Flesh Eater Island (Crete), you would not have suffered this injury and loss. ²²But I say to you now, do not lose your courage. For even though our canoe will be lost, not one of us will lose our lives. ²³Last night a spirit-messenger from the Great Spirit, the one I belong to and serve, stood by my side.

²⁴“‘Do not fear,’ he said to me, ‘for you must stand before the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar). Behold! The Giver of Life has gifted you with the lives of all who journey with you!’”

²⁵“Be strong of heart,” Small Man (Paul) said to them, “for I have faith that the Great Spirit will do everything he told me. ²⁶But we will have to find an island to land on.”

THEY COME NEAR LAND

²⁷It had now been fourteen nights that we had been driven about by the wind and waves of the Sea with No Wood (Adriatic Sea). In the middle of the night, the men who guided the canoe could feel that we were near land. ²⁸They began to test the depth of the water and found it was as deep as a tall tree.67 Then a short distance later they tested it again and found that it was not as deep.68

²⁹Since they knew the shoreline was rocky, they were afraid we might run into a large rock under the water, so they dropped four anchor rocks from the back of the canoe and prayed for the sun to rise.

SOME OF THE MEN TRY TO ESCAPE

³⁰But then, some of the men, trying to escape, untied the life raft and lowered it into the water, pretending they were putting out more anchor rocks.

³¹“If these men leave the canoe,” he said to him and the other soldiers, “you will not be saved and all will be lost.”

³²So the soldiers cut the leather straps from the life raft and let it drift away.

HE ENCOURAGES THE MEN

³³Just before the sun began to rise, Small Man (Paul) urged everyone to eat something.

“For fourteen days now you have been constantly worrying and have not eaten any food,” he said to them. ³⁴“Please eat something now. You will need it to survive. Do not fear! No one will die or be harmed. Not even one hair from your heads will be lost.”

³⁵After he said this, he took a piece of frybread and, giving thanks to the Great Spirit in front of them all, he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶This gave the men courage, so they also began to eat.

³⁷All in all there were two hundred seventy-six persons in this great wooden canoe. ³⁸When they finished eating, they tossed the rest of the grain over the side to lighten the canoe.

SUNRISE AND A ROUGH LANDING

³⁹When daylight came, they did not recognize the shoreline, but they could see a bay with a beach. They decided to try to run the canoe up into the sandy beach, if possible. ⁴⁰So they cut the ropes to the anchor rocks and left them in the water. At the same time they untied the ropes holding the rudders in place. Then they set the men to the paddles, and they paddled with all their might69 heading toward the beach.

⁴¹But on the way the canoe struck a sandbar and stayed there, stuck in the sand. The front of the canoe began to break from the force of the waves. ⁴²The soldiers made a plan to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming away. ⁴³But the head soldier, wanting to spare the life of Small Man (Paul), stopped them. He ordered the ones who could swim to jump overboard and swim to land. ⁴⁴The rest he sent floating on wooden poles and pieces of the canoe. In this way all who were aboard made it safely to the land.

A WARM WELCOME

¹After everyone was safe on the shore, we found out that this land was called Island of Honey (Malta). ²The indigenous people there showed great kindness to us. It was raining and cold, so they built us a warm fire and welcomed us all.

SNAKE BITE

³Small Man (Paul) gathered a bundle of sticks and threw them on the fire, but the heat forced out a poisonous snake that bit into his hand and would not let go.

⁴When the local natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said, “This man must be a murderer. Even though he escaped from the great waters, the spirit who rights wrongs will not let him live.”

⁵Then Small Man (Paul) shook the snake from his hand into the fire, and nothing bad happened to him. ⁶The local people were sure that he would swell up or fall down dead. They waited a long time, but when they saw that nothing bad had come to him, they changed their minds and said he must be a powerful spirit.

SMALL MAN HEALS THE SICK

⁷There was a piece of land belonging to From the People (Publius), the chief of the island. He welcomed us into his home for three days and took care of all our needs. ⁸At that time the father of From the People (Publius) was sick in bed with a high fever and a bloody stool. Small Man (Paul) went to see him and, after praying, laid his hands on the man and healed him.

⁹After that, the rest of the island natives who were sick came to Small Man (Paul), and they were also healed. ¹⁰The people honored us with many gifts, and when we were leaving, they loaded our canoe with all that we needed.

ARRIVAL AT VILLAGE OF IRON

¹¹Three months later we again launched out into the great waters in another very large wooden canoe. This canoe was made by the people from Man Fighter (Alexandria). The front of the canoe was carved into the images of two powerful lookalike spirits, Bright Star (Castor) and Much Sweet (Pollux).

¹²We came to land at Smelly Swamp (Syracuse) and lodged there for three days. ¹³From there we launched out and came to Royal Place (Rhegium). The next day, with the help of a south wind, we arrived at Deep Water Hole (Puteoli). ¹⁴It was there that we found some sacred family members, who welcomed us to stay with them for seven days.

After that we left again toward Village of Iron (Rome). ¹⁵The sacred family members who lived there, when they heard we were coming, came to greet us from as far away as the Great Trading Post (Appius Market) and the Three Lodging Houses along the Great Trail (Appian Way). When Small Man (Paul) saw them, he gave thanks to the Great Spirit, and his heart was strengthened. ¹⁶Then, upon our arrival to Village of Iron (Rome), Small Man (Paul) was permitted to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.

HE MEETS THE LOCAL COUNCIL

¹⁷Three days later Small Man (Paul) asked to meet with the local tribal leaders. When they had gathered together, he told them the story of what had happened to him.

“Fellow Tribal Members,” he said to them, “I have done nothing against our people or the traditions of our ancestors, but even so I was arrested in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and handed over to the People of Iron (Romans). ¹⁸They questioned me and were about to release me, since I had done nothing deserving death. ¹⁹But when our tribal leaders refused to agree, I had no choice but to appeal to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), not that I have any accusation to bring against my own people.

²⁰“It is for this very reason that I have asked to see and speak with you, for I wear these chains because I have the same hope held by all the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).”

²¹“No one from the Land of Promise (Judea) has come with a bad report,” they said to him, “nor have we received any written message about you from them. ²²But we want to hear how you see this new Way that some are following. We know that people everywhere speak against this Way.”

SENT TO THE OUTSIDE NATIONS

²³They made plans to meet again with Small Man (Paul) on another day. When that day came, they arrived in large numbers at the place where he was lodging. From sunrise to sunset, using the law of Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the teachings of the prophets, he spoke many words to clearly show them the truth about Creator’s good road and about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²⁴Some were convinced by his words, but others refused to believe. ²⁵So they disagreed with each other and began to leave after Small Man (Paul) said these last words to them, “The Holy Spirit was right when he spoke these words through the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah):

²⁶“‘Go and tell this people, “You will hear but not understand, you will see but not know what you are seeing, ²⁷because the heart of this people has become like stone. Their ears have grown dull and they have closed their eyes. If only they would open their ears and eyes, then their hearts would understand, and they would return to me and be healed.70”’”

FINAL WORDS

²⁸“So let it be known to you,” he said to them, “that this message about the Great Spirit’s plan to rescue and make whole has been sent to the Outside Nations. And they will listen!”

²⁹Hearing this, the Tribal Members argued fiercely with one another as they walked away.71

³⁰Small Man (Paul) continued to live in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to him. ³¹With great boldness he spoke openly about Creator’s good road and kept teaching others about our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One.