CAELTUEIH
(The Acts of the Apostles)
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This is the second book written by Luke. His first one is commonly known as the Gospel of Luke. In it he told “all that Jesus did and taught from the very first until he was taken up to heaven” (chapter 1.1,2). In this book Luke continues the story by describing some of the struggles the disciples faced as they tried to obey the command of Jesus: “You will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world” (1.8).
So many different countries are mentioned in Acts that the book may seem to have been written only to tell about the spread of the Christian message. But that is only part of the story. After Jesus was taken up to heaven, one of the big problems for his followers was deciding who could belong to God's people. And since Jesus and his first followers were Jews, it was only natural for many of them to think that his message was only for Jews. But in Acts the Spirit is always present to show that Jesus came to save both Jews and Gentiles, and that God wants followers from every nation and race to be part of his people.
The first conflict between Christians and Jews took place when some of the Jewish religious leaders rejected the message about Jesus (4.1—31; 7.1—59). But the most serious problems for the early church happened because the disciples at first failed to understand that anyone could become a follower of Jesus without first becoming a Jew. This began to change when Philip dared to take the message to the Samaritans (8.7—25), and when Peter went to the home of Cornelius, a captain in the Roman army (10.1—48).
Finally, Peter reported to the church in Jerusalem (11.1—18) and a meeting was held there (15.3—35) to discuss the question of who could become followers of Christ. Before the meeting was over, everyone agreed that the Spirit of God was leading them to reach out to Gentiles as well as Jews with the good news of Jesus.
The one who did the most for the spread of the faith was a man named Paul, and much of the book tells about his preaching among the Gentiles. Finally, he took the message to Rome, the world's most important city at that time (28.16—31). One of Luke's main reasons for writing was to show that nothing could keep the Christian message from spreading everywhere:
For two years Paul stayed in a rented house and welcomed everyone who came to see him. He bravely preached about God's kingdom and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one tried to stop him.(Chapter 28.30,31)
A QUICK LOOK AT THIS BOOK
Telling the Good News in Jerusalem (1.1—-8.3)
The Good News in Judea and Samaria (8.4—-12.25)
Paul's First Journey to Tell the Good News (13.1—-14.28)
An Important Decision in Jerusalem (15.1—35)
Paul's Second Journey to Tell the Good News (15.36—-18.22)
Paul's Third Journey to Tell the Good News (18.23—-21.16)
Paul's Arrest in Jerusalem (21.17—-23.22)
Paul Is Taken to Caesarea (23.23—-26.32)
Paul Is Taken to Rome (27.1—-28.31)
1
Olrhan
1 Aw Theophilus lamhma kah olka ngawn tah cungkuem la ka khueh coeng.
2 Te tah Jesuh loh a saii ham neh thuituen ham a tong lamloh Mueihla Cim dongah caeltueih rhoek a uen khohnin hil kah ni. Amih ni a tuek tih a loh.
3 A patang phoeiah a hing te mingphanah cungkuem neh amah loh a pai puei bal coeng. Khohnin sawmli khuiah amih taengla phoe tih Pathen ram kawng te a thui.
Mueihla Cim Olkhueh
4 Te vaengah, “Jerusalem lamkah nong kolla tingtun uh lamtah kai taengkah pa olkhueh na yaak uh te rhingoel uh.
5 Nangmih te Johan loh tui n'nuem coeng dae khohnin muep a di mueh la Mueihla Cim neh n'nuem uh ni,” tila amih te a uen.
6 Te dongah aka tingtun rhoek loh amah te a dawt uh tih, “Boeipa, tihnin ah Israel ram na thoh koinih ta,” a ti na uh.
7 Tedae amih taengah, “Pa loh amah kah saithainah neh a khueh a tue khohnin he nangmih kah a ming koi la a om moenih.
8 Tedae nangmih soah aka thoeng Cim Mueihla kah saithainah na dang uh bitni. Te vaengah Jerusalem neh Judea pum, Samaria neh diklai khobawt duela kai kah laipai la na om uh ni,” a ti nah.
Vaan La Luei
9 He rhoek he a thui tih a sawt uh vaengah Boeipa te a pom hang. Te phoeiah khomai loh amih mikhmuh lamkah voelh a doe.
10 Amah vaan la a caeh vaengah rhep aka hmaitang la amih te om uh. Te vaengah hlang panit loh himbai bok neh amih taengah pakcak a pai pah.
11 Te rhoi long khaw, “Galilee hlang rhoek, balae na pai uh tih vaan ke na dan uh. Jesuh he nangmih taeng lamkah vaan la a loh dongah vaan la a caeh na hmuh vaengkah a longim bangla ha pawk ni,” a ti nah.
Kodoknah neh Thangthui uh
12 Te phoeiah Olive la a khue tlang lamloh Jerusalem la bal uh. Tekah te Sabbath kah yincaeh khoeng Jerusalem taengah om.
13 Cet uh tih imhman la a luei uh vaengah, Peter neh Johan, James neh Andrew, Philip neh Thomas, Bartholomew neh Matthai, Alphaeus capa James, namlung Simon neh James capa Judah khaw ana pah uh tih ana om uh.
14 Amih boeih loh huta rhoek nen khaw, Jesuh kah a manu Mary, a manuca rhoek nen khaw, thikat la om tih thangthuinah te a khuituk uh.
Matthias A Tuek
15 Te vaengah hnin ah Peter loh manuca rhoek kah laklung ah pai [Hmuen pakhat ah ming pakhat neh aka om hlangping he ya pakul tluk tah om van] tih,
16 “Ka hlang rhoek, ka manuca rhoek, Jesuh aka tu rhoek kah longtueng la aka om, Judas kawng dongah, David ka dongah Mueihla Cim loh a thui olcim te a soep ham a kuek.
17 Te dongah mamih khuikah aka om he tae sih lamtah tahae kah bibi he hmulung neh yo saeh.
18 Anih loh boethae phu neh khohmuen te kaelh ngawn cakhaw singling singloei lamni a om. Te dongah a laklung ah vawh tih a kotak boeih coe coeng.
19 Te dongah Jerusalem kah khosa boeih loh a hmat om coeng tih khohmuen te amah ol neh Akeldamah a sui. Te tah hlang thii khohmuen ni.
20 Te dongah ni tingtoeng cabu dongah khaw,
‘A dap te khosoek la poeh saeh lamtah
a khuiah khosa loh om boel saeh.’
Te phoeiah,
‘Anih kah hiphoelnah te
hlang tloe loh loh pah saeh,’
tila a daek.
21 “Te dongah Boeipa Jesuh tah mamih taengah a voei a bal tue khui boeih ah hlang rhoek he mamih taengah a tingtun ham a kuek.
22 Johan kah baptisma lamloh a tong tih mamih taeng lamkah a loh hnin duela mamih taengkah aka om longtah a thohkoepnah laipai pakhat la om van saeh,” a ti.
23 Te dongah Barsabbas la a khue Joseph [Anih te Justus lam khaw a khue] neh Matthias hlang panit te a pai sak uh.
24 Te phoeiah thangthui uh tih, “Soeprhaep boeih kah lungming Boeipa nang loh he rhoi khuiah tahae kah bibi neh caeltueih hmuen aka lo ham na tuek pakhat te phoe sak lah.
25 Amah hmuen la aka cet ham koi Judas tah palang coeng,” a ti uh.
26 Te phoeiah amih rhoi ham hmulung a naan uh hatah Matthias te hmulung loh a tlak thil tih a hlaikhat nah caeltueih la a tae thil uh.