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Then the LORD said to Moses,
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"Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Red Sea, near Baal Zephon.
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The king will think that the Israelites are wandering around in the country and are closed in by the desert.
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I will make him stubborn, and he will pursue you, and my victory over the king and his army will bring me honor. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." The Israelites did as they were told.
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When the king of Egypt was told that the people had escaped, he and his officials changed their minds and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites escape, and we have lost them as our slaves!"
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The king got his war chariot and his army ready.
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He set out with all his chariots, including the six hundred finest, commanded by their officers.
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The LORD made the king stubborn, and he pursued the Israelites, who were leaving triumphantly.
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The Egyptian army, with all the horses, chariots, and drivers, pursued them and caught up with them where they were camped by the Red Sea near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon.
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When the Israelites saw the king and his army marching against them, they were terrified and cried out to the LORD for help.
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They said to Moses, "Weren't there any graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out here in the desert to die? Look what you have done by bringing us out of Egypt!
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Didn't we tell you before we left that this would happen? We told you to leave us alone and let us go on being slaves of the Egyptians. It would be better to be slaves there than to die here in the desert."
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Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today; you will never see these Egyptians again.
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The LORD will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still."
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The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out for help? Tell the people to move forward.
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Lift up your walking stick and hold it out over the sea. The water will divide, and the Israelites will be able to walk through the sea on dry ground.
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I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will go in after them, and I will gain honor by my victory over the king, his army, his chariots, and his drivers.
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When I defeat them, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD."
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The angel of God, who had been in front of the army of Israel, moved and went to the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved until it was
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between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud made it dark for the Egyptians, but gave light to the people of Israel, and so the armies could not come near each other all night.
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Moses held out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind. It blew all night and turned the sea into dry land. The water was divided,
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and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides.
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The Egyptians pursued them and went after them into the sea with all their horses, chariots, and drivers.
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Just before dawn the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic.
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He made the wheels of their chariots get stuck, so that they moved with great difficulty. The Egyptians said, "The LORD is fighting for the Israelites against us. Let's get out of here!"
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The LORD said to Moses, "Hold out your hand over the sea, and the water will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and drivers."
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So Moses held out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the water returned to its normal level. The Egyptians tried to escape from the water, but the LORD threw them into the sea.
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The water returned and covered the chariots, the drivers, and all the Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea; not one of them was left.
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But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides.
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On that day the LORD saved the people of Israel from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw them lying dead on the seashore.
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When the Israelites saw the great power with which the LORD had defeated the Egyptians, they stood in awe of the LORD; and they had faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.
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Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, because he has won a glorious victory; he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.
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The LORD is my strong defender; he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness.
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The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
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"He threw Egypt's army and its chariots into the sea; the best of its officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
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The deep sea covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.
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"Your right hand, LORD, is awesome in power; it breaks the enemy in pieces.
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In majestic triumph you overthrow your foes; your anger blazes out and burns them up like straw.
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You blew on the sea and the water piled up high; it stood up straight like a wall; the deepest part of the sea became solid.
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The enemy said, 'I will pursue them and catch them; I will divide their wealth and take all I want; I will draw my sword and take all they have.'
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But one breath from you, LORD, and the Egyptians were drowned; they sank like lead in the terrible water.
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" LORD, who among the gods is like you? Who is like you, wonderful in holiness? Who can work miracles and mighty acts like yours?
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You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.
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Faithful to your promise, you led the people you had rescued; by your strength you guided them to your sacred land.
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The nations have heard, and they tremble with fear; the Philistines are seized with terror.
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The leaders of Edom are terrified; Moab's mighty men are trembling; the people of Canaan lose their courage.
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Terror and dread fall upon them. They see your strength, O LORD, and stand helpless with fear until your people have marched past--- the people you set free from slavery.
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You bring them in and plant them on your mountain, the place that you, LORD, have chosen for your home, the Temple that you yourself have built.
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You, LORD, will be king forever and ever."
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The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. But when the Egyptian chariots with their horses and drivers went into the sea, the LORD brought the water back, and it covered them.
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The prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took her tambourine, and all the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing.
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Miriam sang for them: "Sing to the LORD, because he has won a glorious victory; he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea."
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Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they walked through the desert, but found no water.
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Then they came to a place called Marah, but the water there was so bitter that they could not drink it. That is why it was named Marah.
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The people complained to Moses and asked, "What are we going to drink?"
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Moses prayed earnestly to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water; and the water became fit to drink. There the LORD gave them laws to live by, and there he also tested them.
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He said, "If you will obey me completely by doing what I consider right and by keeping my commands, I will not punish you with any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the LORD, the one who heals you."
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Next they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; there they camped by the water.
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The whole Israelite community set out from Elim, and on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, they came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.
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There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron
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and said to them, "We wish that the LORD had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death."
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The LORD said to Moses, "Now I am going to cause food to rain down from the sky for all of you. The people must go out every day and gather enough for that day. In this way I can test them to find out if they will follow my instructions.
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On the sixth day they are to bring in twice as much as usual and prepare it."
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So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt.
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In the morning you will see the dazzling light of the LORD's presence. He has heard your complaints against him---yes, against him, because we are only carrying out his instructions."
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Then Moses said, "It is the LORD who will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because he has heard how much you have complained against him. When you complain against us, you are really complaining against the LORD."
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Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the whole community to come and stand before the LORD, because he has heard their complaints."
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As Aaron spoke to the whole community, they turned toward the desert, and suddenly the dazzling light of the LORD appeared in a cloud.
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The LORD said to Moses,
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"I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them that at twilight they will have meat to eat, and in the morning they will have all the bread they want. Then they will know that I, the LORD, am their God."
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In the evening a large flock of quails flew in, enough to cover the camp, and in the morning there was dew all around the camp.
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When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as frost.
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When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, "What is it?" Moses said to them, "This is the food that the LORD has given you to eat.
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The LORD has commanded that each of you is to gather as much of it as he needs, two quarts for each member of his household."
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The Israelites did this, some gathering more, others less.
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When they measured it, those who gathered much did not have too much, and those who gathered less did not have too little. Each had gathered just what he needed.
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Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it for tomorrow."
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But some of them did not listen to Moses and saved part of it. The next morning it was full of worms and smelled rotten, and Moses was angry with them.
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Every morning each one gathered as much as he needed; and when the sun grew hot, what was left on the ground melted.
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On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts for each person. All the leaders of the community came and told Moses about it,
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and he said to them, "The LORD has commanded that tomorrow is a holy day of rest, dedicated to him. Bake today what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Whatever is left should be put aside and kept for tomorrow."
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As Moses had commanded, they kept what was left until the next day; it did not spoil or get worms in it.
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Moses said, "Eat this today, because today is the Sabbath, a day of rest dedicated to the LORD, and you will not find any food outside the camp.
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You must gather food for six days, but on the seventh day, the day of rest, there will be none."
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On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather food, but they did not find any.
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Then the LORD said to Moses, "How much longer will you people refuse to obey my commands?
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Remember that I, the LORD, have given you a day of rest, and that is why on the sixth day I will always give you enough food for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day and not leave his home."
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So the people did no work on the seventh day.
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The people of Israel called the food manna. It was like a small white seed, and tasted like thin cakes made with honey.
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Moses said, "The LORD has commanded us to save some manna, to be kept for our descendants, so that they can see the food which he gave us to eat in the desert when he brought us out of Egypt."
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Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, put two quarts of manna in it, and place it in the LORD's presence to be kept for our descendants."
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As the LORD had commanded Moses, Aaron put it in front of the Covenant Box, so that it could be kept.
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The Israelites ate manna for the next forty years, until they reached the land of Canaan, where they settled.
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(The standard dry measure then in use equaled twenty quarts.)
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When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.
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Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
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Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there.
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They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
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There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world.
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When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because all of them heard the believers talking in their own languages.
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In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, "These people who are talking like this are Galileans!
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How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages?
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We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia,
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from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome,
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both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia---yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!"
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Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, "What does this mean?"
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But others made fun of the believers, saying, "These people are drunk!"
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Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.
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These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o'clock in the morning.
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Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:
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'This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams.
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Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message.
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I will perform miracles in the sky above and wonders on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke;
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the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes.
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And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.'
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"Listen to these words, fellow Israelites! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose divine authority was clearly proven to you by all the miracles and wonders which God performed through him. You yourselves know this, for it happened here among you.
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In accordance with his own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him.
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But God raised him from death, setting him free from its power, because it was impossible that death should hold him prisoner.
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For David said about him, 'I saw the Lord before me at all times; he is near me, and I will not be troubled.
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And so I am filled with gladness, and my words are full of joy. And I, mortal though I am, will rest assured in hope,
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because you will not abandon me in the world of the dead; you will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the grave.
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You have shown me the paths that lead to life, and your presence will fill me with joy.'
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"My friends, I must speak to you plainly about our famous ancestor King David. He died and was buried, and his grave is here with us to this very day.
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He was a prophet, and he knew what God had promised him: God had made a vow that he would make one of David's descendants a king, just as David was.
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David saw what God was going to do in the future, and so he spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah when he said, 'He was not abandoned in the world of the dead; his body did not rot in the grave.'
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God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.
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He has been raised to the right side of God, his Father, and has received from him the Holy Spirit, as he had promised. What you now see and hear is his gift that he has poured out on us.
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For it was not David who went up into heaven; rather he said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit here at my right side
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until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.'
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"All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!"
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When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, "What shall we do, brothers?"
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Peter said to them, "Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit.
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For God's promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away---all whom the Lord our God calls to himself."
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Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, "Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!"
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Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.
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They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers.
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Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe.
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All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another.
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They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.
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Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,
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praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
