Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

ACTS 14 [†]Now at Iconium  a they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2[†] b But the  c unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against  d the brothers. [1] 3So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for  e the Lord, who bore witness to  f the word of his grace,  g granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4[†]But the people of the city  h were divided;  i some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers,  j to mistreat them and  k to stone them, 6[†]they learned of it and  l fled to  m Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

8[†]Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was  n crippled from birth and had never walked. 9[†]He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and  o seeing that he had faith to be made well, [2] 10said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he  p sprang up and began walking. 11[†]And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian,  q “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12Barnabas they called  r Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13And the priest of  r Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and  s wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14[†]But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they  t tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15“Men,  u why are you doing these things? We also are men,  v of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that  w you should turn from these  x vain things to  y a living God,  z who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16In past generations he  a allowed all the nations  b to walk in their own ways. 17[†]Yet  c he did not leave himself without witness, for he  d did good by  e giving you rains from heaven and  f fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with  g food and  h gladness.” 18Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Paul Stoned at Lystra

19[†] i But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds,  j they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20[†]But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21[†]When they had preached the gospel to that city and had  k made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22[†] l strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them  m to continue in  n the faith, and saying that  o through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23[†]And when they had  p appointed  q elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting  r they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria

24[†]Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26and from there they sailed to Antioch,  s where they had been  t commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27[†]And when they arrived and gathered the church together,  u they declared all that God had done with them, and  v how he had  w opened  x a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28And they remained no little time with the disciples.

The Jerusalem Council

ACTS 15 [†] y But some men came down from Judea and were teaching  z the brothers, “Unless you are  a circumcised  b according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and  c debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and  d some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to  e the apostles and the elders about this question. 3So,  f being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria,  g describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and  h brought great joy to all  i the brothers. [1] 4 j When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and  k the apostles and the elders, and  g they declared all that God had done with them. 5[†]But some believers who belonged to  l the party of the Pharisees rose up and said,  m “It is necessary  n to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

6[†] o The  k apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7[†]And after there had been much  p debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you,  q that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear  r the word of  s the gospel and believe. 8And God,  t who knows the heart,  u bore witness to them,  v by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9[†]and  w he made no distinction between us and them,  x having cleansed their hearts  y by faith. 10[†]Now, therefore, why  z are you putting God to the test  a by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples  b that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11But we  c believe that we will be  d saved through  e the grace of the Lord Jesus,  w just as they will.”

12[†]And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul  f as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13[†]After they finished speaking,  g James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14[†] h Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them  i a people for his name. 15And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

16[†]  j “‘After this I will return,

and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;

I will rebuild its ruins,

and I will restore it,

17 that the remnant [2] of mankind  k may seek the Lord,

and all the Gentiles  l who are called by my name,

says the Lord, who makes these things 18 m known from of old.’

19[†]Therefore  n my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who  o turn to God, 20but should write to them  p to abstain from  q the things polluted by idols, and from  r sexual immorality, and from  s what has been strangled, and from  s blood. 21For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him,  t for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

22[†]Then it seemed good to  u the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called  v Barsabbas, and  w Silas, leading men among  x the brothers, 23[†]with the following letter:  x “The brothers, both  u the apostles and the elders, to the brothers [3] who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia,  y greetings. 24[†]Since we have heard that  z some persons have gone out from us and  a troubled you [4] with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25it has seemed good to us, having come  b to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our  c beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 d men who have  e risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27We have therefore sent  f Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28[†]For it has seemed good  g to the Holy Spirit and  h to us  i to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 j that you abstain from  k what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

30So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32[†]And Judas and Silas, who were themselves  l prophets, encouraged and  m strengthened  n the brothers with many words. 33[†]And after they had spent some time, they were sent off  o in peace by  n the brothers to those who had sent them. [5] 35But  p Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

36[†]And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit  n the brothers  q in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37[†]Now Barnabas wanted to take with them  r John called Mark. 38But Paul thought best not to take with them one  s who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39[†]And there arose  t a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.  u Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and departed,  v having been commended by  w the brothers to  x the grace of the Lord. 41[†]And he went through Syria and Cilicia,  y strengthening the churches.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

ACTS 16 [†]Paul [1] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named  z Timothy,  a the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2He was well spoken of by  b the brothers [2] at Lystra and Iconium. 3[†]Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he  c took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4[†]As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance  d the decisions  e that had been reached by  f the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5[†] g So the churches were strengthened in  h the faith, and they increased in numbers  i daily.

The Macedonian Call

6[†]And  j they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7[†]And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but  k the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8[†]So, passing by Mysia, they went down  l to Troas. 9[†]And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10[†]And when Paul [3] had seen the vision, immediately  m we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

11[†]So, setting sail from Troas, we  n made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12[†]and from there to  o Philippi, which is a leading city of the [4] district of Macedonia and  p a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13[†]And  q on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate  r to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we  s sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14[†]One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods,  t who was a worshiper of God. The Lord  u opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15[†]And after she was baptized,  v and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she  w prevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

16[†]As we were going to  x the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had  y a spirit of  z divination and  a brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us,  b crying out, “These men are  c servants [5] of  d the Most High God, who proclaim to you  e the way of salvation.” 18[†]And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit,  f “I command you  g in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And  h it came out that very hour.

19[†]But  i when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and  j dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20[†]And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21They  k advocate customs that are not lawful for us  l as Romans to accept or practice.” 22[†]The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders  m to beat them with rods. 23[†]And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24Having received this order, he put them into the inner  n prison and fastened their feet in  o the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

25[†] p About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26and suddenly  q there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately  r all the doors were opened, and  s everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and  t was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29And the jailer [6] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he  u fell down before Paul and Silas. 30[†]Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs,  v what must I do to be  w saved?” 31[†]And they said,  x “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you  y and your household.” 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33[†]And he took them  z the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he  a was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34[†]Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he  b rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

35[†]But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37[†]But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly,  c uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38The police reported these words to the magistrates, and  c they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and  d asked them to leave the city. 40So they went out of the prison and visited  e Lydia. And when they had seen  f the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

ACTS 17 [†]Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to  g Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2[†]And Paul went in,  h as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them  i from the Scriptures, 3[†] j explaining and proving that it was necessary for  k the Christ to suffer and  l to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4[†]And  m some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did  n a great many of the devout  o Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5[†] p But the Jews [1]  q were jealous, and taking  r some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6[†]And when they could not find them,  s they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against  t the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is  u another king, Jesus.” 8And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9[†]And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

10[†] v The brothers [2] immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they  w went into the Jewish synagogue. 11[†]Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness,  x examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 y Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek  z women of high standing as well as men. 13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too,  a agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14[†]Then the brothers  b immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and  c Timothy remained there. 15[†] d Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as  e Athens, and after receiving a command  f for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Paul in Athens

16[†]Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was  g provoked within him as he saw that the city was  h full of idols. 17[†]So  i he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18[†]Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said,  j “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because  k he was preaching  l Jesus and the resurrection. 19[†]And they took him and brought him to  m the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this  n new teaching is that you are presenting? 20For you bring some  o strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

22[†]So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23[†]For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription,  p ‘To the unknown god.’  p What therefore you worship  q as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24[†] r The God who made the world and everything in it, being  s Lord of heaven and earth,  t does not live in temples made by man, [3] 25nor is he served by human hands,  u as though he needed anything, since he himself  v gives to all mankind  w life and breath and everything. 26[†]And  x he made from one man every nation of mankind to live  y on all the face of the earth,  z having determined allotted periods and  a the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27[†] b that they should seek God,  c and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.  d Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28[†]for

 e “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; [4]

as even some of  f your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ [5]

29[†] g Being then God’s offspring,  h we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30[†] i The times of ignorance  j God overlooked, but  k now he  l commands all people everywhere to repent, 31[†]because he has fixed  m a day on which  n he will judge the world  o in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and  p of this he has given assurance to all  q by raising him from the dead.”

32Now when they heard of  r the resurrection of the dead,  s some mocked. But others said,  t “We will hear you again about this.” 33So Paul went out from their midst. 34[†]But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius  u the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Paul in Corinth

ACTS 18 [†]After this Paul [1] left Athens and went to Corinth. 2[†]And he found a Jew named  v Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife  v Priscilla, because  w Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3[†]and  x because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4[†]And  y he reasoned in the synagogue  y every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

5[†] z When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul  a was occupied with the word,  b testifying to the Jews that the Christ was  c Jesus. 6[†]And when they opposed and reviled him,  d he shook out his garments and said to them,  e “Your blood be on your own heads!  f I am innocent.  g From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7[†]And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius  h Justus,  i a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8[†] j Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together  k with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9[†]And the Lord said to Paul  l one night in  m a vision,  n “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 n for I am with you, and  o no one will attack you to harm you, for  p I have many in this city who are my people.” 11And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12[†]But when Gallio was  q proconsul of Achaia,  r the Jews [2] made a united attack on Paul and  s brought him before the tribunal, 13saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to  t the law.” 14[†]But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious  u crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15But  v since it is a matter of questions about words and names and  w your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16And he drove them from the tribunal. 17[†]And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

Paul Returns to Antioch

18[†]After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of  x the brothers [3] and set sail for Syria, and with him  y Priscilla and Aquila. At  z Cenchreae  a he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. 19[†]And they came to  b Ephesus, and he left them there, but  c he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. 21[†]But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you  d if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

22[†]When he had landed at Caesarea, he  e went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23[†]After spending some time there, he departed and  f went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia,  g strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus

24[†]Now a Jew named  h Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man,  i competent in the Scriptures. 25[†]He had been instructed in  j the way of the Lord. And  k being fervent in spirit, [4] he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only  l the baptism of John. 26[†]He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when  m Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him  n the way of God more accurately. 27[†]And when he wished to cross to  o Achaia,  p the brothers encouraged him and  q wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived,  r he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28[†]for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures  s that the Christ was Jesus.

Paul in Ephesus

ACTS 19 [†]And it happened that while  t Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed  u through the inland [1] country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2[†]And he said to them,  v “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No,  w we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3And he said,  x “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into  y John’s baptism.” 4And Paul said,  y “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people  z to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5[†]On hearing this,  a they were baptized in [2] the name of the Lord Jesus. 6[†]And  b when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and  c they began speaking in tongues and  d prophesying. 7There were about twelve men in all.

8And  e he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them  f about the kingdom of God. 9[†] g But when some became stubborn and  h continued in unbelief, speaking evil of  i the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. [3] 10[†]This continued for  j two years, so that  k all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

The Sons of Sceva

11[†]And  l God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12[†] l so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and  m the evil spirits came out of them. 13[†]Then some of the itinerant Jewish  n exorcists  o undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying,  p “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15[†]But the evil spirit answered them,  q “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all [4] of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and  r the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18Also many of those who were now believers came,  s confessing and divulging their practices. 19[†]And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20[†]So the word of the Lord  t continued to increase and prevail mightily.

A Riot at Ephesus

21[†]Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit  u to pass through  v Macedonia and Achaia and  w go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there,  x I must also see Rome.” 22[†]And having sent into Macedonia two of  y his helpers,  z Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia  a for a while.

23[†]About that time  b there arose no little disturbance concerning  c the Way. 24[†]For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis,  d brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25[†] d These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people,  e saying that  f gods made with hands are not gods. 27And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the  g great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

28[†]When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out,  g “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29[†]So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and  h Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s  i companions in travel. 30[†]But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31[†]And even some of the Asiarchs, [5] who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32[†] j Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33[†]Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander,  k motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice,  l “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35[†]And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from  m the sky? [6] 36Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37For you have brought  n these men here who are neither  o sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38[†]If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are  p proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39But if you seek anything further, [7] it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

ACTS 20 [†]After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and  q departed for Macedonia. 2[†]When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3[†]There he spent three months, and when  r a plot was made against him by the Jews [1] as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4[†]Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians,  s Aristarchus and Secundus; and  s Gaius of Derbe, and  t Timothy; and the Asians,  u Tychicus and  v Trophimus. 5[†]These went on ahead and were waiting for  w us at  x Troas, 6but we sailed away from Philippi after  y the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead

7[†] z On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together  a to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8There were many lamps in  b the upper room where we were gathered. 9[†]And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he  c fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10But Paul went down and  d bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said,  e “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11And when Paul had gone up and  f had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

13[†]But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15[†]And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and [2] the day after that we went to Miletus. 16[†]For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening  g to be at Jerusalem, if possible,  h on the day of Pentecost.

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

17[†]Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called  i the elders of the church to come to him. 18And when they came to him, he said to them:

 j “You yourselves know  k how I lived among you the whole time  j from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 l serving the Lord  m with all humility and with  n tears and with trials that happened to me through  o the plots of the Jews; 20[†]how I  p did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and  q teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 r testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of  s repentance toward God and of  t faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22[†]And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained  u by [3] the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that  v the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that  w imprisonment and  x afflictions await me. 24[†]But  y I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only  z I may finish my course and  a the ministry  b that I received from the Lord Jesus,  c to testify to  d the gospel of  e the grace of God. 25And now, behold,  f I know that none of you among whom I have gone about  g proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26[†]Therefore  h I testify to you this day that  i I am innocent of the blood of all, 27for  j I did not shrink from declaring to you  k the whole counsel of God. 28[†] l Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all  m the flock, in which  n the Holy Spirit has made you  o overseers,  p to care for  q the church of God, [4] which he  r obtained  s with his own blood. [5] 29[†]I  r know that after my departure  t fierce wolves will come in among you,  u not sparing the flock; 30and  v from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31[†]Therefore  w be alert, remembering that  x for three years I did not cease night or day  y to admonish every one  z with tears. 32And now  a I commend you to God and to  b the word of his grace, which is able to  c build you up and to give you  d the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 e I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 f You yourselves know that  g these hands ministered to my necessities and  h to those who were with me. 35[†]In all things  i I have shown you that  j by working hard in this way we must  k help the weak and  l remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed  m to give than to receive.’”

36[†]And when he had said these things,  n he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And  o there was much weeping on the part of all;  p they embraced Paul and  p kissed him, 38[†]being sorrowful most of all because of  q the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And  r they accompanied him to the ship.

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

ACTS 21 [†]And when  s we had parted from them and set sail, we  t came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. [1] 2And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3[†]When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4[†]And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And  u through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children,  v accompanied us until we were outside the city. And  w kneeling down on the beach, we prayed 6and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

7[†]When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted  x the brothers [2] and stayed with them for one day. 8[†]On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of  y Philip  z the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9He had four unmarried daughters,  a who prophesied. 10[†]While we were staying for many days, a prophet named  b Agabus came down from Judea. 11And coming to us, he  c took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said,  d “Thus says the Holy Spirit,  e ‘This is how the Jews [3] at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and  f deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12When we heard this, we and the people there  g urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13[†]Then Paul answered,  g “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For  h I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem  i for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14And since he would not be persuaded,  j we ceased and said,  k “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

15[†]After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Paul Visits James

17[†]When we had come to Jerusalem,  l the brothers received us gladly. 18[†]On the following day Paul went in with us to  m James, and all  n the elders were present. 19After greeting them,  o he related one by one  p the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his  q ministry. 20And when they heard it, they  r glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all  s zealous for the law, 21[†]and they have been told about you that you teach all  t the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses,  u telling them  v not to circumcise their children or  w walk according to  x our customs. 22What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23[†]Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men  y who are under a vow; 24take these men and  z purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses,  y so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25[†]But as for the Gentiles who have believed,  a we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, [4] and from sexual immorality.” 26[†]Then Paul took the men, and the next day  z he purified himself along with them and  b went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and  c the offering presented for each one of them.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

27[†]When  c the seven days were almost completed,  d the Jews from Asia,  e seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28[†]crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who  f is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and  g the law and  g this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and  h has defiled  g this holy place.” 29For they had previously seen  i Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30[†]Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and  j dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31[†] j And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of  k the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 l He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33[†]Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him  m to be bound  n with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 o Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into  p the barracks. 35And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36[†]for the mob of the people followed, crying out,  q “Away with him!”

Paul Speaks to the People

37As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38[†]Are you not  r the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out  s into the wilderness?” 39[†]Paul replied,  t “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40[†]And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps,  u motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in  v the Hebrew language, [5] saying:

ACTS 22  w “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

2[†]And when they heard that he was addressing them in  x the Hebrew language, [1] they became even more quiet. And he said:

3[†] y “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated  z at the feet of  a Gamaliel [2]  b according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers,  c being zealous for God  d as all of you are this day. 4[†] e I persecuted  f this Way  g to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5as  h the high priest and  i the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to  j the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

6[†] k “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am  l Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 m Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand [3] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10And I said,  n ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

12[†]“And  o one Ananias, a devout man  p according to the law,  q well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 r came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And  s at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14And he said,  t ‘The God of our fathers  u appointed you to know his will,  v to see  w the Righteous One and  x to hear a voice from his mouth; 15for  y you will be a witness for him to everyone of what  z you have seen and heard. 16[†]And now why do you wait?  a Rise and be baptized and  b wash away your sins,  c calling on his name.’

17[†] d “When I had returned to Jerusalem and  e was praying in the temple, I fell into  f a trance 18[†]and saw him saying to me,  g ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another  h I imprisoned and  i beat those who believed in you. 20And when the blood of Stephen  j your witness was being shed,  k I myself was standing by and  l approving and  k watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21[†]And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you  m far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

22[†]Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said,  n “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For  o he should not be allowed to live.” 23And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24the tribune ordered him to be brought into  p the barracks, saying that he should be  q examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. 25[†]But when they had stretched him out for the whips, [4] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog  r a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28[†]The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29So those who were about  s to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also  t was afraid,  u for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that  v he had bound him.

Paul Before the Council

30[†]But on the next day,  w desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

ACTS 23 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers,  x I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2And the high priest  y Ananias commanded those who stood by him  z to strike him on the mouth. 3[†]Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you  a whitewashed  b wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet  c contrary to the law you  c order me to be struck?” 4Those who stood by said, “Would you revile  d God’s high priest?” 5[†]And Paul said,  e “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written,  f ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

6Now when Paul perceived that one part were  g Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers,  h I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is  i with respect to the  j hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8[†]For the Sadducees  k say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9Then a great clamor arose, and some of  l the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply,  m “We find nothing wrong in this man. What  n if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into  o the barracks.

11[†] p The following night  q the Lord stood by him and said,  r “Take courage, for  s as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must  t testify also in Rome.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

12[†]When it was day,  u the Jews made a plot and  v bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14[†]They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

16[†]Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered  w the barracks and told Paul. 17Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18[†]So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul  x the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” 19The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20And he said,  y “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. 21[†]But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who  z have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

23[†]Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. [1] 24[†]Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to  a Felix  b the governor.” 25[†]And he wrote a letter to this effect:

26“Claudius Lysias, to  c his Excellency the governor Felix,  d greetings. 27[†] e This man was seized by the Jews and  f was about to be killed by them  f when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him,  g having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28And  h desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29I found that he was being accused  i about questions of their law, but  j charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 k And when it was disclosed to me  l that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once,  m ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

31[†]So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32And on the next day they returned to  n the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. 33When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34[†]On reading the letter, he asked what  o province he was from. And when he learned  p that he was from Cilicia, 35[†]he said, “I will give you a hearing  q when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s  r praetorium.

Paul Before Felix at Caesarea

ACTS 24 [†]And  s after five days the high priest  t Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before  u the governor their case against Paul. 2[†]And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight,  v most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4But, to detain [1] you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5[†]For we have found this man a plague,  w one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of  x the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 y He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. [2] 8By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

9The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

10[†]And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11[†]You can verify that  z it is not more than twelve days since I  a went up  b to worship in Jerusalem, 12and  c they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 d Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14[†]But this I confess to you, that according to  e the Way, which they call  f a sect,  g I worship  h the God of our fathers, believing everything  i laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 j having  k a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be  l a resurrection  m of both the just and the unjust. 16So I always  n take pains to have a  o clear conscience toward both God and man. 17Now  p after several years  q I came to bring alms to  r my nation and to present  s offerings. 18[†]While I was doing this, they found me  t purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But  u some Jews from Asia— 19 v they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20[†]Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21other than this one thing  w that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”

Paul Kept in Custody

22[†]But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of  x the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23Then he gave orders to the centurion that he  y should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that  z none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

24[†]After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about  a faith  b in Christ Jesus. 25[†]And as he reasoned  c about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present.  d When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” 26[†]At the same time he hoped  e that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27[†]When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius  f Festus. And  g desiring to do the Jews a favor,  h Felix left Paul in prison.

Paul Appeals to Caesar

ACTS 25 [†]Now three days after Festus had arrived in  i the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2[†]And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews  j laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3asking as a favor against Paul [1] that he summon him to Jerusalem—because  k they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4[†]Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5“So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

6After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on  l the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him  m that they could not prove. 8Paul argued in his defense, “Neither  n against  o the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor  p against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9[†]But Festus,  q wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” 10But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s  r tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them.  s I appeal to Caesar.” 12[†]Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice

13[†]Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. 14And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying,  t “There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case  u against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 v I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone  w before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. 17 x So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on  y the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. 18[†]When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. 19Rather they  z had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about  a a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I  b asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21But  c when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of  d the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22Then  e Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”

23[†]So on the next day  f Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom  g the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here,  h shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25But I found that  i he had done nothing deserving death. And  j as he himself appealed to  k the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. 26But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. 27For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”

Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa

ACTS 26 So  l Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

2“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today  m against all the accusations of the Jews, 3especially because you are familiar with all the  n customs and  o controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 p “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among  q my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that  r according to the strictest  s party of our  t religion I have lived as  u a Pharisee. 6And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in  v the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 w to which  x our twelve tribes hope to  y attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope  z I am accused by Jews, O king! 8Why is it thought  a incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 b “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of  c Jesus of Nazareth. 10 d And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority  e from the chief priests, but  f when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11And  g I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them  h blaspheme, and  i in raging fury against them I  j persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

12“In this connection  k I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13[†]At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14[†]And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me  l in the Hebrew language, [1] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and  m stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose,  n to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 o delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— p to whom I  q am sending you 18 r to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from  s the power of Satan to God, that they may receive  t forgiveness of sins and  u a place among those who are sanctified  v by faith in me.’

19“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to  w the heavenly vision, 20[†]but declared first  x to those in Damascus,  y then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also  z to the Gentiles, that they should  a repent and  b turn to God, performing deeds  c in keeping with their repentance. 21For this reason  d the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22[†] e To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so  f I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what  g the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 h that the Christ  i must suffer and that,  j by being the first  k to rise from the dead,  l he would proclaim  m light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

24And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul,  n you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind,  o most excellent Festus, but I am speaking  p true and  q rational words. 26[†]For  r the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27[†]King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28[†]And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be  s a Christian?” [2] 29And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day  t might become such as I am—except for  u these chains.”

30Then the king rose, and  v the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another,  w “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32And Agrippa said to Festus,  x “This man could have been set  y free if he had not appealed  z to Caesar.”

Paul Sails for Rome

ACTS 27 [†]And when it was decided  a that  b we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan  c Cohort named Julius. 2[†]And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by  d Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3[†]The next day we put in at Sidon. And  e Julius  f treated Paul kindly and  g gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4[†]And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5[†]And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6There the centurion found  h a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7[†]We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8[†]Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

9[†]Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even  i the Fast [1] was already over, Paul advised them, 10saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with  j injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11[†]But the centurion paid more attention to  k the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12[†]And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

The Storm at Sea

13Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14[†]But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster,  l struck down from the land. 15And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16[†]Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, [2] we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17[†]After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would  m run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, [3] and thus they were driven along. 18[†]Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day  n to jettison the cargo. 19And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20[†]When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

21[†]Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men,  o you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this  o injury and loss. 22[†]Yet now I urge you to  p take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23For this very night  q there  r stood before me  s an angel of the God  t to whom I belong and  u whom I worship, 24[†]and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul;  v you must stand before Caesar. And behold,  w God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26But  x we must  y run aground on some island.”

27[†]When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. [4] A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. [5] 29[†]And fearing that we might  z run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30[†]And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered  a the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.

33[†]As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34[†]Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, [6] for  b not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35[†]And when he had said these things, he took bread, and  c giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36Then they all  d were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37[†](We were in all 276 [7]  e persons in the ship.) 38And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship,  f throwing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

39[†]Now when it was day,  g they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40[†]So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41[†]But striking a reef, [8]  h they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 i The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43[†]But the centurion,  j wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that  k all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

ACTS 28 [†]After we were brought safely through,  l we then learned that  m the island was called Malta. 2[†] n The native people [1] showed us unusual  o kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4[†]When  p the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another,  q “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea,  r Justice [2] has not allowed him to live.” 5He, however,  s shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6[†]They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him,  t they changed their minds and  u said that he was a god.

7[†]Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8[†]It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and  v prayed, and  w putting his hands on him healed him. 9And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10[†]They also honored us greatly, [3] and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

11[†]After three months we set sail in  x a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods [4] as a figurehead. 12[†]Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14[†]There we found  y brothers [5] and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15[†]And  y the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them,  z Paul thanked God and took courage. 16[†]And when we came into Rome,  a Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.

Paul in Rome

17[†]After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers,  b though I had done nothing against our people or  c the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18When they had examined me, they  d wished to set me at liberty,  e because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19[†]But because the Jews objected, I was compelled  f to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against  g my nation. 20[†]For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is  h because of  i the hope of Israel that I am wearing  j this  k chain.” 21And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of  l the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this  m sect we know that everywhere  n it is spoken against.”

23[†]When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening  o he expounded to them, testifying to  p the kingdom of God and  q trying to convince them about Jesus  r both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24[†]And  s some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement:  t “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

26[†]  u “‘Go to this people, and say,

 v “You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

27  w For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed;

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and  x turn, and I would heal them.’

28[†]Therefore let it be known to you that  y this  z salvation of God  a has been sent to the Gentiles;  b they will listen.” [6]

30[†]He lived there two whole years at his own expense, [7] and  c welcomed all who came to him, 31 d proclaiming  e the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ  f with all boldness and  g without hindrance.