Acts 8-21

New American Standard Bible

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 ^(A)Now Saul approved of putting ^[a]Stephen to death.

And on that day a great persecution ^[b]began against ^(B)the church in Jerusalem, and they were all ^(C)scattered throughout the regions of Judea and ^(D)Samaria, except for the apostles. ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. ³ But ^(E)Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would ^(F)drag away men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴ Therefore, those ^(G)who had been scattered went through places ^[c](H)preaching the word. ^5 (I)Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the ^[d]Christ to them. ⁶ The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the ^[e]signs which he was performing. ⁷ For in the case of many who had ^(J)unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been ^(K)paralyzed or limped on crutches were healed. ⁸ So there was ^(L)much rejoicing in that city.

⁹ Now a man named Simon had previously been practicing ^(M)magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, ^(N)claiming to be someone great; ¹⁰ and all the people, from small to great, were paying attention to him, saying, “^(O)This man is the Power of God that is called Great.” ¹¹ And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his ^(P)magic arts. ¹² But when they believed Philip ^(Q)as he was preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being ^(R)baptized. ¹³ Now even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed ^(S)signs and ^(T)great miracles taking place, he was repeatedly amazed.

¹⁴ Now when ^(U)the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them ^(V)Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them ^(W)that they would receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ (For He had ^(X)not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been ^(Y)baptized ^[f]in the name of the Lord Jesus.) ¹⁷ Then they ^(Z)began laying their hands on them, and they were ^(AA)receiving the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could ^(AB)acquire the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have ^(AC)no part or share in this ^[g]matter, for your heart is not ^(AD)right before God. ²² Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, ^(AE)if possible, the intention of your heart will be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are ^[h]in the gall of bitterness and in ^(AF)the ^[i]bondage of unrighteousness.” ²⁴ But Simon answered and said, “^(AG)Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

An Ethiopian Receives Christ

²⁵ So, when they had solemnly ^(AH)testified and spoken ^(AI)the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were ^(AJ)preaching the gospel to many villages of the ^(AK)Samaritans.

²⁶ But ^(AL)an angel of the Lord spoke to ^(AM)Philip, saying, “Get ready and go ^[j]south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to ^(AN)Gaza.” (^[k]This is a desert road.) ²⁷ So he got ready and went; and ^[l](AO)there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of ^[m]Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he ^(AP)had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his ^[n]chariot, and was reading Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ Then ^(AQ)the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this ^[o]chariot.” ³⁰ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

³⁴ The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip ^(AT)opened his mouth, and ^(AU)beginning from this Scripture he ^(AV)preached Jesus to him. ³⁶ As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! ^(AW)What prevents me from being baptized?”^{[r] 38} And he ordered that the ^[s]chariot stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, ^(AX)the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, ^[t]but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip ^[u]found himself at ^[v](AY)Azotus, and as he passed through he ^(AZ)kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to ^(BA)Caesarea.

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(BB)Now ^[w]Saul, still ^(BC)breathing ^[x]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(BD)letters from him to ^(BE)the synagogues in ^(BF)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^[y](BG)the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^(BH)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(BI)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and ^(BJ)it will be told to you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(BK)stood speechless, ^(BL)hearing the ^[z]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(BM)though his eyes were open, he ^[aa]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(BN)Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in ^(BO)Damascus named ^(BP)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(BQ)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(BR)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[ab]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(BS)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, ^(BT)how much harm he did to ^(BU)Your ^[ac]saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(BV)has authority from the chief priests to ^[ad]arrest all who ^(BW)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(BX)he is a chosen ^[ae]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(BY)the Gentiles and ^(BZ)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(CA)I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(CB)laying his hands on him said, “^(CC)Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^(CD)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(CE)for several days he was with ^(CF)the disciples who were in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(CG)in the synagogues, ^[af]saying, “He is ^(CH)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(CI)destroyed those who ^(CJ)called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[ag]Christ.

²³ When ^(CK)many days had elapsed, ^(CL)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(CM)their plot became known to Saul. ^(CN)They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (CO)When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(CP)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(CQ)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(CR)he had ^(CS)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[ah]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(CT)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[ai](CU)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ Now when ^(CV)the ^[aj]brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(CW)Caesarea and ^(CX)sent him away to ^(CY)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(CZ)the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ^[ak]enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ^[al]continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

Peter’s Ministry

³² Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to ^(DA)the ^[am]saints who lived at ^[an](DB)Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, ^[ao]because he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up. ³⁵ And all who lived at ^[ap](DC)Lydda and ^(DD)Sharon saw him, and they ^(DE)turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now in ^(DF)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means ^[aq]Dorcas); this woman was ^[ar]excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually. ³⁷ But it happened ^[as]at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(DG)upstairs room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near ^(DH)Joppa, ^(DI)the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^(DJ)room upstairs; and all the ^(DK)widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ^[at]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(DL)sent them all out and ^(DM)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(DN)Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling ^(DO)the ^[au]saints and ^(DP)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² It became known all over ^(DQ)Joppa, and ^(DR)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed in ^(DS)Joppa many days with ^(DT)a tanner named Simon.

Cornelius’ Vision

10 Now there was a man in ^(DU)Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was ^(DV)called the Italian ^[av]cohort, ² a devout man and ^(DW)one who feared God with all his household, and ^(DX)made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About ^(DY)the ^[aw]ninth hour of the day he clearly saw ^(DZ)in a vision ^(EA)an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And he ^(EB)looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts ^(EC)have ascended ^(ED)as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now dispatch some men to ^(EE)Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; ⁶ he is staying with a tanner named ^(EF)Simon, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who *spoke to him left, he summoned two of his ^[ax]servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants, ⁸ and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to ^(EG)Joppa.

⁹ On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, ^(EH)Peter went up on ^(EI)the ^[ay]housetop about ^[az](EJ)the sixth hour to pray. ¹⁰ But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he ^(EK)fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he *saw ^(EL)the sky opened up, and an ^[ba]object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, ¹² and on it were all kinds of four-footed animals and ^[bb]crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky. ¹³ A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, ^[bc]kill and eat!” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, ^(EM)Lord, for ^(EN)I have never eaten anything ^[bd]unholy and unclean.” ¹⁵ Again a voice came to him a second time, “^(EO)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[be]consider unholy.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the ^[bf]object was taken up into the sky.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in ^[bg]mind as to what ^(EP)the vision which he had seen might ^[bh]mean, behold, ^(EQ)the men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked directions to Simon’s house, and they appeared at the gate; ¹⁸ and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹ While Peter was reflecting on ^(ER)the vision, ^(ES)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, ^[bi]three men are looking for you. ²⁰ But get up, go downstairs and ^(ET)accompany them ^[bj]without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” ²¹ Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” ²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and ^(EU)God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, ^(EV)was divinely directed by a ^(EW)holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear ^[bk](EX)a message from you.” ²³ So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

Peter in Caesarea

Now on the next day he got ready and went away with them, and ^(EY)some of ^(EZ)the brothers from ^(FA)Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ On the following day he entered ^(FB)Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and ^[bl](FC)worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter helped him up, saying, “^(FD)Stand up; I, too, am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he entered and *found ^(FE)many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is ^(FF)forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a ^[bm]foreigner; and yet ^(FG)God has shown me that I am not to call any person ^[bn]unholy or unclean. ²⁹ That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “^(FH)Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during ^(FI)the ^[bo]ninth hour; and behold, ^(FJ)a man stood before me in shining clothing, ³¹ and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God. ³² Therefore send some men to ^(FK)Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent men to you immediately, and you have ^[bp]been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear Good News

^34 (FL)Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that ^(FM)God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but ^(FN)in every nation the one who ^[bq](FO)fears Him and ^[br]does what is right is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(FP)preaching ^[bs](FQ)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(FR)Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ^38 [bt]You know of ^(FS)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(FT)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^[bu](FU)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(FV)God was with Him. ³⁹ We are ^(FW)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ^[bv]country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ^[bw](FX)a cross. ^40 (FY)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ^[bx]be revealed, ^41 (FZ)not to all the people, but to ^(GA)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(GB)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And He ^(GC)ordered us to ^[by]preach to the people, and to ^(GD)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been ^(GE)appointed by God as ^(GF)Judge of the living and the dead. ^43 (GG)All the prophets testify of Him, that through ^(GH)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(GI)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ^[bz]message. ^45 (GJ)All the ^[ca]Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been ^(GK)poured out on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them ^(GL)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “^(GM)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who ^(GN)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ^(GO)ordered them to be baptized ^(GP)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

Peter Reports in Jerusalem

11 Now the apostles and ^(GQ)the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^[cb](GR)the Jewish believers took issue with him, ³ saying, “^(GS)You ^[cc]went to ^[cd]uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began and explained at length to them ^(GT)in an orderly sequence, saying, ⁵ “^(GU)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ^(GV)a vision, an ^[ce]object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was, ⁶ and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the ^[cf]crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; ^[cg]kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing ^[ch]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘^(GW)What God has cleansed, no longer ^[ci]consider unholy.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. ¹¹ And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from ^(GX)Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying. ^12 (GY)And the Spirit told me to go with them ^(GZ)without ^[cj]misgivings. ^(HA)These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he reported to us how he had seen the angel ^[ck]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; ¹⁴ and he will speak ^(HB)words to you by which you will be saved, you and ^(HC)all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, ^(HD)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just ^(HE)as He did upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘^(HF)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^[cl]with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ Therefore, if ^(HG)God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(HH)who was I that I could ^[cm]stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they ^[cn]quieted down and ^(HI)glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the ^(HJ)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

^19 (HK)So then those who were scattered because of the ^[co]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^[cp]to ^(HL)Phoenicia, ^(HM)Cyprus, and ^(HN)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of ^(HO)Cyprus and ^(HP)Cyrene, who came to ^(HQ)Antioch and began speaking to the ^[cq](HR)Greeks as well, ^(HS)preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(HT)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(HU)a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[cr]news about them ^[cs]reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent ^(HV)Barnabas off ^[ct]to ^(HW)Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and ^[cu]witnessed ^(HX)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^[cv]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and ^(HY)full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And ^[cw](HZ)considerable numbers were added to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for ^(IA)Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to ^(IB)Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[cx]met with the church and taught ^[cy]considerable numbers of people; and ^(IC)the disciples were first called ^(ID)Christians in ^(IE)Antioch.

²⁷ Now ^[cz]at this time some ^(IF)prophets came down from Jerusalem to ^(IG)Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named ^(IH)Agabus, stood up and ^[da]indicated ^[db]by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine ^(II)all over the ^[dc]world. ^[dd]And this took place in the reign of ^(IJ)Claudius. ²⁹ And to the extent that any of ^(IK)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^[de]relief of ^(IL)the brothers and sisters living in Judea. ^30 (IM)And they did this, sending it ^[df]with ^(IN)Barnabas and Saul to the ^(IO)elders.

Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance

12 Now about that time ^[dg]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm. ² And he ^(IP)had James the brother of John ^(IQ)executed with a sword. ³ When he saw that it ^(IR)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were ^[dh](IS)the days of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴ When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four ^[di](IT)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after ^(IU)the Passover to bring him before the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God ^[dj]intensely by the church.

⁶ On ^[dk]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(IV)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(IW)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(IX)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(IY)his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and ^[dl]strap on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing ^(IZ)a vision. ¹⁰ Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which ^(JA)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(JB)came ^[dm]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that ^(JC)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all ^[dn]that the Jewish people were expecting.” ¹² And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(JD)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(JE)were praying. ¹³ When he knocked at the door of the gate, ^(JF)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, ^(JG)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, “It is ^(JH)his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(JI)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to ^[do](JJ)James and ^(JK)the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to ^[dp]what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they ^(JL)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to ^(JM)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Death of Herod

²⁰ Now he was very angry with the people of ^(JN)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because ^(JO)their country was supported with grain from the king’s country. ²¹ On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the ^[dq]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. ²² The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ And immediately ^(JP)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^[dr]died.

²⁴ But ^(JQ)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

²⁵ And ^(JR)Barnabas and ^(JS)Saul returned ^(JT)when they had fulfilled their ^[ds]mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them ^(JU)John, who was also called Mark.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were ^(JV)prophets and ^(JW)teachers at ^(JX)Antioch, in the ^(JY)church that was there: ^(JZ)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of ^(KA)Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with ^(KB)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were ^[dt]serving the Lord and fasting, ^(KC)the Holy Spirit said, “Set ^(KD)Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for ^(KE)the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted, ^(KF)prayed, and ^(KG)laid their hands on them, ^(KH)they sent them away.

⁴ So, being ^(KI)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to ^(KJ)Cyprus. ⁵ When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in ^(KK)the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had ^(KL)John as their helper. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a ^(KM)magician, a Jewish ^(KN)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the ^(KO)proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(KP)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the ^(KQ)proconsul away from ^(KR)the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also known as Paul, ^[du](KS)filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, ¹⁰ and said, “^[dv]You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you ^(KT)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked ^(KU)the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, behold, ^(KV)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the ^(KW)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at ^(KX)the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from ^(KY)Paphos and came to ^(KZ)Perga in ^(LA)Pamphylia; but ^(LB)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But going on from Perga, they arrived at ^(LC)Pisidian ^(LD)Antioch, and on ^(LE)the Sabbath day they went into ^(LF)the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(LG)the reading of the Law and ^(LH)the Prophets, ^(LI)the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “^[dw]Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ Paul stood up, and ^(LJ)motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and ^(LK)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel ^(LL)chose our fathers and ^[dx](LM)made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm ^(LN)He led them out from it. ¹⁸ For ^(LO)a period of about forty years ^(LP)He put up with them in the wilderness. ^19 (LQ)When He had destroyed ^(LR)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He ^(LS)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took ^(LT)about 450 years. ²⁰ After these things He ^(LU)gave them judges until ^(LV)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they ^(LW)asked for a king, and God gave them ^(LX)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² After He had ^(LY)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘^(LZ)I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My ^[dy]will.’ ^23 (MA)From the descendants of this man, ^(MB)according to promise, God has brought to Israel ^(MC)a Savior, Jesus, ²⁴ after ^(MD)John had proclaimed, before ^[dz]His coming, a ^(ME)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And while John ^(MF)was completing his course, ^(MG)he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “^[ea]Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of ^(MH)this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem, and their ^(MI)rulers, ^(MJ)recognizing neither Him nor the ^[eb]declarations of ^(MK)the prophets which are ^(ML)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they ^(MM)asked Pilate that He be executed. ²⁹ When they had ^(MN)carried out everything that was written concerning Him, ^(MO)they took Him down from the ^[ec](MP)cross and ^(MQ)laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God ^(MR)raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days ^(MS)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now ^(MT)His witnesses to the people. ³² And we ^(MU)preach to you the good news of ^(MV)the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by ^(MW)raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘^(MX)You are My Son; today I have fathered You.’ ³⁴ As for the fact that He ^(MY)raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘^(MZ)I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David.’ ³⁵ Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘^(NA)You will not ^[ed]allow Your ^[ee]Holy One to ^[ef]undergo decay.’ ³⁶ For ^(NB)David, after he had ^[eg]served God’s ^(NC)purpose in his own generation, ^(ND)fell asleep, and was ^[eh]buried among his fathers and ^[ei]underwent decay; ³⁷ but He whom God ^(NE)raised did not ^[ej]undergo decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, ^[ek]brothers, that ^(NF)through ^[el]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and ^[em]through Him ^(NG)everyone who believes is ^[en]freed ^[eo]from all things, from which you could not be ^[ep]freed ^[eq]through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore, see that the thing spoken of ^(NH)in the Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴² As ^[es]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these ^[et]things spoken to them the next ^(NJ)Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the ^(NK)God-fearing ^[eu](NL)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in ^(NM)the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ The next ^(NN)Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of ^[ev]the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when ^(NO)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were ^[ew]blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you ^(NP)first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, ^(NQ)we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us,

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying ^(NT)the word of ^[ez]the Lord; and all who ^(NU)had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And ^(NV)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But ^(NW)the Jews incited the ^[fa](NX)devout women ^(NY)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their ^[fb]region. ⁵¹ But ^(NZ)they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to ^(OA)Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were continually ^(OB)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 In ^(OC)Iconium ^(OD)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way ^(OE)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of ^(OF)Greeks. ² But ^(OG)the ^[fc](OH)unbelieving Jews stirred up the ^[fd]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against ^(OI)the brothers. ³ Therefore they spent a long time there ^(OJ)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that ^[fe](OK)signs and wonders be performed by their hands. ^4 (OL)But the ^[ff]people of the city were divided; and some ^[fg]sided with ^(OM)the Jews, while others, with ^(ON)the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and ^(OO)the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to ^(OP)stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of ^(OQ)Lycaonia, ^(OR)Lystra and ^(OS)Derbe, and the surrounding region; ⁷ and there they continued to ^(OT)preach the gospel.

⁸ In ^(OU)Lystra ^(OV)a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul ^(OW)looked at him intently and saw that he had ^(OX)faith to be ^[fh]made well, ¹⁰ and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” ^(OY)And the man leaped up and began to walk. ¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the ^(OZ)Lycaonian language, “^(PA)The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas, ^[fi]Zeus, and Paul, ^[fj]Hermes, since he was ^[fk]the chief speaker. ¹³ Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was ^[fl]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and ^(PB)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when ^(PC)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they ^(PD)tore their ^[fm]robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also ^(PE)men, of the same nature as you, ^(PF)preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these ^[fn](PG)useless things to a ^(PH)living God, who ^(PI)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. ^16 [fo]In past generations He ^(PJ)permitted all the ^[fp]nations to ^(PK)go their own ways; ¹⁷ yet ^(PL)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and ^(PM)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, ^[fq]satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ But ^(PN)Jews came from ^(PO)Antioch and ^(PP)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they ^(PQ)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. ²⁰ But while ^(PR)the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for ^(PS)Derbe. ²¹ And after they had ^(PT)preached the gospel to that city and had ^(PU)made a good number of disciples, they returned to ^(PV)Lystra, to ^(PW)Iconium, and to ^(PX)Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of ^(PY)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in ^(PZ)the faith, and saying, “^(QA)It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When ^(QB)they had appointed ^(QC)elders for them in every church, having ^(QD)prayed with fasting, they ^(QE)entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ They passed through ^(QF)Pisidia and came into ^(QG)Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word in ^(QH)Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to ^(QI)Antioch, ^(QJ)where they had been ^(QK)entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had ^[fr]accomplished. ²⁷ When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to ^(QL)report all the things that God had done with them and ^[fs]how He had opened a ^(QM)door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent ^[ft]a long time with ^(QN)the disciples.

The Council in Jerusalem

15 ^(QO)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching ^(QP)the brothers, “Unless you are ^(QQ)circumcised according to ^(QR)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And after Paul and Barnabas had ^[fu]a heated argument and ^(QS)debate with them, ^(QT)the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the ^(QU)apostles and elders concerning this issue. ³ Therefore, after being ^(QV)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both ^(QW)Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(QX)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all ^(QY)the brothers and sisters. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, ^(QZ)the apostles, and the elders, and they ^(RA)reported all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of ^(RB)the sect of the ^(RC)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to ^(RD)circumcise ^[fv]them and to direct them to keep the Law of Moses.”

^6 (RE)The apostles and the elders came together to ^[fw]look into this ^[fx]matter. ⁷ After there had been much ^(RF)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “^[fy]Brothers, you know that ^[fz]in the early days ^(RG)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of ^(RH)the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, ^(RI)who knows the heart, testified to them ^(RJ)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and ^(RK)He made no distinction between us and them, ^(RL)cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Since this is the case, why are you ^(RM)putting God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which ^(RN)neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we are saved through ^(RO)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

¹² All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were ^(RP)relating all the ^(RQ)signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’ Judgment

¹³ After they stopped speaking, ^[ga](RR)James responded, saying, “^[gb]Brothers, listen to me. ^14 (RS)Simeon has described how God first concerned Himself about taking a people for His name from among the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of ^(RT)the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written:

¹⁹ Therefore, it is ^(SA)my judgment that we do not cause trouble for those from the Gentiles who are turning to God, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from ^[gf](SB)things contaminated by idols, from ^(SC)acts of sexual immorality, from ^(SD)what has been ^[gg]strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For ^(SE)from ancient generations Moses has those who preach him in every city, since ^[gh]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²² Then it seemed good to ^(SF)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to ^(SG)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and ^(SH)Silas, leading men among ^(SI)the brothers, ²³ and they ^[gi]sent this letter with them:

³⁰ So when they were sent away, ^(TC)they went down to Antioch; and after gathering the ^[go]congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its ^[gp]encouragement. ^32 (TD)Judas and ^(TE)Silas, also being ^(TF)prophets themselves, ^[gq]encouraged and strengthened ^(TG)the brothers and sisters with a lengthy message. ³³ After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers and sisters ^(TH)in peace to those who had ^(TI)sent them out.^{[gr] 35} But ^(TJ)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and ^(TK)preaching ^(TL)the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Second Missionary Journey

³⁶ After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return and visit the brothers and sisters in ^(TM)every city in which we proclaimed ^(TN)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take ^(TO)John, called Mark, along with them also. ³⁸ But Paul was of the opinion that they should not take along with them this man who had ^(TP)deserted them ^[gs]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Now it turned into such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took ^(TQ)Mark with him and sailed away to ^(TR)Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose ^(TS)Silas, and left after being ^(TT)entrusted by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he was traveling through ^(TU)Syria and ^(TV)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The Macedonian Vision

16 Now Paul also came to ^(TW)Derbe and to ^(TX)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named ^(TY)Timothy, the son of a ^(TZ)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, ² and he was well spoken of by ^(UA)the brothers and sisters who were in ^(UB)Lystra and ^(UC)Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to leave with him; and he ^(UD)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering ^(UE)the ordinances for them to follow which had been determined by ^(UF)the apostles and ^(UG)elders in Jerusalem. ⁵ So ^(UH)the churches were being strengthened ^[gt]in the faith, and were ^(UI)increasing in number daily.

⁶ They passed through the ^[gu](UJ)Phrygian and ^(UK)Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in ^[gv](UL)Asia; ⁷ and after they came to ^(UM)Mysia, they were trying to go into ^(UN)Bithynia, and the ^(UO)Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; ⁸ and passing by ^(UP)Mysia, they went down to ^(UQ)Troas. ^9 (UR)And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of ^(US)Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen ^(UT)the vision, ^(UU)we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to ^(UV)preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So after setting sail from ^(UW)Troas, we ran ^(UX)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis; ¹² and from there to ^(UY)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of ^(UZ)Macedonia, ^(VA)a Roman colony; and we were spending some days in this city. ¹³ And on ^(VB)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were thinking that there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of ^(VC)Thyatira, and ^(VD)a worshiper of God. ^[gw]The Lord ^(VE)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ Now when she and ^(VF)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

¹⁶ It happened that as we were going to ^(VG)the place of prayer, a slave woman who had ^(VH)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of ^(VI)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸ Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you ^(VJ)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very ^[gx]moment.

¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^(VK)profit was suddenly gone, they seized ^(VL)Paul and Silas and ^(VM)dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, ²⁰ and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, ²¹ and they ^(VN)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are ^(VO)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

²² The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their ^[gy]robes off them and proceeded to order ^[gz]them to be ^(VP)beaten with rods. ²³ When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding ^(VQ)the jailer to guard them securely; ^24 [ha]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in ^(VR)the ^[hb]stocks.

²⁵ Now about midnight ^(VS)Paul and Silas were praying and ^(VT)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly ^(VU)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately ^(VV)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s ^(VW)chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When ^(VX)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ^(VY)to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹ And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before ^(VZ)Paul and Silas; ³⁰ and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, ^(WA)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(WB)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(WC)your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them ^(WD)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ And he brought them into his house and set ^[hc]food before them, and was ^[hd]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with ^(WE)his whole household.

³⁵ Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And ^(WF)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word that you be released. So come out now and go ^(WG)in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—^(WH)men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come ^[he]in person and lead us out.” ³⁸ The officers reported these words to the chief magistrates. ^(WI)And they became fearful when they heard that they were Romans, ³⁹ and they came and pleaded with them, and when they had led them out, they repeatedly asked them ^(WJ)to leave the city. ⁴⁰ They left the prison and entered the house of ^(WK)Lydia, and when they saw ^(WL)the brothers and sisters, they ^[hf]encouraged them and departed.

Paul in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to ^(WM)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And ^(WN)according to Paul’s custom, he ^[hg]visited them, and for three ^(WO)Sabbaths reasoned with them from ^(WP)the Scriptures, ^3 [hh]explaining and ^[hi]giving evidence that the ^[hj]Christ ^(WQ)had to suffer and ^(WR)rise from the dead, and saying, “^(WS)This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the ^[hk]Christ.” ^4 (WT)And some of them were persuaded and joined ^(WU)Paul and Silas, ^[hl]along with a large number of the ^(WV)God-fearing ^(WW)Greeks and ^[hm]a significant number of the ^(WX)leading women. ⁵ But ^(WY)the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of ^(WZ)Jason and were seeking to bring them out to the people. ⁶ When they did not find them, they began ^(XA)dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset ^[hn](XB)the world have come here also; ^7 [ho]and Jason ^(XC)has welcomed them, and they all act ^(XD)contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” ⁸ They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. ⁹ And when they had received a ^[hp]pledge from ^(XE)Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul in Berea

^10 (XF)The brothers immediately sent ^(XG)Paul and Silas away by night to ^(XH)Berea, ^[hq]and when they arrived, they went into ^(XI)the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ Now these people were more noble-minded than those in ^(XJ)Thessalonica, ^[hr]for they received the word with ^[hs]great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore, ^(XK)many of them believed, ^[ht]along with a significant number of ^(XL)prominent Greek ^(XM)women and men. ¹³ But when the Jews of ^(XN)Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in ^(XO)Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then immediately ^(XP)the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and ^(XQ)Silas and ^(XR)Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Now ^(XS)those who escorted Paul brought him as far as ^(XT)Athens; and receiving a command for ^(XU)Silas and Timothy to ^(XV)come to him as soon as possible, they left.

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them in ^(XW)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was reasoning ^(XX)in the synagogue with the Jews and ^(XY)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. ¹⁸ And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were ^[hu]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could ^(XZ)this ^[hv]scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching ^(YA)Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they ^(YB)took him and brought him ^[hw]to the ^[hx](YC)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what ^(YD)this new teaching is ^[hy]which you are proclaiming? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers ^(YE)visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Sermon on Mars Hill

²² So Paul stood in the midst of the ^[hz]Areopagus and said, “Men of ^(YF)Athens, I see that you are very ^(YG)religious in all respects. ²³ For while I was passing through and examining the ^(YH)objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what ^(YI)you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ^24 (YJ)The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is ^(YK)Lord of heaven and earth, does not ^(YL)dwell in temples made by hands; ²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, ^(YM)as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶ and ^(YN)He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having ^(YO)determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, ^(YP)though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for ^(YQ)in Him we live and move and ^[ia]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we ^(YR)ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. ³⁰ So having ^(YS)overlooked ^(YT)the times of ignorance, God is ^(YU)now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, ³¹ because He has set ^(YV)a day on which ^(YW)He will judge ^[ib](YX)the world in righteousness ^[ic]through a Man whom He has ^(YY)appointed, having furnished proof to all people ^[id]by ^(YZ)raising Him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of ^(ZA)the resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We shall hear from you ^[ie]again concerning this.” ³³ So Paul went out from among them. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the ^(ZB)Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul in Corinth

18 After these events Paul left ^(ZC)Athens and went to ^(ZD)Corinth. ² And he found a Jew named ^(ZE)Aquila, a native of ^(ZF)Pontus having recently come from ^(ZG)Italy with his wife ^(ZH)Priscilla, because ^(ZI)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, ³ and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and ^(ZJ)they worked together, for they were tent-makers by trade. ⁴ And Paul was reasoning ^(ZK)in the synagogue every ^(ZL)Sabbath and trying to persuade ^(ZM)Jews and Greeks.

⁵ But when ^(ZN)Silas and Timothy ^(ZO)came down from ^(ZP)Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, ^(ZQ)testifying to the Jews that ^(ZR)Jesus was the ^[if]Christ. ⁶ But when they resisted and blasphemed, he ^(ZS)shook out his garments and said to them, “Your ^(ZT)blood is ^[ig]on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go ^(ZU)to the Gentiles.” ⁷ Then he left ^[ih]the synagogue and went to the house of a man named ^[ii]Titius Justus, ^(ZV)a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ^8 (ZW)Crispus, ^(ZX)the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord ^(ZY)together with his entire household; and many of the ^(ZZ)Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, were believing and being baptized. ⁹ And the Lord said to Paul by ^(AAA)a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² But while Gallio was ^(AAB)proconsul of ^(AAC)Achaia, ^(AAD)the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before ^(AAE)the ^[ij]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This man is inciting the people to worship God contrary to ^(AAF)the ^[ik]law.” ¹⁴ But when Paul was about to ^(AAG)open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; ¹⁵ but if there are ^[il](AAH)questions about ^[im]teaching and ^[in]persons and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from ^(AAI)the ^[io]judgment seat. ¹⁷ But they all took hold of ^(AAJ)Sosthenes, ^(AAK)the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of ^(AAL)the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.

¹⁸ Now Paul, when he had remained many days longer, ^(AAM)took leave of ^(AAN)the brothers and sisters and sailed away to ^(AAO)Syria, and ^(AAP)Priscilla and ^(AAQ)Aquila were with him. ^[ip]Paul first ^(AAR)had his hair cut at ^(AAS)Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow. ¹⁹ They came to ^(AAT)Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered ^(AAU)the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, ²¹ but ^(AAV)took leave of them and said, “I will return to you again ^(AAW)if God wills,” and he set sail from ^(AAX)Ephesus.

²² When he had landed in ^(AAY)Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and went down to ^(AAZ)Antioch.

Third Missionary Journey

²³ And after spending some time there, he left and passed successively through the ^(ABA)Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

²⁴ Now a Jew named ^(ABB)Apollos, an ^(ABC)Alexandrian by birth, ^[iq]an eloquent man, came to ^(ABD)Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in ^(ABE)the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with ^(ABF)the baptism of John; ²⁶ and ^[ir]he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when ^(ABG)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained ^(ABH)the way of God more accurately to him. ²⁷ And when he wanted to go across to ^(ABI)Achaia, ^(ABJ)the brothers encouraged him and wrote to ^(ABK)the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly ^[is]helped those who had believed through grace, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating ^(ABL)by the Scriptures that ^(ABM)Jesus was the ^[it]Christ.

Paul in Ephesus

19 Now it happened that while ^(ABN)Apollos was in ^(ABO)Corinth, Paul passed through the ^(ABP)upper country and came to ^(ABQ)Ephesus, and found some disciples. ² He said to them, “^(ABR)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, ^(ABS)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “^(ABT)Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Paul said, “^(ABU)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people ^(ABV)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were ^(ABW)baptized ^[iu]in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(ABX)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began ^(ABY)speaking with tongues and ^(ABZ)prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ And he entered ^(ACA)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them ^(ACB)about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when ^(ACC)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of ^[iv](ACD)the Way before the ^[iw]people, he withdrew from them and took ^(ACE)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This took place for ^(ACF)two years, so that all who lived in ^[ix](ACG)Asia heard ^(ACH)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing ^(ACI)extraordinary ^[iy]miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (ACJ)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and ^(ACK)the evil spirits went out. ¹³ But also some of the Jewish ^(ACL)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to ^[iz]use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” ¹⁴ Now there were seven sons of ^[ja]Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to all who lived in ^(ACM)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. ¹⁸ Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. ¹⁹ And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of ^[jb]the books and found it to be fifty thousand ^[jc](ACN)pieces of silver. ²⁰ So ^[jd](ACO)the word of the Lord ^(ACP)was growing and prevailing mightily.

²¹ Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in ^[je]the Spirit to ^(ACQ)go to Jerusalem ^(ACR)after he had passed through ^(ACS)Macedonia and ^(ACT)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, ^(ACU)I must also see Rome.” ²² And after he sent into ^(ACV)Macedonia two of ^(ACW)those who assisted him, ^(ACX)Timothy and ^(ACY)Erastus, he himself stayed in ^[jf](ACZ)Asia for a while.

²³ About that time ^[jg]a major disturbance occurred in regard to ^[jh](ADA)the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of ^[ji]Artemis, ^(ADB)was bringing ^[jj]considerable ^[jk]business to the craftsmen; ²⁵ he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ^[jl]depends upon this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only in ^(ADC)Ephesus, but in almost all of ^[jm](ADD)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that ^[jn](ADE)gods made by hands are not gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess ^[jo]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of ^[jp](ADF)Asia and ^(ADG)the ^[jq]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is ^[jr]Artemis of the ^(ADH)Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along ^(ADI)Gaius and ^(ADJ)Aristarchus, Paul’s ^(ADK)Macedonian traveling ^(ADL)companions. ³⁰ And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, ^(ADM)the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Also some of the ^[js]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to ^[jt]venture into the theater. ^32 (ADN)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the ^[ju]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know ^[jv]for what reason they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd ^[jw]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having ^(ADO)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is ^[jx]Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of ^(ADP)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great ^[jy]Artemis and of the image which fell down from ^[jz]the sky? ³⁶ So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither ^(ADQ)temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and ^[ka](ADR)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the ^[kb]lawful ^[kc]assembly. ⁴⁰ For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this he dismissed the ^[kd]assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for ^(ADS)the disciples, and when he had ^[ke]encouraged them and taken his leave of them, he left ^(ADT)to go to ^(ADU)Macedonia. ² When he had gone through those regions and had given them much ^[kf]encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ And there he spent three months, and when ^(ADV)a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for ^(ADW)Syria, he decided to return through ^(ADX)Macedonia. ⁴ And ^[kg]he was accompanied by Sopater of ^(ADY)Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by ^(ADZ)Aristarchus and Secundus of the ^(AEA)Thessalonians, and ^(AEB)Gaius of ^(AEC)Derbe, and ^(AED)Timothy, and ^(AEE)Tychicus and ^(AEF)Trophimus of ^[kh](AEG)Asia. ⁵ Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for ^(AEH)us at ^(AEI)Troas. ^6 (AEJ)We sailed from ^(AEK)Philippi after ^[ki](AEL)the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at ^(AEM)Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

⁷ On ^(AEN)the first day of the week, when ^(AEO)we were gathered together to ^(AEP)break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his ^[kj]message until midnight. ⁸ There were many ^(AEQ)lamps in the ^(AER)upstairs room where we were gathered together. ⁹ And there was a young man named ^[kk]Eutychus sitting ^[kl]on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and ^(AES)fell upon him, and after embracing him, he ^(AET)said, “^[km]Do not be troubled, for ^[kn]he is still alive.” ¹¹ When Paul had gone back up and had ^(AEU)broken the bread and ^[ko]eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. ¹² They took away the boy alive, and were ^[kp]greatly comforted.

Troas to Miletus

¹³ But ^(AEV)we went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go ^[kq]by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day we came to ^(AEW)Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past ^(AEX)Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in ^[kr](AEY)Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him ^(AEZ)to be in Jerusalem ^(AFA)the day of Pentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

¹⁷ From Miletus he sent word to ^(AFB)Ephesus and called to himself ^(AFC)the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, ^(AFD)from the first day that I set foot in ^[ks]Asia, how I was with you the whole time, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me ^[kt]through ^(AFE)the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I ^(AFF)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and ^[ku]from house to house, ²¹ solemnly ^(AFG)testifying to both Jews and Greeks of ^(AFH)repentance toward God and ^(AFI)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, bound by the ^[kv]Spirit, ^(AFJ)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(AFK)the Holy Spirit solemnly ^(AFL)testifies to me in every city, saying that ^(AFM)chains and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But ^(AFN)I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may ^(AFO)finish my course and ^(AFP)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to ^(AFQ)testify solemnly of the gospel of ^(AFR)God’s grace.

²⁵ “And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about ^(AFS)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. ²⁶ Therefore, I ^[kw]testify to you this day that ^(AFT)I am ^[kx]innocent of the blood of all people. ²⁷ For I ^(AFU)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole ^(AFV)purpose of God. ²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all ^(AFW)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you ^[ky]overseers, to shepherd ^(AFX)the church of God which ^(AFY)He ^[kz]purchased ^[la]with His own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure ^(AFZ)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing ^(AGA)the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away ^(AGB)the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of ^(AGC)three years I did not cease to admonish each one ^(AGD)with tears. ³² And now I ^(AGE)entrust you to God and to ^(AGF)the word of His grace, which is able to ^(AGG)build you up and to give you ^(AGH)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ^33 (AGI)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. ³⁴ You yourselves know that ^(AGJ)these hands served my own needs and the ^(AGK)men who were with me. ³⁵ In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ When he had said these things, he ^(AGL)knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And ^[lb]they all began to weep aloud and ^[lc](AGM)embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, ^38 [ld]grieving especially over ^(AGN)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were ^(AGO)accompanying him to the ship.

Paul Sails from Miletus

21 Now when ^(AGP)we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran ^(AGQ)a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; ² and having found a ship crossing over to ^(AGR)Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we came in sight of ^(AGS)Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to ^(AGT)Syria and landed at ^(AGU)Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there. ⁴ After looking up ^(AGV)the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, ^[le](AGW)through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem. ⁵ When ^[lf]our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, ^(AGX)escorted us until we were out of the city. After ^(AGY)kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. ⁶ Then we boarded the ship, and they returned ^(AGZ)home.

⁷ When we had finished the voyage from ^(AHA)Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting ^(AHB)the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day. ⁸ On the next day we left and came to ^(AHC)Caesarea, and we entered the house of ^(AHD)Philip the ^(AHE)evangelist, who was ^(AHF)one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ Now this man had four virgin daughters who were ^(AHG)prophetesses. ¹⁰ As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named ^(AHH)Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And he came to us and ^(AHI)took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This ^(AHJ)is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will ^(AHK)bind the man who owns this belt and ^(AHL)hand him over to the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him ^(AHM)not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For ^(AHN)I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for ^(AHO)the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “^(AHP)The will of the Lord be done!”