Acts 16-20

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Paul Selects Timothy

16 Then he went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy,^(A) the son of a believing Jewish woman,^(B) but his father was a Greek. ² The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.^{(C) 3} Paul wanted Timothy^[a] to go with him, so he took him and circumcised^(D) him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for them to observe.^{(E) 5} So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.^(F)

Evangelization of Europe

⁶ They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia.^{(G) 7} When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^(H) did not allow them. ⁸ So, bypassing Mysia, they came down to Troas.^{(I) 9} During the night a vision appeared to Paul: A Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!”^{(J) 10} After^(K) he had seen the vision, we^[b] immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them.

Lydia’s Conversion

¹¹ Then, setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi,^(L) a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days. ¹³ On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. ¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.^{(M) 15} After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”^(N) And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction.^[c](O) She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you^[d] the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” ¹⁸ And she did this for many days.

But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.^[e](P)

¹⁹ When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(Q) and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. ²⁰ Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews ²¹ and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”^(R)

²² Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.^{(S) 23} After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. ²⁴ Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.^(T)

A Midnight Deliverance

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(U) 27} When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸ But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!”

²⁹ Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(V)

³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”^{(W) 32} Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. ³³ He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.^(X)

An Official Apology

³⁵ When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men!”

³⁶ The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”^(Y)

³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to smuggle us out secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out!”^(Z)

³⁸ Then the police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them, and escorting them out, they urged them to leave town. ⁴⁰ After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and departed.^(AA)

A Short Ministry in Thessalonica

17 Then they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica,^(AB) where there was a Jewish synagogue. ² As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,^{(AC) 3} explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”^{(AD) 4} Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number^[f] of the leading women.^(AE)

Riot in the City

⁵ But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.^{(AF) 6} When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, ⁷ and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees,^(AG) saying that there is another king—Jesus!”^{(AH) 8} The Jews stirred up the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. ⁹ So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.

The Bereans Search the Scriptures

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea.^(AI) On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(AJ) daily to see if these things were so. ¹² Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing^[g] the crowds. ¹⁴ Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy^(AK) stayed on there. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.^(AL)

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.^{(AM) 18} Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, “What is this pseudo-intellectual^[h] trying to say?”

Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection.^[i](AN)

¹⁹ They took him and brought him to the Areopagus,^[j] and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you’re speaking of?^{(AO) 20} For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

The Areopagus Address

²² Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. ²³ For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed:

Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it^(AP)—He is Lord of heaven and earth^(AQ) and does not live in shrines made by hands.^{(AR) 25} Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything,^(AS) since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.^{(AT) 26} From one man^[k] He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.^{(AU) 27} He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.^{(AV) 28} For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’^{[l](AW) 29} Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.^(AX)

³⁰ “Therefore, having overlooked^(AY) the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”^(AZ)

³² When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” ³³ Then Paul left their presence. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Founding the Corinthian Church

18 After this, he^[m] left Athens and went to Corinth,^{(BA) 2} where he found a Jewish man named Aquila,^(BB) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius^[n] had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, ³ and being of the same occupation, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers^[o] by trade.^{(BC) 4} He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.^(BD)

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching the message^[p] and solemnly testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.^{(BE) 6} But when they resisted and blasphemed,^(BF) he shook his robe^[q](BG) and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads!^(BH) I am innocent.^[r] From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(BI) 7} So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household.^(BJ) Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”^{(BK) 11} And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the judge’s bench.^{(BL) 13} “This man,” they said, “persuades people to worship God contrary to the law!”

¹⁴ As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of a crime or of moral evil, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. ¹⁵ But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of such things.”^{(BM) 16} So he drove them from the judge’s bench. ¹⁷ Then they all^[s] seized Sosthenes,^(BN) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judge’s bench. But none of these things concerned Gallio.

The Return Trip to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul, having stayed on for many days, said good-bye to the brothers and sailed away to Syria. Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because he had taken a vow.^{(BO) 19} When they reached Ephesus^(BP) he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and engaged in discussion with^[t] the Jews. ²⁰ And though they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, ²¹ but he said good-bye and stated,^[u] “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”^(BQ) Then he set sail from Ephesus.

²² On landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church^[v] and went down to Antioch.^{(BR) 23} And after spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the Galatian territory and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.^(BS)

The Eloquent Apollos

²⁴ A Jew named Apollos,^(BT) a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was powerful in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,^[w] he spoke and taught the things about Jesus accurately, although he knew only John’s baptism.^{(BU) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home^[x] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.^{(BV) 27} When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers wrote to the disciples urging them to welcome him. After he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.^{(BW) 28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.^(BX)

Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples^{(BY) 2} and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”^(BZ)

³ “Then what baptism were you baptized with?” he asked them.

“With John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(CA)

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on^(CB) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other languages and to prophesy.^{(CC) 7} Now there were about 12 men in all.

In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus

⁸ Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God.^{(CD) 9} But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them and met separately with the disciples, conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.^{(CE) 10} And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord.^(CF)

Demonism Defeated at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, ¹² so that even facecloths or work aprons^[y] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.^(CG)

¹³ Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!”^{(CH) 14} Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Then fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.^{(CI) 18} And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, ¹⁹ while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be 50,000 pieces of silver. ²⁰ In this way the Lord’s message flourished and prevailed.^(CJ)

The Riot in Ephesus

²¹ When these events were over, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well!”^{(CK) 22} So after sending two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.^(CL)

²³ During that time there was a major^[z] disturbance about the Way.^{(CM) 24} For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis,^[aa] provided a great deal of^[ab] business for the craftsmen. ²⁵ When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said: “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. ²⁶ You both see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods!^{(CN) 27} So not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world adore.”

²⁸ When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius^(CO) and Aristarchus,^(CP) Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ Though Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him. ³¹ Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to take a chance by going^[ac] into the amphitheater. ³² Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Then some of the crowd gave Alexander advice when the Jews pushed him to the front. So motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.^{(CQ) 34} But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a united cry went up from all of them for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ However, when the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “Men of Ephesus! What man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great^[ad] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? ³⁶ Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our^[ae] goddess. ³⁸ So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.^{(CR) 39} But if you want something else, it must be decided in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰ In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.

Paul in Macedonia

20 After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and after saying good-bye, departed to go to Macedonia.^{(CS) 2} And when he had passed through those areas and exhorted them at length, he came to Greece ³ and stayed three months. When he was about to set sail for Syria, a plot was devised against him by the Jews, so a decision was made to go back through Macedonia.^{(CT) 4} He was accompanied^[af] by Sopater son of Pyrrhus^[ag] from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy,^(CU) and Tychicus^(CV) and Trophimus^(CW) from Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us in Troas,^{(CX) 6} but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread.^(CY) In five days we reached them at Troas, where we spent seven days.

Eutychus Revived at Troas

⁷ On the first day of the week, we^[ah] assembled to break bread.^(CZ) Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he extended his message until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled, ⁹ and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on speaking. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down, fell on him, embraced him, and said, “Don’t be alarmed, for his life is in him!”^{(DA) 11} After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul conversed a considerable time until dawn. Then he left. ¹² They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.

From Troas to Miletus

¹³ Then we went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. For these were his instructions, since he himself was going by land. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ Sailing from there, the next day we arrived off Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and^[ai] the day after, we came to Miletus.^{(DB) 16} For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so he would not have to spend time in Asia, because he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, for the day of Pentecost.^(DC)

Farewell Address to the Ephesian Elders

¹⁷ Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time^(DD)— ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and with the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews^(DE)— ²⁰ and that I did not shrink back from proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching it to you in public and from house to house. ²¹ I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God^(DF) and faith in our Lord Jesus.^(DG)

²² “And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, bound in my spirit,^[aj] not knowing what I will encounter there,^{(DH) 23} except that in town after town the Holy Spirit testifies to me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me.^{(DI) 24} But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course^[ak] and the ministry^(DJ) I received from the Lord Jesus,^(DK) to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

²⁵ “And now I know that none of you will ever see my face again—everyone I went about preaching the kingdom to. ²⁶ Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent^[al] of everyone’s blood,^{(DL) 27} for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole plan of God.^{(DM) 28} Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock^(DN) that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to as overseers,^(DO) to shepherd the church of God,^[am] which He purchased with His own blood.^{(DP) 29} I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ And men will rise up from your own number with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them.^{(DQ) 31} Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears.^(DR)

³² “And now^[an] I commit you to God and to the message of His grace,^(DS) which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance^(DT) among all who are sanctified. ³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.^{(DU) 34} You yourselves know that these hands have provided for my needs and for those who were with me.^{(DV) 35} In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them.^{(DW) 37} There was a great deal of weeping by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸ grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.^(DX)