Acts 12:20-24

New King James Version

Herod’s Violent Death

²⁰ Now Herod had been very angry with the people of ^(A)Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus ^[a]the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because ^(B)their country was ^[b]supplied with food by the king’s country.

²¹ So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²² And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord ^(C)struck him, because ^(D)he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and ^[c]died.

²⁴ But ^(E)the word of God grew and multiplied.

Barnabas and Saul Appointed

²⁵ And ^(F)Barnabas and Saul returned ^[d]from Jerusalem when they had ^(G)fulfilled their ministry, and they also ^(H)took with them ^(I)John whose surname was Mark.

Paul and Barnabas Are Sent to the Gentiles

13 Now ^(J)in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: ^(K)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, ^(L)Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ^(M)“Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work ^(N)to which I have called them.” ³ Then, ^(O)having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Preaching in Cyprus

⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to ^(P)Cyprus. ⁵ And when they arrived in Salamis, ^(Q)they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had ^(R)John as their assistant.

⁶ Now when they had gone through ^[e]the island to Paphos, they found ^(S)a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But ^(T)Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) ^[f]withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who also is called Paul, ^(U)filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, ^(V)you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, indeed, ^(W)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

At Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and ^(X)John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and ^(Y)went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵ And ^(Z)after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have ^(AA)any word of ^[g]exhortation for the people, say on.”

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and ^(AB)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people ^[h]Israel ^(AC)chose our fathers, and exalted the people ^(AD)when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with ^[i]an uplifted arm He ^(AE)brought them out of it. ¹⁸ Now ^(AF)for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And when He had destroyed ^(AG)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(AH)He distributed their land to them by allotment.

²⁰ “After that ^(AI)He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, ^(AJ)until Samuel the prophet. ^21 (AK)And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them ^(AL)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(AM)when He had removed him, ^(AN)He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ^(AO)‘I have found David the son of Jesse, ^(AP)a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ ^23 (AQ)From this man’s seed, according ^(AR)to the promise, God raised up for Israel ^(AS)a^[j] Savior—Jesus— ^24 (AT)after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ^(AU)‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, ^(AV)there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

²⁶ “Men and brethren, sons of the ^[k]family of Abraham, and ^(AW)those among you who fear God, ^(AX)to you the ^[l]word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, ^(AY)because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. ^28 (AZ)And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. ^29 (BA)Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, ^(BB)they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ^30 (BC)But God raised Him from the dead. ^31 (BD)He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. ³² And we declare to you glad tidings—^(BE)that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³ God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to ^[m]corruption, He has spoken thus:

³⁵ Therefore He also says in another Psalm:

³⁶ “For David, after he had served ^[o]his own generation by the will of God, ^(BI)fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and ^[p]saw corruption; ³⁷ but He whom God raised up ^[q]saw no corruption. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that ^(BJ)through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; ³⁹ and ^(BK)by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

Blessing and Conflict at Antioch

^42 [r]So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, ^(BM)persuaded them to continue in ^(BN)the grace of God.

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they ^(BO)opposed the things spoken by Paul. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ^(BP)“It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but ^(BQ)since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, ^(BR)we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us:

⁴⁸ Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. ^(BT)And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, ^(BU)raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ^51 (BV)But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples ^(BW)were filled with joy and ^(BX)with the Holy Spirit.

At Iconium

14 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the ^(BY)Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and ^[s]poisoned their ^[t]minds against the brethren. ³ Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, ^(BZ)who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and ^(CA)wonders to be done by their hands.

⁴ But the multitude of the city was ^(CB)divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the ^(CC)apostles. ⁵ And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, ^(CD)to abuse and stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and ^(CE)fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. ⁷ And they were preaching the gospel there.

Idolatry at Lystra

^8 (CF)And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man heard Paul speaking. ^[u]Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, ^(CG)“Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. ¹¹ Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, ^(CH)“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² And Barnabas they called ^[v]Zeus, and Paul, ^[w]Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, ^(CI)intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, ^(CJ)they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, ^(CK)why are you doing these things? ^(CL)We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from ^(CM)these useless things ^(CN)to the living God, ^(CO)who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, ^16 (CP)who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. ^17 (CQ)Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, ^(CR)gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with ^(CS)food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

Stoning, Escape to Derbe

^19 (CT)Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, ^(CU)they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be ^(CV)dead. ²⁰ However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Strengthening the Converts

²¹ And when they had preached the gospel to that city ^(CW)and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, ^(CX)exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ^(CY)“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ So when they had ^(CZ)appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. ²⁴ And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.

²⁷ Now when they had come and gathered the church together, ^(DA)they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had ^(DB)opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Conflict over Circumcision

15 And ^(DC)certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ^(DD)“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that ^(DE)Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

³ So, ^(DF)being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, ^(DG)describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. ⁴ And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The Jerusalem Council

⁶ Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. ⁷ And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: ^(DH)“Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ So God, ^(DI)who knows the heart, ^[x]acknowledged them by ^(DJ)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ^9 (DK)and made no distinction between us and them, ^(DL)purifying their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore, why do you test God ^(DM)by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But ^(DN)we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus ^[y]Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

¹² Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had ^(DO)worked through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ And after they had ^[z]become silent, ^(DP)James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: ^14 (DQ)Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. ¹⁵ And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

^18 [ab]“Known to God from eternity are all His works. ¹⁹ Therefore ^(DS)I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who ^(DT)are turning to God, ²⁰ but that we ^(DU)write to them to abstain ^(DV)from things polluted by idols, ^(DW)from ^[ac]sexual immorality, ^(DX)from things strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, ^(DY)being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

The Jerusalem Decree

²² Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named ^(DZ)Barsabas,^[ad] and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

²³ They wrote this letter by them:

Continuing Ministry in Syria

³⁰ So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. ³² Now Judas and Silas, themselves being ^(EG)prophets also, ^(EH)exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. ³³ And after they had stayed there for a time, they were ^(EI)sent back with greetings from the brethren to ^[ah]the apostles.

^34 [ai]However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. ^35 (EJ)Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Division over John Mark

³⁶ Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas ^[aj]was determined to take with them ^(EK)John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul insisted that they should not take with them ^(EL)the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to ^(EM)Cyprus; ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, ^(EN)being ^[ak]commended by the brethren to the grace of God. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, ^(EO)strengthening the churches.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Then he came to ^(EP)Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, ^(EQ)named Timothy, ^(ER)the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. ² He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he ^(ES)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. ⁴ And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the ^(ET)decrees to keep, ^(EU)which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. ^5 (EV)So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

The Macedonian Call

⁶ Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of ^(EW)Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in ^[al]Asia. ⁷ After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the ^[am]Spirit did not permit them. ⁸ So passing by Mysia, they ^(EX)came down to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A ^(EY)man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go ^(EZ)to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia Baptized at Philippi

¹¹ Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to ^(FA)Philippi, which is the ^[an]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. ¹⁴ Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of ^(FB)Thyatira, who worshiped God. ^(FC)The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So ^(FD)she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

¹⁶ Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl ^(FE)possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters ^(FF)much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she did for many days.

But Paul, ^(FG)greatly ^[ao]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” ^(FH)And he came out that very hour. ¹⁹ But ^(FI)when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and ^(FJ)dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

²⁰ And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, ^(FK)exceedingly trouble our city; ²¹ and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” ²² Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes ^(FL)and commanded them to be beaten with rods. ²³ And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Saved

²⁵ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ^26 (FM)Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately ^(FN)all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. ²⁷ And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

²⁹ Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ And he brought them out and said, ^(FO)“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹ So they said, ^(FP)“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, ^(FQ)he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly

³⁵ And when it was day, the magistrates sent the ^[ap]officers, saying, “Let those men go.”

³⁶ So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned ^(FR)Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

³⁸ And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. ³⁹ Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and ^(FS)asked them to depart from the city. ⁴⁰ So they went out of the prison ^(FT)and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

Preaching Christ at Thessalonica

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to ^(FU)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² Then Paul, as his custom was, ^(FV)went in to them, and for three Sabbaths ^(FW)reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and demonstrating ^(FX)that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” ^4 (FY)And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and ^(FZ)Silas.

Assault on Jason’s House

⁵ But the Jews ^[aq]who were not persuaded, ^[ar]becoming ^(GA)envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of ^(GB)Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ^(GC)“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷ Jason has ^[as]harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, ^(GD)saying there is another king—Jesus.” ⁸ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. ⁹ So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Ministering at Berea

¹⁰ Then ^(GE)the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ These were more ^[at]fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and ^(GF)searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. ^14 (GG)Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and ^(GH)receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

The Philosophers at Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, ^(GI)his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was ^[au]given over to idols. ¹⁷ Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. ^18 [av]Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this ^[aw]babbler want to say?”

Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them ^(GJ)Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹ And they took him and brought him to the ^[ax]Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

Addressing the Areopagus

²² Then Paul stood in the midst of the ^[ay]Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; ²³ for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: ^24 (GK)God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is ^(GL)Lord of heaven and earth, ^(GM)does not dwell in temples made with hands. ²⁵ Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He ^(GN)gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶ And He has made from one ^[az]blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and ^(GO)the boundaries of their dwellings, ^27 (GP)so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, ^(GQ)though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for ^(GR)in Him we live and move and have our being, ^(GS)as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, ^(GT)we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. ³⁰ Truly, ^(GU)these times of ignorance God overlooked, but ^(GV)now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which ^(GW)He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by ^(GX)raising Him from the dead.”

³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Ministering at Corinth

18 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. ² And he found a certain Jew named ^(GY)Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. ³ So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them ^(GZ)and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. ^4 (HA)And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

^5 (HB)When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was ^(HC)compelled ^[ba]by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. ⁶ But ^(HD)when they opposed him and blasphemed, ^(HE)he shook his garments and said to them, ^(HF)“Your blood be upon your own heads; ^(HG)I am clean. ^(HH)From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ⁷ And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named ^[bb]Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ^8 (HI)Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

⁹ Now ^(HJ)the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ^10 (HK)for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the ^[bc]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. ¹⁵ But if it is a ^(HL)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then ^[bd]all the Greeks took ^(HM)Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul still remained ^[be]a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. ^(HN)He had his hair cut off at ^(HO)Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. ¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, ²¹ but took leave of them, saying, ^(HP)“I^[bf] must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, ^(HQ)God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

²² And when he had landed at ^(HR)Caesarea, and ^[bg]gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. ²³ After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of ^(HS)Galatia and Phrygia ^[bh]in order, ^(HT)strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

^24 (HU)Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being ^(HV)fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, ^(HW)though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, ^(HX)he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; ²⁸ for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, ^(HY)showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened, while ^(HZ)Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through ^(IA)the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, ^(IB)“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, ^(IC)“Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, ^(ID)“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized ^(IE)in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(IF)laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and ^(IG)they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

^8 (IH)And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading ^(II)concerning the things of the kingdom of God. ⁹ But ^(IJ)when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil ^(IK)of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ And ^(IL)this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles Glorify Christ

¹¹ Now ^(IM)God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (IN)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ^13 (IO)Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists ^(IP)took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ^[bi]“We ^[bj]exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul ^(IQ)preaches.” ¹⁴ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, ^[bk]overpowered them, and prevailed against ^[bl]them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and ^(IR)fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many who had believed came ^(IS)confessing and telling their deeds. ¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. ^20 (IT)So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The Riot at Ephesus

^21 (IU)When these things were accomplished, Paul ^(IV)purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through ^(IW)Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, ^(IX)I must also see Rome.” ²² So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, ^(IY)Timothy and ^(IZ)Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.

²³ And ^(JA)about that time there arose a great commotion about ^(JB)the Way. ²⁴ For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of ^[bm]Diana, brought ^(JC)no small profit to the craftsmen. ²⁵ He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. ²⁶ Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that ^(JD)they are not gods which are made with hands. ²⁷ So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and ^[bn]her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸ Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized ^(JE)Gaius and ^(JF)Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. ³⁰ And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. ³¹ Then some of the ^[bo]officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. ³² Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And ^(JG)Alexander ^(JH)motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. ³⁴ But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess ^[bp]Diana, and of the image which fell down from ^[bq]Zeus? ³⁶ Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of ^[br]your goddess. ³⁸ Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a ^[bs]case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. ⁴⁰ For we are in danger of being ^[bt]called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Journeys in Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and ^(JI)departed to go to Macedonia. ² Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to ^(JJ)Greece ³ and stayed three months. And ^(JK)when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. ⁴ And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also ^(JL)Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and ^(JM)Gaius of Derbe, and ^(JN)Timothy, and ^(JO)Tychicus and ^(JP)Trophimus of Asia. ⁵ These men, going ahead, waited for us at ^(JQ)Troas. ⁶ But we sailed away from Philippi after ^(JR)the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them ^(JS)at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Ministering at Troas

⁷ Now on ^(JT)the first day of the week, when the disciples came together ^(JU)to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps ^(JV)in the upper room where ^[bu]they were gathered together. ⁹ And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down, ^(JW)fell on him, and embracing him said, ^(JX)“Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” ¹¹ Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. ¹² And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.

From Troas to Miletus

¹³ Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had ^[bv]given orders, intending himself to go on foot. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for ^(JY)he was hurrying ^(JZ)to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on ^(KA)the Day of Pentecost.

The Ephesian Elders Exhorted

¹⁷ From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, ^(KB)from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me ^(KC)by the plotting of the Jews; ²⁰ how ^(KD)I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, ^21 (KE)testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, ^(KF)repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And see, now ^(KG)I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(KH)the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. ^24 [bw]But ^(KI)none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, ^(KJ)so that I may finish my ^[bx]race with joy, ^(KK)and the ministry ^(KL)which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

²⁵ “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. ²⁶ Therefore I testify to you this day that I am ^(KM)innocent^[by] of the blood of all men. ²⁷ For I have not ^[bz]shunned to declare to you ^(KN)the whole counsel of God. ^28 (KO)Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit ^(KP)has made you overseers, to shepherd the church ^[ca]of God ^(KQ)which He purchased ^(KR)with His own blood. ²⁹ For I know this, that after my departure ^(KS)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Also ^(KT)from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking ^[cb]perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. ³¹ Therefore watch, and remember that ^(KU)for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

³² “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and ^(KV)to the word of His grace, which is able ^(KW)to build you up and give you ^(KX)an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. ^34 [cc]Yes, you yourselves know ^(KY)that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. ³⁵ I have shown you in every way, ^(KZ)by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

³⁶ And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ Then they all ^(LA)wept ^[cd]freely, and ^(LB)fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, ³⁸ sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Warnings on the Journey to Jerusalem

21 Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo. ⁴ And finding ^[ce]disciples, we stayed there seven days. ^(LC)They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. ⁵ When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And ^(LD)we knelt down on the shore and prayed. ⁶ When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned ^(LE)home.

⁷ And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. ⁸ On the next day we ^[cf]who were Paul’s companions departed and came to ^(LF)Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip ^(LG)the evangelist, ^(LH)who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ Now this man had four virgin daughters ^(LI)who prophesied. ¹⁰ And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named ^(LJ)Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ^(LK)‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

¹² Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, ^(LL)“What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴ So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, ^(LM)“The will of the Lord be done.”

Paul Urged to Make Peace

¹⁵ And after those days we ^[cg]packed and went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.

^17 (LN)And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. ¹⁸ On the following day Paul went in with us to ^(LO)James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ When he had greeted them, ^(LP)he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles ^(LQ)through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all ^(LR)zealous for the law; ²¹ but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. ^22 [ch]What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. ²⁴ Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may ^(LS)shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. ²⁵ But concerning the Gentiles who believe, ^(LT)we have written and decided ^[ci]that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from ^[cj]sexual immorality.”

Arrested in the Temple

²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, ^(LU)entered the temple ^(LV)to announce the ^[ck]expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

²⁷ Now when the seven days were almost ended, ^(LW)the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and ^(LX)laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man ^(LY)who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ (For they had ^[cl]previously seen ^(LZ)Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

³⁰ And ^(MA)all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ Now as they were ^(MB)seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the ^[cm]garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. ^32 (MC)He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the ^(MD)commander came near and took him, and ^(ME)commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another.

So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. ³⁵ When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. ³⁶ For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, ^(MF)“Away with him!”

Addressing the Jerusalem Mob^(MG)

³⁷ Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?”

He replied, “Can you speak Greek? ^38 (MH)Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”

³⁹ But Paul said, ^(MI)“I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no ^[cn]mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.”

⁴⁰ So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and ^(MJ)motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the ^(MK)Hebrew language, saying,

Paul’s Defense at Jerusalem

22 “Brethren^(ML) and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” ² And when they heard that he spoke to them in the ^(MM)Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent.

Then he said: ^3 (MN)“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city ^(MO)at the feet of ^(MP)Gamaliel, taught ^(MQ)according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and ^(MR)was zealous toward God ^(MS)as you all are today. ^4 (MT)I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, ⁵ as also the high priest bears me witness, and ^(MU)all the council of the elders, ^(MV)from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus ^(MW)to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “Now ^(MX)it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹ “And ^(MY)those who were with me indeed saw the light ^[co]and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. ¹⁰ So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹² “Then ^(MZ)a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, ^(NA)having a good testimony with all the ^(NB)Jews who dwelt there, ¹³ came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. ¹⁴ Then he said, ^(NC)‘The God of our fathers ^(ND)has chosen you that you should ^(NE)know His will, and ^(NF)see the Just One, ^(NG)and hear the voice of His mouth. ^15 (NH)For you will be His witness to all men of ^(NI)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, ^(NJ)and wash away your sins, ^(NK)calling on the name of the Lord.’

¹⁷ “Now ^(NL)it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance ¹⁸ and ^(NM)saw Him saying to me, ^(NN)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ ¹⁹ So I said, ‘Lord, ^(NO)they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and ^(NP)beat those who believe on You. ^20 (NQ)And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by ^(NR)consenting ^[cp]to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, ^(NS)for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul’s Roman Citizenship

²² And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, ^(NT)“Away with such a fellow from the earth, for ^(NU)he is not fit to live!” ²³ Then, as they cried out and ^[cq]tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. ²⁵ And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, ^(NV)“Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”

²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”

²⁷ Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”

He said, “Yes.”

²⁸ The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”

²⁹ Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

The Sanhedrin Divided

³⁰ The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul

23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, ^(NW)I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him ^(NX)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and ^(NY)do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

⁵ Then Paul said, ^(NZ)“I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ^(OA)‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

⁶ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, ^(OB)I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; ^(OC)concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

⁷ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. ^8 (OD)For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. ⁹ Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, ^(OE)“We find no evil in this man; ^[cr]but ^(OF)if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, ^(OG)let us not fight against God.”

¹⁰ Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

The Plot Against Paul

¹¹ But ^(OH)the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ^[cs]“Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in ^(OI)Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at ^(OJ)Rome.”

¹² And when it was day, ^(OK)some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had ^(OL)killed Paul. ¹³ Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and ^(OM)elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you ^[ct]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”

¹⁹ Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ And he said, ^(ON)“The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. ²¹ But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.”

²² So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

Sent to Felix

²³ And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to ^(OO)Caesarea at the third hour of the night; ²⁴ and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” ²⁵ He wrote a letter in the following manner:

³¹ Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks. ³³ When they came to ^(OV)Caesarea and had delivered the ^(OW)letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from ^(OX)Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, ^(OY)“I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in ^(OZ)Herod’s ^[cv]Praetorium.

Accused of Sedition

24 Now after ^(PA)five days ^(PB)Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul.

² And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: “Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and ^[cw]prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, ³ we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴ Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your ^[cx]courtesy, a few words from us. ^5 (PC)For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. ^6 (PD)He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, ^[cy]and wanted ^(PE)to judge him according to our law. ^7 (PF)But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands, ^8 (PG)commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.” ⁹ And the Jews also ^[cz]assented, maintaining that these things were so.

The Defense Before Felix

¹⁰ Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: “Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, ¹¹ because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem ^(PH)to worship. ^12 (PI)And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. ¹³ Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to ^(PJ)the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the ^(PK)God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in ^(PL)the Law and in the Prophets. ^15 (PM)I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, ^(PN)that there will be a resurrection ^[da]of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. ^16 (PO)This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

¹⁷ “Now after many years ^(PP)I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, ^18 (PQ)in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me ^(PR)purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult. ^19 (PS)They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let those who are here themselves say ^[db]if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council,