Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

14 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew ^(A)that the king's heart went out to Absalom. ² And Joab sent to ^(B)Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. ^(C)Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. ³ Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab ^(D)put the words in her mouth.

⁴ When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, ^(E)she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, ^(F)“Save me, O king.” ⁵ And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, ^(G)“Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. ⁶ And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. ⁷ And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would ^(H)destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor ^(I)remnant on the face of the earth.”

⁸ Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” ⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, ^(J)“On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father's house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” ¹⁰ The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” ¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that ^(K)the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, ^(L)“As the Lord lives, ^(M)not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

¹² Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” ¹³ And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against ^(N)the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring ^(O)his banished one home again. ¹⁴ We must all die; we are ^(P)like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means ^(Q)so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. ¹⁵ Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶ For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from ^(R)the heritage of God.’ ¹⁷ And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is ^(S)like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”

¹⁸ Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” ¹⁹ The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, ^(T)“As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; ^(U)it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant. ²⁰ In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of ^(V)the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”

²¹ Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” ²² And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage ^(W)and blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.” ²³ So Joab arose and went to ^(X)Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴ And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king's presence.

²⁵ Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. ^(Y)From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. ²⁶ And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he ^(Z)cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels^[a] by the king's weight. ²⁷ There were born ^(AA)to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

²⁸ So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king's presence. ²⁹ Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. ³⁰ Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the field on fire.^{[b] 31} Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” ³² Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from ^(AB)Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, ^(AC)and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’” ³³ Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

The Lord Reigns

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul^[a] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named ^(A)Timothy, ^(B)the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. ² He was well spoken of by ^(C)the brothers^[b] at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he ^(D)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance ^(E)the decisions ^(F)that had been reached by ^(G)the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ^5 (H)So the churches were strengthened in ^(I)the faith, and they increased in numbers ^(J)daily.

The Macedonian Call

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

The Conversion of Lydia

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

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ As we were going to ^(Y)the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had ^(Z)a spirit of ^(AA)divination and ^(AB)brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us, ^(AC)crying out, “These men are ^(AD)servants of ^(AE)the Most High God, who proclaim to you ^(AF)the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ^(AG)“I command you ^(AH)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And ^(AI)it came out that very hour.

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

The Philippian Jailer Converted

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

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

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to ^(BI)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And Paul went in, ^(BJ)as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them ^(BK)from the Scriptures, ^3 (BL)explaining and proving that it was necessary for ^(BM)the Christ to suffer and ^(BN)to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” ⁴ And ^(BO)some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did ^(BP)a great many of the devout ^(BQ)Greeks and not a few of the leading women. ^5 (BR)But the Jews^{[f] (BS)}were jealous, and taking ^(BT)some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. ⁶ And when they could not find them, ^(BU)they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, ⁷ and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against ^(BV)the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is ^(BW)another king, Jesus.” ⁸ And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. ⁹ And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

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

Paul in Athens

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

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

²² So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ^(CR)‘To the unknown god.’ ^(CS)What therefore you worship ^(CT)as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ^24 (CU)The God who made the world and everything in it, being ^(CV)Lord of heaven and earth, ^(CW)does not live in temples made by man,^{[h] 25} nor is he served by human hands, ^(CX)as though he needed anything, since he himself ^(CY)gives to all mankind ^(CZ)life and breath and everything. ²⁶ And ^(DA)he made from one man every nation of mankind to live ^(DB)on all the face of the earth, ^(DC)having determined allotted periods and ^(DD)the boundaries of their dwelling place, ^27 (DE)that they should seek God, ^(DF)and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. ^(DG)Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for

as even some of ^(DI)your own poets have said,

^29 (DJ)Being then God's offspring, ^(DK)we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ^30 (DL)The times of ignorance ^(DM)God overlooked, but ^(DN)now he ^(DO)commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed ^(DP)a day on which ^(DQ)he will judge the world ^(DR)in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and ^(DS)of this he has given assurance to all ^(DT)by raising him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of ^(DU)the resurrection of the dead, ^(DV)some mocked. But others said, ^(DW)“We will hear you again about this.” ³³ So Paul went out from their midst. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius ^(DX)the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Paul in Corinth

18 After this Paul^[k] left Athens and went to Corinth. ² And he found a Jew named ^(DY)Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife ^(DZ)Priscilla, because ^(EA)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, ³ and ^(EB)because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. ⁴ And ^(EC)he reasoned in the synagogue ^(ED)every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

^5 (EE)When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul ^(EF)was occupied with the word, ^(EG)testifying to the Jews that the Christ was ^(EH)Jesus. ⁶ And when they opposed and reviled him, ^(EI)he shook out his garments and said to them, ^(EJ)“Your blood be on your own heads! ^(EK)I am innocent. ^(EL)From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ⁷ And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius ^(EM)Justus, ^(EN)a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. ^8 (EO)Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together ^(EP)with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. ⁹ And the Lord said to Paul ^(EQ)one night in ^(ER)a vision, ^(ES)“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, ^10 (ET)for I am with you, and ^(EU)no one will attack you to harm you, for ^(EV)I have many in this city who are my people.” ¹¹ And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

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

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of ^(FD)the brothers^[m] and set sail for Syria, and with him ^(FE)Priscilla and Aquila. At ^(FF)Cenchreae ^(FG)he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. ¹⁹ And they came to ^(FH)Ephesus, and he left them there, but ^(FI)he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. ²¹ But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you ^(FJ)if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he ^(FK)went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. ²³ After spending some time there, he departed and ^(FL)went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, ^(FM)strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus

²⁴ Now a Jew named ^(FN)Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, ^(FO)competent in the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in ^(FP)the way of the Lord. And ^(FQ)being fervent in spirit,^[n] he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only ^(FR)the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when ^(FS)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him ^(FT)the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wished to cross to ^(FU)Achaia, ^(FV)the brothers encouraged him and ^(FW)wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, ^(FX)he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures ^(FY)that the Christ was Jesus.