First Missionary Journey

13 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets [who spoke a new message of God to the people] and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called ^[a]Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with ^[b]Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them [in approval and dedication] and sent them away [on their first journey].

⁴ So then, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ When Barnabas and Saul arrived at Salamis, they began to preach the word of God [proclaiming the message of eternal salvation through faith in Christ] in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John [Mark] as their assistant. ⁶ When they had traveled through the entire island [of Cyprus] as far as Paphos, they found a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was [closely associated] with the ^[c]proconsul [of the province], Sergius Paulus, an intelligent and sensible man. He called for Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ]. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from accepting the faith. ⁹ But ^[d]Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and led by Him, looked steadily at Elymas, ¹⁰ and said, “^[e]You [Elymas] who are full of every [kind of] deceit, and every [kind of] fraud, you son of the devil, enemy of everything that is right and good, will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?^{(A) 11 [f]}Now, watch! The hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, [so blind that you will be] unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he groped around, seeking people to lead him by the hand. ¹² The proconsul believed [the message of salvation] when he saw what had happened, being astonished at the teaching concerning the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but ^[g]John [Mark] left them and went back to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading of the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers (kinsmen), if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, he said,

“Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen! ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great and numerous during their stay [as foreigners] in the land of Egypt, and then with an ^[h]uplifted arm He led them out of there.^{(B) 18} For a period of about forty years He put up with their behavior in the wilderness.^{(C) 19} When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave their land [to our ancestors] as an inheritance—this took about four hundred and fifty years.^{(D) 20} After this, He gave them judges until the prophet Samuel. ²¹ Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king: of him He testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart [conforming to My will and purposes], who will do all My will.’^{(E) 23} From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior, [in the person of] Jesus, according to His promise. ²⁴ Before ^[i]His coming John [the Baptist] had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course [of ministry], he kept saying, ‘What or who do you think that I am? I am not He [the Christ]; but be aware, One is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie [even as His slave]!’

²⁶ “Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation [obtained through faith in Jesus Christ].^{(F) 27} For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, who failed to recognize or understand both Jesus and the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled these [very prophecies] by condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no cause or charge deserving death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. ²⁹ And when they had finished carrying out everything that was written [in Scripture] about Him, they took Him down from the ^[j]cross and laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days (forty) He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. ³² And we are bringing you the good news of the promise made to our fathers (ancestors), ³³ that God has completely fulfilled this promise to our children by raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten (fathered) You.’^{(G) 34} And [as for the fact] that He raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay [in the grave], He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David [those blessings and mercies that were promised to him].’^{(H) 35} For this reason He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay.’^{(I) 36} For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried among his fathers and experienced decay [in the grave]; ³⁷ but He whom God raised [to life] did not experience decay [in the grave]. ³⁸ So let it be clearly known by you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you; ³⁹ and through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior and follows Him] is ^[k]justified and declared free of guilt from all things, from which you could not be justified and freed of guilt through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore be careful, so that the thing spoken of in the [writings of the] Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were leaving [the synagogue], the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them on the next Sabbath. ⁴³ When the congregation of the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and the devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, talking to them were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the entire ^[l]city gathered together to hear the word of the Lord [about salvation through faith in Christ]. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things said by Paul, and were slandering him. ⁴⁶ And [at the same time] Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and confidently, saying, “It was necessary that God’s message [of salvation through faith in Christ] be spoken to you [Jews] first. Since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, now we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For that is what the Lord has commanded us, saying,

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying [praising and giving thanks for] the word of the Lord; and all those who had been appointed (designated, ordained) to eternal life [by God] believed [in Jesus as the Christ and their Savior]. ⁴⁹ And so the word of the Lord [regarding salvation] was being spread through the entire region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the devout, prominent women and the leading men of the city, and instigated persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them forcibly out of their district. ⁵¹ But ^[m]they shook its dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.^{(L) 52} And the disciples were continually filled [throughout their hearts and souls] with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 Now in Iconium Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue together and spoke in such a way [with such power and boldness] that a large number of Jews as well as Greeks believed [and confidently accepted Jesus as Savior]; ² but the unbelieving Jews [who rejected Jesus as Messiah] stirred up and embittered the minds of the Gentiles against the ^[n]believers. ³ So Paul and Barnabas stayed for a long time, speaking boldly and confidently for the Lord, who continued to testify to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders (attesting miracles) be done by them. ⁴ But the people of the city were divided; some were siding with the Jews, and some with the apostles. ⁵ When there was an attempt by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their rulers, to shamefully mistreat and to stone them, ⁶ they, aware of the situation, escaped to Lystra and Derbe, [taking refuge in the] cities of Lycaonia, and the neighboring region; ⁷ and there they continued to preach the good news.

⁸ Now at Lystra a man sat who was unable to use his feet, for he was crippled from birth and had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, and Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ and said with a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet.” And he jumped up and began to walk. ¹¹ And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, raised their voices, shouting in the ^[o]Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us ^[p]in human form!” ¹² They began calling Barnabas, Zeus [chief of the Greek gods], and Paul, Hermes [messenger of the Greek gods], since he took the lead in speaking. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance of the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates, and wanted to offer sacrifices with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they ^[q]tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are only men of the same nature as you, bringing the good news to you, so that you turn from these useless and meaningless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them.^{(M) 16} In generations past He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; ¹⁷ yet He did not leave Himself without some witness [as evidence of Himself], in that He kept constantly doing good things and showing you kindness, and giving you rains from heaven and productive seasons, filling your hearts with food and happiness.” ¹⁸ Even saying these words, with difficulty they prevented the people from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ But Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.^{(N) 20} But the disciples formed a circle around him, and he got up and went back into the city; and the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ They preached the good news to that city and made many disciples, then they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ²² strengthening and establishing the hearts of the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, saying, “It is through many tribulations and hardships that we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they believed [and joyfully accepted as the Messiah].

²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word [of salvation through faith in Christ] in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed back to ^[r]Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the ^[s]work which they had now completed. ²⁷ Arriving there, they gathered the church together and began to report [in great detail] everything that God had done with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior]. ²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”^{(O) 2} Paul and Barnabas disagreed greatly and debated with them, so it was determined that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others from their group would go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders [and confer with them] concerning this issue. ³ So, after being supplied and sent on their way by the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the ^[t]believers. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received warmly by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported to them all the things that God had accomplished through them. ⁵ But some from the sect of the Pharisees who had believed [in Jesus as the Messiah] stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise the Gentile converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter. ⁷ After a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows and understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus]. ¹⁰ Now then, why are you testing God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to endure? ¹¹ But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.”

¹² All the people remained silent, and they listened [attentively] to Barnabas and Paul as they described all the signs and wonders (attesting miracles) that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’ Judgment

¹³ When they had finished speaking, ^[u]James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. ^14 [v]Simeon (Simon Peter) has described how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name [to honor Him and be identified with Him]. ¹⁵ The words of the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written [in Scripture],

¹⁹ Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble and make it difficult for those who are turning to God among the Gentiles [by putting obstacles in their way], ²⁰ but that we write to them that they are to abstain from ^[w]anything that has been contaminated by [being offered to] idols and from sexual impurity and from [eating the meat of] what has been strangled and from [the consumption of] ^[x]blood. ²¹ For from ancient generations [the writing of] Moses has been preached in every city, since ^[y]he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²² Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their men to go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas [also called Silvanus, both], leading men among the brothers. ²³ With them they sent the following letter:

³⁰ So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and after assembling the congregation, they delivered the letter. ³¹ And when they had read it, the people rejoiced greatly at the encouragement and comfort [it brought them]. ³² Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets (divinely inspired spokesmen), encouraged and strengthened the ^[z]believers with many words. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent back by the brothers with [the greeting of] peace to those who had sent them. ^34 [aa][However, Silas decided to stay there.] ³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and with many others also continued teaching and proclaiming the good news, the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

³⁶ After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers and sisters (believers) in every city where we preached the message of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas wanted to take [his cousin] John, who was called Mark, along with them. ³⁸ But Paul kept insisting that they should not take along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. ³⁹ And it became such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took [John] Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose Silas [who was again in Antioch] and set out [on his second journey], commended by the brothers to the grace and favor of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The Macedonian Vision

16 Now Paul traveled to Derbe and also to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer [in Christ], however, his father was a Greek. ² Timothy was well spoken of by the brothers and sisters who were in Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decrees decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for the churches to observe. ⁵ So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they continually increased in number day after day.

⁶ Now they passed through the territory of Phrygia and Galatia, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor]; ⁷ and after they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; ⁸ so passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹ Then a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from [the Roman province of] ^[ab]Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰ And when he had seen the vision, ^[ac]we (including Luke) tried to go on into Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So setting sail from Troas, we ran a direct course to Samothrace, and the next day [went on] to Neapolis; ¹² and from there [we came] to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed on in this city for several days; ¹³ and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the [Gangites] river, where we thought there would be a ^[ad]place of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.

First Convert in Europe

¹⁴ A woman named ^[ae]Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in ^[af]purple fabrics who was [already] a worshiper of God, listened to us; and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention and to respond to the things said by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she was baptized, along with her household, she pleaded with us, saying, “If you have judged me and decided that I am faithful to the Lord [a true believer], come to my house and stay.” And she persuaded us.

¹⁶ It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had ^[ag]a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed after Paul and us and kept screaming and shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” ¹⁸ She continued doing this for several days. Then Paul, being greatly annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit [inside her], “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ [as His representative] to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.

¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the market place [where trials were held], ²⁰ and when they had brought them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, who are Jews, are throwing our city into confusion and causing trouble. ²¹ They are publicly teaching customs which are unlawful for us, as Romans, to accept or observe.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

²² The crowd also joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten with rods.^{(Q) 23} After striking them many times [with the rods], they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴ He, having received such a [strict] command, threw them into the inner prison (dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks [in an agonizing position].

²⁵ But about midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ suddenly there was a great earthquake, so [powerful] that the very foundations of the prison were shaken and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer, shaken out of sleep, saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted, saying, “Do not hurt yourself, we are all here!” ²⁹ Then the jailer called for torches and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, ³⁰ and after he brought them out [of the inner prison], he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ And they answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe].” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their bloody wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ Then he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, since he had believed in God with his entire family [accepting with joy what had been made known to them about the Christ].

³⁵ Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And the jailer repeated the words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word to release you; so come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without a trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now they are sending us out secretly? No! Let them come here themselves and bring us out!” ³⁸ The officers reported this message to the chief magistrates, and ^[ah]when they heard that the prisoners were Romans, they were frightened; ³⁹ so they came [to the prison] and appealed to them [with apologies], and when they brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ So they left the prison and went to Lydia’s house; and when they had seen the brothers and sisters, they encouraged and comforted them, and left.

Paul at Thessalonica

17 Now after Paul and Silas had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And Paul entered the synagogue, as was his ^[ai]custom, and for three Sabbaths he engaged in discussion and friendly debate with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and pointing out [scriptural evidence] that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).” ⁴ And some of them were persuaded to believe and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and many of the leading women. ⁵ But the [unbelieving] Jews became jealous, and taking along some thugs from [the lowlifes in] the market place, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and then attacking Jason’s house tried to bring Paul and Silas out to the people. ⁶ But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too; ⁷ and Jason has welcomed them [into his house and protected them]! And they all are saying things contrary to the decrees of Caesar, [actually] claiming that there is another king, Jesus.” ⁸ They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. ⁹ And when they had taken security (bail) from Jason and the others, they let them go.

Paul at Berea

¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they entered the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ¹² As a result many of them became believers, together with a number of prominent Greek women and men. ¹³ But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] had also been preached by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds. ¹⁴ So at that time the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go as far as the sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there [at Berea]. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens; and [after] receiving instructions [from Paul] for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible, they left.

Paul at Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place day after day with any who happened to be there. ¹⁸ And some of the ^[aj]Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to engage in conversation with him. And some said, “What could this idle babbler [with his eclectic, scrap-heap learning] have in mind to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities”—because he was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ They took him and brought him to the ^[ak]Areopagus (Hill of Ares, the Greek god of war), saying, “May we know what this [strange] new teaching is which you are proclaiming? ²⁰ For you are bringing some startling and strange things to our ears; so we want to know what they mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners visiting there used to spend their [leisure] time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Sermon on Mars Hill

²² So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I observe [with every turn I make throughout the city] that you are very religious and devout in all respects. ²³ Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN ^[al]UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who created the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; ²⁵ nor is He ^[am]served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.^{(R) 26} And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories. ²⁷ This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ²⁸ For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of ^[an]your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ ²⁹ So then, being God’s children, we should not think that the Divine Nature (deity) is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination or skill of man. ³⁰ Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives], ³¹ because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”^(S)

³² Now when they heard [the term] resurrection from the dead, ^[ao]some mocked and sneered; but others said, “We will hear from you again about this matter.” ³³ So Paul left them. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed; among them were Dionysius, [a judge] of the Council of Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because [the Roman Emperor] Claudius had issued an edict that all the ^[ap]Jews were to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them; and they worked together for they were tent-makers. ⁴ And he reasoned and debated in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks;

⁵ but when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia (northern Greece), Paul began devoting himself completely to [preaching] the word, and solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ⁶ But since the Jews kept resisting and opposing him, and blaspheming [God], he ^[aq]shook out his robe and said to them, “Your blood (damnation) be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(T) 7} Then he moved on from there and went to the house of a man named ^[ar]Titius Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household [joyfully acknowledging Him as Messiah and Savior]; and many of the Corinthians who heard [Paul’s message] were believing and being baptized. ⁹ One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid anymore, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you in order to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”^{(U) 11} So he settled there for a year and six months, teaching them the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

¹² But when ^[as]Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (southern Greece), the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before ^[at]the judgment seat, ¹³ declaring, “This man is persuading people to worship God in violation of the law [of Moses].” ¹⁴ But when Paul was about to reply, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some misdemeanor or serious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to put up with you; ¹⁵ but since it is merely a question [of doctrine within your religion] about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am ^[au]unwilling to judge these matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then the Greeks all seized ^[av]Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him right in front of the judgment seat; but Gallio paid no attention to any of this.^(V)

¹⁸ Paul stayed for a while longer, and then told the ^[aw]brothers and sisters goodbye and sailed for Syria; and he was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea [the southeastern port of Corinth] he had his hair cut, because he was keeping a [Nazirite] vow [of abstention]. ¹⁹ Then they arrived in Ephesus, and he left the others there; but he entered the synagogue and reasoned and debated with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he refused; ²¹ but after telling them goodbye and saying, “I will return again if God is willing,” he set sail from Ephesus.

²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and ^[ax]greeted the church [at Jerusalem], and then went down to Antioch.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

²³ After spending some time there, he left and traveled through the territory of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening and encouraging all the disciples.

²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent and cultured man, and well versed in the [Hebrew] Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being spiritually impassioned, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John; ²⁶ and he began to speak boldly and fearlessly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained more accurately to him the way of God [and the full story of the life of Christ]. ²⁷ And when Apollos wanted to go across to Achaia (southern Greece), the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples, [urging them] to welcome him gladly. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who, through grace, had believed and had followed Jesus as Lord and Savior, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public discussions, proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

Paul at Ephesus

19 It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper [inland] districts and came down to Ephesus, and found some disciples. ² He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [in Jesus as the Christ]?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he asked, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Paul said, “John performed a baptism of repentance, continually telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, [to confidently accept and joyfully believe] in Jesus [the Messiah and Savior].” ⁵ After hearing this, they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient [to the word of God], discrediting and speaking evil of ^[ay]the Way (Jesus, Christianity) before the congregation, Paul left them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding ^[az]daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus [instead of in the synagogue]. ¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor], Jews as well as Greeks, heard the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

Miracles at Ephesus

¹¹ God was doing extraordinary and unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or face-towels or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out [of them]. ¹³ Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists also attempted to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I implore you and solemnly command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches!” ¹⁴ Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit retorted, “I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, but as for you, who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued ^[ba]all of them and overpowered them, so that they ran out of that house [in terror, stripped] naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified and exalted. ¹⁸ Many of those who had become believers were coming, confessing and disclosing their [former sinful] practices. ¹⁹ And many of those who had practiced magical arts collected their books and [throwing book after book on the pile] began burning them in front of everyone. They calculated their value and found it to be ^[bb]50,000 pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] was growing greatly and prevailing.

²¹ Now after these events, Paul determined in the Spirit that he would travel through ^[bc]Macedonia and Achaia (most of the Greek mainland), and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome [and preach the good news of salvation].” ²² And after sending two of his assistants, Timothy and ^[bd]Erastus, to Macedonia [ahead of him], he stayed on in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor] for a while.

²³ About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way (Jesus, Christianity). ²⁴ Now a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis (Diana), was bringing no small profit to the craftsmen. ²⁵ These [craftsmen] he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you are well aware that we make a good living from this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but almost all over [the province of] Asia, this Paul has persuaded [people to believe his teaching] and has misled a large number of people, claiming that gods made by [human] hands are not really gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent] ^[be]temple of the great goddess ^[bf]Artemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned and lose her glorious magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were filled with rage, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Then the city was filled with confusion; and people rushed together [as a group] into the amphitheater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ Paul wanted to go into the [pagan] assembly, but the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the Asiarchs (officials) who were his friends sent word to him and repeatedly warned him not to venture into the amphitheater. ³² Now some shouted one thing and some another, for the gathering was in confusion and most of the people did not know ^[bg]why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd advised Alexander [to speak], since the Jews had pushed him forward; and Alexander motioned with his hand [for attention] and intended to make a defense to the people. ³⁴ But when they realized that he was a Jew, a single outcry went up from the crowd as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ³⁵ After the town ^[bh]clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of that [^[bi]sacred stone image of her] which fell from the sky? ³⁶ So, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and stay calm and not do anything rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another there. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. ⁴⁰ For we are running the risk of being accused of rioting in regard to today’s events, and since there is no reason for it, we will be unable to give an account and justify this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had encouraged them he told them goodbye, and set off to go to ^[bj]Macedonia. ² After he had gone through those districts and had encouraged the believers, he came to Greece. ³ And he stayed three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia (northern Greece). ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and by Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and were waiting for us (including Luke) at Troas. ⁶ We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread (Passover week), and within five days we reached them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

⁷ Now on the first day of the week (Sunday), when we were gathered together to break bread (share communion), Paul began talking with them, intending to leave the next day; and he kept on with his message until midnight. ⁸ Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were assembled, ⁹ and there was a young man named Eutychus (“Lucky”) sitting on the window sill. He was sinking into a deep sleep, and as Paul ^[bk]kept on talking longer and longer, he was completely overcome by sleep and fell down from the third story; and he was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and threw himself on him and embraced him, and said [to those standing around him], “Do not be troubled, because ^[bl]he is alive.” ¹¹ When Paul had gone back upstairs and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked [informally and confidentially] with them for a long time—until daybreak [in fact]—and then he left. ¹² They took the boy [Eutychus] home alive, and were greatly comforted and encouraged.

Troas to Miletus

¹³ But we went on ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go [a shorter route] by land. ¹⁴ So when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and sailed on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ Sailing from there, we arrived the next day [at a point] opposite Chios; the following day we crossed over to Samos, and the next day we arrived at Miletus [about 30 miles south of Ephesus]. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus so that he would not end up spending time [unnecessarily] in [the province of] Asia (modern Turkey); for he was in a hurry to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of ^[bm]Pentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

¹⁷ However, from Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church [to meet him there]. ¹⁸ And when they arrived he said to them:

“You know well how I [lived when I] was with you, from the first day that I set foot in Asia [until now], ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came on me because of the plots of the Jews [against me]; ²⁰ [you know] how I did not shrink back in fear from telling you anything that was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public meetings, and from house to house, ²¹ solemnly [and wholeheartedly] testifying to both Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance to God and [to have] faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [for salvation]. ²² And now, compelled by the Spirit and obligated by my convictions, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit solemnly [and emphatically] affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me. ²⁴ But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life].

²⁵ “And now, listen carefully: I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, ^[bn]will see me again. ²⁶ For that reason I testify to you on this [our parting] day that I am innocent of the blood of all people. ²⁷ For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan of God. ²⁸ Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood. ²⁹ I know that after I am gone, [false teachers like] ferocious wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse and distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers]. ³¹ Therefore be continually alert, remembering that for three years, night or day, I did not stop admonishing and advising each one [of you] with tears. ³² And now I commend you to God [placing you in His protective, loving care] and [I commend you] to the word of His grace [the counsel and promises of His unmerited favor]. His grace is able to build you up and to give you the [rightful] inheritance among all those who are sanctified [that is, among those who are set apart for God’s purpose—all believers]. ³³ I had no desire for anyone’s silver or gold or [expensive] clothes. ³⁴ You know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs [working in manual labor] and to [those of] the people who were with me. ³⁵ In everything I showed you [by example] that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed [and brings greater joy] to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And ^[bo]they began to weep openly and threw their arms around Paul’s neck, and repeatedly kissed him, ³⁸ grieving and distressed especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see him again. And they accompanied him to the ship.