²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders ^(A)to beat them with rods.

² But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated ^(A)at Philippi, as you know, ^(B)we had boldness in our God ^(C)to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much ^(D)conflict.

^5 (A)beatings, imprisonments, ^(B)riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;

³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even ^(A)chains and imprisonment.

²³ Are they ^(A)servants of Christ? ^(B)I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, ^(C)far more imprisonments, ^(D)with countless beatings, and ^(E)often near death. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the ^(F)forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(G)beaten with rods. ^(H)Once I was stoned. Three times I ^(I)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;

Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, ^(A)“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For ^(B)he should not be allowed to live.” ²³ And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the tribune ordered him to be brought into ^(C)the barracks, saying that he should be ^(D)examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. ²⁵ But when they had stretched him out for the whips,^[a] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog ^(E)a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”

^24 (A)He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we ^(B)might die to sin and ^(C)live to righteousness. ^(D)By his wounds you have been healed.

³⁰ Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and ^(A)dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. ^31 (B)And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of ^(C)the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

²⁸ When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, ^(A)“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and ^(B)Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's ^(C)companions in travel. ³⁰ But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ And even some of the Asiarchs,^[a] who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. ^32 (D)Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, ^(E)motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ^(F)“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from ^(G)the sky?^{[b] 36} Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought ^(H)these men here who are neither ^(I)sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are ^(J)proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you seek anything further,^[c] it shall be settled in the regular assembly. ⁴⁰ For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.