Paul in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to ^(A)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And ^(B)according to Paul’s custom, he ^[a]visited them, and for three ^(C)Sabbaths reasoned with them from ^(D)the Scriptures, ^3 [b]explaining and ^[c]giving evidence that the ^[d]Christ ^(E)had to suffer and ^(F)rise from the dead, and saying, “^(G)This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the ^[e]Christ.” ^4 (H)And some of them were persuaded and joined ^(I)Paul and Silas, ^[f]along with a large number of the ^(J)God-fearing ^(K)Greeks and ^[g]a significant number of the ^(L)leading women. ⁵ But ^(M)the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of ^(N)Jason and were seeking to bring them out to the people. ⁶ When they did not find them, they began ^(O)dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset ^[h](P)the world have come here also; ^7 [i]and Jason ^(Q)has welcomed them, and they all act ^(R)contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying 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 received a ^[j]pledge from ^(S)Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul in Berea

^10 (T)The brothers immediately sent ^(U)Paul and Silas away by night to ^(V)Berea, ^[k]and when they arrived, they went into ^(W)the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ Now these people were more noble-minded than those in ^(X)Thessalonica, ^[l]for they received the word with ^[m]great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore, ^(Y)many of them believed, ^[n]along with a significant number of ^(Z)prominent Greek ^(AA)women and men. ¹³ But when the Jews of ^(AB)Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in ^(AC)Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then immediately ^(AD)the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and ^(AE)Silas and ^(AF)Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Now ^(AG)those who escorted Paul brought him as far as ^(AH)Athens; and receiving a command for ^(AI)Silas and Timothy to ^(AJ)come to him as soon as possible, they left.

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them in ^(AK)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was reasoning ^(AL)in the synagogue with the Jews and ^(AM)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. ¹⁸ And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were ^[o]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could ^(AN)this ^[p]scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching ^(AO)Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they ^(AP)took him and brought him ^[q]to the ^[r](AQ)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what ^(AR)this new teaching is ^[s]which you are proclaiming? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers ^(AS)visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Sermon on Mars Hill

²² So Paul stood in the midst of the ^[t]Areopagus and said, “Men of ^(AT)Athens, I see that you are very ^(AU)religious in all respects. ²³ For while I was passing through and examining the ^(AV)objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what ^(AW)you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ^24 (AX)The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is ^(AY)Lord of heaven and earth, does not ^(AZ)dwell in temples made by hands; ²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, ^(BA)as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶ and ^(BB)He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having ^(BC)determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, ^(BD)though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for ^(BE)in Him we live and move and ^[u]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we ^(BF)ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. ³⁰ So having ^(BG)overlooked ^(BH)the times of ignorance, God is ^(BI)now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, ³¹ because He has set ^(BJ)a day on which ^(BK)He will judge ^[v](BL)the world in righteousness ^[w]through a Man whom He has ^(BM)appointed, having furnished proof to all people ^[x]by ^(BN)raising Him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of ^(BO)the resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We shall hear from you ^[y]again concerning this.” ³³ So Paul went out from among them. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the ^(BP)Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul in Corinth

18 After these events Paul left ^(BQ)Athens and went to ^(BR)Corinth. ² And he found a Jew named ^(BS)Aquila, a native of ^(BT)Pontus having recently come from ^(BU)Italy with his wife ^(BV)Priscilla, because ^(BW)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, ³ and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and ^(BX)they worked together, for they were tent-makers by trade. ⁴ And Paul was reasoning ^(BY)in the synagogue every ^(BZ)Sabbath and trying to persuade ^(CA)Jews and Greeks.

⁵ But when ^(CB)Silas and Timothy ^(CC)came down from ^(CD)Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, ^(CE)testifying to the Jews that ^(CF)Jesus was the ^[z]Christ. ⁶ But when they resisted and blasphemed, he ^(CG)shook out his garments and said to them, “Your ^(CH)blood is ^[aa]on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go ^(CI)to the Gentiles.” ⁷ Then he left ^[ab]the synagogue and went to the house of a man named ^[ac]Titius Justus, ^(CJ)a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ^8 (CK)Crispus, ^(CL)the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord ^(CM)together with his entire household; and many of the ^(CN)Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, were believing and being baptized. ⁹ And the Lord said to Paul by ^(CO)a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² But while Gallio was ^(CP)proconsul of ^(CQ)Achaia, ^(CR)the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before ^(CS)the ^[ad]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This man is inciting the people to worship God contrary to ^(CT)the ^[ae]law.” ¹⁴ But when Paul was about to ^(CU)open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; ¹⁵ but if there are ^[af](CV)questions about ^[ag]teaching and ^[ah]persons and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from ^(CW)the ^[ai]judgment seat. ¹⁷ But they all took hold of ^(CX)Sosthenes, ^(CY)the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of ^(CZ)the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.

¹⁸ Now Paul, when he had remained many days longer, ^(DA)took leave of ^(DB)the brothers and sisters and sailed away to ^(DC)Syria, and ^(DD)Priscilla and ^(DE)Aquila were with him. ^[aj]Paul first ^(DF)had his hair cut at ^(DG)Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow. ¹⁹ They came to ^(DH)Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered ^(DI)the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, ²¹ but ^(DJ)took leave of them and said, “I will return to you again ^(DK)if God wills,” and he set sail from ^(DL)Ephesus.

²² When he had landed in ^(DM)Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and went down to ^(DN)Antioch.

Third Missionary Journey

²³ And after spending some time there, he left and passed successively through the ^(DO)Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

²⁴ Now a Jew named ^(DP)Apollos, an ^(DQ)Alexandrian by birth, ^[ak]an eloquent man, came to ^(DR)Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in ^(DS)the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with ^(DT)the baptism of John; ²⁶ and ^[al]he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when ^(DU)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained ^(DV)the way of God more accurately to him. ²⁷ And when he wanted to go across to ^(DW)Achaia, ^(DX)the brothers encouraged him and wrote to ^(DY)the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly ^[am]helped those who had believed through grace, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating ^(DZ)by the Scriptures that ^(EA)Jesus was the ^[an]Christ.

Paul in Ephesus

19 Now it happened that while ^(EB)Apollos was in ^(EC)Corinth, Paul passed through the ^(ED)upper country and came to ^(EE)Ephesus, and found some disciples. ² He said to them, “^(EF)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, ^(EG)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “^(EH)Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Paul said, “^(EI)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people ^(EJ)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were ^(EK)baptized ^[ao]in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(EL)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began ^(EM)speaking with tongues and ^(EN)prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ And he entered ^(EO)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them ^(EP)about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when ^(EQ)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of ^[ap](ER)the Way before the ^[aq]people, he withdrew from them and took ^(ES)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This took place for ^(ET)two years, so that all who lived in ^[ar](EU)Asia heard ^(EV)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing ^(EW)extraordinary ^[as]miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (EX)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and ^(EY)the evil spirits went out. ¹³ But also some of the Jewish ^(EZ)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to ^[at]use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” ¹⁴ Now there were seven sons of ^[au]Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to all who lived in ^(FA)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. ¹⁸ Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. ¹⁹ And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of ^[av]the books and found it to be fifty thousand ^[aw](FB)pieces of silver. ²⁰ So ^[ax](FC)the word of the Lord ^(FD)was growing and prevailing mightily.

²¹ Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in ^[ay]the Spirit to ^(FE)go to Jerusalem ^(FF)after he had passed through ^(FG)Macedonia and ^(FH)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, ^(FI)I must also see Rome.” ²² And after he sent into ^(FJ)Macedonia two of ^(FK)those who assisted him, ^(FL)Timothy and ^(FM)Erastus, he himself stayed in ^[az](FN)Asia for a while.

²³ About that time ^[ba]a major disturbance occurred in regard to ^[bb](FO)the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of ^[bc]Artemis, ^(FP)was bringing ^[bd]considerable ^[be]business to the craftsmen; ²⁵ he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ^[bf]depends upon this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only in ^(FQ)Ephesus, but in almost all of ^[bg](FR)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that ^[bh](FS)gods made by hands are not gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess ^[bi]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of ^[bj](FT)Asia and ^(FU)the ^[bk]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is ^[bl]Artemis of the ^(FV)Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along ^(FW)Gaius and ^(FX)Aristarchus, Paul’s ^(FY)Macedonian traveling ^(FZ)companions. ³⁰ And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, ^(GA)the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Also some of the ^[bm]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to ^[bn]venture into the theater. ^32 (GB)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the ^[bo]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know ^[bp]for what reason they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd ^[bq]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having ^(GC)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is ^[br]Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of ^(GD)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great ^[bs]Artemis and of the image which fell down from ^[bt]the sky? ³⁶ So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither ^(GE)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 ^[bu](GF)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the ^[bv]lawful ^[bw]assembly. ⁴⁰ For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this he dismissed the ^[bx]assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for ^(GG)the disciples, and when he had ^[by]encouraged them and taken his leave of them, he left ^(GH)to go to ^(GI)Macedonia. ² When he had gone through those regions and had given them much ^[bz]encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ And there he spent three months, and when ^(GJ)a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for ^(GK)Syria, he decided to return through ^(GL)Macedonia. ⁴ And ^[ca]he was accompanied by Sopater of ^(GM)Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by ^(GN)Aristarchus and Secundus of the ^(GO)Thessalonians, and ^(GP)Gaius of ^(GQ)Derbe, and ^(GR)Timothy, and ^(GS)Tychicus and ^(GT)Trophimus of ^[cb](GU)Asia. ⁵ Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for ^(GV)us at ^(GW)Troas. ^6 (GX)We sailed from ^(GY)Philippi after ^[cc](GZ)the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at ^(HA)Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

⁷ On ^(HB)the first day of the week, when ^(HC)we were gathered together to ^(HD)break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his ^[cd]message until midnight. ⁸ There were many ^(HE)lamps in the ^(HF)upstairs room where we were gathered together. ⁹ And there was a young man named ^[ce]Eutychus sitting ^[cf]on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and ^(HG)fell upon him, and after embracing him, he ^(HH)said, “^[cg]Do not be troubled, for ^[ch]he is still alive.” ¹¹ When Paul had gone back up and had ^(HI)broken the bread and ^[ci]eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. ¹² They took away the boy alive, and were ^[cj]greatly comforted.

Troas to Miletus

¹³ But ^(HJ)we went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go ^[ck]by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day we came to ^(HK)Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past ^(HL)Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in ^[cl](HM)Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him ^(HN)to be in Jerusalem ^(HO)the day of Pentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

¹⁷ From Miletus he sent word to ^(HP)Ephesus and called to himself ^(HQ)the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, ^(HR)from the first day that I set foot in ^[cm]Asia, how I was with you the whole time, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me ^[cn]through ^(HS)the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I ^(HT)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and ^[co]from house to house, ²¹ solemnly ^(HU)testifying to both Jews and Greeks of ^(HV)repentance toward God and ^(HW)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, bound by the ^[cp]Spirit, ^(HX)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(HY)the Holy Spirit solemnly ^(HZ)testifies to me in every city, saying that ^(IA)chains and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But ^(IB)I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may ^(IC)finish my course and ^(ID)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to ^(IE)testify solemnly of the gospel of ^(IF)God’s grace.

²⁵ “And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about ^(IG)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. ²⁶ Therefore, I ^[cq]testify to you this day that ^(IH)I am ^[cr]innocent of the blood of all people. ²⁷ For I ^(II)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole ^(IJ)purpose of God. ²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all ^(IK)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you ^[cs]overseers, to shepherd ^(IL)the church of God which ^(IM)He ^[ct]purchased ^[cu]with His own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure ^(IN)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing ^(IO)the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away ^(IP)the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of ^(IQ)three years I did not cease to admonish each one ^(IR)with tears. ³² And now I ^(IS)entrust you to God and to ^(IT)the word of His grace, which is able to ^(IU)build you up and to give you ^(IV)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ^33 (IW)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. ³⁴ You yourselves know that ^(IX)these hands served my own needs and the ^(IY)men who were with me. ³⁵ In everything I showed you 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 to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ When he had said these things, he ^(IZ)knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And ^[cv]they all began to weep aloud and ^[cw](JA)embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, ^38 [cx]grieving especially over ^(JB)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were ^(JC)accompanying him to the ship.

Paul Sails from Miletus

21 Now when ^(JD)we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran ^(JE)a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; ² and having found a ship crossing over to ^(JF)Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we came in sight of ^(JG)Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to ^(JH)Syria and landed at ^(JI)Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there. ⁴ After looking up ^(JJ)the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, ^[cy](JK)through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem. ⁵ When ^[cz]our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, ^(JL)escorted us until we were out of the city. After ^(JM)kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. ⁶ Then we boarded the ship, and they returned ^(JN)home.

⁷ When we had finished the voyage from ^(JO)Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting ^(JP)the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day. ⁸ On the next day we left and came to ^(JQ)Caesarea, and we entered the house of ^(JR)Philip the ^(JS)evangelist, who was ^(JT)one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ Now this man had four virgin daughters who were ^(JU)prophetesses. ¹⁰ As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named ^(JV)Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And he came to us and ^(JW)took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This ^(JX)is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will ^(JY)bind the man who owns this belt and ^(JZ)hand him over to the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him ^(KA)not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For ^(KB)I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for ^(KC)the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “^(KD)The will of the Lord be done!”

Paul in Jerusalem

¹⁵ After these days we got ready and ^(KE)started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of ^(KF)the disciples from ^(KG)Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of ^(KH)Cyprus, a ^(KI)disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

¹⁷ After we arrived in Jerusalem, ^(KJ)the brothers and sisters received us gladly. ¹⁸ And the following day Paul went in with us to ^[da](KK)James, and all ^(KL)the elders were present. ¹⁹ After he had greeted them, he ^(KM)began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ^(KN)ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard about them, they began ^(KO)glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many ^[db]thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all ^(KP)zealous for the Law; ²¹ and they have been told about you, that you are ^(KQ)teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them ^(KR)not to circumcise their children nor to ^[dc]walk according to ^(KS)the customs. ²² So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore, do ^[dd]as we tell you: we have four men who ^(KT)have a ^[de]vow upon themselves; ²⁴ take them along and ^(KU)purify yourself together with them, and ^[df]pay their expenses so that they may ^(KV)shave their ^[dg]heads; and then everyone will know that there is nothing to what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also conform, keeping the Law. ²⁵ But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, ^(KW)having decided that they should abstain from ^[dh]meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is ^[di]strangled, and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶ Then Paul ^[dj]took along the men, and the next day, after ^(KX)purifying himself together with them, he ^(KY)went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Seized in the Temple

²⁷ When ^(KZ)the seven days were almost over, ^(LA)the Jews from ^[dk](LB)Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! ^(LC)This is the man who instructs everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has ^(LD)defiled this holy place!” ²⁹ For they had previously seen ^(LE)Trophimus the ^(LF)Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then the whole city was provoked and ^[dl]the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they ^(LG)dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the ^(LH)Roman ^[dm]cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² He immediately ^(LI)took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to ^[dn]the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be ^(LJ)bound with ^(LK)two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ But among the crowd, ^(LL)some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the ^[do]facts because of the uproar, he ordered that ^[dp]Paul be brought into ^(LM)the barracks. ³⁵ When Paul got to ^(LN)the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the ^[dq]mob; ³⁶ for the multitude of people kept following them, shouting, “^(LO)Away with him!”

³⁷ As Paul was about to be brought into ^(LP)the barracks, he *said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not ^(LQ)the Egyptian who some ^[dr]time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(LR)into the wilderness?” ³⁹ But Paul said, “^(LS)I am a Jew of Tarsus in ^(LT)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on ^(LU)the stairs, ^(LV)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there ^[ds]was a great silence, he spoke to them in the ^[dt](LW)Hebrew dialect, saying,

Paul’s Defense before the Jews

22 “^(LX)[du]Brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

² And when they heard that he was addressing them in the ^[dv](LY)Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

³ “^(LZ)I am ^(MA)a Jew, born in ^(MB)Tarsus of ^(MC)Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated ^[dw]under ^(MD)Gamaliel, ^[dx](ME)strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as ^(MF)you all are today. ^4 (MG)I persecuted this ^(MH)Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, ⁵ as also ^(MI)the high priest and all ^(MJ)the Council of the elders ^[dy]can testify. From them I also ^(MK)received letters to ^(ML)the brothers, and started off for ^(MM)Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem ^[dz]as prisoners to be punished.

⁶ “^(MN)But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, ⁷ and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am ^(MO)Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ And those who were with me ^(MP)saw the light, but ^(MQ)did not ^[ea]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, ‘^(MR)What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ But since I ^(MS)could not see because of the ^[eb]brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.

¹² “Now a certain ^(MT)Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and ^(MU)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing nearby he said to me, ‘^(MV)Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And ^[ec](MW)at that very moment I looked up at him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘^(MX)The God of our fathers has ^(MY)appointed you to know His will and to ^(MZ)see the ^(NA)Righteous One and to hear a ^[ed]message from His mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be ^(NB)a witness for Him to all people of ^(NC)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now why do you delay? ^(ND)Get up and be baptized, and ^(NE)wash away your sins by ^(NF)calling on His name.’

¹⁷ “It happened when I ^(NG)returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I ^(NH)fell into a trance, ¹⁸ and I saw Him saying to me, ‘^(NI)Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another ^(NJ)I used to imprison and ^(NK)beat those who believed in You. ²⁰ And ^(NL)when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away ^(NM)to the Gentiles.’”

²² They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “^(NN)Away with such a man from the earth, for ^(NO)he should not be allowed to live!” ²³ And as they were shouting and ^(NP)throwing off their cloaks and ^(NQ)tossing dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered that he be brought into ^(NR)the barracks, saying that he was to be ^(NS)interrogated by flogging so that he would find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. ²⁵ But when they stretched him out ^[ee]with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it ^[ef]lawful for you to flog ^(NT)a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” ²⁷ The commander came and said to ^[eg]Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” ²⁹ Therefore, those who were about to ^(NU)interrogate him immediately backed away from him; and the commander also ^(NV)was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had ^[eh](NW)put him in chains.

³⁰ Now on the next day, ^(NX)wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he ^(NY)released him and ordered the chief priests and all ^(NZ)the ^[ei]Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.

Paul before the Council

23 Now looking intently at ^(OA)the ^[ej]Council, Paul said, “^[ek](OB)Brothers, ^(OC)I have ^[el]lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” ² But the high priest ^(OD)Ananias commanded those standing beside him ^(OE)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, ^(OF)you whitewashed wall! Do you ^(OG)sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law, order me to be struck?” ⁴ But those present said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘^(OH)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ But Paul, perceiving that one group were ^(OI)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in ^(OJ)the ^[em]Council, “^[en](OK)Brothers, ^(OL)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ^(OM)the hope and resurrection of the dead!” ⁷ When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For ^(ON)the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ And a great uproar occurred; and some of ^(OO)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “^(OP)We find nothing wrong with this man; ^(OQ)suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ And when a great dissension occurred, the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, and he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into ^(OR)the barracks.

¹¹ But on ^(OS)the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, “^(OT)Be courageous! For ^(OU)as you have ^(OV)testified to the truth about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome also.”

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, ^(OW)the Jews formed a ^[eo]conspiracy and ^(OX)put themselves under an ^[ep]oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who formed this plot. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have ^(OY)put ourselves under an ^[eq]oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore, you ^[er]and ^(OZ)the ^[es]Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly; and as for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes near the place.”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard about their ambush, ^[et]and he came and entered ^(PA)the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions to himself and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and led him to the commander and *said, “Paul ^(PB)the prisoner called me over to him and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” ¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” ²⁰ And he said, “^(PC)The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to ^(PD)the ^[eu]Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. ²¹ So do not ^[ev]listen to them, for more than forty ^[ew]of them are ^(PE)in hiding to ambush him, and these men have ^(PF)put themselves under an oath not to eat or drink until they kill him; and now they are ready and waiting for assurance from you.” ²² Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”

Paul Moved to Caesarea

²³ And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by ^[ex]the third hour of the night to proceed to ^(PG)Caesarea, ^[ey]with seventy horsemen and two hundred ^[ez]spearmen.” ²⁴ They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to ^(PH)Felix the governor. ²⁵ And he wrote a letter ^[fa]with the following content:

³¹ So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² But on the next day they let ^(PU)the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to ^(PV)the barracks. ³³ When these horsemen had come to ^(PW)Caesarea and delivered the letter to ^(PX)the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ Now when he had read it, he also asked from what ^(PY)province Paul was, and when he learned that ^(PZ)he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your ^(QA)accusers arrive as well,” giving orders for ^[ff]Paul to be ^(QB)kept in Herod’s ^[fg]Praetorium.

Paul before Felix

24 Now after ^(QC)five days the high priest ^(QD)Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they ^[fh]brought charges against Paul to ^(QE)the governor. ² After ^[fi]Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began accusing him, saying to the governor,

“Since we have attained great peace through you, and since reforms are being carried out for this nation by your foresight, ³ we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, ^(QF)most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴ But, that I may not ^[fj]weary you further, I beg you ^[fk]to grant us a brief hearing, by your kindness. ⁵ For we have found this man a public menace and one who stirs up dissensions among all the Jews throughout ^[fl]the world, and a ringleader of the ^(QG)sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶ And he even tried to ^(QH)desecrate the temple, so indeed we arrested him.^{[fm] 8} By interrogating him yourself concerning all these matters, you will be able to ascertain the things of which we are accusing him.” ^9 (QI)The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.

¹⁰ And when ^(QJ)the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, ¹¹ since you can take note of the fact that no more than ^(QK)twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ^12 (QL)And neither in the temple did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or ^(QM)causing ^[fn]a riot, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself. ^13 (QN)Nor can they prove to you the things of which they now accuse me. ¹⁴ But I confess this to you, that in accordance with ^[fo](QO)the Way, which they call a ^(QP)sect, I do serve ^(QQ)the God of our fathers, ^(QR)believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and is written in the Prophets; ¹⁵ having a hope in God, which ^(QS)these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁶ In view of this ^(QT)I also do my best to maintain a blameless conscience both before God and before other people, always. ¹⁷ Now ^(QU)after several years I ^(QV)came to bring charitable gifts to my nation and to present offerings, ¹⁸ in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been ^(QW)purified, without any ^(QX)crowd or uproar. But there were some ^(QY)Jews from ^[fp]Asia— ¹⁹ who ought to have been present before you and to have been ^(QZ)bringing charges, if they should have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else have these men themselves declare what violation they discovered when I stood before ^(RA)the ^[fq]Council, ²¹ other than in regard to this one declaration which ^(RB)I shouted while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today!’”

²² But Felix, ^[fr]having quite accurate knowledge about ^[fs](RC)the Way, adjourned them, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ He gave orders to the centurion for ^[ft]Paul to be ^(RD)kept in custody and yet ^(RE)have some freedom, and not to prevent any of ^(RF)his friends from providing for his needs.

²⁴ Now some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla his ^[fu]wife, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ^(RG)faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ But as he was discussing ^(RH)righteousness, ^(RI)self-control, and ^(RJ)the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and responded, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I will summon you.” ²⁶ At the same time he was also hoping that ^(RK)money would be given to him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and talk with him. ²⁷ But after two years had passed, Felix ^[fv]was succeeded by Porcius ^(RL)Festus; and Felix, ^(RM)wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul ^(RN)imprisoned.

Paul before Festus

25 Festus, then, after arriving in ^(RO)the province, went up to Jerusalem from ^(RP)Caesarea three days later. ² And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews ^(RQ)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with ^[fw]Festus, ³ requesting a ^[fx]concession against ^[fy]Paul, that he might ^[fz]have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, ^(RR)setting an ambush to kill him on the way). ⁴ Festus then ^(RS)answered that Paul ^(RT)was being kept in custody in ^(RU)Caesarea, and that he himself was about to leave shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he *said, “have the influential men among you ^[ga]go there with me, and if there is anything wrong ^[gb]about the man, have them bring charges against him.”

⁶ After Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to ^(RV)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on ^(RW)the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought. ⁷ After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing ^(RX)many, and serious, charges against him ^(RY)which they could not prove, ⁸ while Paul said in his own defense, “^(RZ)I have not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar.” ⁹ But Festus, ^(SA)wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul and said, “^(SB)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and ^[gc]stand trial before me on these charges?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s ^(SC)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. ¹¹ If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I ^(SD)appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then when Festus had conferred with ^[gd]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”

¹³ Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in ^(SE)Caesarea, paying their respects to Festus. ¹⁴ And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man who was ^(SF)left as a prisoner by Felix; ¹⁵ and when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews ^(SG)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I ^(SH)replied to them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any person before ^(SI)the accused meets his accusers face to face, and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. ¹⁷ So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on ^(SJ)the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges ^[ge]against him of crimes that I suspected, ¹⁹ but they simply had some ^(SK)points of disagreement with him about their own ^[gf](SL)religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. ²⁰ And ^(SM)being at a loss how to investigate ^[gg]such matters, I ^[gh]asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters. ²¹ But when Paul ^(SN)appealed to be held in custody for ^[gi]the Emperor’s decision, I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” ²² Then ^(SO)Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”

Paul before Agrippa

²³ So, on the next day when ^(SP)Agrippa and ^(SQ)Bernice came amid great pomp and entered the auditorium, ^[gj]accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought before them. ²⁴ And Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man about whom ^(SR)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that ^(SS)he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had committed ^(ST)nothing deserving death; and since he himself ^(SU)appealed to ^[gk]the Emperor, I decided to send him. ^26 [gl]Yet, I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore, I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him as well.”