The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(A)Now ^[a]Saul, still ^(B)breathing ^[b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(C)letters from him to ^(D)the synagogues in ^(E)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^[c](F)the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^(G)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(H)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and ^(I)it will be told to you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(J)stood speechless, ^(K)hearing the ^[d]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(L)though his eyes were open, he ^[e]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(M)Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in ^(N)Damascus named ^(O)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(P)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(Q)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[f]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(R)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, ^(S)how much harm he did to ^(T)Your ^[g]saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(U)has authority from the chief priests to ^[h]arrest all who ^(V)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(W)he is a chosen ^[i]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(X)the Gentiles and ^(Y)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(Z)I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(AA)laying his hands on him said, “^(AB)Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^(AC)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(AD)for several days he was with ^(AE)the disciples who were in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(AF)in the synagogues, ^[j]saying, “He is ^(AG)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(AH)destroyed those who ^(AI)called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[k]Christ.

²³ When ^(AJ)many days had elapsed, ^(AK)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(AL)their plot became known to Saul. ^(AM)They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (AN)When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(AO)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(AP)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(AQ)he had ^(AR)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[l]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(AS)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[m](AT)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ Now when ^(AU)the ^[n]brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(AV)Caesarea and ^(AW)sent him away to ^(AX)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(AY)the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ^[o]enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ^[p]continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

Peter’s Ministry

³² Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to ^(AZ)the ^[q]saints who lived at ^[r](BA)Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, ^[s]because he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up. ³⁵ And all who lived at ^[t](BB)Lydda and ^(BC)Sharon saw him, and they ^(BD)turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now in ^(BE)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means ^[u]Dorcas); this woman was ^[v]excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually. ³⁷ But it happened ^[w]at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(BF)upstairs room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near ^(BG)Joppa, ^(BH)the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^(BI)room upstairs; and all the ^(BJ)widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ^[x]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(BK)sent them all out and ^(BL)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(BM)Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling ^(BN)the ^[y]saints and ^(BO)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² It became known all over ^(BP)Joppa, and ^(BQ)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed in ^(BR)Joppa many days with ^(BS)a tanner named Simon.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were ^(A)prophets and ^(B)teachers at ^(C)Antioch, in the ^(D)church that was there: ^(E)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of ^(F)Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with ^(G)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were ^[a]serving the Lord and fasting, ^(H)the Holy Spirit said, “Set ^(I)Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for ^(J)the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted, ^(K)prayed, and ^(L)laid their hands on them, ^(M)they sent them away.

⁴ So, being ^(N)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to ^(O)Cyprus. ⁵ When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in ^(P)the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had ^(Q)John as their helper. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a ^(R)magician, a Jewish ^(S)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the ^(T)proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(U)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the ^(V)proconsul away from ^(W)the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also known as Paul, ^[b](X)filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, ¹⁰ and said, “^[c]You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you ^(Y)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked ^(Z)the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, behold, ^(AA)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the ^(AB)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at ^(AC)the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from ^(AD)Paphos and came to ^(AE)Perga in ^(AF)Pamphylia; but ^(AG)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But going on from Perga, they arrived at ^(AH)Pisidian ^(AI)Antioch, and on ^(AJ)the Sabbath day they went into ^(AK)the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(AL)the reading of the Law and ^(AM)the Prophets, ^(AN)the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “^[d]Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ Paul stood up, and ^(AO)motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and ^(AP)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel ^(AQ)chose our fathers and ^[e](AR)made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm ^(AS)He led them out from it. ¹⁸ For ^(AT)a period of about forty years ^(AU)He put up with them in the wilderness. ^19 (AV)When He had destroyed ^(AW)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He ^(AX)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took ^(AY)about 450 years. ²⁰ After these things He ^(AZ)gave them judges until ^(BA)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they ^(BB)asked for a king, and God gave them ^(BC)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² After He had ^(BD)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘^(BE)I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My ^[f]will.’ ^23 (BF)From the descendants of this man, ^(BG)according to promise, God has brought to Israel ^(BH)a Savior, Jesus, ²⁴ after ^(BI)John had proclaimed, before ^[g]His coming, a ^(BJ)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And while John ^(BK)was completing his course, ^(BL)he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, One is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “^[h]Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of ^(BM)this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem, and their ^(BN)rulers, ^(BO)recognizing neither Him nor the ^[i]declarations of ^(BP)the prophets which are ^(BQ)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they ^(BR)asked Pilate that He be executed. ²⁹ When they had ^(BS)carried out everything that was written concerning Him, ^(BT)they took Him down from the ^[j](BU)cross and ^(BV)laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God ^(BW)raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days ^(BX)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now ^(BY)His witnesses to the people. ³² And we ^(BZ)preach to you the good news of ^(CA)the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by ^(CB)raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘^(CC)You are My Son; today I have fathered You.’ ³⁴ As for the fact that He ^(CD)raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘^(CE)I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David.’ ³⁵ Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘^(CF)You will not ^[k]allow Your ^[l]Holy One to ^[m]undergo decay.’ ³⁶ For ^(CG)David, after he had ^[n]served God’s ^(CH)purpose in his own generation, ^(CI)fell asleep, and was ^[o]buried among his fathers and ^[p]underwent decay; ³⁷ but He whom God ^(CJ)raised did not ^[q]undergo decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, ^[r]brothers, that ^(CK)through ^[s]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and ^[t]through Him ^(CL)everyone who believes is ^[u]freed from all things, from which you could not be ^[v]freed ^[w]through the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Therefore, see that the thing spoken of ^(CM)in the Prophets does not come upon you:

⁴² As ^[y]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these ^[z]things spoken to them the next ^(CO)Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the ^(CP)God-fearing ^[aa](CQ)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in ^(CR)the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

⁴⁴ The next ^(CS)Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of ^[ab]the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when ^(CT)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were ^[ac]blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you ^(CU)first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, ^(CV)we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us,

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying ^(CY)the word of ^[af]the Lord; and all who ^(CZ)had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And ^(DA)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But ^(DB)the Jews incited the ^[ag](DC)devout women ^(DD)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their ^[ah]region. ⁵¹ But ^(DE)they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to ^(DF)Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were continually ^(DG)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 In ^(DH)Iconium ^(DI)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way ^(DJ)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of ^(DK)Greeks. ² But ^(DL)the ^[ai](DM)unbelieving Jews stirred up the ^[aj]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against ^(DN)the brothers. ³ Therefore they spent a long time there ^(DO)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that ^[ak](DP)signs and wonders be performed by their hands. ^4 (DQ)But the ^[al]people of the city were divided; and some ^[am]sided with ^(DR)the Jews, while others, with ^(DS)the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and ^(DT)the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to ^(DU)stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of ^(DV)Lycaonia, ^(DW)Lystra and ^(DX)Derbe, and the surrounding region; ⁷ and there they continued to ^(DY)preach the gospel.

⁸ In ^(DZ)Lystra ^(EA)a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul ^(EB)looked at him intently and saw that he had ^(EC)faith to be ^[an]made well, ¹⁰ and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” ^(ED)And the man leaped up and began to walk. ¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the ^(EE)Lycaonian language, “^(EF)The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas, ^[ao]Zeus, and Paul, ^[ap]Hermes, since he was ^[aq]the chief speaker. ¹³ Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was ^[ar]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and ^(EG)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when ^(EH)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they ^(EI)tore their ^[as]robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also ^(EJ)men, of the same nature as you, ^(EK)preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these ^[at](EL)useless things to a ^(EM)living God, who ^(EN)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. ^16 [au]In past generations He ^(EO)permitted all the ^[av]nations to ^(EP)go their own ways; ¹⁷ yet ^(EQ)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and ^(ER)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, ^[aw]satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ But ^(ES)Jews came from ^(ET)Antioch and ^(EU)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they ^(EV)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. ²⁰ But while ^(EW)the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for ^(EX)Derbe. ²¹ And after they had ^(EY)preached the gospel to that city and had ^(EZ)made a good number of disciples, they returned to ^(FA)Lystra, to ^(FB)Iconium, and to ^(FC)Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of ^(FD)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in ^(FE)the faith, and saying, “^(FF)It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When ^(FG)they had appointed ^(FH)elders for them in every church, having ^(FI)prayed with fasting, they ^(FJ)entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

²⁴ They passed through ^(FK)Pisidia and came into ^(FL)Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word in ^(FM)Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to ^(FN)Antioch, ^(FO)where they had been ^(FP)entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had ^[ax]accomplished. ²⁷ When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to ^(FQ)report all the things that God had done with them and ^[ay]how He had opened a ^(FR)door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent ^[az]a long time with ^(FS)the disciples.

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 before the Council

23 Now looking intently at ^(A)the ^[a]Council, Paul said, “^[b](B)Brothers, ^(C)I have ^[c]lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” ² But the high priest ^(D)Ananias commanded those standing beside him ^(E)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, ^(F)you whitewashed wall! Do you ^(G)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: ‘^(H)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ But Paul, perceiving that one group were ^(I)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in ^(J)the ^[d]Council, “^[e](K)Brothers, ^(L)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ^(M)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 ^(N)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 ^(O)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “^(P)We find nothing wrong with this man; ^(Q)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 ^(R)the barracks.

¹¹ But on ^(S)the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, “^(T)Be courageous! For ^(U)as you have ^(V)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, ^(W)the Jews formed a ^[f]conspiracy and ^(X)put themselves under an ^[g]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 ^(Y)put ourselves under an ^[h]oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore, you ^[i]and ^(Z)the ^[j]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, ^[k]and he came and entered ^(AA)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 ^(AB)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, “^(AC)The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to ^(AD)the ^[l]Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. ²¹ So do not ^[m]listen to them, for more than forty ^[n]of them are ^(AE)in hiding to ambush him, and these men have ^(AF)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 ^[o]the third hour of the night to proceed to ^(AG)Caesarea, ^[p]with seventy horsemen and two hundred ^[q]spearmen.” ²⁴ They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to ^(AH)Felix the governor. ²⁵ And he wrote a letter ^[r]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 ^(AU)the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to ^(AV)the barracks. ³³ When these horsemen had come to ^(AW)Caesarea and delivered the letter to ^(AX)the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ Now when he had read it, he also asked from what ^(AY)province Paul was, and when he learned that ^(AZ)he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your ^(BA)accusers arrive as well,” giving orders for ^[w]Paul to be ^(BB)kept in Herod’s ^[x]Praetorium.

Paul before Felix

24 Now after ^(BC)five days the high priest ^(BD)Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they ^[y]brought charges against Paul to ^(BE)the governor. ² After ^[z]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, ^(BF)most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴ But, that I may not ^[aa]weary you further, I beg you ^[ab]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 ^[ac]the world, and a ringleader of the ^(BG)sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶ And he even tried to ^(BH)desecrate the temple, so indeed we arrested him.^{[ad] 8} By interrogating him yourself concerning all these matters, you will be able to ascertain the things of which we are accusing him.” ^9 (BI)The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.

¹⁰ And when ^(BJ)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 ^(BK)twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ^12 (BL)And neither in the temple did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or ^(BM)causing ^[ae]a riot, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself. ^13 (BN)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 ^[af](BO)the Way, which they call a ^(BP)sect, I do serve ^(BQ)the God of our fathers, ^(BR)believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and is written in the Prophets; ¹⁵ having a hope in God, which ^(BS)these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁶ In view of this ^(BT)I also do my best to maintain a blameless conscience both before God and before other people, always. ¹⁷ Now ^(BU)after several years I ^(BV)came to bring charitable gifts to my nation and to present offerings, ¹⁸ in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been ^(BW)purified, without any ^(BX)crowd or uproar. But there were some ^(BY)Jews from ^[ag]Asia— ¹⁹ who ought to have been present before you and to have been ^(BZ)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 ^(CA)the ^[ah]Council, ²¹ other than in regard to this one declaration which ^(CB)I shouted while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today!’”

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

²⁴ Now some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla his ^[al]wife, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ^(CG)faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ But as he was discussing ^(CH)righteousness, ^(CI)self-control, and ^(CJ)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 ^(CK)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 ^[am]was succeeded by Porcius ^(CL)Festus; and Felix, ^(CM)wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul ^(CN)imprisoned.