‘For,’ said Peter, ‘it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘“May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,” and, ‘“May another take his place of leadership.”

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’

and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.’

The assembly was in confusion: some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.

Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.

‘“Lord,” I replied, “these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.

Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

After they left the room, they began saying to one another, ‘This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.’