Category: Acts

Peter Reports at Jerusalem

1 Now the apostles and the believers who were throughout Judea heard [with astonishment] that the Gentiles also had receivedandaccepted the word of God [the message concerning salvation through Christ].

2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision [certain Jewish believers who followed the Law] took issue with him [for violating Jewish customs],

3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and [even] ate with them!”

4 But Peter began [at the beginning] and explained [the events] to them step by step, saying,

5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision of an object coming down from heaven, like a huge sheet being lowered by the four corners; and [it descended until] it came right down to me,

6 and looking closely at it, I sawall kinds ofthe four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air [both clean and unclean according to the Law],

7 and I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

8 But I said, ‘Not at all, Lord; for nothing common (unholy) or [ceremonially] unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

9 But the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansedandpronounced clean, no longer consider common (unholy).’

10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven.

11 And right then the three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we werestaying.

12 The Spirit told me to go with them without the slightest hesitation. So these six brothers also went with me and we went to the man’s house.

13 And Cornelius told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Sendwordto Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;

14 he will bring a message to you by which you will be saved [and granted eternal life], you and all your household.’

15 When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just asHe didon us at the beginning [at Pentecost].

16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say,‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 So, if God gave Gentiles the same gift [equally] as He gave us after we acceptedandbelievedandtrusted in the Lord Jesus Christ [as Savior], who was I to interfereorstand in God’s way?”

18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorifiedandpraised God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentancethat leadstoeternallife [that is, real life after earthly death].”

The Church at Antioch

19 So then [since they were unaware of these developments] those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with [the stoning of] Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, without telling the message [of salvation through Christ] to anyone except Jews.

20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch andbeganspeaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming [to them] the good news about the Lord Jesus.

21 And the hand (the power and presence) of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord [for salvation, accepting and drawing near to Jesus as Messiah and Savior].

22 The news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God [that was bestowed on them], he rejoiced andbeganto encourage them all with an unwavering heart to stay trueanddevoted to the Lord.

24 For Barnabas was a good man [privately and publicly—his godly character benefited both himself and others] andhe wasfull of the Holy Spirit and full of faith [in Jesus the Messiah, through whom believers have everlasting life]. And a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

25 And Barnabas left for Tarsus to search for Saul;

26 and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For an entire year they met [with others] in the church and instructed large numbers; and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

27 Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 One of them named Agabus stood up and prophesied through the [Holy] Spirit that a severe famine would come on theentire world. And this did happen during the reign ofClaudius.

29 So the disciples decided to senda contribution,each according to his individual ability, to the believers who lived in Judea.

30 And this they did, sending the contribution to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Peter’s Arrest and Escape

1 Now at that timeHerod [Agrippa I] the king [of the Jews] arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to harm them.

2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword;

3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to have Peter arrested as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread [the Passover week].

4 When he had seized Peter, he put him in prison, turning him over to four squads of soldiers of four each to guard him [in rotation throughout the night], planning after the Passover to bring him out before the people [for execution].

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but ferventandpersistent prayer for him was being made to God by the church.

6 The very night before Herod was to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries were in front of the door guarding the prison.

7 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared [beside him] and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter’s side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off his hands.

8 The angel said to him, “Prepare yourself and strap on your sandals [to get ready for whatever may happen].” And he did so. Then the angel told him, “Put on your robe and follow me.”

9 And Peter went out followingthe angel.He did not realize that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

10 When they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. Of its own accord it swung open for them; and they went out and went along one street, and at once the angel left him.

11 When Peter came to his senses, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and has rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting [to do to me].”

12 When he realized what had happened, he went to the house ofMary the mother of John, who was also calledMark, where many [believers] were gathered together and were prayingcontinually[and had been praying all night].

13 When he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.

14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she failed to open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gateway.

15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel!”

16 But [meanwhile] Peter continued knocking; and when they openedthe doorand saw him, they were completely amazed.

17 But motioning to them with his hand to be quietandlisten, he described how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things toJames and the brothers and sisters.” Then he left and went to another place.

18 Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.

19 When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he interrogated the guards and commanded that they be led awayto execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea [Maritima] and spent some time there.

Death of Herod

20 Now Herod [Agrippa I] wasextremely angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and their delegates came to him in a united group, and after persuading Blastus,the king’s chamberlain [to support their cause], they asked for peace, because their country was fed by [imports of grain and other goods from] the king’s country.

21 On an appointed day Herod dressed himself in hisroyal robes, sat on his throne (tribunal, rostrum) andbegandelivering a speech to the people.

22 The assembled people kept shouting, “It is the voice of a god and not of a man!”

23 And at once an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory [and instead permitted himself to be worshiped], andhe was eaten by worms and died [five days later].

24 But the word of the Lord [the good news about salvation through Christ] continued to grow and spread [increasing in effectiveness].

25 Barnabas and Saul came backfrom Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing with them John, who was also called Mark.

First Missionary Journey

1 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 calledNiger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up withHerod [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, theybeganto 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 theproconsul [of the province], Sergius Paulus, an intelligentandsensible 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 fromacceptingthe faith.

9 ButSaul, who was alsoknown asPaul, filled with the Holy Spiritandled by Him, looked steadily at Elymas,

10 and said, “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 rightandgood, will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?

11 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; butJohn [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 sentwordto 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 greatandnumerous during their stay [as foreigners] in the land of Egypt, and then with anuplifted arm He led them out of there.

18 For a period of about forty years He put up with their behavior in the wilderness.

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.

20 After this, He gavethemjudges 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, ‘Ihave foundDavidthe son of Jesse,a man afterMy own heart[conforming to My will and purposes], who will do all My will.’

23 From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior, [in the person of] Jesus, according to His promise.

24 Before 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, ‘Whatorwho 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].

27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, who failed to recognizeorunderstand 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 causeorcharge 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 thecross 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 hascompletelyfulfilled thispromiseto our children by raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You areMySon;todayIhave begotten(fathered) You.’

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: ‘Iwill give you the holy and sureblessingsofDavid[those blessings and mercies that were promised to him].’

35 For this reason He also says in anotherPsalm,‘You will not allowYourHolyOne to see decay.’

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] isjustifiedanddeclared free of guilt from all things, from which you could not be justifiedandfreed 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:

41 ‘Look,you mockers,and marvel,and perishandvanish away;

ForIam doing a work in your days,

Awork which you will never believe, evenif someone describes it to you[telling you about it in detail].’ ”

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 entirecity 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 andbegancontradicting the things said by Paul, and were slandering him.

46 And [at the same time] Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldlyandconfidently, 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,

‘Ihave placedYou as a light for theGentiles,

So thatYou may bring[the message of eternal]salvation to the end of the earth.’ ”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, theybeganrejoicing 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 Butthey shook its dust from their feetin protestagainst them and went to Iconium.

52 And the disciples were continually filled [throughout their hearts and souls] with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

1 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 thebelievers.

3 So Paul and Barnabas stayed for a long time, speaking boldlyandconfidently 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 weresidingwith 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 andbeganto walk.

11 And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, raised their voices, shouting in theLycaonian language, “The gods have come down to usin 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, whosetemplewas 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, theytore 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 uselessandmeaningless things to the living God,who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them.

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 thingsandshowing 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.

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 strengtheningandestablishing the hearts of the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, saying, “It is through many tribulationsandhardships 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 toAntioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for thework which they had now completed.

27 Arrivingthere,they gathered the church together andbeganto 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

1 Some men came down from Judea andbeganteaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

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 suppliedandsent 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 thebelievers.

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 knowsandunderstands 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,James replied, “Brothers, listen to me.

14 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],

16 ‘After these thingsI will return,

AndIwill rebuild the tent ofDavid which has fallen;

Iwill rebuild its ruins,

AndIwill restore it,

17 So that the rest of mankind may seek theLord,

And all theGentiles upon whomMy name has been invoked,’

18 Says theLord,

Who has been making these things known from long ago.

19 Therefore it is my judgment that we do not troubleandmake 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 fromanything 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]blood.

21 For from ancient generations [the writing of] Moses has been preached in every city, sincehe is readaloudin 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:

“The apostles and the brothers who are the elders, to the brothers and sisters who are from the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, Greetings.

24 Since we have heard that some of our men have troubled you withtheirteachings, causing distressandconfusion—men to whom we gave nosuchordersorinstructions—

25 it has been decided by us, having met together, to select men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 So we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we decided in our meeting].

28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place on you any greater burden than these essentials:

29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from [consuming] blood, and from [eating the meat of] things that have been strangled, and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell.”

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 encouragementandcomfort [it brought them].

32 Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets (divinely inspired spokesmen), encouraged and strengthened thebelievers 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 [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 quitanddeserted 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 graceandfavor of the Lord.

41 And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The Macedonian Vision

1 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 theycontinuallyincreased 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]Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

10 And when he had seen the vision,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, aRomancolony. 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 aplace of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.

First Convert in Europe

14 A woman namedLydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer inpurple fabrics who was [already] a worshiper of God, listened to us; and the Lord opened her heart to pay attentionandto 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 meanddecided 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 hada 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 screamingandshouting, “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 annoyedandworn 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 confusionandcausing 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.

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 thatveryhour of the night and washed theirbloodywounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all hishousehold.

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 sentwordto 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, andwhen 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’shouse;and when they had seen the brothers and sisters, they encouragedandcomforted them, and left.

Paul at Thessalonica

1 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 hiscustom, and for three Sabbaths he engaged in discussionandfriendly 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, andsaying,“This Jesus, whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).”

4 And some of them were persuadedto believeand 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 nobleandopen-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-fearingGentiles,and in the market place day after day with any who happened to be there.

18 And some of theEpicurean 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 theAreopagus (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 startlingandstrange 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 religiousanddevout 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 ANUNKNOWN 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 Heserved by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.

26 And He made from onemanevery nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their landsandterritories.

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 ofyour 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 imaginationorskill of man.

30 Therefore God overlookedanddisregarded theformerages of ignorance;butnow He commands allpeopleeverywhere 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 theinhabitedworld in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointedanddestined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard [the term] resurrection from the dead,some mockedandsneered; 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 theCouncil ofAreopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

1 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 theJews were to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,

3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them; and they workedtogetherfor they were tent-makers.

4 And he reasonedanddebated in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks;

5 but when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia (northern Greece), Paulbegandevoting 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 resistingandopposing him, and blaspheming [God], heshook 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.”

7 Then he moved on from there and went to the house of a man namedTitius 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.”

11 So he settledtherefor a year and six months, teaching them the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

12 But whenGallio was proconsul of Achaia (southern Greece), the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him beforethe 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 amunwilling to judge these matters.”

16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat.

17 Then the Greeks all seizedSosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, andbeganbeating him right in front of the judgment seat; but Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

18 Paul stayed for a while longer, and then told thebrothers 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 reasonedanddebated 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 andgreeted the church [at Jerusalem], and then went down to Antioch.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

23 After spending some timethere,he left and traveled through the territory of Galatia and Phrygia, strengtheningandencouraging all the disciples.

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquentandcultured 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 boldlyandfearlessly 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 believedandhad followed Jesus as Lord and Savior,

28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in publicdiscussions,proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

Paul at Ephesus

1 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,continuallytelling 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 theybeganspeaking 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, reasoningandarguing and persuadingthemabout the kingdom of God.

9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient [to the word of God], discreditingandspeaking evil ofthe Way (Jesus, Christianity) before the congregation, Paul left them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holdingdaily 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 extraordinaryandunusual miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 so that even handkerchiefsorface-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 youandsolemnly 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 knowandrecognizeandacknowledge 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 subduedall 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 magnifiedandexalted.

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 be50,000 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 throughMacedonia 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 andErastus, 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 similartrades,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 notreallygodsat all.

27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent]temple of the great goddessArtemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethronedandlose her glorious magnificence.”

28 When they heard this, they were filled with rage, and theybeganshouting, “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 sentwordto 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 knowwhy 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 townclerk 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 [sacred stone image of her] which fell from the sky?

36 So, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quietandstay 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 areavailable;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 accountandjustify this disorderly gathering.”

41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

1 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 toMacedonia.

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 sonof 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), Paulbegantalking 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 Paulkept 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, becausehe 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 comfortedandencouraged.

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 ofPentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

17 However, from Miletus he sentwordto 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 Spiritandobligated 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 valueordear 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,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 purposeandplan of God.

28 Take careandbe 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 perverseanddistorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers].

31 Therefore becontinuallyalert, remembering that for three years, night or day, I did not stop admonishingandadvising 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 Andtheybeganto weep openly and threw their arms around Paul’s neck, and repeatedly kissed him,

38 grievinganddistressed especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see him again. And they accompanied him to the ship.