Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles

1:1 In my initial composition, O Theophilus, I chronicled everything Jesus embarked upon, both in action and teaching,
1:2 up to the moment of His ascension, after imparting His commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.
1:3 Following His suffering, He presented Himself alive with numerous undeniable proofs, being observed by them over a period of forty days, discussing matters related to God’s kingdom.
1:4 Gathering them together, He directed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the Father’s promised gift, about which, He reminded them, they had heard from Him.
1:5 “Indeed, John baptised with water, but in a few days, you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit,” He told them.
1:6 Consequently, when they had reconvened, they inquired of Him, “Lord, is this the time when You will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
1:7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs the Father has set by His own authority.
1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit descends upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
1:9 Having said these things, as they watched, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.
1:10 While they were gazing intently into the sky as He was ascending, suddenly two men in white clothing stood beside them,
1:11 who said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
1:13 Upon arrival, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James were all present.
1:14 All these were continually united in prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.
1:15 In those days, Peter stood up among the brethren, the gathering of about one hundred and twenty people, and said,
1:16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
1:17 For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.”
1:18 Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his intestines gushed out.
1:19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field was called Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.
1:20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead become desolate, and let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘Let another take his position of oversight.’
1:21 “Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
1:22 beginning with John’s baptism to the day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
1:23 And they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
1:24 Then they prayed, saying, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen
1:25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas abandoned to go to his rightful place.”
1:26 They cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
2:2 Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting.
2:3 Tongues as of fire appeared to them, distributed and resting on each one of them.
2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
2:5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem.
2:6 When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
2:7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
2:8 How is it that we each hear them in our own native language?
2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
2:10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the regions of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism;
2:11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty deeds of God in our own tongues!”
2:12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
2:13 Others, however, mocked and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
2:14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words.
2:15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day.
2:16 But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
2:17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
2:18 Even on My male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
2:19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
2:20 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know
2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
2:24 But God raised Him up, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held by it.
2:25 For David says concerning Him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
2:26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will also rest in hope.
2:27 For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One see corruption.
2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’
2:29 “Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
2:30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that He would set one of his descendants on his throne,
2:31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
2:33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
2:34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
2:35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
2:36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2:39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”
2:40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
2:43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
2:44 All the faithful were united and shared everything in common; 2:45 They sold their possessions and belongings, distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
2:46 Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with joy and simplicity of heart,
2:47 praising God and finding favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
3:1 One day, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
3:2 A man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple called Beautiful, to ask for alms from those entering the temple;
3:3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
3:4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
3:5 And he paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
3:7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
3:8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
3:10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
3:11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.
3:12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
3:13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
3:14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
3:15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
3:16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
3:17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
3:18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
3:20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
3:21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
3:22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
3:23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’
3:24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.
3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’
3:26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
4:1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
4:2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
4:3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
4:4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
4:5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,
4:6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,
4:9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
4:11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
4:14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
4:15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another,
4:16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
4:17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
4:18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
4:19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
4:20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
4:21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
4:22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
4:23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
4:24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
4:25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
4:27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
4:28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
4:30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
4:31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
4:34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
4:35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
4:36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
4:37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
5:1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
5:2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?
5:4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
5:5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
5:6 The young men rose and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
5:7 Roughly three hours later, his wife entered, unaware of what had transpired.
5:8 Peter inquired of her, “Confirm, did you sell the land for this amount?” She replied, “Indeed, for that sum.”
5:9 Peter then said, “Why did you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”
5:10 Immediately she collapsed at his feet and breathed her last. The young men entering found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
5:11 A profound awe enveloped the entire church and all who heard of these events.
5:12 Many signs and wonders were performed among the people by the apostles’ hands. They were united in Solomon’s Portico.
5:13 Others dared not associate with them, yet the people esteemed them highly.
5:14 More believers, a multitude of both men and women, were continually added to the Lord.
5:15 As a result, they brought the sick into the streets, laying them on beds and mats, so that Peter’s shadow might fall on some as he passed by.
5:16 A crowd from the surrounding towns also came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled by impure spirits, and they were all healed.
5:17 The high priest and his associates, members of the Sadducees sect, were filled with jealousy.
5:18 They arrested the apostles and put them in public jail.
5:19 An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors at night, leading them out, and instructed,
5:20 “Go, stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.”
5:21 Hearing this, they entered the temple at dawn and began teaching. Meanwhile, the high priest and his associates convened the council and the full assembly of Israel’s elders. They sent to the prison to have the apostles brought in.
5:22 However, the officers found the prison securely locked, with the guards standing outside the doors. On opening the prison, they found no one inside.
5:23 They reported back, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened it, there was no one inside.”
5:24 Upon hearing this, the temple captain and the chief priests were perplexed, wondering what would come of this.
5:25 Then someone arrived and informed them, “The men you put in jail are standing in the temple, teaching the people.”
5:26 The captain, along with the officers, went and brought the apostles without force, for they feared the people might stone them.
5:27 They brought the apostles and presented them before the council. The high priest questioned them,
5:28 “Did we not expressly order you not to teach in this name? Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and seek to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
5:29 Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human beings.
5:30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
5:31 God exalted him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
5:32 We are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
5:33 Upon hearing this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
5:34 However, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a law teacher held in respect by all the people, stood up in the council and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.
5:35 He said to them, “ Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.
5:36 Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody important, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and came to nothing.
5:37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.
5:38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
5:39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
5:40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
5:42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
6:3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
6:4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
6:5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6:6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
6:7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
6:8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
6:9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen.
6:10 But they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
6:11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
6:12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
6:13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
6:14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
6:15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
7:1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
7:2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.
7:3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’
7:4 So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.
7:5 God gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.
7:6 God spoke to him in this way: ‘Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
7:7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’
7:8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
7:9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.
7:11 “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.
7:12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit.
7:13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family.
7:14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all.
7:15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.
7:16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.
7:17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.
7:18 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.
7:19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.
7:20 In those days, Moses was born, a child of exceptional beauty. He was nurtured in his father’s abode for a span of three months.
7:21 Cast aside, he was then embraced by Pharaoh’s daughter who reared him as her own son.
7:22 Educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, Moses was formidable in both speech and action.
7:23 Upon reaching the age of forty, it entered his heart to pay a visit to his kin, the children of Israel.
7:24 Witnessing one of them wronged, he intervened, avenging the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.
7:25 He believed his kin would realize that through him, God intended their deliverance. Yet, they did not understand.
7:26 The following day, as he came upon them in conflict, he endeavored to reconcile them, saying, “Gentlemen, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?”
7:27 But the one who wronged his neighbour pushed Moses aside, challenging, “Who appointed you as a ruler and judge over us?
7:28 Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?”
7:29 At this, Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.
7:30 After forty years had passed, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blaze of fire within a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
7:31 Beholding this marvel, Moses was astonished. As he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord addressed him,
7:32 saying, “I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses trembled and dared not look further.
7:33 The Lord then instructed him, “Remove your footwear, for the place upon which you stand is sacred ground.”
7:34 “I have indeed seen the suffering of my people in Egypt, heard their groans, and have come down to rescue them. Now go, I am sending you back to Egypt.”
7:35 This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’, was the very one God sent as both ruler and saviour, aided by the angel who appeared in the bush.
7:36 He led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.
7:37 This is the same Moses who declared to the children of Israel, “The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed him.”
7:38 He was present in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living messages to pass on to us.
7:39 Our fore fathers, however, were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,
7:40 saying to Aaron, “Create for us gods who will lead us. As for this Moses who led us out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
7:41 During those days, they made a calf, offered sacrifices to the idol, and reveled in the works of their own hands.
7:42 God turned away and allowed them to worship the celestial host, as written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?
7:43 You have taken up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images you made to worship. Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
7:44 Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, as instructed when God spoke to Moses, commanding him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.
7:45 Our forefathers, in turn, brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before our forefathers. It remained until the time of David,
7:46 who found favour in God’s sight and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
7:47 But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.
7:48 However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says,
7:49 ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool for My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My resting place be?
7:50 Did not My hand make all these things?’
7:51 You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you.
7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become betrayers and murderers of Him;
7:53 you who received the law as ordained by angels, yet did not keep it.”
7:54 Hearing these things, they were enraged in their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him.
7:55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
7:56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
7:57 But they cried out with a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed at him with one accord;
7:58 they cast him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
7:59 As they stoned Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
7:60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Having said this, he fell asleep.
8:1 Saul approved of his execution. At that time, there was severe persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
8:2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
8:3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, dragging off both men and women and committing them to prison.
8:4 Therefore, those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them.
8:6 And unanimously, the populace heeded Philip’s words, entranced by the wonders and miraculous feats he performed.
8:7 For many possessed by impure spirits were liberated, as these spirits cried out vociferously and left them. Likewise, numerous individuals afflicted with paralysis and lameness were cured.
8:8 Consequently, immense joy pervaded the city.
8:9 However, a man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and beguiled the people of Samaria, claiming to be a person of great importance.
8:10 From the least to the greatest, they all paid attention to him, proclaiming, “This man wields the great power of God.”
8:11 They followed him because, for a long time, he had dazzled them with his sorcery.
8:12 But upon embracing Philip’s proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the teachings concerning Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
8:13 Simon himself came to believe and, after being baptized, remained close to Philip, awestruck by the signs and great miracles he witnessed.
8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem learned that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they dispatched Peter and John to them.
8:15 Upon their arrival, they prayed for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit,
8:16 for the Holy Spirit had not yet descended upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
8:17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
8:18 Observing that the Holy Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, Simon offered them money,
8:19 saying, “Grant me also this power, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
8:20 But Peter rebuked him, saying, “May your money perish with you, for thinking you can buy the gift of God with money!
8:21 You have no part or share in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
8:22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to God that the intent of your heart may be forgiven.”
8:23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
8:24 Then Simon replied, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have spoken may befall me.”
8:25 After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, spreading the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)
8:27 He arose and went. There he encountered an Ethiopian eunuch, a high official under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
8:28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah.
8:29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
8:30 Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
8:31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
8:32 The passage of Scripture he was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8:33 In his humiliation, he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
8:34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
8:35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
8:37 Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
8:38 He ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again but went on his way rejoicing.
8:40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
9:3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
9:5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
9:6 Trembling and astonished, he asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” The Lord told him, “Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
9:7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
9:8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9:9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
9:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
9:11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
9:12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
9:13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.
9:14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.
9:16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
9:20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
9:21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
9:22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
9:23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,
9:24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
9:25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
9:26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
9:27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
9:28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
9:29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
9:30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
9:32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda.
9:33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed.
9:34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.
9:35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.
9:37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.
9:38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
9:39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
9:40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
9:41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.
9:42 Thus, the tale spread far and wide across Joppa, leading many to put their faith in the Lord.
9:43 Peter, thereafter, lingered in Joppa for a considerable span, staying with Simon, a craftsman in leather.
10:1 In Caesarea lived a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment.
10:2 Cornelius was devout, God-fearing along with his entire household, generous in his giving to the people, and regularly engaged in prayer to God.
10:3 Around three in the afternoon, he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God approaching him and addressing him by name: Cornelius.
10:4 Cornelius, gazing in awe at the angel, enquired, “What is it, my Lord?” The angel replied, “Your prayers and charitable acts have ascended as a memorial before God.
10:5 Now, send men to Joppa to fetch Simon, also known as Peter.
10:6 He is staying with Simon the leatherworker, whose house is by the seashore. He will instruct you in what you ought to do.”
10:7 Once the angel who spoke to Cornelius had departed, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier from his attendants;
10:8 having explained everything to them, he dispatched them to Joppa.
10:9 The next day, as they journeyed and neared the city, Peter ascended to the rooftop to pray at about noon.
10:10 He became quite hungry and wished to eat. However, while food was being prepared, he fell into a trance,
10:11 and saw the heavens open and an object resembling a large sheet descend, tethered at the four corners, and settle upon the earth.
10:12 Within it were all kinds of four-footed animals, wild creatures, reptiles, and birds.
10:13 A voice then told him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
10:14 But Peter protested, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
10:15 The voice spoke to him again, “What God has cleansed, you must not deem profane.”
10:16 This occurrence repeated thrice, after which the object was retracted into the heavens.
10:17 While Peter was deeply pondering the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius, having enquired about Simon’s residence, arrived at the gate.
10:18 They called out, inquiring if Simon, who was surnamed Peter, was lodging there.
10:19 As Peter contemplated the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men seek you.
10:20 Arise, therefore, descend, and accompany them without hesitation, for I have dispatched them.”
10:21 Peter then went down to the men sent from Cornelius, and said, “I am the one you seek. What is the purpose of your visit?”
10:22 They replied, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, who is well-regarded by the entire Jewish nation, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to listen to your words.”
10:23 Peter invited them in and provided lodging. The next day, he departed with them, accompanied by some believers from Joppa.
10:24 The day after, they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had gathered his relatives and close friends.
10:25 As Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshipped him.
10:26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am merely a man.”
10:27 Talking with him, Peter entered the house and found many people gathered.
10:28 He said to them, “You are aware that it is not lawful for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person impure or unclean.
10:29 Therefore, I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask then, for what reason have you sent for me?”
10:30 Cornelius answered, “Four days ago, at this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered before God.
10:32 Send therefore to Joppa and invite Simon, who is called Peter, to come. He is lodging in the house of Simon the leatherworker by the sea.’ Immediately I sent for you, and you have done well to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God, to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
10:33 Immediately, therefore, I sent to you; and you have done well in coming. Now, therefore, we are all here present before God, to hear all that you have been commanded by God.”
10:34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “Truly I understand that God does not show favouritism,
10:35 but in every nation, the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.
10:36 The message He sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—
10:37 that message you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached:
10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
10:39 We are witnesses of all that He did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
10:40 but God raised Him on the third day and allowed Him to be seen
10:41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses chosen by God beforehand, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.
10:43 All the prophets bear witness to Him, that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
10:45 And the believers from the circumcision who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
10:46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter declared,
10:47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay for several days.
11:1 The apostles and the brethren throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
11:2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,
11:3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
11:4 But Peter began and explained to them in order:
11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance, I saw a vision, a certain vessel descending, like a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners; and it came down to me.
11:6 Looking into it closely, I observed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.
11:7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
11:8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! For nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
11:9 The voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, you must not call common.’
11:10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven.
11:11 At that moment, three men sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.
11:12 The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
11:13 He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said, ‘Send to Joppa and call for Simon who is called Peter,
11:14 who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’
11:15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had upon us at the beginning.
11:16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
11:17 If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
11:18 When they heard these things, they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
11:19 Those scattered by Stephen’s persecution journeyed to Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, sharing the word solely with Jews.
11:20 Some from Cyprus and Cyrene, upon reaching Antioch, spoke to the Greeks, proclaiming Lord Jesus.
11:21 The Lord’s hand was with them; a significant number believed and turned to the Lord.
11:22 News reached Jerusalem’s church; they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
11:23 He, witnessing God’s grace, rejoiced, urging them to steadfastly adhere to the Lord.
11:24 Barnabas, a virtuous man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith, brought many to the Lord.
11:25 Barnabas then sought Saul in Tarsus.
11:26 Finding him, he brought him to Antioch. For a year, they congregated with the church and taught many. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
11:27 Prophets arrived in Antioch from Jerusalem during this period.
11:28 One, Agabus, prophesied a severe famine over the entire world, which occurred under Claudius.
11:29 The disciples, each according to their means, decided to support the brethren in Judaea.
11:30 This they did, sending aid to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
12:1 At that time, King Herod aggressed certain church members.
12:2 He executed James, John’s brother, with the sword.
12:3 Seeing this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also, during the Unleavened Bread festival.
12:4 After apprehending him, he imprisoned him, guarded by four squads of soldiers, planning to present him to the people post-Easter.
12:5 Meanwhile, the church fervently prayed to God for Peter.
12:6 On the night before Herod’s planned presentation, Peter, bound and guarded, slept between two soldiers.
12:7 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, lighting the cell. He struck Peter’s side, awakening him, and the chains fell off.
12:8 “Dress and put on your sandals,” the angel instructed. Peter did so, then the angel said, “Wrap your cloak and follow me.”
12:9 Peter followed, unsure if it was reality or a vision.
12:10 They bypassed two guards, reached the city’s iron gate, which opened automatically. Exiting, they walked one street, and then the angel left him.
12:11 Realizing the truth, Peter declared, “The Lord sent His angel, saving me from Herod and the Jews’ expectations.”
12:12 He went to Mary’s house, mother of John Mark, where many prayed.
12:13 Knocking at the gate, a servant named Rhoda answered.
12:14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, she, in joy, didn’t open the gate but announced Peter’s presence.
12:15 They thought she was mad, but she insisted. They concluded, “It’s his angel.”
12:16 Peter continued knocking. When they opened the door, they were astounded.
12:17 He gestured for silence, shared how the Lord freed him, instructed them to inform James and the brethren, then left for another place.
12:18 At dawn, there was confusion among the soldiers about Peter’s whereabouts.
12:19 Herod, failing to find Peter, interrogated the guards, then ordered their execution. He left Judea for Caesarea, residing there.
12:20 Herod, furious with Tyre and Sidon, was approached by their united delegation. They sought peace, relying on the king’s region for sustenance.
12:21 On an appointed day, Herod, in royal attire, addressed the people from his throne.
12:22 The crowd acclaimed, “The voice of a god, not of a man!”
12:23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck him, for not giving God glory. He was consumed by worms and perished.
12:24 Yet, God’s word flourished and multiplied.
12:25 Barnabas and Saul, after completing their mission in Jerusalem, returned, taking John Mark with them.
13:1 In the Antioch church were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, Herod’s foster brother, and Saul.
13:2 As they ministered and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work I’ve called them.”
13:3 After fasting and praying, they laid hands on them and sent them off.
13:4 Dispatched by the Holy Ghost, they went to Seleucia, then sailed to Cyprus.
13:5 In Salamis, they proclaimed God’s word in Jewish synagogues, with John as their assistant.
13:6 Travelling across Cyprus to Paphos, they encountered Barjesus, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet.
13:7 He was with Sergius Paulus, the prudent deputy. The deputy summoned Barnabas and Saul, eager to hear God’s word.
13:8 Elymas the sorcerer opposed them, trying to turn the deputy from faith.
13:9 Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, fixed his gaze on Elymas.
13:10 “O deceitful and wicked man, son of the devil, enemy of righteousness! Will you not cease perverting the Lord’s straight ways?
13:11 Now, the Lord’s hand is upon you. You shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” Immediately, darkness and blindness fell upon him, and he sought guidance by hand.
13:12 The deputy, witnessing this, believed, astounded by the Lord’s teaching.
13:13 Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia. John left them, returning to Jerusalem.
13:14 From Perga, they arrived in Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and sat down.
13:15 After the law and prophets’ reading, synagogue leaders invited them, “Brethren, if you have an encouraging word for the people, please speak.”
13:16 Paul stood, signalling for attention: “Men of Israel and God-fearing Gentiles, listen.
13:17 The God of Israel chose our ancestors, exalting the people during their Egyptian sojourn. He led them out with mighty power.
13:18 For about forty years, He endured their conduct in the wilderness.
13:19 He destroyed seven nations in Canaan, then distributed their land.
13:20 This lasted about 450 years. Afterward, He gave judges until Samuel the prophet.
13:21 Then they requested a king; God gave them Saul, son of Kish, of Benjamin’s tribe, for forty years.
13:22 Removing him, God raised David as king, testifying, ‘I’ve found David, Jesse’s son, a man after My own heart, who’ll fulfil My will.’
13:23 From David’s descendants, as promised, God brought Israel a Saviour, Jesus.
13:24 Before His arrival, John preached repentance and baptism to all Israelites.
13:25 As John completed his mission, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I’m not the one. But look, someone comes after me, whose sandals I’m unworthy to untie.’
13:26 Brethren, descendants of Abraham, and God-fearing Gentiles, this salvation message is for you.
13:27 Jerusalem residents and their leaders, not recognizing Jesus or understanding the prophets
read every Sabbath, fulfilled these prophecies by condemning Him.
13:28 Though finding no grounds for death, they requested Pilate execute Him.
13:29 After fulfilling all written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
13:30 But God raised Him from the dead.
13:31 He appeared for many days to those who accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, now His witnesses to the people.
13:32 We proclaim to you the good news: the promise made to our ancestors,
13:33 God has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus. As written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
13:34 Concerning His resurrection, never to return to decay, God declared: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
13:35 Hence, in another Psalm, He says, ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’
13:36 David, serving God’s purpose in his generation, died, was buried with his ancestors, and saw decay.
13:37 But the one God raised did not see decay.
13:38 Therefore, brethren, understand: through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
13:39 Through Him, everyone who believes is freed from everything not justified by Moses’ law.
13:40 Beware, lest what the prophets said come upon you:
13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish. For I am doing a work in your days, a work you will never believe, even if someone explains it to you.’
13:42 As Paul and Barnabas left, the Gentiles requested these words be spoken to them the next Sabbath.
13:43 After the meeting, many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas, who urged them to continue in God’s grace.
13:44 The following Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to hear God’s word.
13:45 Seeing the crowds, the Jews were envious and contradicted what Paul said, insulting him.
13:46 Boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, ‘It was necessary to speak God’s word to you first. But since you reject it and deem yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the Gentiles.
13:47 For the Lord has commanded us, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”‘
13:48 The Gentiles rejoiced and honored God’s word. All who were appointed for eternal life believed.
13:49 The Lord’s word spread throughout the region.
13:50 But the Jews incited influential devout women and city leaders, persecuting Paul and Barnabas and expelling them from their territory.
13:51 They shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium.
13:52 The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
14:1 In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the Jewish synagogue, speaking so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against the brothers.
14:3 They stayed there a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
14:4 The city’s people were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.
14:5 An attack was planned against them by both Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, to mistreat and stone them.
14:6 Aware of this, they fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region.
14:7 And there, they proclaimed the good news.
14:8 In Lystra, a certain man, unable to walk, sat crippled from birth; he had never walked.
14:9 This man listened to Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had the faith to be healed,
14:10 declared in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” And he sprang up and began to walk.
14:11 Upon witnessing what Paul had accomplished, the crowd shouted in Lycaonian, “The gods have descended to us in human form!”
14:12 They referred to Barnabas as Zeus and to Paul as Hermes, since he was the principal speaker.
14:13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance of the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates, intending to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
14:14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,
14:15 “Gentlemen, why are you doing these things? We too are human, with feelings like yours. We bring you good news, urging you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.
14:16 In past generations, He allowed all nations to go their own way.
14:17 Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
14:18 Even with these words, they had difficulty preventing the crowd from sacrificing to them.
14:19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the crowd. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.
14:20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day, he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
14:21 Having proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch,
14:22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
14:24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia.
14:25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
14:26 From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
14:27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
14:28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
15:1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
15:2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
15:3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.
15:4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
15:5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
15:6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
15:7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
15:8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
15:9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
15:10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?
15:11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
15:12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
15:13 When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me.
15:14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.
15:15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
15:16 ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
15:17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ –
15:18 things known from long ago.
15:19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
15:20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
15:21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
15:22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers.
15:23 With them they sent the following letter: “The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.
15:24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.
15:25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,
15:26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.
15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
15:29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.”
15:30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
15:31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.
15:32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.
15:33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.
15:34 But Silas decided to remain there.
15:35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
15:36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”
15:37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
15:38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
15:39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
15:40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.
15:41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
16:1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek.
16:2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.
16:3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
16:4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
16:5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
16:6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia,
16:7 after they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not allow them.
16:8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
16:9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
16:10 Following the vision, we promptly set out for Macedonia, convinced that the Lord had summoned us to proclaim the gospel there.
16:11 Departing from Troas, we sailed directly to Samothrace, arriving the following day at Neapolis;
16:12 from there, we journeyed to Philippi, a principal city of that region of Macedonia and a Roman colony, where we stayed for several days.
16:13 On the Sabbath, we left the city and went along the river, where people customarily prayed. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
16:14 Among them was Lydia, a Thyatiran seller of purple cloth, a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to heed Paul’s message.
16:15 After her baptism, along with her household, she implored us, “If you judge me faithful to the Lord, come to my home and stay.” She prevailed upon us.
16:16 One day, as we were going to prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and earned significant profit for her owners by fortune-telling.
16:17 She followed Paul and us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, showing us the way to salvation.”
16:18 This continued for several days. Distressed, Paul turned and commanded the spirit in Jesus Christ’s name to come out of her. It left her that very hour.
16:19 When her owners realized their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, dragging them to the marketplace to face the authorities,
16:20 and presented them to the magistrates, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing great disturbance in our city,
16:21 teaching practices not lawful for us Romans to accept or follow.”
16:22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the magistrates ordered them stripped and beaten.
16:23 After a severe flogging, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was instructed to guard them securely.
16:24 He put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in stocks.
16:25 Around midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God, while the other prisoners listened.
16:26 Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
16:27 The jailer, waking to see the prison doors open, drew his sword to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had escaped.
16:28 But Paul shouted, “Do yourself no harm! We are all here!”
16:29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
16:30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
16:32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
16:33 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds; immediately, he and his entire household were baptized.
16:34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his whole household.
16:35 When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.”
16:36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
16:37 But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
16:38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, who were frightened when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
16:39 So they came to appease them and escorted them out, requesting them to leave the city.
16:40 Paul and Silas then left the prison and went to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers before departing.
17:1 Travelling through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they reached Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
17:2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
17:3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said.
17:4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
17:5 But the Jews who were not convinced became jealous and rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
17:6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
17:7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They all are defying Caesar’s decrees, saying there is another king, one called Jesus.”
17:8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
17:9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
17:10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
17:12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
17:13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
17:14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
17:15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
17:19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
17:20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.”
17:21 All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.
17:22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
17:23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown God. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.
17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
17:26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
17:27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
17:28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
17:29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
17:33 At that, Paul left the Council.
17:34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
18:1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
18:2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,
18:3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
18:5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
18:6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
18:7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshipper of God.
18:8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, believed in the Lord together with his entire household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.
18:10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
18:11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
18:12 During Gallio’s tenure as proconsul of Achaia, the Jews unified in their opposition to Paul, dragging him before the tribunal,
18:13 accusing him of advocating the worship of God in ways contrary to the law.
18:14 As Paul was about to speak, Gallio addressed the Jews, stating, “If this were a case of wrongdoing or malicious mischief, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.
18:15 But if these are questions about words and names and your own law, deal with it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such matters.”
18:16 And with that, he dismissed them from the tribunal.
18:17 The Greeks then seized Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio showed no concern for any of these happenings.
18:18 After remaining for some time longer, Paul bid farewell to the brethren and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea, he had his hair cut, fulfilling a vow he had taken.
18:19 Upon reaching Ephesus, he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and engaged in dialogue with the Jews.
18:20 Although they requested him to stay longer, he declined.
18:21 However, he took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means attend the upcoming festival in Jerusalem; but I will return to you, God willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
18:22 Arriving at Caesarea, he went up to greet the church and then went down to Antioch.
18:23 After spending some time there, he departed, travelling through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
18:24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus.
18:25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and, fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
18:26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.
18:27 When he wished to cross to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. Upon his arrival, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace,
18:28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples,
19:2 to whom he said, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
19:3 Paul then asked, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
19:4 Paul explained, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
19:5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
19:7 There were in all about twelve men.
19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
19:9 But when some were hardened and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples with him, and continued daily discussions in the hall of Tyrannus.
19:10 This continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
19:12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
19:13 Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
19:14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
19:15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I recognize, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
19:17 This became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
19:18 Many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.
19:19 A number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
19:20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
19:21 After these events, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
19:22 Having sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
19:23 About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.
19:24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans.
19:25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
19:26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 19:27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
19:28 When they heard this, they were full of rage and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
19:29 The city was filled with confusion, and they rushed together into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
19:30 Paul wished to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
19:31 Even some of the officials of Asia, who were friends of his, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theatre.
19:32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
19:33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defence to the crowd.
19:34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all with one voice cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
19:35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
19:36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.
19:37 You have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess.
19:38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another.
19:39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.
19:40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, there being no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”
19:41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
20:1 And after the tumult had subsided, Paul gathered the disciples, embraced them, and set out for Macedonia.
20:2 Having traversed those regions and offered abundant encouragement, he reached Greece,
20:3 where he stayed for three months. When a plot by the Jews emerged as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided instead to return through Macedonia.
20:4 He was joined on his journey to Asia by Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.
20:5 These individuals went ahead and waited for us at Troas.
20:6 After the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we sailed from Philippi and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
20:7 On the first day of the week, as the disciples gathered to break bread, Paul, intending to leave the next day, spoke to them and prolonged his message until midnight.
20:8 Numerous lamps illuminated the upper room where they were assembled.
20:9 A young man named Eutychus, sitting in the window, was overcome by deep sleep as Paul spoke at length. Overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was taken up dead.
20:10 Paul went down, embraced him, and declared, “Do not be troubled, for his life is still in him.”
20:11 After going back up and breaking bread and eating, Paul conversed extensively until dawn, then departed.
20:12 They brought the boy back alive, greatly comforted.
20:13 We went ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, as he had arranged, planning to travel by land.
20:14 He joined us at Assos, and we took him aboard and went to Mitylene.
20:15 Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day after, we arrived at Miletus.
20:16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in Asia, for he was hurrying to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the Day of Pentecost.
20:17 From Miletus, he sent a message to Ephesus, calling for the elders of the church.
20:18 When they came to him, he said, “You know how I lived among you from the first day I arrived in Asia,
20:19 serving the Lord with all humility, amid tears and trials caused by the plots of the Jews.
20:20 I did not hesitate to share anything beneficial, teaching you publicly and from house to house,
20:21 testifying both to Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
20:22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,
20:23 except that the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and hardships await me.
20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to complete my task and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace.
20:25 And now, I know that none of you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face again.
20:26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all,
20:27 for I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
20:29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
20:30 Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.
20:31 Therefore, be alert and remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
20:32 Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
20:33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
20:36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
20:37 They all wept openly and embraced Paul and kissed him, 20:38 grieving most of all because of his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
21:1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.
21:2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail.
21:3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.
21:4 Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
21:5 When our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
21:6 After saying goodbye to each other, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
21:7 We completed our voyage from Tyre and reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for one day.
21:8 The next day, we left and came to Caesarea. We entered the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him.
21:9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
21:10 After several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
21:11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
21:12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
21:13 Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
21:14 When he would not be persuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
21:15 After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.
21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly.
21:18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.
21:19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
21:20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
21:21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.
21:22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.
21:23 So do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow.
21:24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.
21:25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
21:26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
21:27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
21:28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”
21:29 They had previously seen Trophimus from Ephesus with him in the city, mistakenly believing Paul had taken him into the temple.
21:30 Consequently, the entire city was agitated, and the populace converged swiftly, seizing Paul and dragging him from the temple, promptly securing the doors.
21:31 As they were intent on killing him, news reached the commander of the guard that all of Jerusalem was in chaos.
21:32 He immediately deployed soldiers and officers, hastening to the scene. Upon seeing the commander and his troops, they ceased assaulting Paul.
21:33 The commander approached, apprehended Paul, ordered him to be shackled with two chains, and enquired about his identity and actions.
21:34 Amid the crowd, there were conflicting shouts. Unable to ascertain the truth due to the uproar, the commander directed that Paul be taken to the fortress.
21:35 Reaching the stairs, Paul was carried by the soldiers due to the mob’s ferocity.
21:36 A large crowd followed, yelling for Paul’s removal.
21:37 As Paul was about to be led into the fortress, he asked the commander, “May I speak with you?” “Do you speak Greek?” replied the commander.
21:38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who recently incited rebellion and led four thousand assassins into the wilderness?”
21:39 Paul responded, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. Please, allow me to address the people.”
21:40 Having received permission, Paul stood on the stairs, gestured to the people, and, amidst profound silence, began speaking in Hebrew:
22:1 “Men, brethren, and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”
22:2 (Hearing him speak in Hebrew, they quietened even more.) He continued, ”
22:3 I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but raised in this city, educated at Gamaliel’s feet according to the strict code of our ancestral law, fervently serving God as you all do today.
22:4 I persecuted this Way to the death, imprisoning and punishing both men and women.
22:5 The high priest and all the council of elders can attest to this. I even received letters from them to the brethren in Damascus, intending to bring those there in chains to Jerusalem for punishment.
22:6 While journeying and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven shone around me.
22:7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’
22:8 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.
22:9 Those with me saw the light and were terrified, but they did not hear the voice speaking to me.
22:10 ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. The Lord instructed, ‘Arise and go to Damascus; there you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’
22:11 Blinded by the brilliance of that light, I was led by the hand into Damascus by those accompanying me.
22:12 There, Ananias, a devout observer of the law, well-regarded by all the Jews residing there,
22:13 came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ In that very moment, I looked up at him.
22:14 He said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know His will, see the Righteous One, and hear His voice.
22:15 For you will be His witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
22:16 Now, why delay? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
22:17 Returning to Jerusalem and praying in the temple, I fell into a trance;
22:18 I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry, leave Jerusalem quickly, for they will not accept your testimony about me.’
22:19 I protested, ‘Lord, they know I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you in every synagogue.
22:20 When the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there approving, guarding the cloaks of his killers.’
22:21 But He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'”
22:22 The crowd listened until this point, then raised their voices, shouting, “Rid the earth of such a person; he doesn’t deserve to live!”
22:23 As they screamed, tore off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
22:24 the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the fortress and examined under scourging to determine why they were shouting against him.
22:25 As they tied him with straps, Paul asked the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t been condemned?”
22:26 Hearing this, the centurion reported it to the commander, saying, “Be careful what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
22:27 The commander approached, asking Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” “Yes,” Paul replied.
22:28 “I acquired this citizenship for a substantial sum,” said the commander. Paul retorted, “But I was born a citizen.”
22:29 Immediately, those about to interrogate him withdrew. The commander, realizing Paul was a Roman and that he had bound him, was alarmed.
22:30 The next day, wishing to ascertain the specific charges the Jews brought against Paul, he released him and ordered the chief priests and their council to convene, bringing Paul before them.
23:1 Paul, intently observing the council, declared, “Men and brethren, I have conducted myself before God with a clear conscience to this day.”
23:2 High Priest Ananias commanded those nearby to strike Paul on the mouth.
23:3 Paul retorted, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit to judge me according to the law, yet you violate the law by ordering me to be struck!”
23:4 Bystanders objected, “Do you insult God’s high priest?”
23:5 Paul responded, “Brethren, I did not realize he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'”
23:6 Noticing some were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
23:7 With this declaration, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, dividing the assembly.
23:8 For Sadducees deny the resurrection, and the existence of angels or spirits, while Pharisees affirm both.
23:9 A great uproar ensued. Some Pharisee scribes argued vigorously, “We find no fault in this man. If a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let’s not oppose God.”
23:10 As the dissension grew violent, the commander feared Paul might be torn apart. He ordered the soldiers to take him by force and bring him back to the fortress.
23:11 The following night, the Lord stood by Paul and said, “Take courage. As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
23:12 In the morning, some Jews formed a conspiracy, binding themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
23:13 There were more than forty in this plot.
23:14 They approached the chief priests and elders, stating, “We have solemnly bound ourselves under a curse to eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
23:15 Now, inform the commander to bring him before you tomorrow, under the pretext of seeking more accurate information about him. We are ready to kill him before he arrives.”
23:16 But Paul’s nephew, hearing of their ambush, entered the fortress and informed Paul.
23:17 Paul summoned one of the centurions, requesting, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to report.”
23:18 The centurion took him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, for he has something to tell you.”
23:19 The commander, taking him aside, enquired privately, “What do you have to report?”
23:20 He explained, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the council tomorrow, as though to enquire more thoroughly about him.
23:21 Yield not to their plea: for more than forty of them lie in ambush, having sworn an oath not to eat or drink until they have slain him. They are now prepared, awaiting your promise.
23:22 Thus, the commander dismissed the youth, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these matters to me.”
23:23 He summoned two centurions, directing them, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to journey to Caesarea at the third hour of the night.
23:24 Arrange for animals, to escort Paul safely to Governor Felix.”
23:25 He composed a letter in this form:
23:26 “Claudius Lysias to the esteemed Governor Felix: greetings.
23:27 This man, seized by the Jews and near death at their hands, was rescued by my intervention, having learned he is a Roman citizen.
23:28 Desiring to ascertain the charges against him, I brought him before their council.
23:29 I found him accused over disputes concerning their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
23:30 Upon learning of a plot against the man by the Jews, I immediately sent him to you, also instructing his accusers to present their case before you. Farewell.”
23:31 The soldiers, following orders, escorted Paul by night to Antipatris.
23:32 The next day, leaving the horsemen to accompany him, they returned to the barracks.
23:33 Upon arrival at Caesarea and delivering the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul.
23:34 After reading the letter, the governor inquired about Paul’s province. Learning he was from Cilicia,
23:35 he said, “I shall hear your case when your accusers arrive.” He ordered Paul held in Herod’s Praetorium.
24:1 Five days later, High Priest Ananias came down with elders and a spokesman named Tertullus, who presented their case against Paul to the governor.
24:2 Summoned, Tertullus began his accusation: “Thanks to your leadership, we enjoy peace and reforms for this nation.
24:3 We acknowledge this always and everywhere, most noble Felix, with gratitude.
24:4 But to avoid further tedium, I request your clemency to hear our brief statement.
24:5 We have found this man to be a troublemaker, inciting riots among Jews worldwide, and a leader of the Nazarene sect.
24:6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him.
24:7 But Commander Lysias intervened with great force, taking him from us,
24:8 directing his accusers to you. By questioning them, you can verify the validity of our charges.”
24:9 The Jews concurred, asserting these accusations were true.
24:10 Paul, given the opportunity to speak, responded, “Knowing your long tenure as judge over this nation, I confidently make my defense.
24:11 You can verify it has been only twelve days since I went to Jerusalem to worship.
24:12 No one found me arguing in the temple, inciting a crowd in the synagogues or city.
24:13 They cannot prove their current allegations.
24:14 I admit to following the Way, which they deem heretical, worshiping the God of our ancestors, and believing everything in the Law and the Prophets.
24:15 I have the same hope in God as they do, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
24:16 In this belief, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and people.
24:17 After many years, I returned to bring offerings and charity to my nation.
24:18 While performing these rituals in the temple, some Jews from Asia found me, unaccompanied by a crowd or causing a disturbance.
24:19 These accusers should be here to present charges if they have anything against me.
24:20 Or else, let these here present state if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council,
24:21 except for this one declaration I made while standing among them: ‘Regarding the resurrection of the dead, I am on trial before you today.’
24:22 Having heard these matters, Felix, with a deeper understanding of the Way, adjourned the proceedings, saying, “When Commander Lysias arrives, I will decide your case.”
24:23 He ordered a centurion to guard Paul but to grant him some freedom and allow his friends to provide for his needs.
24:24 Some days later, Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.
24:25 As Paul discussed righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “That’s enough for now. You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
24:26 He also hoped that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.
24:27 After two years, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, but Felix, wanting to grant a favor to the Jews, left Paul imprisoned.
25:1 Upon Festus’s arrival in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem after three days.
25:2 The high priest and Jewish leaders informed him against Paul, urging him
25:3 to summon Paul to Jerusalem. They were plotting to ambush and kill him on the way.
25:4 However, Festus replied that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself would go there shortly.
25:5 “Let those among you who are capable,” he said, “accompany me and accuse the man if there is any fault in him.”
25:6 After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.
25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
25:8 Paul defended himself: “Neither against the Jewish law, nor the temple, nor Caesar have I sinned in any way.”
25:9 Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried on these charges before me?”
25:10 Paul replied, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know.
25:11 If I am guilty of any offense or have committed anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to these charges, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
25:12 After conferring with his council, Festus declared, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”
25:13 A few days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
25:14 While there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king, saying, “There is a man left in prison by Felix.
25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him, demanding a judgment.
25:16 I answered them that it is not the Roman custom to hand anyone over before the accused has met the accusers face to face and has had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.
25:17 So when they came here, without delay the next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought in.
25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.
25:19 Instead, they had some disputes with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but whom Paul claimed was alive.
25:20 Unsure about such questions, I asked if he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding these matters.
25:21 But when Paul appealed to be held for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar.”
25:22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” “Tomorrow,” Festus replied, “you will hear him.”
25:23 The next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall with the high-ranking military officers and prominent men of the city. At Festus’s command, Paul was brought in.
25:24 Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community has petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he should not live any longer.
25:25 But I found that he had committed nothing deserving death, and as he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.
25:26 However, I have no definite charges to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination, I may have something to write.
25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”
26:1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:
26:2 “I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, to stand before you today and defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,
26:3 especially since you are well acquainted with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
26:4 My life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.
26:5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.
26:6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,
26:7 a promise our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope, O king, I am accused by Jews.
26:8 Why is it deemed incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
26:9 I myself was convinced that I should do many things opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
26:10 And I did so in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
26:11 I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme; and in my extreme rage against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
26:12 While thus engaged, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
26:13 At midday, O king, along the way, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.
26:14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
26:15 I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
26:16 But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness both to the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you.
26:17 Rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you
26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
26:19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of repentance.
26:21 For these reasons, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
26:22 To this day, I have had God’s help and stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
26:23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
26:24 As Paul thus defended himself, Festus exclaimed loudly, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you insane!”
26:25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus. I speak words of truth and rationality.
26:26 The king is familiar with these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced none of this has escaped his notice, for none of this was done in secrecy.
26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do believe.”
26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
26:29 Paul responded, “I wish to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”
26:30 After he said this, King Agrippa, Governor Festus, Bernice, and those sitting with them stood up,
26:31 and as they left, they discussed among themselves, saying, “This man has done nothing deserving death or imprisonment.”
26:32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
27:1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan Regiment.
27:2 Boarding an Adramyttian ship about to sail along the coast of Asia, we set out, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
27:3 The next day we landed at Sidon, where Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to visit his friends to receive care.
27:4 Setting sail from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
27:5 After sailing across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.
27:6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
27:7 We sailed slowly for several days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. As the wind did not allow us to go further, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, near Salmone.
27:8 With difficulty, we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
27:9 After spending much time there, and as sailing had become dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
27:10 saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will result in disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”
27:11 However, the centurion was more persuaded by the ship’s pilot and owner than by what Paul said.
27:12 Since the harbor was unsuitable for wintering, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping to reach Phoenix, a harbor in Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
27:13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained their goal; so they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.
27:14 But soon a violent wind, called the Northeaster, rushed down from the island.
27:15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.
27:16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were barely able to secure the ship’s boat.
27:17 After hoisting it aboard, they used ropes to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.
27:18 We were severely battered by the storm, so the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.
27:19 On the third day, with our own hands, we threw the ship’s gear overboard.
27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
27:21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.
27:22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
27:23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me
27:24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’
27:25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
27:26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
27:27 On the fourteenth night, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed we were nearing land.
27:28 They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep. A short time later, they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms.
27:29 Fearing we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.
27:30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.
27:31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
27:32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
27:33 Just before dawn, Paul urged them all to eat, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been waiting and going without food—you have eaten nothing.
27:34 So I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”
27:35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
27:36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
27:37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board.
27:38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
27:39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.
27:40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
27:41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
27:42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.
27:43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
27:44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely.
28:1 Once safely on shore, we learned that the island was called Malta.
28:2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
28:3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
28:4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”
28:5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
28:6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
28:7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days.
28:8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
28:9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.
28:10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
28:11 After three months, we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered on the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.
28:12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days.
28:13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.
28:14 There we found some believers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.
28:15 Following this, upon hearing of our arrival, the brethren journeyed to greet us, extending their welcome as far as the Forum of Appius and The Three Taverns. Witnessing their arrival, Paul offered his thanks to God and was emboldened.
28:16 Upon reaching Rome, the centurion handed the prisoners over to the captain of the guard. Yet Paul was permitted to reside independently, accompanied only by a guard.
28:17 After a three-day interval, Paul convened the leading Jewish figures. As they assembled, he addressed them: “Brethren, though I have committed no transgression against our people or the traditions of our ancestors, I was nonetheless handed over as a prisoner from Jerusalem into Roman custody.
28:18 Following their examination of me, they intended to release me, for no grounds for execution were found.
28:19 However, the Jewish opposition led me to appeal to Caesar, not as a charge against my nation.
28:20 It is for this reason I requested to meet and converse with you. It is for the hope of Israel that I am bound in these chains.”
28:21 They replied, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of our brethren reported or spoken any ill of you.
28:22 But we are eager to hear your views, for we are aware that this sect is spoken against everywhere.”
28:23 Arranging a suitable day, many visited him at his dwelling. He expounded and bore witness to the kingdom of God, persuading them about Jesus through both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning until evening.
28:24 While some were convinced by his words, others disbelieved.
28:25 As they disagreed among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one assertion: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our ancestors,
28:26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: You will hear but not understand, and you will see but not perceive.
28:27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.’
28:28 Therefore, know that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen.”
28:29 This verse is not present in many translations and is often considered an addition in later manuscripts.
28:30 Paul resided for two full years in his own rented accommodation, welcoming all who came to him,
28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with utmost confidence, unhindered by anyone.

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