But there were also some strolling Jewish exorcists, who took it upon them to invoke the name of Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches."

There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish high priest who used to do this.

But the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I have heard of, but who are you?"

And the man in whom the evil spirit was sprang on two of them, overpowered them and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.

Many also of those who became believers used to come to confess and to declare their deeds.

And some of them who had practised magic arts, collected their books, and burned them in the presence of all. And they counted the price of them, and found it to be fifty thousand silver coins.

There was a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, and brought rich profit to his workmen.

"And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but almost throughout all of Asia, this fellow Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, by telling them that they are no gods at all who are made with hands.

"So there is danger not only that our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be brought into disrepute, and that she herself may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world now worships."

and some of the Asiarchs, too, who were his friends, sent word to him repeatedly, entreating him not to venture into the theater.

And they brought Alexander out of the crowd, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, would have made a defense to the people,

At length the recorder got them quiet. "Men of Ephesus," he said, "who here does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple-guardian of the great Diana and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

"For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

On the first day of the week we met for the breaking of bread, and Paul, who was going away the next morning, began preaching to them, and prolonged his discourse until midnight.

And now I know that not one of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see my face again.

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. He is able to build you up, and to give you your inheritance among all those who are consecrated.

On the morrow we started for Caesarea, where we went into the house of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

Now Philip had four unmarried daughters who prophesied,

As soon as we heard these words, both we and those who were standing near entreated Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

And some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us. They led us to the house of Mnason, a Cypriote, a disciple of long standing, with whom we were to lodge.

And they, when they heard it, glorified God, and said to him. "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews, of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law.

"Now what they have been told about you, again and again, is that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, and not to circumcise their children, nor to follow the old customs.

"Men of Israel, help! This is the man who goes everywhere preaching to everybody against the people, and the Law, and this place. And he has actually brought Gentiles even into the temple, and has desecrated the holy place."

Then the tribune came up and seized him, and ordered that he be bound with two chains. "Who is he?" he began asking, "and what has he done?"

"Do you know Greek?" said the tribune; "Are you not, then, the Egyptian who in days gone by stirred up to sedition, and let into the wilderness the four thousand cutthroats?"

"To this the high priest and all the council of elders are witnesses. It was from them that I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was already on my way to bring those also who were there back to Jerusalem, in bonds, for punishment.

"'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus, the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting,' he answered me.

"Now my companions, though they beheld the light, did not hear the words of Him who spoke to me.

"And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the Law, well thought of by all the Jews who lived there,

"'Lord,' I replied, 'they themselves well know that I was beating and imprisoning in synagogue after synagogue those who believed in you,

But when they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing near, "If a man is a Roman citizen, and uncondemned, is it lawful for you to scourge him?"

Then those who were about to scourge him, immediately left him. And the tribune too, was afraid, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, for he had had him bound.

Then the High Priest Ananias ordered those who stood near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

Then a great clamor arose; some of the scribes who belonged to the Pharisaic party stood up, and contended. "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?"

And there were more than forty who had sworn this oath.

"Now do not let them persuade, for more than forty men are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse, not to eat nor drink until they have killed him; even now they are all ready, awaiting your consent."

"who ought to have been here before you, and to have made accusations if they had anything against me.

At this point Felix, who had a pretty accurate knowledge of the Way, adjourned the case, saying to the Jews, "When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will go carefully into the matter."

"Let those then," he said, "who are in authority among you, go down with me, and if there is anything amiss in the man, let them accuse him."

When he came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought a number of serious charges against him, which they could not prove.

And while they tarried many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. "There is a man here," he said, "whom Felix left a prisoner.

but they kept quarreling with him about certain matters connected with their own religion, and about one Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed over and over was alive.

"King Agrippa," said Festus, "and all men who are present with us, you see here the man about whom the entire body of the Jews at Jerusalem, and here also, sent to me, crying out that he ought not to live any longer.

"when at noon, as I journeyed, O King, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and around those who journeyed with me.

"'Who are you, Lord?' I said." And the Lord said: 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

"'I will deliver you from the Jewish people, and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes

"'so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, in order to receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

"I am speaking words of sober truth. For the King, to whom I am speaking freely, knows of these matters. I am persuaded that not one of these things has escaped his notice; for these things were not done in a corner.

"Long or short," answered Paul, "my prayer to God is that not only you but all who are my hearers this day might become such as I am, save for these chains."

Then the king rose, and Bernice, and those who were sitting with him.

"for last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me and said:

"'Fear not, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you the lives of all who are sailing with you.'

But the centurion kept them from their purpose, because he wished to save Paul. He gave orders that those who could swim should first jump overboard and get to land;

When the natives saw the reptile hanging on his hand, they began saying to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet justice does not allow him to live."

There we found brothers who invited us to stay a week with them. Then we reached Rome.

After this Paul lived for two whole years in his own rented house, and used to receive all who came to see him.

this gospel is concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of David's posterity in respect of his bodily nature,

among whom you also are called to be Jesus Christ's.

God is my witness, to whom I render holy service in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I am ever making mention of you in my prayers,

So much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

FOR I AM PROUD OF THE GOSPEL. IT IS GOD'S SAVING POWER FOR EVERY ONE WHO BELIEVES. FOR THE JEW FIRST, AND ALSO FOR THE GENTILE.

For God's wrath is ever being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who smother the truth by their unrighteousness.

because they exchanged the truth of God for an untruth, and worshiped and served the creature, rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

Though they knew well the ordinance of God, that those who practise such vices are worthy of death, they not only continue to do the same, but were even applauding those who practise vice.

"We know that God's judgment against those who practise such vices is in accord with the truth," you say?

Very well; and do you suppose, you who judge those that practise such vices, and are doing the very same, that you will elude the judgment of God?

eternal life to those who by patience in well-doing strive for glory and honor and immortality;

but anger and wrath upon those who are self-willed and disobey the truth, but obey unrighteousness.

Anguish and calamity will be upon every soul of man who practices evil, upon the Jew first, and also upon the Gentile;

but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

For all who have sinned without law will also perish without law; and all who have sinned under law will be judged by law.

For it is not the hearers of law who are righteous in the eyes of God; nay, it is the doers of law who will be accounted righteous.

For when Gentiles, who have no law, obey by natural instinct the commands of the Law, they even though they have no law, are a law to themselves.

an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the young, because you have in the Law the form of knowledge and of the truth??ell then, you who are teaching others, do you ever teach yourself?

You who are preaching that a man should not steal, do you practise theft?

You who keep saying that a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who hold idols in abhorrence, are you plundering their temples?

You who are making your boast in the Law, do you habitually dishonor God through your transgressions of the Law?

And shall not those who are physically uncircumcised, but who keep the Law, condemn you who are a breaker of the Law, although you have a written law and circumcision?

For the real Jew is not the man who is one outwardly, and the real circumcision is not outward in the flesh;

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law; so that every mouth may be shut, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.

I mean a righteousness coming from God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe. For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile,

I say, at this present time; that he himself might be just, and yet the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.

since there is one God who will justify the circumcised through faith, and by their faith will he justify the uncircumcised.

but a man who does not "work," but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, has his faith imputed to him for righteousness.

Just as David also speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from actions.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

and he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the faith-righteousness which he had while he was in uncircumcision; in order that he might be the father of all who believe, even though they are uncircumcised; so that righteousness might be imputed to them.

He is the father of circumcision to those who are not merely circumcised, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he held while he was as yet uncircumcised.

For if those who are righteous through law are heirs, faith is empty and the promise becomes void.

This is why righteousness is of faith, that it may be a free gift; so that the promise stands firm to all Abraham's posterity; not to his children of his faith. For in the sight of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead, and calls into being that which is not, Abraham is the father of us all both Jews and Gentiles,

For it will be "reckoned for righteousness." to us also, who believe on him that raised from the dead our Lord Jesus;

who was betrayed to death for our transgressions, and raised again to life for our justification.

and fortitude character, and character, hope??5 a hope which never disappoints us. For through the Holy Spirit who has given to us, the "brimming river of the love of God" has overflowed in our hearts.

And not only that, but we exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now obtained our reconciliation.

Nevertheless, from Adam to Moses death reigned as king, even over those who had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression. Now Adam is a type of Him who was to come.

For if through the transgression of the one, death reigned as king through the one, much more shall those who receive the overflowing grace and gift of righteousness reign as kings in life through One, through Jesus Christ.

No indeed; how shall we who have died to sin still go on living in it any longer?

For do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Jesus Christ, have been baptized into his death?

For this we know, that our old self was crucified with Christ, in order that the slave of sin might be destroyed; so that we should no longer be in slavery to sin??7 for he who is dead is set free from sin.

Do you not know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to any one to obey him, you are his slaves whom you obey; whether it be sin, whose end is death, or obedience, whose end is righteousness?