Then Paul and Barnabas boldly declared, "We had to speak God's word to you first, but since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are now going to turn to the gentiles.

For here are the orders that the Lord has given us: 'I have made you a light to the heathen, To be the means of salvation to the very ends of the earth.'"

And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

But the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it; and tearing their clothes they rushed out into the middle of the crowd, exclaiming, "Sirs, why are you doing all this?

And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

who in generations that are past permitted all the nations to go their [own] ways.

Some people came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom that Moses handed down, you cannot be saved."

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.

Why then are you testing God, by putting on the neck of the disciples a yoke so hard that not even our fathers or we were strong enough for it?

In fact, we believe that it is through the favor of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

and after they are silent, James answered, saying, 'Men, brethren, hearken to me;

The words of the prophets are in accord with this, as it is written:

So that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord, Yes, all the heathen who are called by my name, says the Lord,

Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, from fornication, from animals that are strangled, and from their blood.

After all, Moses has had people to proclaim him in every city for generations, and on every Sabbath his books are read aloud in the synagogues."

And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

we have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, and they by word are telling the same things.

For it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no other burden except these things which are of absolute necessity;

To keep from things offered to false gods, and from blood, and from things put to death in ways which are against the law, and from the evil desires of the body; if you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. May you be happy.

Some days after this Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we preached the Lord's message, to see how they are."

this one did Paul wish to go forth with him, and having taken him, he circumcised him, because of the Jews who are in those places, for they all knew his father -- that he was a Greek.

And as they were going on through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep, that have been judged by the apostles and the elders who are in Jerusalem,

When she and her family were baptized, she urged us, "If you are convinced that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she continued to insist that we do so.

This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation."

But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the market place [where trials were held],

and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town

And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

After bringing them out [of the jail area] he said, "Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved?"

The jailer reported this message to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent orders that you are to be released. So you can take your leave and go unmolested."

But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public and that without a trial, and put us in jail although we are Roman citizens! Let them come here themselves and take us out!"

And the rod-bearers told to the magistrates these sayings, and they were afraid, having heard that they are Romans,

And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus."

but these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all enthusiasm, searching the scriptures daily, if these things are so.

So he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place day after day with any who happened to be there.

having also taken him, unto the Areopagus they brought him, saying, 'Are we able to know what is this new teaching that is spoken by thee,

For you are bringing some astonishing things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what {these things mean}."

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

For as I was going here and there and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So it is about the Being whom you are in ignorance already worshiping that I am telling you.

The God that made the world and all things that are therein, the same, being, Lord, of heaven and earth, not in hand-made shrines, doth dwell,

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

The times of ignorance, therefore, overlooking, God, as things now are, is charging all men everywhere to repent,

When the Jews resisted [Paul's efforts] and spoke against him and his message, he shook out his clothing [i.e., an expression of rejection and contempt] and said to them "Let your blood be on your own heads [i.e., you are responsible for whatever harm comes from your action]; I am not responsible. From now on I will go [and preach] to the Gentiles [only]."

because I am with you and no one will attack you to harm you, because many people are mine in this city."

They said, "This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the Law."

but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; I am not minded to be a judge of these matters.

And Paul having remained yet a good many days, having taken leave of the brethren, was sailing to Syria -- and with him are Priscilla and Aquilas -- having shorn his head in Cenchera, for he had a vow;

and there were certain -- seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest -- who are doing this thing;

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

and this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who are dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified,

summon'd the company, and thus address'd them, "tho' you know, sirs, it is by this craft that we are in such plight,

Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

So that we are not only in danger of this, that the business we follow will come to nothing; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be despised; and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the whole world worshippeth.

Since therefore these things are incontestible, ye ought to be quiet and composed, and to do nothing rashly.

For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.

So then, if Demetrius and his fellow-workmen have a charge against anybody, there are the courts and the judges; let them go to law.

But if ye are enquiring any thing about other matters, let it be decided in a lawful assembly:

For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.

And when they arrived he said to them:

“You know well how I [lived when I] was with you, from the first day that I set foot in Asia [until now],

how nothing I did keep back of what things are profitable, not to declare to you, and to teach you publicly, and in every house,

except that in town after town the Holy Spirit emphatically assures me that imprisonment and sufferings are awaiting me.

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

In everything I showed you that by working hard like this we must help those who are weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It makes one happier to give than to get.'"

sorrowing most of all for the word that he had said -- that they are about no more to see his face; and they were accompanying him to the ship.

and he came to us, and taking Paul's girdle, he bound his own hands and feet, and said: Thus says the Holy Spirit; the Jews that are in Jerusalem will so bind the man to whom this girdle belongs; and they will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Then Paul replied, "What are you doing weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus!"

They gave the glory to God, when they heard it, and said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousand believers there are among the Jews, all of them zealous champions of the law.

And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

"What then ought to be done? They will certainly hear that you are come.

Now you must do just what we tell you. We have here four men who are under a vow.

Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

But as for the Gentiles who have accepted the faith, we have communicated to them our decision that they are carefully to abstain from anything sacrificed to an idol, from blood, from what is strangled, and from fornication."

When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from the province of Asia who had seen him in the temple area stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,

Are you not the Egyptian who sometime ago raised a mob of four thousand cut-throats and led them out into the desert?"

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

"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.

and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?'

I answered, 'Who are you, Sir?' He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'

"He told me, "I'm Jesus from Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.' The men who were with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

Then I asked, 'What am I to do, Lord?' And the Lord answered, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told you what you are destined to do.'

"The Lord told me, "Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are destined to do.' Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, the men who were with me took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.

because you are to be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

And now, why are you waiting? Get up and be baptized and wash your sins away by calling on His name.'

They had strapped him up, when Paul said to the officer who was standing by, "Are you allowed to scourge a Roman citizen ??and to scourge him without a trial?"

When the captain heard that, he went to the colonel and reported it. Then he asked him, "What are you going to do? This man is a Roman citizen."

So the colonel came to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" He answered, "Yes."

Immediately, therefore, they departed from him who are about to examine him, and the chief captain also was afraid, having learned that he is a Roman, and because he had bound him,

Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, [you] whitewashed wall! And are you sitting [there] judging me according to the law, and acting contrary to the law do you order me to be struck?"

And those who stood nearby said, "Are you reviling the high priest of God?

and Paul having known that the one part are Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, 'Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee -- son of a Pharisee -- concerning hope and rising again of dead men I am judged.'

For the Sadducees hold that there is no resurrection and that there are no angels or spirits, while the Pharisees believe in all three.

Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

And he said, The Jews are in agreement together to make a request to you for Paul to be taken, on the day after this, into the Sanhedrin, to be questioned in greater detail.

But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

And when news was given to me that a secret design was being made against the man, I sent him straight away to you, giving orders to those who are against him to make their statements before you.

I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.