And taking them that same hour of the night, he washed their stripes; and was baptised, himself and all who belonged to him immediately.

Then he brought them up into his house and prepared a meal for them. So, he and everyone in his household, who had believed in God [and were immersed], rejoiced greatly.

When day came, the magistrates sent guards, who commanded, "Release those men."

But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public without due process--men who are Roman citizens--[and] threw [us] into prison, and now they are wanting to release us secretly? Certainly not! Rather let them come themselves [and] bring us out!"

The lictors reported these words to the praetors, who were frightened when they heard that they were Romans.

explaining them and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ."

And some of them believed, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, and of the Greeks who worshipped, a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

But the Jewish leaders became jealous, and they took some contemptible characters who used to hang out in the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason's home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the people.

They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too,

Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

And they threw the crowd into confusion, and the city officials who heard these [things].

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

But these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all willingness, examining the Scriptures daily, if it has these things this way.

Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women who were Greeks, and of men not a few.

The men who acted as Paul's bodyguard took him all the way to Athens, and then went back with orders for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible.

So he kept up his discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the pagans who were worshiping there, and also day by day in the public square with any who chanced to be there.

And some of those who were supporters of the theories of the Epicureans and the Stoics, had a meeting with him. And some said, What is this talker of foolish words saying? And others, He seems to be a preacher of strange gods: because he was preaching of Jesus and his coming back from the dead.

Now all the Athenians and the strangers who come to sojourn there, take pleasure in spending their time in nothing else but in talking, or hearing of some novelty.

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 who made the world and all that it contains, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands,

nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.

since He has set a day on which He will justly judge the world through a man whom He has appointed. He has made this credible to all by raising Him from the dead."

and certain men having cleaved to him, did believe, among whom is also Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them.

There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had issued an edict for all Jews to leave Rome. So Paul paid them a visit,

So he moved into the house of a pagan named Titus Justus, who worshiped the true God; his house was next to the synagogue.

Now Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole family. Many Corinthians who heard Paul also believed and were baptized.

for I will be with you [See Matt. 28:20] and no one will attack you or hurt you, for I have many people in this city [i.e., who will be converted]."

Paul still continued a considerable time at Corinth, and then taking his leave of the brethren, he set sail for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila, who had his head shav'd in Cenchrea upon account of a vow.

who desired him to stay longer with them, but he would not consent to it: for,

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, a man of eloquence, who was powerful in the Scriptures, had come to Ephesus.

Who had been instructed in the way of our Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught clearly the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Because he wished to cross to Greece, the brothers wrote and urged the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival he rendered great service to those who through God's favor had believed,

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland districts of Roman Asia, and went to Ephesus. There he found some disciples, of whom he asked:

whom he asked, "Did you receive the holy Spirit when you believed?" "No," they said, "we never even heard of its existence."

Then Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism that was an expression of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was to come after him; that is, in Jesus."

He went into the synagogue and spoke there boldly for three months, holding discussions and persuading those who heard him about the kingdom of God.

But some grew obstinate in unbelief and spoke evil of the new faith before all the congregation. So Paul left them, and, taking with him those who were disciples, held discussions daily in Tyrannus's lecture-hall.

This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.

so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons {that had touched his skin} were carried away to those who were sick, and [their] diseases left them and the evil spirits came out [of them].

But some wandering Jews who claimed to be driving out the evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits in them, saying, "I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches!"

Sceva, a Jewish high priest, had seven sons who were doing this.

But on one occasion the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?"

So the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped upon them and so violently overpowered two of them that they ran out of the house stripped of their clothes and wounded.

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,

And many who became believers kept coming and confessing and uncovering their former practices.

Many people who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them up before the public gaze. They estimated the price of them and found it to be ten thousand dollars.

Then he dispatched into Macedonia two of those who attended upon him, Timothy and Erastus; while he himself continued a while longer in Asia.

For a certain Demetrius by name, a silversmith, who made silver temples of Diana, and afforded his artisans no small gain,

Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

and ye see and hear, that not only at Ephesus, but almost in all Asia, this Paul, having persuaded, did turn away a great multitude, saying, that they are not gods who are made by hands;

Now the danger facing us is, not only that our business will lose its reputation but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be brought into contempt and that she whom all Asia and all the world now worship will soon be dethroned from her majestic glory!"

And the city was filled with the tumult, and with one purpose they rushed into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians [who were] traveling companions of Paul.

Some of the public officials in Asia, who were friendly to him, also sent word to him, begging him not to risk himself in the theatre.

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 last the city recorder quieted the mob and said: "Men of Ephesus, who in the world does not know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image that fell down from heaven?

'For ye brought these men, who are neither temple-robbers nor speaking evil of your goddess;

If then Demetrius and the craftsmen [who are] with him have a complaint against anyone, the court days are observed and there are proconsuls--let them bring charges against one another!

And Sopater of Berea, and Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were Asiatics, accompanied him to Asia.

Tychicus and Trophimus, who went before and stayed for us at Troas.

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 a young man named Eutychus, who was sitting by the window, was gradually overcome by heavy drowsiness, as Paul kept speaking longer and longer, and at last he went fast asleep and fell from the third story to the ground and was picked up dead.

But we who went ahead to the ship set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for he had so arranged, intending himself to go by land.

And now I know that none of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom will ever see my face again.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

I know that, after my departure, merciless wolves will get in among you, who will not spare the flock;

Even from your own number men will appear who will try, by speaking perversions of truth, to draw away the disciples after them.

"I'm now entrusting you to God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and secure for you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

and ye yourselves know that to my necessities, and to those who were with me, minister did these hands;

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.'"

And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

The next day we left there and went on to Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.

He had four unmarried daughters who were prophetesses.

after we had been there several days, a prophet arriv'd from Judea, one Agabus, who made us a visit.

He came to see us and took Paul's belt and with it bound his own hands and feet, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says, 'The Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt like this, and then will turn him over to the heathen.'"

When we heard this, we and the people who lived there begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.

and they having heard, were glorifying the Lord. They said also to him, 'Thou seest, brother, how many myriads there are of Jews who have believed, and all are zealous of the law,

They have been repeatedly told about you that you continuously teach the Jews who live among the heathen to turn their backs on Moses, and that you continue to tell them to stop circumcising their children, and to stop observing the cherished customs.

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

As for the heathen who have become believers, we have sent them our resolution that they must avoid anything that is contaminated by idols, the tasting of blood, the meat of strangled animals, and sexual immorality."

But when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia who had seen him in the temple [courts] stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,

as they kept shouting, "Men of Israel, help! help! This is the man who teaches everybody everywhere against our people and the law and this place; yea, more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and desecrated this sacred place."

(For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

Then the colonel came up and seized Paul and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he then asked who he was and what he had done.

as he was mounting the stairs, the soldiers bore him up thro' the violence of the people, who were all pressing after,

And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

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

But Paul said, I am a man who am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak to the people.

Paul then standing upon the stairs made a sign with his hand to the people, who being very silent, he rais'd his voice, and thus address'd them in the Hebrew tongue:

I am verily a man who 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, being zealous towards God, as ye all are this day.

who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;

as the high priest and the whole council will bear me witness. Indeed, I had received letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on the way there to bind those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.

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

The men who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of Him who was speaking to me.

"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.

There a man named Ananias, a man devout in strict accordance with the law, of good reputation among all the Jews who lived there,

then I saw JESUS, who said to me, "make haste, and go out of Jerusalem immediately: for they will not receive the attestations you would give of me." Lord,

So I said, 'Lord, they know for themselves that from one synagogue to another I used to imprison and flog those who believed in you,