And when the chief secretary had got the people quiet, he said, Men of Ephesus, is any man without knowledge that the town of Ephesus is the keeper of the holy place of the great Diana, who was sent down from Jupiter?

And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.

He was accompanied by Sopater (the son of Pyrrhus) from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.

And we [ourselves] sailed away from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread [Note: This was the Jewish feast commemorating deliverance from Egyptian bondage], and five days later [we] joined them at Troas [i.e., the seven men mentioned in verses

On the first day of the week when we had met to break bread, Paul addressed them, since he was leaving the next day, and prolonged his speech till midnight.

And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

but the young man was brought in alive and well, to the joy of the whole assembly. As for us, we embark'd, and sail'd to Assos,

But we went on ahead to the ship [and] put out to sea for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. For having made arrangements in this way, he himself was intending to travel by land.

When he was come to us unto Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.

For Paul's plan was to sail past Ephesus, so as not to lose any time in the province of Asia; for he was eager, if possible, to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost.

and when they were come unto him, he said to them, 'Ye -- ye know from the first day in which I came to Asia, how, with you at all times I was;

And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

But I put no value on my life, if only at the end of it I may see the work complete which was given to me by the Lord Jesus, to be a witness of the good news of the grace of God.

So keep watch, having in mind that for three years without resting I was teaching every one of you, day and night, with weeping.

You yourselves have seen that with these hands I got what was necessary for me and those who were with me.

In all things I was an example to you of how, in your lives, you are to give help to the feeble, and keep in memory the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, There is a greater blessing in giving than in getting.

There was loud weeping by them all, as they threw their arms around Paul's neck and kept on kissing him with affection,

What saddened them most of all was when Paul said that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to his ship.

And it happened when it was time to sail, we having been torn away from them, running direct we came to Cos; and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

And finding a ship there, which was passing over to Phenicia, we went aboard it, and set sail.

Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

But when our time was up, we left there and went on, and all of them with their wives and children accompanied us out of town. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed;

As for us, our voyage was over when having sailed from Tyre we reached Ptolemais. here we inquired after the welfare of the brethren, and remained a day with them.

And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

he was one of the seven deacons, and had four daughters all virgins, prophetesses.

And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

His reply was, "What can you mean by thus breaking my heart with your grief? Why, as for me, I am ready not only to go to Jerusalem and be put in chains, but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

And, as he was not to be persuaded, we ceased, saying - the Lord's, will be done!

Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us. They took us to the home of Mnason to be his guests. He was from Cyprus and had been an early disciple.

and on the morrow Paul was going in with us unto James, all the elders also came,

and having saluted them, he was declaring, one by one, each of the things God did among the nations through his ministration,

Then Paul, having taken the men, on the following day, with them having purified himself, was entering into the temple, announcing the fulfilment of the days of the purification, till the offering was offered for each one of them.

And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.

And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.

But some in the crowd were shouting one thing [and] others [another], and [because] he was not able to find out the truth on account of the commotion, he gave orders to bring him into the barracks.

And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.

for the crowd of the people was following after, crying, 'Away with him.'

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?

And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

and they having heard that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, gave the more silence, and he saith, --

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.

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.

And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

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

Since I could not see because of the dazzling sheen of that light, I was led by the hand by my companions and in this way I reached Damascus.

"A certain Ananias, who was a devout man with respect to the Law and who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,

Came to my side and said, Brother Saul, let your eyes be open. And in that very hour I was able to see him.

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

I was in a trance, And saw him saying to me, Make haste and depart quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

and I said, Lord, they -- they know that I was imprisoning and was scourging in every synagogue those believing on thee;

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit he should live.

the military tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying he was to be examined with a lash so that he could find out for what reason they were crying out against him in this way.

But when they had tied him for the flogging, Paul asked the captain who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman, and one who is uncondemned at that?"

And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

And Paul, perceiving that the one part was of the Sadducees, and the other of the Pharisees, was crying out in the Sanhedrin, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; concerning the hope and resurrection from the dead, I am being judged."

And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great,

So there was a vociferous yelling until some of the scribes, belonging to the party of the Pharisees, got up and fiercely contended, "We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or angel has really spoken to him!"

The quarrel was becoming violent, and the tribune was afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces. So he ordered the soldiers to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.

And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

And the chief captain, taking hold of his hand, and going aside privately, was asking him, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

Then he called two of his officers and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, by nine o'clock tonight." [Note: This was calculated according to Jewish time].

As this man was seized by the Jews,

This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

having been informed he was a Roman, I had him brought before their Sanhedrim, to hear what crime they laid to his charge.

I found that, although he was charged with questions about their Law, there was no charge against him deserving death or imprisonment.

And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;

he said, "I will go into your case whenever your accusers arrive," giving orders that he was to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.

And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,

Who, in addition, was attempting to make the Temple unclean: whom we took,

The Jews likewise affirmed, saying that it was even so.

[While there] I was not observed arguing with anyone or trying to stir up a crowd [to riot] in the Temple or in the synagogues or [anywhere else] in the city.

Now after many years absence I was returned bringing alms to my countrymen, and oblations [to the temple].

While I was performing these duties they found me just as I had completed the rites of my purification in the temple; however, there was no crowd with me and no disturbance at all.

Or let these men here present say what wrongdoing was seen in me when I was before the Sanhedrin,

except for this one sentence, which I uttered aloud when I was standing among them, For the resurrection of the dead am I this day judged by you.

Felix was rather well informed about the Way, and so he adjourned the trial with the comment, "When Tribune Lysias arrives, I'll decide your case."

And he gave orders to the Captain that Paul was to be kept in custody, but be treated with indulgence, and that his personal friends were not to be prevented from showing him kindness.

And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

And as he was reasoning of justice, temperance, and a future judgement, Felix trembled, and said, Go thy way for this time, and I will take a proper opportunity to call for thee again.

At the same time he was hoping to get money from Paul, and so he kept on sending for him and talking with him.

But at the close of two whole years Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and as he wanted to gratify the Jews, Felix left Paul still in prison.

Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

Festus answered that Paul was being kept in custody in Caesarea, and that he himself was going there soon.

And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

Paul's answer to the charge was--'I have not committed any offence against the Jewish Law, or the Temple, or the Emperor.'

After a number of days King Agrippa [Note: This man was the great grandson of Herod the Great. See Matt. 2:1] and [his wife] Bernice arrived at Caesarea and came to greet Festus.

and as they stayed for several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. He said, "There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix,

About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.

I answered them that it was not the Roman custom to give up anyone for punishment until the accused met his accusers face to face and had an opportunity to defend himself against their accusations.