Nor was there any one of them in want, for all who owned houses or lands would sell them and bring the price of the things that were sold, and lay it at the apostles' feet;

"Why was it," said Peter, "that you both agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Lo, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out."

but Gamaliel, a Pharisee, a teacher of the law, and held in honor by all the people, rose from his seat, and ordered the apostles to be put outside for a little while.

They also set up false witnesses who testified. "This fellow is continually talking against the Holy Place and against the law.

"Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become??53 "you who received the law, given through angels, and obeyed it not."

Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

"Give me, too, this power, so that on whomever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit."

Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision, saying, "Ananias!" And he answered, "Lo, I am here, Lord."

He is now praying, and has seen a man named Ananias enter and lay his hands on him to restore his sight."

"And lo! at that very moment, three men who had been sent for me from Caesarea stood before the house in which I was.

And, after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the wardens of the synagogue sent word to them. "Brothers," they said, "if you have any word of encouragement to the people, say it."

"and that by him every one that believes is justified from all things from which you could never be justified by the law of Moses.

So Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. "It was necessary," they said, "first to proclaim the word of God to you. But since you push it away from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, but were now believers, stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise Gentile, and to order them to keep the Law of Moses."

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

but as these are merely questions about words and names and your own law, you yourselves must see to it. I am not willing to be a judge of these matters."

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.

"We have four men here under a vow; associate yourself with them, purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses so that they may have their heads shaved; then every one will know that there is no truth in the rumors that they have heard about you; but that you yourself walk orderly obeying the law.

"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."

"I am a Jew," he said, "born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strict manner of the Law of our forefathers, ardent for God, even as you all are this day.

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

"You whited sepulcher," exclaimed Paul, "God will strike you! You are sitting there to judge me according to the law, are you? And do you command me to be struck, contrary to the Law?"

"Here I learned that he was accused about questions of their law, but was not charged with anything worthy of death or imprisonment.

"But this I confess to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors, according to the Way which they call a heresy, believing everything that is according to the Law, or is written in the Prophets,

They urged him, asking it as a favor, to send for him to Jerusalem. They meant to lay in wait for him and kill him on the way.

Paul said in his defense, "I have committed no crime against the Law of the Jews, against the Temple, or against Caesar."

Putting to sea from thence we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us;

For many days we sailed slowly, and then arrived with difficulty over against Cnidus; from this point, as the wind did not further favor us, we ran under the lee of Crete, off Cape Salmone;

Then we ran under the lee of a little island named Claudia, where with great difficulty we were able to secure the ship's boat.

After hauling it aboard, they used ropes to undergird the ship, and since they were fearful lest they should be driven upon the Syrtes, they lowered the gear and lay to.

So they arranged a day with him and came to him in his lodgings in great numbers. He expounded the matter to them; testifying to the Kingdom of God, and persuading them about Jesus, from morning till evening, both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.