And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all.

Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence."

Paul wanted to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.

But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all with one voice shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

But if you want anything further, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.

But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days came to them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

But Paul went down and fell on him, and after embracing him, he said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him."

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

But I do not consider my life of any account nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in observance of the law.

But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote to them our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication."

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

And those who were with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?"

The commander answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead I am on trial."

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

But the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, and he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

But do not yield to them; for more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him, having bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you."

I found that he was accused over questions about their Law, but there was no accusation against him deserving death or imprisonment.

But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the barracks.

But, that I may not weary you further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.

But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do worship the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,

As I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from Asia

But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case."

Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody but have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to his needs.

But some days later Felix came with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you."

But when two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?"

But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of the charges brought against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar."

When therefore they came together here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in.

but they simply had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.

But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.

But I found that he had done nothing deserving of death; and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him.

But I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write.

And that is just what I did in Jerusalem; I not only shut up many of the saints in prison, by authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.

But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness to the things which you have seen of me, and also to the things in which I will appear to you;

but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance.

To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen:

But Paul said, "I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.

And Paul said, "Whether in a short or a long time, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I amexcept for these chains."

and said to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives."

But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.

But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called the northeaster;

Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage; for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

But we must run aground on some island."

But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to sense that they were approaching land.

But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the lifeboat into the sea, on the pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,

When day came, they could not recognize the land, but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could.

But striking a sandbar they ran the vessel aground; the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, and the stern was broken up by the pounding of the surf.

But the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but after they had waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesarnot that I had any charge to bring against my own nation.

But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against."

Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.

saying, 'Go to this people and say, "you will be ever hearing, but will never understand; and you will be ever seeing, but will never perceive.

I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have some harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Though they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

But by your hardness and your impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.

but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

But if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God

Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, and not by the written code. His praise is not from men but from God.

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)

But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?

But now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it,

Where then is our boasting? It is excluded. On what law? On the law of works? No, but on the law of faith.

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Now to him who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due.

And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

How then was it reckoned to him? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be reckoned to them.

And he is also the father of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all his descendantsnot only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

But the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,

but for us also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,

And not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;

But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

(For sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted when there is no law.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man's trespass many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.

And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift following many trespasses brings justification.

Law came in, that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

So you also, consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,