The Lord's hand is right upon you, and you will be blind and unable even to see the sun for a time." Instantly a mist of darkness fell upon him, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand.

Then after he had taken care of them for forty years in the desert,

he destroyed seven nations in Canaan, and settled them upon their land for about four hundred and fifty years.

Then they demanded a king and for forty years God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin.

in preparation for whose coming John had preached to all the people of Israel baptism in token of repentance.

For the people of Jerusalem and their leaders refused to recognize him, and condemned him, thus fulfilling the very utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath,

and though they could find no ground for putting him to death, they demanded of Pilate that he be executed.

and for many days he appeared to those who had come up to Jerusalem with him from Galilee, and they are now witnesses for him to the people.

For in another psalm he says, 'You will not let your Holy One undergo decay.'

" 'Look, you scoffers! Then wonder and begone! For I am doing something in your times Which you will never believe even when it is related to you!' "

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

When the heathen heard this they were delighted, and praised God's message, and all who were destined for eternal life believed,

They appointed elders for them in each church, and with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

and from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been commended to God's favor for the work which they had now finished.

When they arrived there, they called the church together, and reported how God had worked with them, and how he had opened the way to faith for the heathen.

There they stayed for a long time with the disciples.

And God who knows men's hearts testified for them by giving them the holy Spirit just as he had done to us,

For Moses for generations past has had his preachers in every town, and has been read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath."

who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the holy Spirit and we have decided not to lay upon you any burden but this indispensable one,

that you avoid whatever has been sacrificed to idols, the tasting of blood and of the meat of animals that have been strangled, and immorality. Keep yourselves free from these things and you will get on well. Goodbye."

They differed so sharply about it that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.

Paul wished to take this man on with him, and so on account of the Jews in that district he had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they traveled on from one town to another, they passed on to the brothers for their observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

From there we went to Philippi, a Roman garrison town, and the principal place in that part of Macedonia. In this town we stayed for some days.

She did this for a number of days, until Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her!" And it came out instantly.

They are advocating practices which it is against the law for us as Romans to adopt or observe."

Then he called for lights and rushed in, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas.

Paul went to it as he was accustomed to do, and for three Sabbaths he discussed the Scriptures with them,

The men who went with Paul took him all the way to Athens, and came back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him as soon as possible.

While Paul waited for them at Athens, he was exasperated to see how idolatrous the city was.

For all Athenians and all visitors there from abroad used to spend all their time telling or listening to something new.

For as I was going about and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To an Unknown God.' So it is what you already worship in ignorance that I am now telling you of.

nor is he waited on by human hands as though he were in need of anything, for he himself gives all men life and breath and everything.

so that they might search for God, and perhaps grope for him and find him, though he is never far from any of us.

For it is through union with him that we live and move and exist, as some of your poets have said, " 'For we are also his offspring.'

and as they practiced the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together, for they were tent-makers.

But as they contradicted and abused him, he shook his clothes in protest, and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am not to blame for it! After this I will go to the heathen."

for I am with you, and no one shall attack you or injure you, for I have many people in this city."

So he settled there for a year and a half, and taught them God's message.

Paul stayed some time longer, and then bade the brothers goodbye and sailed for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, because of a vow he had been under.

for he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, and showed from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

He went to the synagogue there, and for three months spoke confidently, holding discussions and trying to persuade them about the Kingdom of God.

This went on for two years, so that everyone who lived in Asia, Greeks as well as Jews, heard the Lord's message.

He sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed on for a while in Asia.

A silversmith named Demetrius was making large profits for his workmen by the manufacture of silver shrines of Artemis.

Meanwhile the people were shouting, some one thing and some another, for the meeting was in confusion, and most of them had no idea why they had come together.

But when they saw that he was a Jew, a great shout went up from them all, and they cried for two hours, "Great Artemis of Ephesus!"

For you have brought these men here, though they have not been guilty of disloyalty nor uttered any blasphemy against our goddess.

For we are in danger of being charged with rioting in connection with today's events, though there is really nothing about this commotion that we will not be able to explain."

When the confusion was over, Paul sent for the disciples and encouraged them. Then he bade them goodbye and started for Macedonia.

where he stayed for three months. Just as he was going to sail for Syria, the Jews made a plot against him, and he made up his mind to return by way of Macedonia.

They went on to Troas and waited for us there,

On the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread, Paul addressed them, as he was going away the next morning, and he prolonged his address until midnight.

and a young man named Eutychus, who was sitting at the window, became very drowsy as Paul's address grew longer and longer, and finally went fast asleep and fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up for dead.

We had already gone on board the ship and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there, for that was the arrangement he had made, as he intended to travel there by land.

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to lose any time in Asia, for he was hurrying to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of the Harvest Festival.

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public or at your houses,

I am here now on my way to Jerusalem, for the Spirit compels me to go there, though I do not know what will happen to me there,

Therefore I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,

for I have not shrunk from letting you know God's purpose without reserve.

So you must be on your guard and remember that for three years, night and day, I never stopped warning any of you, even with tears.

You know well enough that these hands of mine provided for my needs and my companions.

I showed you in every way that by hard work like that we must help those who are weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for he said, 'It makes one happier to give than to be given to.' "

for they were especially saddened at his saying that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

There we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, and we went on board and sailed on it.

After sighting Cyprus and leaving it on our left, we sailed for Syria, and put in at Tyre, for the ship was to unload her cargo there.

He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.

Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by crying and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound at Jerusalem but to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

After this we made our preparations and started for Jerusalem.

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

As for the heathen who have become believers, we have written them our decision that they must avoid anything that has been contaminated by idols, the tasting of blood, the meat of strangled animals, and immorality."

Then Paul joined the men and went through the rites of purification with them and the next day went to the Temple to give notice of the time when, upon the offering of the sacrifice for each one of them, their days of purification would be over.

For they had previously seen Trophimus of Ephesus with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the Temple.

for the mass of people followed them shouting, "Kill him!"

"Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago raised the four thousand cut-throats and led them out into the desert?"

"I am a Jew, and I was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but was brought up here in this city, and thoroughly educated under the teaching of Gamaliel in the Law of our forefathers. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

for you shall be his witness before all men of what you have seen and heard.

and saw him saying to me, 'Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, for they will not accept your evidence about me.'

But he said to me, 'Go! I will send you far away to the heathen.' "

But when they had strapped him up, Paul said to the officer who was standing near, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen, and without giving him a trial?"

"I had to pay a large sum for my citizenship," said the colonel. "But I am a citizen by birth," said Paul.

"I did not know, brothers," said Paul, "that he was high priest, for the Scripture says, 'You shall not say anything against any ruler of your people.' "

Knowing that part of them were Sadducees and part of them Pharisees, Paul called out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and the son of Pharisees! It is for my hope for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial!"

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

On the following night the Lord stood beside him and said, "Courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, you must testify in Rome also."

Paul called one of the officers and said to him, "Take this young man to the colonel, for he has something to tell him."

But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, and they have taken an oath not to eat or drink till they have killed him. They are all ready now, and are only waiting to get your promise."

They were also to provide horses for Paul to ride, so that they might take him in safety to Felix, the governor,

and found that their accusations had to do with questions about their Law, but that he was not charged with anything that would call for his death or imprisonment.

Then the soldiers took Paul, as they had been ordered to do, and escorted him as far as Antipatris that night.

For we have found this man a pest and a disturber of the peace among Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect,

The governor made a sign to Paul to speak, and he answered, "As I know that for many years you have acted as judge for this nation, I cheerfully undertake my defense,

for it is not more than twelve days ago, as you can easily satisfy yourself, that I went up to worship at Jerusalem,

After an absence of several years, I had come to bring charitable donations for my nation, and to offer sacrifice.

Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and sent for Paul and heard what he had to say about faith in Christ Jesus.

But as he talked of uprightness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became alarmed, and said, "You may go for the present. I will find time later to send for you."

At the same time he hoped to get money from Paul, and for that reason he used to send for him very often and talk with him.

and when I was at Jerusalem the Jewish high priests and elders presented their case against him, and asked for his conviction.