Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they believed [and joyfully accepted as the Messiah].

and thence did sail to Antioch, whence they had been given by the grace of God for the work that they fulfilled;

After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

However some that arrived from Judea, told the Gentile converts, unless you are circumcised agreeably to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.

When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God.

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.

and He made no difference between us and them, in that He cleansed their hearts by their faith.

Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

The whole crowd was silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell about all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the gentiles.

And that is in harmony with the words of the Prophets, where they say--

After these things I will turn back, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, that is fallen down, and its ruins I will build again, and will set it upright --

so the rest of humanity
may seek the Lord—
even all the Gentiles
who are called by My name,
declares the Lord who does these things,

he that does all these things, is the Lord himself that has said it." for the works of God are all known to him from the beginning of the world.

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.

For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

Because we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,

It seemed good unto us, coming to be of one accord, that we should choose men and send them unto you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, -

Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, that no further burden be laid upon you than these necessary things, To abstain from meats offered to idols and blood,

that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.

Farewell.

When they had read it, they rejoiced of that consolation.

And after they had spent some time there , they were dismissed in peace from the brethren unto those that had sent them forth.

Then after certain days said Paul to Barnabas, Let us now return and visit our brethren in every city among whom we have preached the word of the Lord, that we may see how they hold on.

but Paul did not think it proper to take one that had quitted them at Pamphylia, refusing to accompany them in their ministry.

There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus.

And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess that believed; but his father was a Greek.

Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

Paul wanted Timothy to go with him, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.

And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them.

and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days.

And on the sabbath day we went forth without the gate by a river side, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down, and spake unto the women that were come together.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

so that having been baptized with her family, she made us this request, if you think me sincere in my profession, pray come and lodge at my house; and she prevail'd upon us.

And it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a certain maid having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.

And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour.

When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

and presenting them to the magistrates, they said, These are the men that exceedingly disturb the peace of our city, being Jews,

and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”

The crowd also joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten with rods.

He, having received an order like that, lodged them in the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

and having brought them forth, said, 'Sirs, what must I do -- that I may be saved?'

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

and having taken them, in that hour of the night, he did bathe them from the blows, and was baptized, himself and all his presently,

And he brought them up into [his] house [and] set a meal before [them], and rejoiced greatly that he had believed in God with his whole household.

and the jailor told these words unto Paul -- 'The magistrates have sent, that ye may be let go; now, therefore, having gone forth go on in peace;'

But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and do they now cast us out privily? Nay verily; but let them come themselves and bring us out.

Then the police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

And they came and comforted them; and conducting them out, requested that they would depart from the city.

Now when they [Note: A change from the use of "we" to "they" suggests that the writer Luke remained behind in Philippi at this point] had traveled through the [Macedonian] towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to [the city of] Thessalonica where there was a Jewish synagogue.

explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”

Some of the Jews were convinced [that Jesus was the Messiah] and so joined with Paul and Silas. Also, a large number of devoted Greeks [i.e., Gentiles] and leading women [joined their group].

And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus!”

They required Jason and the rest to find substantial bail, and after that they let them go.

That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

so that many of them believed, besides a considerable number of women of distinction, and of men, that were Greeks.

But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds.

But immediately at that time the brethren sent away Paul to travel even to the sea: and Silas and Timothy remained there.

And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols.

Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

having also taken him, unto the Areopagus they brought him, saying, 'Are we able to know what is this new teaching that is spoken by thee,

You talk of some things that sound strange to us; so we want to know what they mean."

Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.

for considering, as I pass'd along, the deitys, which you adore, I met with an altar that had this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. now that GOD whom you worship without knowing him, is the same that I denounce to you.

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

he receives no service from their officiousness: he is self-sufficient: it is he that gives to all their life and breath and every thing they have.

and he has made from one blood every nation of men, that they might dwell on all the face of the earth, having marked out their appointed times, and the bounds of their dwelling:

He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.'

Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.

The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

On hearing of a resurrection of the dead, some began jeering, but others said that they would hear what he had to say about that another time.

After that, Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth,

And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

and because he was of the same trade--that of tent-maker--he lodged with them and worked with them.

Every Sabbath day Paul held discussions in the synagogues, trying to convince [both] Jews and Greeks [i.e., Gentiles, that Jesus was the Messiah].

When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching the message and solemnly testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household [joyfully acknowledging Him as Messiah and Savior]; and many of the Corinthians who heard [Paul’s message] were believing and being baptized.

for I am with thee, and no man shall invade thee that shall hurt thee. For I have much people in this city."

and said, "This fellow is inducing people to worship God in ways that violate our laws."

And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:

but since it is about disputable matters, about names, and your own law, you may decide that among yourselves: for I won't take cognizance of such affairs."

And when they asked him that he would remain for a longer time with them he did not accede,

But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and he preached and taught about Jesus with ardour and accuracy, though all the baptism he knew was that of John.

And when he was minded to pass over into Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him: and when he was come, he helped them much that had believed through grace;

For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.