When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter.

as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to bring those who were prisoners there to be punished in Jerusalem.

“As I was traveling and near Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

“Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’

“After I came back to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple complex, I went into a visionary state

And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing by and approving, and I guarded the clothes of those who killed him.’

The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul said.

Therefore, those who were about to examine him withdrew from him at once. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.

The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and placed him before them.

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“I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest,” replied Paul. “For it is written, You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”

When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse: neither to eat nor to drink until they had killed Paul.

When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.

I found out that the accusations were about disputed matters in their law, and that there was no charge that merited death or chains.

When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you right away. I also ordered his accusers to state their case against him in your presence.

After he read it, he asked what province he was from. So when he learned he was from Cilicia,

When he was called in, Tertullus began to accuse him and said: “Since we enjoy great peace because of you, and reforms are taking place for the benefit of this nation by your foresight,

and while I was doing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar.

Since Felix was accurately informed about the Way, he adjourned the hearing, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.”

After some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus.

At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.

However, Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly.

Since they stayed there many days, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There’s a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix.

When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented their case and asked for a judgment against him.

Concerning him, the accusers stood up and brought no charge of the sort I was expecting.

Since I was at a loss in a dispute over such things, I asked him if he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there concerning these matters.

So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in.

“All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem.

In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene.

“I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests.

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

As he was making his defense this way, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driving you mad!”

For the king knows about these matters. It is to him I am actually speaking boldly. For I am convinced that none of these things escapes his notice, since this was not done in a corner.

When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment.

So when we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.

By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Fast was already over, Paul gave his advice

Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete open to the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.

Since the ship was caught and was unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope that we would be saved was disappearing.

Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.

When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing.

The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape.

Once ashore, we then learned that the island was called Malta.

The local people showed us extraordinary kindness, for they lit a fire and took us all in, since it was raining and cold.

They expected that he would swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Now in the area around that place was an estate belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days.

Publius’s father was in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

When we entered Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them: “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; it was not as though I had any accusation against my nation.

concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh

and who has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as among the rest of the Gentiles.

If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to brag about—but not before God.

For what does the Scripture say?

Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him for righteousness.

Is this blessing only for the circumcised, then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.

In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

He considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about 100 years old) and also considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb, without weakening in the faith.

He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.

Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone,

He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.

Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,

So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death.

Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the crucified body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead—that we may bear fruit for God.

Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life

and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me.

Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.

What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering,

For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope

not from works but from the One who calls—she was told: The older will serve the younger.

And Isaiah says boldly:

I was found
by those who were not looking for Me;
I revealed Myself
to those who were not asking for Me.

But what was God’s reply to him? I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to Baal.

What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for, but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,

For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.

In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you,

Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?

For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.

I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.

Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.

Each person should remain in the life situation in which he was called.

Brothers, each person should remain with God in whatever situation he was called.

and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

And man was not created for woman, but woman for man.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,

When I was a child,
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man,
I put aside childish things.

Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.

that He was buried,
that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,

But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.