When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, explaining in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they created great joy among all the brothers.

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.

On the contrary, we believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”

After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers, listen to me!

They wrote this letter to be delivered by them:

From the apostles and the elders, your brothers,

To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

Then, being sent off, they went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter.

When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.

After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch teaching and proclaiming the message of the Lord.

After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in every town where we have preached the message of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul did not think it appropriate to take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus. Then Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers. He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in every town where we have preached the message of the Lord and see how they’re doing.”

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

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.

As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for them to observe.

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia.

When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

So, bypassing Mysia, they came down to Troas.

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.

Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews

After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded.

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house.

But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to smuggle us out secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out!”

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

So they came and apologized to them, and escorting them out, they urged them to leave town.

After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and departed.

Then they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.

When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,

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

So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.

As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

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.

Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.

They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you’re speaking of?

From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.

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.

When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.”

and being of the same occupation, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook his robe and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

“This man,” they said, “persuades people to worship God contrary to the law!”

Then they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judge’s bench. But none of these things concerned Gallio.

When they reached Ephesus he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and engaged in discussion with the Jews.

And though they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined,

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

“Then what baptism were you baptized with?” he asked them.

“With John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other languages and to prophesy.

Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.

while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be 50,000 pieces of silver.

When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.

Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a united cry went up from all of them for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.

And when they came to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time—

There was a great deal of weeping by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him,

grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

So we found some disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

we said good-bye to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

But they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, by telling them not to circumcise their children or to walk in our customs.

So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you’ve come.

Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.

With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple complex.

The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple complex, and at once the gates were shut.

As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos.

Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

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

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

and saw Him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me!’

“But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in You imprisoned and beaten.

They listened to him up to this word. Then they raised their voices, shouting, “Wipe this person off the earth—it’s a disgrace for him to live!”

As they were yelling and flinging aside their robes and throwing dust into the air,

the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be examined with the scourge, so he could discover the reason they were shouting against him like this.

As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?”

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.

“The Jews,” he said, “have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they are going to hold a somewhat more careful inquiry about him.

Don’t let them persuade you, because there are more than 40 of them arranging to ambush him, men who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they kill him. Now they are ready, waiting for a commitment from you.”

Also provide mounts so they can put Paul on them and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin.

Therefore, the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered.

The next day, they returned to the barracks, allowing the cavalry to go on with him.

When these men entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

They didn’t find me disputing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple complex or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city.

Neither can they provide evidence to you of what they now bring against me.

But I confess this to you: I worship my fathers’ God according to the Way, which they call a sect, believing all the things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

It is they who ought to be here before you to bring charges, if they have anything against me.

Either let these men here state what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin,

Then the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented their case against Paul to him; and they appealed,

asking him to do them a favor against Paul, that he might summon him to Jerusalem. They were preparing an ambush along the road to kill him.

When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove,

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.

Therefore, when they had assembled here, I did not delay. The next day I sat at the judge’s bench and ordered the man to be brought in.

Instead they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive.

They had previously known me for quite some time, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.

the promise our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve Him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope.