And [when] we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Aramaic language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? [It is] hard for you to kick against the goads!'

But get up and stand on your feet, because for this [reason] I have appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and witness both [to the things] in which you saw me and [to the things] in which I will appear to you,

For the king knows about these [things], to whom also I am speaking freely, for I am not convinced [that] these [things] in any way have escaped his notice, because this {was} not {done} in a corner.

And Paul [replied], "I pray to God, whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who are listening to me today may become such [people] as I also am, except for these bonds!"

And on the next [day], we put in at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed [him] to go to [his] friends {to be cared for}.

And there the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy [and] put us {on board} it.

And sailing along its coast with difficulty, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was the town [of] Lasea.

And [because] the harbor was unsuitable for spending the winter in, the majority decided on a plan to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing toward the southwest and toward the northwest, to spend the winter [there].

But [when] neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and [with] not a little bad weather confronting [us], finally all hope was abandoned [that] we would be saved.

And now I urge you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life from among you, but only of the ship.

For this night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve came to me,

saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary [for] you to stand before Caesar, and behold, God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.'

Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will be like this--according to {the} way it was told to me.

And [because they] were afraid lest somewhere we run aground against rough places, they threw down four anchors from the stern [and] prayed for day to come.

Therefore I urge you to take [some] food, for this is necessary for your preservation. For not a hair from your head will be lost."

And slipping the anchors, they left [them] in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes of the steering oars. And hoisting the foresail to the [wind] that was blowing, they held course for the beach.

And the local inhabitants showed {extraordinary} kindness to us, for they lit a fire [and] welcomed us all, because of the rain that had begun and because of the cold.

And [when] Paul had gathered a large number of sticks and was placing [them] on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat [and] fastened itself on his hand.

He, in turn, shook off the creature into the fire [and] suffered no harm.

But they were expecting [that] he was going to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead. So [after] they had waited for a long [time] and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds [and] began saying [that] he was a god.

Now in the [regions] around that place were fields belonging to the chief official of the island, {named} Publius, who welcomed us [and] entertained [us] hospitably [for] three days.

And from there the brothers, [when they] heard the [news] about us, came to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns. [When he] saw them, Paul gave thanks to God [and] took courage.

who, [when they] had examined me, were wanting to release [me], because there was no basis for an accusation [worthy] of death with me.

Therefore for this reason I have requested to see you and to speak with [you], for because of the hope of Israel I am wearing this chain!"

But we would like to hear from you what you think, for concerning this sect it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere."

For the heart of this people has become dull, and with [their] ears they hear with difficulty, and they have shut their eyes, lest they see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and turn, and I would heal them." '

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called [to be] an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name,

First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world.

For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you,

For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, "But the one who is righteous by faith will live."

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

because what can be known about God is evident among them, for God made [it] clear to them.

For from the creation of the world, his invisible [attributes], both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse.

For [although they] knew God, they did not honor [him] as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed for eternity. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature,

and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error.

Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one [of you] who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same [things].

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

[There will be] affliction and distress for every {human being} who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek,

For [there] is no partiality with God.

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

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

For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, [although they] do not have the law, are a law to themselves,

For just as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

For circumcision is of value if you do the law, but if you should be a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Therefore, if the uncircumcised person follows the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be credited for circumcision?

For the Jew is not {one outwardly}, nor [is] circumcision {outwardly}, in the flesh.

Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

What then? Do we have an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks are all under sin,

The fear of God is not before their eyes."

For by the works of the law {no person will be declared righteous} before him, for through the law [comes] knowledge of sin.

that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For [there] is no distinction,

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins,

in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the [person] by faith in Jesus.

For we consider a person to be justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

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

For what does the scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness."

But to the one who does not work, but who believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness,

Therefore, [is] this blessing for {those who are circumcised}, or also for {those who are uncircumcised}? For we say, "Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness."

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, [that] he would be heir of the world, [was] not through the law, but through the righteousness by faith.

For if those of the law [are] heirs, faith is rendered void and the promise is nullified.

For the law produces wrath, but where [there] is no law, neither [is there] transgression.

Therefore it was credited to him for righteousness.

But it was not written for the sake of him alone that it was credited to him,

but also for the sake of us to whom it is going to be credited, to those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

For [while] we were still helpless, yet at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly.

For only rarely will someone die on behalf of a righteous person (for on behalf of a good person possibly someone might even dare to die),

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

For if, [while we] were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not charged to one's account [when there] is no law.

{But the gift is not like the trespass}, for if by the trespass of the one, the many died, by much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, multiply to the many.

And the gift [is] not as through the one who sinned, for on the one hand, judgment from the one [sin] [led] to condemnation, but the gift, from many trespasses, [led] to justification.

For if by the trespass of the one [man], death reigned through the one [man], much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.

For if we have become identified with [him] in the likeness of his death, certainly also we will be [identified with him in the likeness] of [his] resurrection,

For the one who has died has been freed from sin.

For that [death] he died, he died to sin once and never again, but that [life] he lives, he lives to God.

For sin will not be master over you, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Do you not know that to whomever you present yourselves [as] slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whomever you obey, whether sin, [leading] to death, or obedience, [leading] to righteousness?

and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

(I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you presented your members [as] slaves to immorality and lawlessness, [leading] to lawlessness, so now present your members [as] slaves to righteousness, [leading] to sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with respect to righteousness.

Therefore what sort of fruit did you have then, about which you are now ashamed? For the end of those [things] [is] death.

But now, having been set free from sin and having been enslaved to God, you have your fruit [leading] to sanctification, and its end [is] eternal life.

For the compensation due sin [is] death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is master of a person for as long a time [as] he lives?

For the married woman is bound by law to [her] husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the husband.

Therefore as a result, if she belongs to another man [while] her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress [if she] belongs to another man.

So then, my brothers, you also were brought to death with respect to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

For when we were in the flesh, sinful desires were working through the law in our members, to bear fruit for death.

What then shall we say? [Is] the law sin? May it never be! But I would not have known sin except through the law, for I would not have known covetousness if the law had not said, "Do not covet."

But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all [kinds of] covetousness. For apart from the law, sin [is] dead.

For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed [me].

Therefore, [did that which is] good become death to me? May it never be! Rather [it was] sin, in order that it might be recognized [as] sin, producing death through [what is] good for me, in order that sin might become sinful to an extraordinary degree through the commandment.