As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"

The priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes.

"Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them;

But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses."

God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us.

He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are."

This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,

"Therefore my judgment is that we don't trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,

but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, 'You must be circumcised and keep the law,' to whom we gave no commandment;

it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:

As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.

When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."

When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.

and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.

A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay." So she persuaded us.

It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.

Following Paul and us, she cried out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!"

and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans."

But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!"

Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."

whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!"

Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.

But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.

They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?

For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.

neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.

that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

'For in him we live, and move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'

Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.

He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said to him, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."

This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands.

Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships."

When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, "You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

When he had spent three months there, and a plot was made against him by Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.

These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

But these had gone ahead, and were waiting for us at Troas.

A certain young man named Eutychus sat in the window, weighed down with deep sleep. As Paul spoke still longer, being weighed down by his sleep, he fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead.

Paul went down, and fell upon him, and embracing him said, "Don't be troubled, for his life is in him."

When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard, and came to Mitylene.

For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.

When they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you all the time,

Now, brothers, I entrust you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build up, and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

When it happened that we had accomplished the days, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed.

As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

Coming to us, and taking Paul's belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit: 'So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"

Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.

When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.

The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.

Take them, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law.

When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him,

crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!"

As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, "May I speak to you?" He said, "Do you know Greek?

"I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day.

As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

It happened that, as I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from the sky a great light around me.

As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,

When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?"

When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, "Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!"

Paul said, "I didn't know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

The following night, the Lord stood by him, and said, "Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome."

Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near."

The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

He said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, "Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night."

But, that I don't delay you, I entreat you to bear with us and hear a few words.

seeing that you can recognize that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem.

amid which certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, not with a mob, nor with turmoil.

unless it is for this one thing that I cried standing among them, 'Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged before you today!'"

As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, "Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you."

"Let them therefore," said he, "that are in power among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him."

But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.

For if I have done wrong, and have committed anything worthy of death, I don't refuse to die; but if none of those things is true that they accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!"

As he stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix;

To whom I answered that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man to destruction, before the accused has met the accusers face to face, and has had opportunity to make his defense concerning the matter laid against him.

Concerning whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of such things as I supposed;

Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all men who are here present with us, you see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.

But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor I determined to send him.

Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?

"Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,

As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!"