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

And they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you present?

For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean."

(Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Now when they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."

But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

for I am with you, and no man will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city."

And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio paid no attention to this.

They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures.

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"

Many also of those who believed now came, confessing and disclosing their practices.

Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."

About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.

For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.

These he gathered together, with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.

And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all.

Now some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of the people did not know why they had come together.

And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven?

As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."

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

And now, behold, bound in the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

And now, behold, I know that all of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

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

I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes.

You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.

take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in observance of the law.

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek?

Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; I beg you, let me speak to the people."

"Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you."

Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.

Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in you.

But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

And Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the 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 an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

You therefore, along with the council, give notice now to the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."

But do not yield to them; for more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him, having bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you."

So the commander dismissed the young man, instructing him, "Tell no one that you have informed me of this."

And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council.

I found that he was accused over questions about their Law, but there was no accusation against him deserving death or imprisonment.

Since you can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship.

Neither can they prove to you the charges they are now making against me.

Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings.

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

If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of the charges brought against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar."

Now when a few days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus.

So then, all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem.

And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers;

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do."

As much time had been lost, and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast had already gone by, Paul advised them,

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was raging on us, all hope of our being saved was finally abandoned.

Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage; for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."

However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days.

And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death.

But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against."

asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last find the way to come to you.

I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have some harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Though they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge another; for in whatever point you pass judgment on him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.

We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things.

Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

For God shows no partiality.

and know his will and approve of what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law,

As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;

there is no one who understands, no one who seeks for God.

All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

and the way of peace they do not know."

"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Therefore no flesh will be justified in his sight by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it,

the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For there is no difference,

Where then is our boasting? It is excluded. On what law? On the law of works? No, but on the law of faith.

Now to him who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due.

For if those who are of the law are to be the heirs, faith has no value and the promise is void,

because the law brings wrath, for where there is no law there is no transgression.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved through him from the wrath of God.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

(For sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted when there is no law.

Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

For we know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one to obey as slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

I am speaking in human terms, because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for holiness.

But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is holiness and its end, eternal life.

Do you not know, brethrenfor I am speaking to those who know the lawthat the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

But now, by dying to what once held us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

So then, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.