Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered all of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia.

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.

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

There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

He was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting in the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep. And as Paul talked on and on, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

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,

how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo.

On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him.

Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.

While they were trying to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

Then the commander came up and arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.

When he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

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?

When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

And those who were with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

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

"When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance

When the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I also was standing by and approving, and keeping the garments of those who were killing him.'

But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?"

The commander answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately; and the commander also was afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.

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.'"

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

The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.

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

This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them, when I came upon them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

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

And when I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to bring charges against him before you."

When he had read the letter, he asked from what province he was, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia,

And when Paul was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying to Felix: "Since through you we have enjoyed much peace, and since by your provision, reforms are introduced on behalf of this nation,

As I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from Asia

But some days later Felix came with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you."

At the same time, he was hoping that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.

But when two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

Festus answered that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself intended to go there shortly.

While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix;

and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for sentence against him.

Being at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters.

So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.

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.

I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

"On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

"So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

And as he was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad."

For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner.

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius.

And embarking in a ship from Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

We sailed along it with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

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

But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.

Because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

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.

As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and without food, having taken nothing.

But striking a sandbar they ran the vessel aground; the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, and the stern was broken up by the pounding of the surf.

The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape.

When we had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta.

The natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.

They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but after they had waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

It happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed sick with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.

And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him.

After three days Paul called together the local leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

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

But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesarnot that I had any charge to bring against my own nation.

concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

whom God put forward as an atoning sacrifice by his blood, to be received through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over sins committed beforehand;

and it was to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

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

For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

Is this blessedness only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.

How then was it reckoned to him? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be reckoned to them.

And he is also the father of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

And he did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

That is why it was "reckoned to him as righteousness."

But the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,

who was delivered to death for our sins and was raised for our justification.

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

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

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.

Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit to God.

What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.

The very commandment which was to bring life I found to be death to me.

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But it was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weakened through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin: he condemned sin in the flesh,

For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of him who subjected it in hope;

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who is also interceding for us.