as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.

“But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,

And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’

“A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth.

For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’

And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

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.

Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?”

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

he said, “I will give you a hearing after your accusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium.

we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.

For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

ordering his accusers to come before you.] By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him.”

other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’”

But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.”

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.”

while Paul said in his own defense, “I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”

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.

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;

Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer.

Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write.

“In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today;

especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

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

And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.

“While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘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; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;

but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

While Paul 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.”

Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”

And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”

and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”

Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually 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.

saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’

Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.

Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing.

Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.”

Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat.

All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food.

All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons.

And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach.

and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.

The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.

saying,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him,

preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,

to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

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

being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

who will render to each person according to his deeds:

There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,

For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law,

So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?

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

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;

All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;

because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

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

since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,

and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

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

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

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

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.

So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?