When the crowd 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 crowds.

Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, to whom we gave no commandment;

men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth.

Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

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.

The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace."

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 indeed. Let them come themselves and bring us out."

When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

'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.'

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

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

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

whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.

They brought Alexander out of the crowd, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defense to the people.

For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another.

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.

They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law.

They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs.

What then? They will certainly hear that you have come.

Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow.

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.

But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality."

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

Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, "Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day."

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

They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

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

And 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.

Therefore do not yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you."

So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, "Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me."

For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

When the governor had beckoned to him to speak, Paul answered, "Because I know that you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I cheerfully make my defense,

They ought to have been here before you, and to make accusation, if they had anything against me.

He ordered the centurion that he should be kept in custody, and should have some privileges, and not to forbid any of his friends to serve him or to visit him.

while he said in his defense, "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all."

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 do not 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."

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go."

Of whom I have no certain thing to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him forth before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after examination, I may have something to write.

But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you;

Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

Because the haven was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised going to sea from there, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, and winter there, which is a port of Crete, looking northeast and southeast.

When they had been long without food, Paul stood up in the middle of them, and said, "Sirs, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from Crete, and have gotten this injury and loss.

But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

For this people's heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, and I would heal them.'

Now I do not desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

I have an obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. So they are without excuse.

Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God abandoned them to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

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

(for when Gentiles who do not have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves,

Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision?

They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, there is not even one."

"Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit." "The poison of vipers is under their lips;"

The way of peace, they have not known."

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

As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations." This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

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

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;

For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.

But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be. However, I would not have known sin, except through the law. For I would not have known coveting, unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.

that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.

For this is a word of promise, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son."

For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

As Isaiah has said before, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah."

For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a proclaimer?

"Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life."

But how does God answer him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

For as you in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,

even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy.

For God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.

For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members do not have the same function,

For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same,

Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not judge himself in that which he approves.

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God.

in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ;

But, as it is written, "They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who have not heard will understand."

Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.

When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain.

that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints;

For your obedience has become known to all. I rejoice therefore over you. But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil.

which none of the rulers of this age has understood. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

For "who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to go beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.

For who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

You are already filled. You have already become rich. You have come to reign without us. Yes, and I wish that you did reign, that we also might reign with you.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor.

Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place.