Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

'God, who did make the world, and all things in it, this One, of heaven and of earth being Lord, in temples made with hands doth not dwell,

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

There he met a certain Jewish man named Aquila, a native of Pontus, [in northern Asia Minor] who, with his wife Priscilla, had recently come from Rome, because Claudius [the Roman Emperor] had ordered all Jews out of that city. Paul met this couple

By the time Silas and Timotheus came south from Macedonia, Paul was engrossed in this preaching of the word, arguing to the Jews that the messiah was Jesus.

But when they disputed and blasphemed, shaking his garments he said to them, Your blood be upon your heads; I, pure, from this time will go to the gentiles.

So, he left [this assembly of Jews] and went to the house of a certain man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was right next door to the synagogue.

And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house. And hearing this, many of the Corinthians believed and were baptized.

For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

But when Paul was about to say something, Gallio said to the Jews, If this was anything to do with wrongdoing or crime, there would be a reason for me to give you a hearing:

If indeed this was now a matter of injustice, or wicked knavery, with reason I should hear you patiently; but if it be merely a controversy about the word, and names, and a law peculiar to yourselves, settle it yourselves: for I will be no judge of these matters.

Saying this, he drove them back from the Bench.

Then the Greeks all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him right in front of the judgment seat; but Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

And when he landed at Ceasarea, he went up [Note: This would mean either up to Ceasarea or up to Jerusalem] and greeted the church [there], then went down to Antioch [in Syria].

This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

this one also began to speak boldly in the synagogue, and Aquilas and Priscilla having heard of him, took him to them, and did more exactly expound to him the way of God,

upon which Paul said, John indeed administer'd the baptism of repentance, but with this admonition, that they should believe in him, who was to come after, that is, in Jesus the Messias.

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

But some became stubborn and refused to obey [the message], saying false things about "the Way" [Note: This was a term used to designate the early church] in front of the large crowds. So, Paul left [the synagogue] and took the disciples and began holding discussions every day at Tyrannus' school [house].

And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Upon this, certain vagabond Jews, who were exorcists, pretended to cure demoniacs by pronouncing the name of the Lord Jesus: their form being this, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."

And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.

Then the man, in whom this wicked spirit was, sprang upon them, mastered both of them, and so completely overpowered them, that they fled out of the house, stripped of their clothes, and wounded.

And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

In this way the word of the Lord was growing in power and was prevailing.

When matters had reached this point, Paul decided in his own mind to travel through Macedonia and Greece, and go to Jerusalem. "After that," he said, "I must also see Rome."

It was about that time that a great commotion arose over the Way. This was how it happened.

Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

And when they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesus.

upon this Paul was bent upon going. to the populace,

When the city recorder had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, who in the world doesn't know that this city of Ephesus is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell down from heaven?

All this is beyond question. So you should keep calm and do nothing reckless.

But if you want anything beyond this, it will be settled in the lawful assembly.

For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.

After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.

This disturbance being over, Paul sent for the disciples, took his leave and departed for Macedonia.

And we [ourselves] sailed away from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread [Note: This was the Jewish feast commemorating deliverance from Egyptian bondage], and five days later [we] joined them at Troas [i.e., the seven men mentioned in verses

and a youth of the name of Eutychus was sitting at the window. This lad, gradually sinking into deep sleep while Paul preached at unusual length, overcome at last by sleep, fell from the second floor and was taken up dead.

But we went on ahead to the ship [and] put out to sea for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. For having made arrangements in this way, he himself was intending to travel by land.

This was because Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, to avoid any loss of time in Asia; he wanted to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

Only, I know this, that in town after town the holy Spirit testifies to me that bonds and troubles are awaiting me.

But I esteem this a matter of no importance, nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I have received from the Lord Jesus, to bear full testimony to the gospel of the grace of God.

Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. This message is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

In everything I showed you [by example] that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed [and brings greater joy] to give than to receive.’”

After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them.

Now this man had four virgin daughters, who prophesied.

And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Now when we had heard this, both we and the local residents began pleading with Paul trying to persuade him not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart [like this]? For I am ready not only to be bound and imprisoned, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

After this we made our preparations and started for Jerusalem.

And [when] they heard [this], they began to glorify God. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many ten thousands there are among the Jews who have believed, and they are all zealous adherents of the law.

Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;

these take, and perform the rites of purification with them, contributing to the expence of having their heads shav'd: this will convince them, what has been reported of you, is all groundless, and that you stick to the observances of the law.

as for the believing Gentiles, we have given them by letter this decision, "they need only take care to abstain from meats offered to idols, from blood, from the flesh of animals strangled, and from fornication."

On this, Paul joined the men, and the next day shared their purification, and went into the Temple, and gave notice of the expiration of the period of purification when the usual offering should have been made on behalf of each of them.

Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

For, before this time, they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, whom they supposed Paul had brought into the temple.

Some of the crowd shouted this and some that. Since the tribune couldn't learn the facts due to the confusion, he ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks.

Are you by chance the Egyptian who, before this, got the people worked up against the government and took four thousand men of the Assassins out into the waste land?

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

The head priest can also verify all this, and so can the body of [Jewish] elders. They furnished me with letters to our fellow-Jews in Damascus, to which I also traveled to bring people back here to Jerusalem, bound in chains to be punished.

"And then it suddenly happened, about noon, as I was traveling and got close to Damascus, that this brilliant light from the sky flashed all around me.

Since I could not see because of the dazzling sheen of that light, I was led by the hand by my companions and in this way I reached Damascus.

And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

the military tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying he was to be examined with a lash so that he could find out for what reason they were crying out against him in this way.

When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

[At this] the high priest Ananias ordered those who stood beside him to strike Paul on the mouth.

At this Paul told him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! How can you sit there and judge me according to the Law, and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?"

Now when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried in the sanhedrim, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: for the hope and resurrection of the dead am I brought to this bar.

And when he had spoken this, there was a tumult of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided.

And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough inquiry. We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place."

But a son of Paul's sister hearing of this lying in wait, went and entering into the fortress told Paul.

Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

And he said, The Jews are in agreement together to make a request to you for Paul to be taken, on the day after this, into the Sanhedrin, to be questioned in greater detail.

So do not let them persuade you to do this, because more than forty of them are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request."

So the commander let the young man leave, instructing him, “Do not tell anyone that you have given me this information.”

Then he called two of his officers and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, by nine o'clock tonight." [Note: This was calculated according to Jewish time].

And he wrote a letter after this manner:

As this man was seized by the Jews,

This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

And wishing to know the cause for which they accused him, I brought him down to this council:

and a plot having been intimated to me against this man -- about to be of the Jews -- at once I sent unto thee, having given command also to the accusers to say the things against him before thee; be strong.'