It was then decided by the Apostles and the Officers, with the assent of the whole Church, to choose some of their number, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Those chosen were Judas (called Barsabas) and Silas, who were leading men among the Brethren.

They were bearers of the following letter--'The Apostles, and the Brothers who are the Officers of the Church, send their greetings to the Brethren of Gentile birth in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

So the bearers of this letter were sent on their way, and went down to Antioch. There they called a meeting of all the brethren,

Judas and Silas, who were themselves Prophets, further encouraged the Brethren by many an address, and strengthened their faith.

After some stay, they were dismissed with kind farewells from the Brethren, and returned to those who had sent them.

They next went through the Phrygian district of Galatia, but were restrained by the Holy Spirit from delivering the Message in Roman Asia.

On the Sabbath we went outside the gate to the river-side, where we supposed there would be a Place of Prayer; and we sat down and talked to the women who were gathered there.

One day, as we were on our way to the Place of Prayer, we were met by a girl possessed by a divining spirit, who made large profits for her masters by fortune-telling.

About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and while the prisoners were listening to them,

Suddenly there was an earthquake of such violence that the Jail was shaken to its foundations; all the doors flew open, and all the prisoners' chains were loosened.

And that very hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he himself and every one belonging to him were baptized without delay.

The police reported his words to the Magistrates, who, on hearing that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, were alarmed,

Some of the people were convinced, and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas, as did also a large body of Greeks who were accustomed to join in the Jewish services, and a great number of women belonging to the leading families.

On hearing this, the people and the City Magistrates were much concerned;

These Jews of Beroea were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the Message with great readiness, and daily examined the Scriptures to see if what was said was true.

There were, however, some men who joined him, and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others.

Crispus, the President of the Synagogue, came to believe in the Lord, and so did all his household; and many of the Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, became believers in Christ and were baptized.

Just as Paul was on the point of speaking, Gallio said to the Jews: "Jews, if this were a case of misdemeanor or some serious crime, there would be some reason for my listening patiently to you;

On hearing this, they were baptized into the faith of the Lord Jesus,

There were about twelve of them in all.

An attempt was made by some itinerant Jews, who were exorcists, to use the Name of the Lord Jesus over those who had wicked spirits in them. "I adjure you," they would say, "by the Jesus, whom Paul preaches."

The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish Chief Priest, were doing this;

This incident came to the knowledge of all the Jews and Greeks living at Ephesus; they were all awe-struck, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was held in the highest honor.

When they heard this, the men were greatly enraged, and began shouting--"Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

The commotion spread through the whole city, and the people rushed together into the amphitheater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions.

While some of the chief religious officials of the province, who were friendly to him, sent repeated entreaties to him not to trust himself inside.

Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and some another, for the Assembly was all in confusion, most of those present not even knowing why they had met.

On the first day of the week, when we had met for the Breaking of Bread, Paul, who was intending to leave the next day, began to address those who were present, and prolonged his address till midnight.

There were a good many lamps in the upstairs room, where we had met;

Meanwhile they had taken the lad away alive, and were greatly comforted.

All were in tears; and throwing their arms round Paul's neck, they kissed him again and again,

Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, and brought Mnason with them, a Cypriot disciple of long standing, with whom we were to stay.

And the next day Paul went with us to see James, and all the Officers of the Church were present.

But, just as the seven days were drawing to a close, the Jews from Roman Asia caught sight of Paul in the Temple, and caused great excitement among all the people present, by seizing Paul and shouting:

(For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in Paul's company in the city, and were under the belief that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

The whole city was stirred, and the people quickly collected, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple, when the doors were immediately shut.

They were bent upon killing him, when it was reported to the Officer commanding the garrison, that all Jerusalem was in commotion.

For the people were following in a mass, shouting out: "Kill him!"

When they heard that he was speaking to them in Hebrew, they were still more quiet; and Paul went on:

And, when the blood of your martyr, Stephen, was being shed, I was myself standing by, approving of his death, and took charge of the clothes of those who were murdering him.

As they were shouting, tearing off their clothes, and throwing dust in the air,

The men who were to have examined Paul immediately drew back, and the Officer, finding that Paul was a Roman citizen, was alarmed at having put him in chains.

Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the Council: "Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial."

There were more than forty in the plot;

When I found that their charges were connected with questions of their own Law, and that there was nothing alleged involving either death or imprisonment.

There were, however, some Jews from Roman Asia who ought to have been here before you, and to have made any charge that they may have against me--

And asked a favor of him, to Paul's injury--to have Paul brought to Jerusalem. All the while they were plotting to make away with him on the road.

And, as they were staying there for several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the King. "There is a man here," he said, "left a prisoner by Felix,

But I found that there were certain questions in dispute between them about their own religion, and about some dead man called Jesus, whom Paul declared to be alive.

And, as I was at a loss how to enquire into questions of this kind, I asked Paul if he were willing to go up to Jerusalem, and there be put upon his trial.

As it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were put in charge of a Captain of the Augustan Guard, named Julius.

And, as the harbor was not a suitable one to winter in, the majority were in favor of continuing the voyage, in hope of being able to reach Phoenix, and winter there. Phoenix was a Cretan harbor, open to the north-east and south-east.

So violently were we tossed about by the storm, that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard,

As neither sun nor stars were visible for several days, and, as the gale still continued severe, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

It was now the fourteenth night of the storm, and we were drifting about in the Adriatic Sea, when, about midnight, the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near land.

Then, as they were afraid of our being driven upon some rocky coast, they let go four anchors from the stern, and longed for daylight.

There were about seventy-six of us on board, all told.

When we were all safe, we found that the island was called Malta.

The natives were expecting inflammation to set in, or that he would suddenly fall dead; but, after waiting for a long time, and seeing that there was nothing amiss with him, they changed their minds and said that he was a God.

After this, all the people in the island who had any illness came to Paul, and were cured.

There we found some of the Brethren, and were urged to stay a week with them; after which we went on to Rome.

The Romans, when they had examined me, were ready to release me, because there was nothing in my conduct deserving death.

Some were inclined to accept what he said; others, however, rejected it.

Because, although they learned to know God, yet they did not offer him as God either praise or thanksgiving. Their speculations about him proved futile, and their undiscerning minds were darkened.

While the men, disregarding that for which women were intended by nature, were consumed with passion for one another. Men indulged in vile practices with men, and incurred in their own persons the inevitable penalty for their perverseness.

They reveled in every form of wickedness, evil, greed, vice. Their lives were full of envy, murder, quarreling, treachery, malice.

They were undiscerning, untrustworthy, without natural affection or pity.

If, then, an uncircumcised man pays regard to the requirements of the Law, will not he, although not circumcised, be regarded by God as if he were?

Great in every way. First of all, because the Jews were entrusted with God's utterances.

What follows, then? Are we Jews in any way superior to others? Not at all. Our indictment against both Jews and Greeks was that all alike were in subjection to sin.

Now these words-'it was regarded as righteousness'-were not written with reference to Abraham only;

Seeing that, while we were still powerless, Christ, in God's good time, died on behalf of the godless.

But God puts his love for us beyond all doubt by the fact that Christ died on our behalf while we were still sinners.

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, much more, now that we have become reconciled, shall we be saved by virtue of Christ's Life.

But there is a contrast between Adam's Offence and God's gracious Gift. For, if by reason of the offence of the one man the whole race died, far more were the loving-kindness of God, and the gift given in the loving-kindness of the one man, Jesus Christ, lavished upon the whole race.

Law was introduced in order that offences might be multiplied. But, where sins were multiplied, the loving-kindness of God was lavished the more,

Or can it be that you do not know that all of us, who were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, in our baptism shared his death?

Consequently, through sharing his death in our baptism, we were buried with him; that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by a manifestation of the Father's power, so we also may live a new Life.

God be thanked that, though you were once servants of Sin, yet you learned to give hearty obedience to that form of doctrine under which you were placed.

While you were still servants of Sin, you were free as regards Righteousness.

But what were the fruits that you reaped from those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of such things is Death.

When we were living merely earthly lives, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were active in every part of our bodies, with the result that our lives bore fruit for Death.

By our hope we were saved. But the thing hoped for is no longer an object of hope when it is before our eyes; for who hopes for what is before his eyes?

I could wish that I were myself accursed and severed from the Christ, for the sake of my Brothers-my own countrymen.

For in order that the purpose of God, working through selection, might not fail-a selection depending, not on obedience, but on his Call-Rebecca was told, before her children were born and before they had done anything either right or wrong,

And what if God, intending to reveal his displeasure and make his power known, bore most patiently with the objects of his displeasure, though they were fit only to be destroyed,

This, indeed, is what he says in the Book of Hosea-'I will call those my People who were not my People, and her my beloved who was not beloved.

What are we to say, then? Why, that Gentiles, who were not in search of righteousness, secured it-a righteousness which was the result of faith;

And Isaiah says boldly--'I was found by those who were not seeking me; I made myself known to those who were not inquiring of me.

But I am speaking to you who were Gentiles.

Some, however, of the branches were broken off, and you, who were only a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and came to share with them the root which is the source of the richness of the cultivated olive.

But branches, you will say, were broken off, so that I might be grafted in.

True; it was because of their want of faith that they were broken off, and it is because of your faith that you are standing. Do not think too highly of yourself, but beware.

If you were cut off from your natural stock--a wild olive-- and were grafted, contrary to the course of nature, upon a good olive, much more will they--the natural branches--be grafted back into their parent tree.

Just as you at one time were disobedient to him, but have now found mercy in the day of their disobedience;

Even the Christ did not please himself! On the contrary, as Scripture says of him--'The reproaches of those who were reproaching thee fell upon me.'

Yes, they were glad to do so; and indeed it is a duty which they owe to them. For the Gentile converts who have shared their spiritual blessings are in duty bound to minister to them in the things of this world.

For through union with him you were enriched in every way-in your power to preach, and in your knowledge of the Truth;

You have rent the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? or were you baptized into the Faith of Paul?

So that no one can say that you were baptized into my Faith.