015:033 After they had spent some time there, they were sent back
with greetings from the brothers to the apostles.
015:034 {Some manuscripts add: But it seemed good to Silas to stay there.}
015:035 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching
the word of the Lord, with many others also.
015:036 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's return now
and visit our brothers in every city in which we proclaimed
the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing."
015:037 Barnabas planned to take John, who was called Mark,
with them also.
015:038 But Paul didn't think that it was a good idea to take
with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia,
and didn't go with them to do the work.
015:039 Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated
from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed
away to Cyprus,
015:040 but Paul chose Silas, and went out, being commended by the brothers
to the grace of God.
015:041 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.
016:001 He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple
was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed;
but his father was a Greek.
016:002 The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good
testimony about him.
016:003 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.
016:004 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered
the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by
the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.
016:005 So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased
in number daily.
016:006 When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia,
they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
016:007 When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia,
but the Spirit didn't allow them.
016:008 Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
016:009 A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man
of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, "Come over
into Macedonia and help us."
016:010 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out
to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach
the Good News to them.
016:011 Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course
to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;
016:012 and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia,
the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying
some days in this city.
016:013 On the Sabbath day we went forth outside of the city by a riverside,
where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down,
and spoke to the women who had come together.
016:014 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city
of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord
opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.
016:015 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.
016:016 It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain girl
having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters
much gain by fortune telling.
016:017 Following Paul and us, she cried out, "These men are servants
of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation!"
016:018 She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming
greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I charge
you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!"
It came out that very hour.
016:019 But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone,
they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace
before the rulers.
016:020 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said,
"These men, being Jews, are agitating our city,
016:021 and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to accept
or to observe, being Romans."
016:022 The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates
tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be
beaten with rods.
016:023 When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them
into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely,
016:024 who, having received such a charge, threw them into the inner prison,
and secured their feet in the stocks.
016:025 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
016:026 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations
of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors
were opened, and everyone's bonds were loosened.
016:027 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison
doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
016:028 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, "Don't harm yourself,
for we are all here!"
016:029 He called for lights and sprang in, and, fell down trembling
before Paul and Silas,
016:030 and brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
016:031 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will
be saved, you and your household."
016:032 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were
in his house.
016:033 He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes,
and was immediately baptized, he and all his household.
016:034 He brought them up into his house, and set food before them,
and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having
believed in God.
016:035 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants,
saying, "Let those men go."
016:036 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates
have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace."
016:037 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, most certainly,
but let them come themselves and bring us out!"
016:038 The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates,
and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans,
016:039 and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out,
they asked them to depart from the city.
016:040 They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia's house.
When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.
017:001 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia,
they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
017:002 Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath
days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
017:003 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer
and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus,
whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."
017:004 Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas,
of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few
of the chief women.
017:005 But the unpersuaded Jews took along{TR reads "And the Jews
who were unpersuaded, becoming envious and taking along"
instead of "But the unpersuaded Jews took along"} some
wicked men from the marketplace, and gathering a crowd,
set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason,
they sought to bring them out to the people.
017:006 When they didn't find them, they dragged Jason and certain
brothers{The word for "brothers" here and where the context
allows may be also correctly translated "brothers and sisters"
or "siblings."} before the rulers of the city, crying, "These who
have turned the world upside down have come here also,
017:007 whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees
of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!"
017:008 The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they
heard these things.
017:009 When they had taken security from Jason and the rest,
they let them go.
017:010 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea.
When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
017:011 Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
017:012 Many of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women,
and not a few men.
017:013 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word
of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came
there likewise, agitating the multitudes.
017:014 Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far
as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.
017:015 But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens.
Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should
come to him very quickly, they departed.
017:016 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked
within him as he saw the city full of idols.
017:017 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons,
and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
017:018 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also{TR omits
"also"} were conversing with him. Some said, "What does
this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be
advocating foreign deities," because he preached Jesus
and the resurrection.
017:019 They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus,
saying, "May we know what this new teaching is, which is
spoken by you?
017:020 For you bring certain strange things to our ears.
We want to know therefore what these things mean."
017:021 Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent
their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear
some new thing.
017:022 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said,
"You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious
in all things.
017:023 For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship,
I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.'
What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
017:024 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord
of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands,
017:025 neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything,
seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
017:026 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all
the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons,
and the boundaries of their dwellings,
017:027 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach
out for him and find him, though he is not far from each
one of us.
017:028 '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.'
017:029 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think
that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone,
engraved by art and design of man.
017:030 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked.
But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
017:031 because he has appointed a day in which he will judge
the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained;
of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has
raised him from the dead."
017:032 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked;
but others said, "We want to hear you again concerning this."
017:033 Thus Paul went out from among them.
017:034 But certain men joined with him, and believed, among whom
also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris,
and others with them.
018:001 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth.
018:002 He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race,
who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome.
He came to them,
018:003 and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them
and worked, for by trade they were tent makers.
018:004 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded
Jews and Greeks.
018:005 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was
compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus
was the Christ.
018:006 When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing
and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean.
From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!"
018:007 He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man
named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door
to the synagogue.
018:008 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord
with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard,
believed and were baptized.
018:009 The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Don't be afraid,
but speak and don't be silent;
018:010 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you,
for I have many people in this city."
018:011 He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word
of God among them.
018:012 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord
rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,
018:013 saying, "This man persuades men to worship God contrary
to the law."
018:014 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to
the Jews, "If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime,
you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you;
018:015 but if they are questions about words and names and your own law,
look to it yourselves. For I don't want to be a judge
of these matters."
018:016 He drove them from the judgment seat.
018:017 Then all the Greeks laid hold on Sosthenes, the ruler
of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat.
Gallio didn't care about any of these things.
018:018 Paul, having stayed after this many more days,
took his leave of the brothers,{The word for "brothers"
here and where the context allows may also be correctly
translated "brothers and sisters" or "siblings."} and sailed
from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila.
He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow.
018:019 He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself
entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
018:020 When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined;
018:021 but taking his leave of them, and saying, "I must by all means
keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again
to you if God wills," he set sail from Ephesus.
018:022 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly,
and went down to Antioch.
018:023 Having spent some time there, he departed, and went
through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order,
establishing all the disciples.
018:024 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race,
an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.
018:025 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being
fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things
concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.
018:026 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla
and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained
to him the way of God more accurately.
018:027 When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers
encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him.
When he had come, he greatly helped those who had
believed through grace;
018:028 for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by
the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
019:001 It happened that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul,
having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus,
and found certain disciples.
019:002 He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They said to him, "No, we haven't even heard that there
is a Holy Spirit."
019:003 He said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said,
"Into John's baptism."
019:004 Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance,
saying to the people that they should believe in the one
who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."
019:005 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus.
019:006 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.
019:007 They were about twelve men in all.
019:008 He entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for a period
of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things
concerning the Kingdom of God.
019:009 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of
the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated
the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
019:010 This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia
heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
019:011 God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,
019:012 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from
his body to the sick, and the evil spirits went out.
019:013 But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves
to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the
Lord Jesus, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."
019:014 There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest,
who did this.
019:015 The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know,
but who are you?"
019:016 The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them,
and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they
fled out of that house naked and wounded.
019:017 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus.
Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
019:018 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing,
and declaring their deeds.
019:019 Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their
books together and burned them in the sight of all.
They counted the price of them, and found it to be fifty
thousand pieces of silver.{The 50,000 pieces of silver
here probably referred to 50,000 drachmas. If so, the value
of the burned books was equivalent to about 160 man-years
of wages for agricultural laborers}
019:020 So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
019:021 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."
019:022 Having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him,
Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
019:023 About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.
019:024 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made
silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business
to the craftsmen,
019:025 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation,
and said, "Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.
019:026 You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout
all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people,
saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands.
019:027 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute,
but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis
will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed,
whom all Asia and the world worships."
019:028 When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out,
saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
019:029 The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one
accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus,
men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel.
019:030 When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples
didn't allow him.
019:031 Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him
and begged him not to venture into the theater.
019:032 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the
assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn't know why they
had come together.
019:033 They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting
him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would
have made a defense to the people.
019:034 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice
for a time of about two hours cried out, "Great is Artemis
of the Ephesians!"
019:035 When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, "You men
of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn't know that the city
of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis,
and of the image which fell down from Zeus?
019:036 Seeing then that these things can't be denied, you ought
to be quiet, and to do nothing rash.
019:037 For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers
of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
019:038 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.
019:039 But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled
in the regular assembly.
019:040 For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning this
day's riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn't
be able to give an account of this commotion."
019:041 When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
020:001 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples,
took leave of them, and departed to go into Macedonia.
020:002 When he had gone through those parts, and had encouraged them
with many words, he came into Greece.
020:003 When he had spent three months there, and a plot was made
against him by Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria,
he determined to return through Macedonia.
020:004 These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus
and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy;
and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
020:005 But these had gone ahead, and were waiting for us at Troas.
020:006 We sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread,
and came to them at Troas in five days, where we stayed seven days.
020:007 On the first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered
together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart
on the next day, and continued his speech until midnight.
020:008 There were many lights in the upper chamber where we{TR reads "they"
instead of "we"} were gathered together.
020:009 A certain young man named Eutychus sat in the window,
weighed down with deep sleep. As Paul spoke still longer,
being weighed down by his sleep, he fell down from the third story,
and was taken up dead.
020:010 Paul went down, and fell upon him, and embracing him said,
"Don't be troubled, for his life is in him."
020:011 When he had gone up, and had broken bread, and eaten,
and had talked with them a long while, even until break
of day, he departed.
020:012 They brought the boy in alive, and were greatly comforted.
020:013 But we who went ahead to the ship set sail for Assos,
intending to take Paul aboard there, for he had so arranged,
intending himself to go by land.
020:014 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard, and came to Mitylene.
020:015 Sailing from there, we came the following day opposite Chios.
The next day we touched at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium,
and the day after we came to Miletus.
020:016 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.
020:017 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to himself the elders
of the assembly.
020:018 When they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know,
from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you
all the time,
020:019 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears,
and with trials which happened to me by the plots of the Jews;
020:020 how I didn't shrink from declaring to you anything that
was profitable, teaching you publicly and from house to house,
020:021 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God,
and faith toward our Lord Jesus.{TR adds "Christ"}
020:022 Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing
what will happen to me there;
020:023 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city,
saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.
020:024 But these things don't count; nor do I hold my life dear to myself,