Acts 11-19

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Gentile Salvation Defended

11 The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God’s message also. ² When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision^[a] argued with him,^{(A) 3} saying, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!”^(B)

⁴ Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying: ⁵ “I^(C) was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. ⁶ When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ Then I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’

⁸ “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ ⁹ But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.’

¹⁰ “Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. ¹² Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.^{(D) 13} He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send^[b] to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ¹⁴ He will speak a message^[c] to you that you and all your household^(E) will be saved by.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.^{(F) 16} Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’^{(G) 17} Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”^(H)

¹⁸ When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, “So God has granted repentance resulting in life^[d] even to the Gentiles!”^(I)

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,^(J) speaking the message to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, Cypriot and Cyrenian men, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists,^[e][f] proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.^{(K) 21} The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.^{(L) 22} Then the report about them was heard by the church that was at Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel^[g] as far as Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart,^{(M) 24} for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit^(N) and of faith. And large numbers of people were added^(O) to the Lord. ²⁵ Then he^[h] went to Tarsus to search for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples^(P) were first called Christians at Antioch.^(Q)

Famine Relief

²⁷ In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.^{(R) 28} Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.^[i] This took place during the time of Claudius.^{[j](S) 29} So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea.^{(T) 30} They did this, sending it to the elders^(U) by means of Barnabas and Saul.

James Martyred and Peter Jailed

12 About that time King Herod cruelly attacked some who belonged to the church, ² and he killed James,^(V) John’s brother, with the sword. ³ When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the days of Unleavened Bread.^{(W) 4} After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.

Peter Rescued

⁶ On the night before Herod was to bring him out for execution, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord^(X) appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” Then the chains fell off his wrists.^{(Y) 8} “Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did so. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.” ⁹ So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what took place through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.^{(Z) 10} After they passed the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and immediately the angel left him.^(AA)

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.”^{(AB) 12} When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark,^[k](AC) where many had assembled and were praying. ¹³ He knocked at the door in the gateway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway.

¹⁵ “You’re crazy!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, “It’s his angel!”^{(AD) 16} Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.

¹⁷ Motioning to them with his hand^(AE) to be silent, he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Report these things to James^[l](AF) and the brothers,” he said. Then he departed and went to a different place.

¹⁸ At daylight, there was a great commotion^[m] among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.^(AG)

Herod’s Death

²⁰ He had been very angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians.^[n] Together they presented themselves before him. They won over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, and through him they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.^{(AH) 21} So on an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a public address to them. ²² The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ At once an angel of the Lord^(AI) struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.^{(AJ) 24} Then God’s message flourished and multiplied.^{(AK) 25} After they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas and Saul returned to^[o] Jerusalem, taking along John who is called Mark.^(AL)

Preparing for the Mission Field

13 In the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch,^(AM) and Saul.

² As they were ministering to^[p] the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.”^{(AN) 3} Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.^(AO)

The Mission to Cyprus

⁴ Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed God’s message in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.^{(AP) 6} When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.^{(AQ) 7} He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God’s message.^{(AR) 8} But Elymas the sorcerer (this is the meaning of his name) opposed^(AS) them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.^(AT)

⁹ Then Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at the sorcerer ¹⁰ and said, “You son of the Devil,^(AU) full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness! Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths^(AV) of the Lord? ¹¹ Now, look! The Lord’s hand is against you.^(AW) You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Suddenly a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

¹² Then the proconsul, seeing what happened, believed and was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.^(AX)

Paul’s Sermon in Antioch of Pisidia

¹³ Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and went back to Jerusalem.^{(AY) 14} They continued their journey from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.^{(AZ) 15} After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any message of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”^(BA)

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said: “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen!^{(BB) 17} The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty^[q] arm.^{(BC) 18} And for about 40 years He put up with them^[r] in the wilderness;^{(BD) 19} then after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan,^(BE) He gave their land to them as an inheritance. ²⁰ This all took about 450 years. After this, He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.^{(BF) 21} Then they asked for a king, so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.^{(BG) 22} After removing him,^(BH) He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man loyal to Me,^(BI)[s] who will carry out all My will.’

²³ “From this man’s descendants, according to the promise, God brought the Savior, Jesus,^[t] to Israel.^{(BJ) 24} Before He came to public attention,^[u] John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.^{(BK) 25} Then as John was completing his life’s work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the One. But look! Someone is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on His feet.’^(BL)

²⁶ “Brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us.^{(BM) 27} For the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers, since they did not recognize Him or the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled their words^[v] by condemning Him.^{(BN) 28} Though they found no grounds for the death penalty, they asked Pilate to have Him killed.^{(BO) 29} When they had fulfilled all that had been written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and put Him in a tomb.^{(BP) 30} But God raised Him from the dead,^{(BQ) 31} and He appeared for many days to those who came with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people.^{(BR) 32} And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.^{(BS) 33} God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ Since He raised Him from the dead, never to return to decay, He has spoken in this way, I will grant you the faithful covenant blessings^[y] made to David.^{(BU)[z] 35} Therefore He also says in another passage, You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay.^{(BV)[aa] 36} For David, after serving his own generation in God’s plan, fell asleep,^(BW) was buried with his fathers, and decayed.^{(BX) 37} But the One God raised up did not decay. ³⁸ Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you,^{(BY) 39} and everyone who believes in Him is justified from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.^{(BZ) 40} So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:

Paul and Barnabas in Antioch

⁴² As they^[ac] were leaving, the people^[ad] begged that these matters be presented to them the following Sabbath. ⁴³ After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and persuading them to continue in the grace of God.^(CB)

⁴⁴ The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the message of the Lord.^{[ae] 45} But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to oppose what Paul was saying by insulting him.^(CC)

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles!^{(CD) 47} For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ So the message of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the prominent women, who worshiped God, and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.^{(CF) 51} But they shook the dust off their feet^(CG) against them^(CH) and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.^(CI)

Growth and Persecution in Iconium

14 The same thing happened in Iconium; they entered the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.^{(CJ) 2} But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against the brothers.^{(CK) 3} So they stayed there for some time and spoke boldly in reliance on the Lord, who testified to the message of His grace by granting that signs and wonders be performed through them.^{(CL) 4} But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and some with the apostles.^{(CM) 5} When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to assault and stone them, ⁶ they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns called Lystra and Derbe, and to the surrounding countryside.^{(CN) 7} And there they kept evangelizing.^(CO)

Mistaken for Gods in Lystra

⁸ In Lystra a man without strength in his feet, lame from birth,^[ah] and who had never walked, sat ⁹ and heard Paul speaking. After observing him closely and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” And he jumped up and started to walk around.^(CP)

¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the form of men!”^{(CQ) 12} And they started to call Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the main speaker. ¹³ Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought oxen and garlands to the gates. He, with the crowds, intended to offer sacrifice.

¹⁴ The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting:^{(CR) 15} “Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things^(CS) to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.^{(CT)[ai] 16} In past generations He allowed all the nations^(CU) to go their own way, ¹⁷ although He did not leave Himself without a witness,^(CV) since He did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons^(CW) and satisfying your^[aj] hearts with food and happiness.” ¹⁸ Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they had won over the crowds and stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.^{(CX) 20} After the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.^(CY)

Church Planting

²¹ After they had evangelized that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch,^{(CZ) 22} strengthening the^[ak] disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith^(DA) and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles^(DB) on our way into the kingdom of God.”

²³ When they had appointed elders^(DC) in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. ²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ After they spoke the message in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.^{(DD) 27} After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them^(DE) and that He had opened the door^(DF) of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent a considerable time^[al] with the disciples.

Dispute in Antioch

15 Some men^(DG) came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised^(DH) according to the custom prescribed by Moses,^(DI) you cannot be saved!” ² But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, the church arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy.^{(DJ) 3} When they had been sent on their way by the church,^(DK) they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, explaining in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they created great joy among all the brothers.

⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.^{(DL) 5} But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses!”

The Jerusalem Council

⁶ Then the apostles and the elders assembled to consider this matter. ⁷ After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you,^[am] that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving^[an] the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us.^{(DM) 9} He made no distinction between us and them,^(DN) cleansing their hearts by faith.^{(DO) 10} Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks^(DP) that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ On the contrary, we believe we are saved through the grace^(DQ) of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”

¹² Then the whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.^{(DR) 13} After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers, listen to me! ¹⁴ Simeon^[ao] has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name.^{(DS) 15} And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:

¹⁹ Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰ but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,^(DU) from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”^(DV)

The Letter to the Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas,^(DW) both leading men among the brothers. ²³ They wrote this letter to be delivered by them:^[ar]

The Outcome of the Jerusalem Letter

³⁰ Then, being sent off, they went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. ³² Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and strengthened them with a long message.^{(EE) 33} After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace^(EF) by the brothers to those who had sent them.^{[au][av] 35} But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch teaching and proclaiming the message of the Lord.^(EG)

Paul and Barnabas Part Company

³⁶ After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in every town^(EH) where we have preached the message of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark.^{[aw] 38} But Paul did not think it appropriate to take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. ³⁹ There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark^(EI) with him and sailed off to Cyprus. ⁴⁰ Then Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.^{(EJ) 41} He traveled through Syria^(EK) and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Paul Selects Timothy

16 Then he went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy,^(EL) the son of a believing Jewish woman,^(EM) but his father was a Greek. ² The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.^{(EN) 3} Paul wanted Timothy^[ax] to go with him, so he took him and circumcised^(EO) him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for them to observe.^{(EP) 5} So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.^(EQ)

Evangelization of Europe

⁶ They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia.^{(ER) 7} When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^(ES) did not allow them. ⁸ So, bypassing Mysia, they came down to Troas.^{(ET) 9} During the night a vision appeared to Paul: A Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!”^{(EU) 10} After^(EV) he had seen the vision, we^[ay] immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them.

Lydia’s Conversion

¹¹ Then, setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi,^(EW) a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days. ¹³ On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. ¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.^{(EX) 15} After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”^(EY) And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction.^[az](EZ) She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you^[ba] the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” ¹⁸ And she did this for many days.

But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.^[bb](FA)

¹⁹ When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(FB) and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. ²⁰ Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews ²¹ and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”^(FC)

²² Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.^{(FD) 23} After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. ²⁴ Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.^(FE)

A Midnight Deliverance

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(FF) 27} When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸ But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!”

²⁹ Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(FG)

³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”^{(FH) 32} Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. ³³ He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.^(FI)

An Official Apology

³⁵ When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men!”

³⁶ The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”^(FJ)

³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to smuggle us out secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out!”^(FK)

³⁸ Then the police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them, and escorting them out, they urged them to leave town. ⁴⁰ After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and departed.^(FL)

A Short Ministry in Thessalonica

17 Then they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica,^(FM) where there was a Jewish synagogue. ² As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,^{(FN) 3} explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”^{(FO) 4} Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number^[bc] of the leading women.^(FP)

Riot in the City

⁵ But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.^{(FQ) 6} When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, ⁷ and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees,^(FR) saying that there is another king—Jesus!”^{(FS) 8} The Jews stirred up the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. ⁹ So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.

The Bereans Search the Scriptures

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea.^(FT) On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(FU) daily to see if these things were so. ¹² Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing^[bd] the crowds. ¹⁴ Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy^(FV) stayed on there. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.^(FW)

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.^{(FX) 18} Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, “What is this pseudo-intellectual^[be] trying to say?”

Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection.^[bf](FY)

¹⁹ They took him and brought him to the Areopagus,^[bg] and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you’re speaking of?^{(FZ) 20} For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

The Areopagus Address

²² Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. ²³ For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed:

Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it^(GA)—He is Lord of heaven and earth^(GB) and does not live in shrines made by hands.^{(GC) 25} Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything,^(GD) since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.^{(GE) 26} From one man^[bh] He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.^{(GF) 27} He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.^{(GG) 28} For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’^{[bi](GH) 29} Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.^(GI)

³⁰ “Therefore, having overlooked^(GJ) the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”^(GK)

³² When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” ³³ Then Paul left their presence. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Founding the Corinthian Church

18 After this, he^[bj] left Athens and went to Corinth,^{(GL) 2} where he found a Jewish man named Aquila,^(GM) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius^[bk] had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, ³ and being of the same occupation, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers^[bl] by trade.^{(GN) 4} He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.^(GO)

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching the message^[bm] and solemnly testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.^{(GP) 6} But when they resisted and blasphemed,^(GQ) he shook his robe^[bn](GR) and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads!^(GS) I am innocent.^[bo] From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(GT) 7} So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household.^(GU) Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”^{(GV) 11} And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the judge’s bench.^{(GW) 13} “This man,” they said, “persuades people to worship God contrary to the law!”

¹⁴ As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of a crime or of moral evil, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. ¹⁵ But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of such things.”^{(GX) 16} So he drove them from the judge’s bench. ¹⁷ Then they all^[bp] seized Sosthenes,^(GY) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judge’s bench. But none of these things concerned Gallio.

The Return Trip to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul, having stayed on for many days, said good-bye to the brothers and sailed away to Syria. Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because he had taken a vow.^{(GZ) 19} When they reached Ephesus^(HA) he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and engaged in discussion with^[bq] the Jews. ²⁰ And though they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, ²¹ but he said good-bye and stated,^[br] “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”^(HB) Then he set sail from Ephesus.

²² On landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church^[bs] and went down to Antioch.^{(HC) 23} And after spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the Galatian territory and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.^(HD)

The Eloquent Apollos

²⁴ A Jew named Apollos,^(HE) a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was powerful in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,^[bt] he spoke and taught the things about Jesus accurately, although he knew only John’s baptism.^{(HF) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home^[bu] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.^{(HG) 27} When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers wrote to the disciples urging them to welcome him. After he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.^{(HH) 28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.^(HI)

Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples^{(HJ) 2} and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”^(HK)

³ “Then what baptism were you baptized with?” he asked them.

“With John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(HL)

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on^(HM) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other languages and to prophesy.^{(HN) 7} Now there were about 12 men in all.

In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus

⁸ Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God.^{(HO) 9} But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them and met separately with the disciples, conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.^{(HP) 10} And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord.^(HQ)

Demonism Defeated at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, ¹² so that even facecloths or work aprons^[bv] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.^(HR)

¹³ Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!”^{(HS) 14} Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Then fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.^{(HT) 18} And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, ¹⁹ while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be 50,000 pieces of silver. ²⁰ In this way the Lord’s message flourished and prevailed.^(HU)

The Riot in Ephesus

²¹ When these events were over, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well!”^{(HV) 22} So after sending two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.^(HW)

²³ During that time there was a major^[bw] disturbance about the Way.^{(HX) 24} For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis,^[bx] provided a great deal of^[by] business for the craftsmen. ²⁵ When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said: “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. ²⁶ You both see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods!^{(HY) 27} So not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world adore.”

²⁸ When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius^(HZ) and Aristarchus,^(IA) Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ Though Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him. ³¹ Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to take a chance by going^[bz] into the amphitheater. ³² Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Then some of the crowd gave Alexander advice when the Jews pushed him to the front. So motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.^{(IB) 34} But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a united cry went up from all of them for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ However, when the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “Men of Ephesus! What man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great^[ca] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? ³⁶ Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our^[cb] goddess. ³⁸ So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.^{(IC) 39} But if you want something else, it must be decided in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰ In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.