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Acts 11-19
New American Standard Bible

Peter Reports in Jerusalem

11 Now the apostles and (A)the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, [a](B)the Jewish believers took issue with him, 3 saying, “(C)You [b]went to [c]uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained at length to them (D)in an orderly sequence, saying, 5 “(E)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw (F)a vision, an [d]object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was, 6 and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the [e]crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; [f]kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing [g]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘(G)What God has cleansed, no longer [h]consider unholy.’ 10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. 11 And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from (H)Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying. 12 (I)And the Spirit told me to go with them (J)without [i]misgivings. (K)These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel [j]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14 and he will speak (L)words to you by which you will be saved, you and (M)all your household.’ 15 And as I began to speak, (N)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just (O)as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘(P)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized [k]with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore, if (Q)God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, (R)who was I that I could [l]stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard this, they [m]quieted down and (S)glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the (T)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

19 (U)So then those who were scattered because of the [n]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way [o]to (V)Phoenicia, (W)Cyprus, and (X)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 But there were some of them, men of (Y)Cyprus and (Z)Cyrene, who came to (AA)Antioch and began speaking to the [p](AB)Greeks as well, (AC)preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 And (AD)the hand of the Lord was with them, and (AE)a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The [q]news about them [r]reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent (AF)Barnabas off [s]to (AG)Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and [t]witnessed (AH)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with [u]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and (AI)full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And [v](AJ)considerable numbers were added to the Lord. 25 And he left for (AK)Tarsus to look for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to (AL)Antioch. And for an entire year they [w]met with the church and taught [x]considerable numbers of people; and (AM)the disciples were first called (AN)Christians in (AO)Antioch.

27 Now [y]at this time some (AP)prophets came down from Jerusalem to (AQ)Antioch. 28 One of them, named (AR)Agabus, stood up and [z]indicated [aa]by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine (AS)all over the [ab]world. [ac]And this took place in the reign of (AT)Claudius. 29 And to the extent that any of (AU)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the [ad]relief of (AV)the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 (AW)And they did this, sending it [ae]with (AX)Barnabas and Saul to the (AY)elders.

Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance

12 Now about that time [af]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm. 2 And he (AZ)had James the brother of John (BA)executed with a sword. 3 When he saw that it (BB)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were [ag](BC)the days of Unleavened Bread.) 4 When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four [ah](BD)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after (BE)the Passover to bring him before the people. 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God [ai]intensely by the church.

6 On [aj]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (BF)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. 7 And behold, (BG)an angel of the Lord suddenly (BH)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And (BI)his chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and [ak]strap on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing (BJ)a vision. 10 Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which (BK)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 When Peter (BL)came [al]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that (BM)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all [am]that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (BN)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and (BO)were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, (BP)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, (BQ)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, “It is (BR)his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But (BS)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to [an](BT)James and (BU)the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

18 Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to [ao]what could have become of Peter. 19 When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they (BV)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to (BW)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Death of Herod

20 Now he was very angry with the people of (BX)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because (BY)their country was supported with grain from the king’s country. 21 On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the [ap]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. 22 The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 And immediately (BZ)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and [aq]died.

24 But (CA)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

25 And (CB)Barnabas and (CC)Saul returned (CD)when they had fulfilled their [ar]mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them (CE)John, who was also called Mark.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were (CF)prophets and (CG)teachers at (CH)Antioch, in the (CI)church that was there: (CJ)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of (CK)Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with (CL)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were [as]serving the Lord and fasting, (CM)the Holy Spirit said, “Set (CN)Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for (CO)the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted, (CP)prayed, and (CQ)laid their hands on them, (CR)they sent them away.

4 So, being (CS)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to (CT)Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in (CU)the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had (CV)John as their helper. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a (CW)magician, a Jewish (CX)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the (CY)proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the (CZ)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the (DA)proconsul away from (DB)the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, [at](DC)filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, 10 and said, “[au]You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you (DD)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked (DE)the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, (DF)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then the (DG)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at (DH)the teaching of the Lord.

13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from (DI)Paphos and came to (DJ)Perga in (DK)Pamphylia; but (DL)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at (DM)Pisidian (DN)Antioch, and on (DO)the Sabbath day they went into (DP)the synagogue and sat down. 15 After (DQ)the reading of the Law and (DR)the Prophets, (DS)the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “[av]Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” 16 Paul stood up, and (DT)motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and (DU)you who fear God, listen: 17 The God of this people Israel (DV)chose our fathers and [aw](DW)made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm (DX)He led them out from it. 18 For (DY)a period of about forty years (DZ)He put up with them in the wilderness. 19 (EA)When He had destroyed (EB)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He (EC)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took (ED)about 450 years. 20 After these things He (EE)gave them judges until (EF)Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they (EG)asked for a king, and God gave them (EH)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 After He had (EI)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘(EJ)I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My [ax]will.’ 23 (EK)From the descendants of this man, (EL)according to promise, God has brought to Israel (EM)a Savior, Jesus, 24 after (EN)John had proclaimed, before [ay]His coming, a (EO)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And while John (EP)was completing his course, (EQ)he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “[az]Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of (ER)this salvation has been sent. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their (ES)rulers, (ET)recognizing neither Him nor the [ba]declarations of (EU)the prophets which are (EV)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they (EW)asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 When they had (EX)carried out everything that was written concerning Him, (EY)they took Him down from the [bb](EZ)cross and (FA)laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God (FB)raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days (FC)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now (FD)His witnesses to the people. 32 And we (FE)preach to you the good news of (FF)the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by (FG)raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘(FH)You are My Son; today I have fathered You.’ 34 As for the fact that He (FI)raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘(FJ)I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David.’ 35 Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘(FK)You will not [bc]allow Your [bd]Holy One to [be]undergo decay.’ 36 For (FL)David, after he had [bf]served God’s (FM)purpose in his own generation, (FN)fell asleep, and was [bg]buried among his fathers and [bh]underwent decay; 37 but He whom God (FO)raised did not [bi]undergo decay. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, [bj]brothers, that (FP)through [bk]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and [bl]through Him (FQ)everyone who believes is [bm]freed [bn]from all things, from which you could not be [bo]freed [bp]through the Law of Moses. 40 Therefore, see that the thing spoken of (FR)in the Prophets does not come upon you:

41 ‘(FS)Look, you scoffers, and be astonished, and [bq]perish;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’”

42 As [br]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these [bs]things spoken to them the next (FT)Sabbath. 43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the (FU)God-fearing [bt](FV)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in (FW)the grace of God.

Paul Turns to the Gentiles

44 The next (FX)Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of [bu]the Lord. 45 But when (FY)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were [bv]blaspheming. 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you (FZ)first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, (GA)we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us,

‘(GB)I have appointed You as a (GC)light [bw]to the Gentiles,
That You may [bx]bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying (GD)the word of [by]the Lord; and all who (GE)had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And (GF)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. 50 But (GG)the Jews incited the [bz](GH)devout women (GI)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their [ca]region. 51 But (GJ)they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to (GK)Iconium. 52 And the disciples were continually (GL)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acceptance and Opposition

14 In (GM)Iconium (GN)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way (GO)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of (GP)Greeks. 2 But (GQ)the [cb](GR)unbelieving Jews stirred up the [cc]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against (GS)the brothers. 3 Therefore they spent a long time there (GT)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that [cd](GU)signs and wonders be performed by their hands. 4 (GV)But the [ce]people of the city were divided; and some [cf]sided with (GW)the Jews, while others, with (GX)the apostles. 5 And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and (GY)the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to (GZ)stone them, 6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of (HA)Lycaonia, (HB)Lystra and (HC)Derbe, and the surrounding region; 7 and there they continued to (HD)preach the gospel.

8 In (HE)Lystra (HF)a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. 9 This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul (HG)looked at him intently and saw that he had (HH)faith to be [cg]made well, 10 and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” (HI)And the man leaped up and began to walk. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the (HJ)Lycaonian language, “(HK)The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” 12 And they began calling Barnabas, [ch]Zeus, and Paul, [ci]Hermes, since he was [cj]the chief speaker. 13 Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was [ck]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and (HL)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when (HM)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they (HN)tore their [cl]robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also (HO)men, of the same nature as you, (HP)preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these [cm](HQ)useless things to a (HR)living God, who (HS)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. 16 [cn]In past generations He (HT)permitted all the [co]nations to (HU)go their own ways; 17 yet (HV)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and (HW)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, [cp]satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

19 But (HX)Jews came from (HY)Antioch and (HZ)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they (IA)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. 20 But while (IB)the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for (IC)Derbe. 21 And after they had (ID)preached the gospel to that city and had (IE)made a good number of disciples, they returned to (IF)Lystra, to (IG)Iconium, and to (IH)Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of (II)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in (IJ)the faith, and saying, “(IK)It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When (IL)they had appointed (IM)elders for them in every church, having (IN)prayed with fasting, they (IO)entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

24 They passed through (IP)Pisidia and came into (IQ)Pamphylia. 25 When they had spoken the word in (IR)Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed to (IS)Antioch, (IT)where they had been (IU)entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had [cq]accomplished. 27 When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to (IV)report all the things that God had done with them and [cr]how He had opened a (IW)door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent [cs]a long time with (IX)the disciples.

The Council in Jerusalem

15 (IY)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching (IZ)the brothers, “Unless you are (JA)circumcised according to (JB)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had [ct]a heated argument and (JC)debate with them, (JD)the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the (JE)apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, after being (JF)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both (JG)Phoenicia and Samaria, (JH)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all (JI)the brothers and sisters. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, (JJ)the apostles, and the elders, and they (JK)reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of (JL)the sect of the (JM)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to (JN)circumcise [cu]them and to direct them to keep the Law of Moses.”

6 (JO)The apostles and the elders came together to [cv]look into this [cw]matter. 7 After there had been much (JP)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “[cx]Brothers, you know that [cy]in the early days (JQ)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of (JR)the gospel and believe. 8 And God, (JS)who knows the heart, testified to them (JT)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and (JU)He made no distinction between us and them, (JV)cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Since this is the case, why are you (JW)putting God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which (JX)neither our forefathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we are saved through (JY)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

12 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were (JZ)relating all the (KA)signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’ Judgment

13 After they stopped speaking, [cz](KB)James responded, saying, “[da]Brothers, listen to me. 14 (KC)Simeon has described how God first concerned Himself about taking a people for His name from among the Gentiles. 15 The words of (KD)the Prophets agree with this, just as it is written:

16 ‘(KE)After these things (KF)I will return,
And I will rebuild the fallen [db]tabernacle of David,
And I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will restore it,
17 (KG)So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles [dc](KH)who are called by My name,’
18 (KI)Says the Lord, who [dd](KJ)makes these things known from long ago.

19 Therefore, it is (KK)my judgment that we do not cause trouble for those from the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from [de](KL)things contaminated by idols, from (KM)acts of sexual immorality, from (KN)what has been [df]strangled, and from blood. 21 For (KO)from ancient generations Moses has those who preach him in every city, since [dg]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

22 Then it seemed good to (KP)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to (KQ)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and (KR)Silas, leading men among (KS)the brothers, 23 and they [dh]sent this letter with them:

“(KT)The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to (KU)the brothers and sisters in (KV)Antioch, (KW)Syria, and (KX)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles: (KY)Greetings.

24 Since we have heard that (KZ)some [di]of our number to whom we gave no instruction have (LA)confused you by their [dj]teaching, upsetting your souls, 25 (LB)it seemed good to us, having [dk]become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have [dl](LC)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore, we have sent (LD)Judas and (LE)Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For (LF)it seemed good to (LG)the Holy Spirit and to (LH)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from (LI)things sacrificed to idols, from (LJ)blood, from (LK)things strangled, and from (LL)acts of sexual immorality; [dm]if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

30 So when they were sent away, (LM)they went down to Antioch; and after gathering the [dn]congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its [do]encouragement. 32 (LN)Judas and (LO)Silas, also being (LP)prophets themselves, [dp]encouraged and strengthened (LQ)the brothers and sisters with a lengthy message. 33 After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers and sisters (LR)in peace to those who had (LS)sent them out.[dq] 35 But (LT)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and (LU)preaching (LV)the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Second Missionary Journey

36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return and visit the brothers and sisters in (LW)every city in which we proclaimed (LX)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take (LY)John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul was of the opinion that they should not take along with them this man who had (LZ)deserted them [dr]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Now it turned into such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took (MA)Mark with him and sailed away to (MB)Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose (MC)Silas, and left after being (MD)entrusted by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was traveling through (ME)Syria and (MF)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The Macedonian Vision

16 Now Paul also came to (MG)Derbe and to (MH)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named (MI)Timothy, the son of a (MJ)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by (MK)the brothers and sisters who were in (ML)Lystra and (MM)Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to leave with him; and he (MN)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering (MO)the ordinances for them to follow which had been determined by (MP)the apostles and (MQ)elders in Jerusalem. 5 So (MR)the churches were being strengthened [ds]in the faith, and were (MS)increasing in number daily.

6 They passed through the [dt](MT)Phrygian and (MU)Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [du](MV)Asia; 7 and after they came to (MW)Mysia, they were trying to go into (MX)Bithynia, and the (MY)Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 and passing by (MZ)Mysia, they went down to (NA)Troas. 9 (NB)And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of (NC)Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen (ND)the vision, (NE)we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to (NF)preach the gospel to them.

11 So after setting sail from (NG)Troas, we ran (NH)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis; 12 and from there to (NI)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of (NJ)Macedonia, (NK)a Roman colony; and we were spending some days in this city. 13 And on (NL)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were thinking that there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

14 A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of (NM)Thyatira, and (NN)a worshiper of God. [dv]The Lord (NO)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 Now when she and (NP)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

16 It happened that as we were going to (NQ)the place of prayer, a slave woman who had (NR)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of (NS)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” 18 Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you (NT)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very [dw]moment.

19 But when her masters saw that their hope of (NU)profit was suddenly gone, they seized (NV)Paul and Silas and (NW)dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, 20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, 21 and they (NX)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are (NY)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

22 The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their [dx]robes off them and proceeded to order [dy]them to be (NZ)beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding (OA)the jailer to guard them securely; 24 [dz]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in (OB)the [ea]stocks.

25 Now about midnight (OC)Paul and Silas were praying and (OD)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly (OE)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately (OF)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s (OG)chains were unfastened. 27 When (OH)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about (OI)to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before (OJ)Paul and Silas; 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, (OK)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

31 They said, “(OL)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and (OM)your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them (ON)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set [eb]food before them, and was [ec]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with (OO)his whole household.

35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” 36 And (OP)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word that you be released. So come out now and go (OQ)in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—(OR)men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come [ed]in person and lead us out.” 38 The officers reported these words to the chief magistrates. (OS)And they became fearful when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and pleaded with them, and when they had led them out, they repeatedly asked them (OT)to leave the city. 40 They left the prison and entered the house of (OU)Lydia, and when they saw (OV)the brothers and sisters, they [ee]encouraged them and departed.

Paul in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to (OW)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And (OX)according to Paul’s custom, he [ef]visited them, and for three (OY)Sabbaths reasoned with them from (OZ)the Scriptures, 3 [eg]explaining and [eh]giving evidence that the [ei]Christ (PA)had to suffer and (PB)rise from the dead, and saying, “(PC)This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the [ej]Christ.” 4 (PD)And some of them were persuaded and joined (PE)Paul and Silas, [ek]along with a large number of the (PF)God-fearing (PG)Greeks and [el]a significant number of the (PH)leading women. 5 But (PI)the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of (PJ)Jason and were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began (PK)dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset [em](PL)the world have come here also; 7 [en]and Jason (PM)has welcomed them, and they all act (PN)contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9 And when they had received a [eo]pledge from (PO)Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul in Berea

10 (PP)The brothers immediately sent (PQ)Paul and Silas away by night to (PR)Berea, [ep]and when they arrived, they went into (PS)the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these people were more noble-minded than those in (PT)Thessalonica, [eq]for they received the word with [er]great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Therefore, (PU)many of them believed, [es]along with a significant number of (PV)prominent Greek (PW)women and men. 13 But when the Jews of (PX)Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in (PY)Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then immediately (PZ)the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and (QA)Silas and (QB)Timothy remained there. 15 Now (QC)those who escorted Paul brought him as far as (QD)Athens; and receiving a command for (QE)Silas and Timothy to (QF)come to him as soon as possible, they left.

Paul in Athens

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them in (QG)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. 17 So he was reasoning (QH)in the synagogue with the Jews and (QI)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. 18 And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were [et]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could (QJ)this [eu]scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching (QK)Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they (QL)took him and brought him [ev]to the [ew](QM)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what (QN)this new teaching is [ex]which you are proclaiming? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” 21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers (QO)visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Sermon on Mars Hill

22 So Paul stood in the midst of the [ey]Areopagus and said, “Men of (QP)Athens, I see that you are very (QQ)religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the (QR)objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what (QS)you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 (QT)The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is (QU)Lord of heaven and earth, does not (QV)dwell in temples made by hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, (QW)as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and (QX)He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having (QY)determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, (QZ)though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for (RA)in Him we live and move and [ez]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we (RB)ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. 30 So having (RC)overlooked (RD)the times of ignorance, God is (RE)now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, 31 because He has set (RF)a day on which (RG)He will judge [fa](RH)the world in righteousness [fb]through a Man whom He has (RI)appointed, having furnished proof to all people [fc]by (RJ)raising Him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of (RK)the resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We shall hear from you [fd]again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out from among them. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the (RL)Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul in Corinth

18 After these events Paul left (RM)Athens and went to (RN)Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named (RO)Aquila, a native of (RP)Pontus having recently come from (RQ)Italy with his wife (RR)Priscilla, because (RS)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and (RT)they worked together, for they were tent-makers by trade. 4 And Paul was reasoning (RU)in the synagogue every (RV)Sabbath and trying to persuade (RW)Jews and Greeks.

5 But when (RX)Silas and Timothy (RY)came down from (RZ)Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, (SA)testifying to the Jews that (SB)Jesus was the [fe]Christ. 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he (SC)shook out his garments and said to them, “Your (SD)blood is [ff]on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go (SE)to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left [fg]the synagogue and went to the house of a man named [fh]Titius Justus, (SF)a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 (SG)Crispus, (SH)the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord (SI)together with his entire household; and many of the (SJ)Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, were believing and being baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul by (SK)a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12 But while Gallio was (SL)proconsul of (SM)Achaia, (SN)the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before (SO)the [fi]judgment seat, 13 saying, “This man is inciting the people to worship God contrary to (SP)the [fj]law.” 14 But when Paul was about to (SQ)open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15 but if there are [fk](SR)questions about [fl]teaching and [fm]persons and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from (SS)the [fn]judgment seat. 17 But they all took hold of (ST)Sosthenes, (SU)the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of (SV)the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.

18 Now Paul, when he had remained many days longer, (SW)took leave of (SX)the brothers and sisters and sailed away to (SY)Syria, and (SZ)Priscilla and (TA)Aquila were with him. [fo]Paul first (TB)had his hair cut at (TC)Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow. 19 They came to (TD)Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered (TE)the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 but (TF)took leave of them and said, “I will return to you again (TG)if God wills,” and he set sail from (TH)Ephesus.

22 When he had landed in (TI)Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and went down to (TJ)Antioch.

Third Missionary Journey

23 And after spending some time there, he left and passed successively through the (TK)Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

24 Now a Jew named (TL)Apollos, an (TM)Alexandrian by birth, [fp]an eloquent man, came to (TN)Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in (TO)the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with (TP)the baptism of John; 26 and [fq]he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when (TQ)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained (TR)the way of God more accurately to him. 27 And when he wanted to go across to (TS)Achaia, (TT)the brothers encouraged him and wrote to (TU)the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly [fr]helped those who had believed through grace, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating (TV)by the Scriptures that (TW)Jesus was the [fs]Christ.

Paul in Ephesus

19 Now it happened that while (TX)Apollos was in (TY)Corinth, Paul passed through the (TZ)upper country and came to (UA)Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “(UB)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, (UC)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “(UD)Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “(UE)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people (UF)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were (UG)baptized [ft]in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had (UH)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began (UI)speaking with tongues and (UJ)prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered (UK)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them (UL)about the kingdom of God. 9 But when (UM)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of [fu](UN)the Way before the [fv]people, he withdrew from them and took (UO)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for (UP)two years, so that all who lived in [fw](UQ)Asia heard (UR)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

11 God was performing (US)extraordinary [fx]miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 (UT)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and (UU)the evil spirits went out. 13 But also some of the Jewish (UV)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to [fy]use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 Now there were seven sons of [fz]Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. 15 But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all who lived in (UW)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of [ga]the books and found it to be fifty thousand [gb](UX)pieces of silver. 20 So [gc](UY)the word of the Lord (UZ)was growing and prevailing mightily.

21 Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in [gd]the Spirit to (VA)go to Jerusalem (VB)after he had passed through (VC)Macedonia and (VD)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, (VE)I must also see Rome.” 22 And after he sent into (VF)Macedonia two of (VG)those who assisted him, (VH)Timothy and (VI)Erastus, he himself stayed in [ge](VJ)Asia for a while.

23 About that time [gf]a major disturbance occurred in regard to [gg](VK)the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of [gh]Artemis, (VL)was bringing [gi]considerable [gj]business to the craftsmen; 25 he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity [gk]depends upon this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in (VM)Ephesus, but in almost all of [gl](VN)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that [gm](VO)gods made by hands are not gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess [gn]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of [go](VP)Asia and (VQ)the [gp]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is [gq]Artemis of the (VR)Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along (VS)Gaius and (VT)Aristarchus, Paul’s (VU)Macedonian traveling (VV)companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, (VW)the disciples would not let him. 31 Also some of the [gr]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to [gs]venture into the theater. 32 (VX)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the [gt]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know [gu]for what reason they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd [gv]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having (VY)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is [gw]Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of (VZ)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great [gx]Artemis and of the image which fell down from [gy]the sky? 36 So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither (WA)temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and [gz](WB)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the [ha]lawful [hb]assembly. 40 For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After saying this he dismissed the [hc]assembly.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 11:2 Lit those from the circumcision
  2. Acts 11:3 Or entered the house of
  3. Acts 11:3 I.e., Gentiles
  4. Acts 11:5 Or vessel
  5. Acts 11:6 Or reptiles
  6. Acts 11:7 Or sacrifice
  7. Acts 11:8 Or profane; lit common
  8. Acts 11:9 Lit make common
  9. Acts 11:12 Or making any distinction
  10. Acts 11:13 Or after he had stood in his house and said
  11. Acts 11:16 Or in
  12. Acts 11:17 Lit prevent God
  13. Acts 11:18 Lit became silent
  14. Acts 11:19 Lit tribulation
  15. Acts 11:19 Lit as far as
  16. Acts 11:20 Lit Hellenists; people who lived by Greek customs and culture
  17. Acts 11:22 Lit word
  18. Acts 11:22 Lit was heard in
  19. Acts 11:22 Lit as far as
  20. Acts 11:23 Lit saw
  21. Acts 11:23 Lit purpose of heart
  22. Acts 11:24 Lit a considerable crowd was
  23. Acts 11:26 Or were gathered together
  24. Acts 11:26 Lit a considerable crowd
  25. Acts 11:27 Lit in these days
  26. Acts 11:28 I.e., a prophetic communication of some kind
  27. Acts 11:28 Or through
  28. Acts 11:28 Lit inhabited earth
  29. Acts 11:28 Lit which took place
  30. Acts 11:29 Lit service
  31. Acts 11:30 Lit by the hand of
  32. Acts 12:1 I.e., Herod Agrippa I
  33. Acts 12:3 I.e., Passover week
  34. Acts 12:4 Lit quaternions; a quaternion was composed of four soldiers
  35. Acts 12:5 Or constantly
  36. Acts 12:6 Lit that night
  37. Acts 12:8 Lit bind
  38. Acts 12:11 Lit in himself
  39. Acts 12:11 Lit the expectation of the people of the Jews
  40. Acts 12:17 Or Jacob
  41. Acts 12:18 Lit what therefore had become
  42. Acts 12:21 Or judgment seat
  43. Acts 12:23 Lit expired
  44. Acts 12:25 Lit ministry
  45. Acts 13:2 Lit performing ministry to
  46. Acts 13:9 Or having just been filled
  47. Acts 13:10 Lit O full of
  48. Acts 13:15 Lit Men, brothers
  49. Acts 13:17 Or exalted
  50. Acts 13:22 Lit wishes
  51. Acts 13:24 Lit the face of His entering
  52. Acts 13:26 Lit Men, brothers
  53. Acts 13:27 Lit voices
  54. Acts 13:29 Lit wood; see Deut 21:23
  55. Acts 13:35 Lit give
  56. Acts 13:35 Or Devout; or Pious
  57. Acts 13:35 Lit see corruption
  58. Acts 13:36 Or served his own generation by the purpose of God
  59. Acts 13:36 Lit gathered to his
  60. Acts 13:36 Lit saw corruption
  61. Acts 13:37 Lit see corruption
  62. Acts 13:38 Lit men, brothers
  63. Acts 13:38 Lit this One
  64. Acts 13:39 Lit in; or by
  65. Acts 13:39 Or justified
  66. Acts 13:39 Lit by
  67. Acts 13:39 Or justified
  68. Acts 13:39 Lit by
  69. Acts 13:41 Lit disappear
  70. Acts 13:42 Lit they
  71. Acts 13:42 Lit words
  72. Acts 13:43 I.e., Gentile converts to Judaism
  73. Acts 13:44 One early ms God
  74. Acts 13:45 Or slandering him
  75. Acts 13:47 Lit of
  76. Acts 13:47 Lit be for salvation
  77. Acts 13:48 Two early mss God
  78. Acts 13:50 Or worshiping
  79. Acts 13:50 Lit boundaries
  80. Acts 14:2 Or disobeying
  81. Acts 14:2 Lit souls
  82. Acts 14:3 I.e., confirming miracles
  83. Acts 14:4 Lit multitude
  84. Acts 14:4 Lit were
  85. Acts 14:9 Lit saved
  86. Acts 14:12 In Lat Jupiter, the chief pagan god of Rome
  87. Acts 14:12 In Lat Mercury, considered the messenger or spokesman for the pagan gods of Rome
  88. Acts 14:12 Lit the leader of the speaking
  89. Acts 14:13 Lit in front of
  90. Acts 14:14 Or outer garments
  91. Acts 14:15 I.e., idols
  92. Acts 14:16 Lit Who in past generations permitted
  93. Acts 14:16 Or Gentiles
  94. Acts 14:17 Lit filling
  95. Acts 14:26 Lit fulfilled
  96. Acts 14:27 Lit that
  97. Acts 14:28 Lit not a little
  98. Acts 15:2 Lit no little
  99. Acts 15:5 I.e., Gentile believers
  100. Acts 15:6 Lit see about
  101. Acts 15:6 Lit word
  102. Acts 15:7 Lit Men, brothers
  103. Acts 15:7 Lit from days of old
  104. Acts 15:13 Or Jacob
  105. Acts 15:13 Lit Men, brothers
  106. Acts 15:16 Or tent
  107. Acts 15:17 Lit upon whom My name is called
  108. Acts 15:18 Or does these things which were known
  109. Acts 15:20 Lit the pollutions of
  110. Acts 15:20 I.e., to retain the blood
  111. Acts 15:21 I.e., the books of Moses, Gen through Deut
  112. Acts 15:23 Lit wrote by their hand
  113. Acts 15:24 Lit from us
  114. Acts 15:24 Lit words
  115. Acts 15:25 Or met together
  116. Acts 15:26 Lit given over
  117. Acts 15:29 Lit from which keeping yourselves free
  118. Acts 15:30 Or multitude
  119. Acts 15:31 Or exhortation
  120. Acts 15:32 Or exhorted
  121. Acts 15:33 Late mss add as v 34: But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.
  122. Acts 15:38 Lit from
  123. Acts 16:5 Or in faith
  124. Acts 16:6 Or Phrygia and the Galatian region
  125. Acts 16:6 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  126. Acts 16:14 Lit Whose heart the Lord opened
  127. Acts 16:18 Lit hour
  128. Acts 16:22 Or outer garments
  129. Acts 16:22 Lit to beat with rods
  130. Acts 16:24 Lit who
  131. Acts 16:24 Lit wood
  132. Acts 16:34 Lit a table
  133. Acts 16:34 Or overjoyed together with his whole household, since...God
  134. Acts 16:37 Lit themselves
  135. Acts 16:40 Or exhorted
  136. Acts 17:2 Lit entered to them
  137. Acts 17:3 Lit opening
  138. Acts 17:3 Lit placing before
  139. Acts 17:3 I.e., Messiah
  140. Acts 17:3 I.e., Messiah
  141. Acts 17:4 Lit and a large
  142. Acts 17:4 Lit not a few
  143. Acts 17:6 Lit the inhabited earth
  144. Acts 17:7 Lit whom Jason has welcomed
  145. Acts 17:9 Or bond
  146. Acts 17:10 Lit who when...arrived went
  147. Acts 17:11 Lit who received
  148. Acts 17:11 Lit all
  149. Acts 17:12 Lit and not a few
  150. Acts 17:18 Or disputing
  151. Acts 17:18 Lit seed gatherer; i.e., an unlearned person collecting only scraps of knowledge
  152. Acts 17:19 Or before
  153. Acts 17:19 Or Hill of Ares; Greek god of war
  154. Acts 17:19 Lit which is being spoken by you
  155. Acts 17:22 Or the Council of the Areopagus
  156. Acts 17:28 Lit are
  157. Acts 17:31 Lit the inhabited earth
  158. Acts 17:31 Lit by; or in
  159. Acts 17:31 Or when He raised
  160. Acts 17:32 Lit also again
  161. Acts 18:5 I.e., Messiah
  162. Acts 18:6 I.e., the responsibility is all yours
  163. Acts 18:7 Lit from there
  164. Acts 18:7 One early ms Titus
  165. Acts 18:12 Or tribunal
  166. Acts 18:13 Or Law
  167. Acts 18:15 Or arguments
  168. Acts 18:15 Lit word
  169. Acts 18:15 Lit names
  170. Acts 18:16 Or tribunal
  171. Acts 18:18 Lit Having had his hair cut
  172. Acts 18:24 Or a learned man
  173. Acts 18:26 Lit this man
  174. Acts 18:27 Or helped greatly through grace those who had believed
  175. Acts 18:28 I.e., Messiah
  176. Acts 19:5 Lit into
  177. Acts 19:9 See John 14:6
  178. Acts 19:9 Lit multitude
  179. Acts 19:10 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  180. Acts 19:11 Or works of power
  181. Acts 19:13 I.e., as an incantation
  182. Acts 19:14 Lit some Sceva
  183. Acts 19:19 Lit them
  184. Acts 19:19 Prob. Greek drachmas; a drachma was a day’s wages for a laborer
  185. Acts 19:20 Or according to the power of the Lord the word was growing
  186. Acts 19:21 Or his spirit
  187. Acts 19:22 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  188. Acts 19:23 Lit no small
  189. Acts 19:23 See John 14:6
  190. Acts 19:24 Lat Diana
  191. Acts 19:24 Lit no little
  192. Acts 19:24 Or profit
  193. Acts 19:25 Lit is from
  194. Acts 19:26 See note v 22
  195. Acts 19:26 Lit those
  196. Acts 19:27 Lat Diana
  197. Acts 19:27 See note v 22
  198. Acts 19:27 Lit the inhabited earth
  199. Acts 19:28 Lat Diana
  200. Acts 19:31 I.e., political or religious officials of the province of Asia
  201. Acts 19:31 Lit give himself
  202. Acts 19:32 Gr ekklesia
  203. Acts 19:32 Or on whose account
  204. Acts 19:33 Or advised Alexander
  205. Acts 19:34 Lat Diana
  206. Acts 19:35 Lat Diana
  207. Acts 19:35 Lit Zeus; Lat Jupiter
  208. Acts 19:38 Or provincial governors
  209. Acts 19:39 Or regular
  210. Acts 19:39 Gr ekklesia
  211. Acts 19:41 Gr ekklesia
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Acts 11-17
New International Version

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers(A) throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.(B) 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers(C) criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”(D)

4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.(E) I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’(F) 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea(G) stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told(H) me to have no hesitation about going with them.(I) These six brothers(J) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel(K) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message(L) through which you and all your household(M) will be saved.’

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on(N) them as he had come on us at the beginning.(O) 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water,(P) but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.’(Q) 17 So if God gave them the same gift(R) he gave us(S) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”(T)

The Church in Antioch

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed(U) traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,(V) spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus(W) and Cyrene,(X) went to Antioch(Y) and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news(Z) about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them,(AA) and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.(AB)

22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas(AC) to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done,(AD) he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.(AE) 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit(AF) and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.(AG)

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus(AH) to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples(AI) were called Christians first(AJ) at Antioch.

27 During this time some prophets(AK) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus,(AL) stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.(AM) (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)(AN) 29 The disciples,(AO) as each one was able, decided to provide help(AP) for the brothers and sisters(AQ) living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders(AR) by Barnabas(AS) and Saul.(AT)

Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

12 It was about this time that King Herod(AU) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John,(AV) put to death with the sword.(AW) 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,(AX) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(AY) 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.(AZ)

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.(BA)

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,(BB) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel(BC) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.(BD)

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.(BE) 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,(BF) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself(BG) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me(BH) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,(BI) where many people had gathered and were praying.(BJ) 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.(BK) 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed(BL) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”(BM)

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand(BN) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James(BO) and the other brothers and sisters(BP) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.(BQ)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea(BR) and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;(BS) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.(BT)

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel(BU) of the Lord struck him down,(BV) and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God(BW) continued to spread and flourish.(BX)

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

25 When Barnabas(BY) and Saul had finished their mission,(BZ) they returned from[c] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.(CA) 13 1 Now in the church at Antioch(CB) there were prophets(CC) and teachers:(CD) Barnabas,(CE) Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,(CF) Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod(CG) the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,(CH) “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work(CI) to which I have called them.”(CJ) 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them(CK) and sent them off.(CL)

On Cyprus

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,(CM) went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.(CN) 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God(CO) in the Jewish synagogues.(CP) John(CQ) was with them as their helper.

6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer(CR) and false prophet(CS) named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul,(CT) Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer(CU) (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul(CV) from the faith.(CW) 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,(CX) looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil(CY) and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?(CZ) 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you.(DA) You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”(DB)

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul(DC) saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

In Pisidian Antioch

13 From Paphos,(DD) Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,(DE) where John(DF) left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.(DG) On the Sabbath(DH) they entered the synagogue(DI) and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law(DJ) and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand(DK) and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;(DL) 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct[d](DM) in the wilderness;(DN) 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan,(DO) giving their land to his people(DP) as their inheritance.(DQ) 20 All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges(DR) until the time of Samuel the prophet.(DS) 21 Then the people asked for a king,(DT) and he gave them Saul(DU) son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,(DV) who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul,(DW) he made David their king.(DX) God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;(DY) he will do everything I want him to do.’(DZ)

23 “From this man’s descendants(EA) God has brought to Israel the Savior(EB) Jesus,(EC) as he promised.(ED) 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.(EE) 25 As John was completing his work,(EF) he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for.(EG) But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’(EH)

26 “Fellow children of Abraham(EI) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation(EJ) has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus,(EK) yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets(EL) that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.(EM) 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him,(EN) they took him down from the cross(EO) and laid him in a tomb.(EP) 30 But God raised him from the dead,(EQ) 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.(ER) They are now his witnesses(ES) to our people.

32 “We tell you the good news:(ET) What God promised our ancestors(EU) 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.(EV) As it is written in the second Psalm:

“‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.’[e](EW)

34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’[f](EX)

35 So it is also stated elsewhere:

“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’[g](EY)

36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;(EZ) he was buried with his ancestors(FA) and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead(FB) did not see decay.

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.(FC) 39 Through him everyone who believes(FD) is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.(FE) 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
    wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
    that you would never believe,
    even if someone told you.’[h]”(FF)

42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,(FG) the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.(FH)

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying(FI) and heaped abuse(FJ) on him.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.(FK) Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.(FL) 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you[i] a light for the Gentiles,(FM)
    that you[j] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[k]”(FN)

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;(FO) and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49 The word of the Lord(FP) spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.(FQ) 51 So they shook the dust off their feet(FR) as a warning to them and went to Iconium.(FS) 52 And the disciples(FT) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.(FU)

In Iconium

14 At Iconium(FV) Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue.(FW) There they spoke so effectively that a great number(FX) of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.(FY) 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly(FZ) for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.(GA) 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.(GB) 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews,(GC) together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.(GD) 6 But they found out about it and fled(GE) to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach(GF) the gospel.(GG)

In Lystra and Derbe

8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth(GH) and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed(GI) 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!”(GJ) At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.(GK)

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”(GL) 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.(GM) 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes(GN) and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human,(GO) like you. We are bringing you good news,(GP) telling you to turn from these worthless things(GQ) to the living God,(GR) who made the heavens and the earth(GS) and the sea and everything in them.(GT) 16 In the past, he let(GU) all nations go their own way.(GV) 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony:(GW) He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons;(GX) he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”(GY) 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some Jews(GZ) came from Antioch and Iconium(HA) and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul(HB) and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples(HC) had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

The Return to Antioch in Syria

21 They preached the gospel(HD) in that city and won a large number(HE) of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium(HF) and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.(HG) “We must go through many hardships(HH) to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[l](HI) for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting,(HJ) committed them to the Lord,(HK) in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia,(HL) 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch,(HM) where they had been committed to the grace of God(HN) for the work they had now completed.(HO) 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them(HP) and how he had opened a door(HQ) of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.(HR)

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people(HS) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:(HT) “Unless you are circumcised,(HU) according to the custom taught by Moses,(HV) you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem(HW) to see the apostles and elders(HX) about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia(HY) and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.(HZ) This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.(IA)

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party(IB) of the Pharisees(IC) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”(ID)

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.(IE) 8 God, who knows the heart,(IF) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,(IG) just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them,(IH) for he purified their hearts by faith.(II) 10 Now then, why do you try to test God(IJ) by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke(IK) that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace(IL) of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders(IM) God had done among the Gentiles through them.(IN) 13 When they finished, James(IO) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[m] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.(IP) 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[n](IQ)—
18     things known from long ago.[o](IR)

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,(IS) from sexual immorality,(IT) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.(IU) 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”(IV)

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

22 Then the apostles and elders,(IW) with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch(IX) with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas,(IY) men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch,(IZ) Syria(JA) and Cilicia:(JB)

Greetings.(JC)

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.(JD) 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives(JE) for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas(JF) to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit(JG) and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.(JH) You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas,(JI) who themselves were prophets,(JJ) said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace(JK) to return to those who had sent them. [34] [p] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached(JL) the word of the Lord.(JM)

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns(JN) where we preached the word of the Lord(JO) and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark,(JP) with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them(JQ) in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas(JR) and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.(JS) 41 He went through Syria(JT) and Cilicia,(JU) strengthening the churches.(JV)

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,(JW) where a disciple named Timothy(JX) lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer(JY) but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers(JZ) at Lystra and Iconium(KA) spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.(KB) 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders(KC) in Jerusalem(KD) for the people to obey.(KE) 5 So the churches were strengthened(KF) in the faith and grew daily in numbers.(KG)

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia(KH) and Galatia,(KI) having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.(KJ) 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus(KK) would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.(KL) 9 During the night Paul had a vision(KM) of a man of Macedonia(KN) standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we(KO) got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel(KP) to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

11 From Troas(KQ) we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi,(KR) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[q] of Macedonia.(KS) And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath(KT) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira(KU) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart(KV) to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household(KW) were baptized,(KX) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer,(KY) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit(KZ) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God,(LA) who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.(LB)

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money(LC) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas(LD) and dragged(LE) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar(LF) 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans(LG) to accept or practice.”(LH)

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.(LI) 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer(LJ) was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.(LK)

25 About midnight(LL) Paul and Silas(LM) were praying and singing hymns(LN) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.(LO) At once all the prison doors flew open,(LP) and everyone’s chains came loose.(LQ) 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.(LR) 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.(LS) 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”(LT)

31 They replied, “Believe(LU) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved(LV)—you and your household.”(LW) 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night(LX) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.(LY) 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he(LZ) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer(MA) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”(MB)

37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,(MC) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.(MD) 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.(ME) 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,(MF) where they met with the brothers and sisters(MG) and encouraged them. Then they left.

In Thessalonica

17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,(MH) where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,(MI) and on three Sabbath(MJ) days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,(MK) 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer(ML) and rise from the dead.(MM) “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,”(MN) he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,(MO) as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.(MP) They rushed to Jason’s(MQ) house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.[r] 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged(MR) Jason and some other believers(MS) before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world(MT) have now come here,(MU) 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”(MV) 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason(MW) and the others post bond and let them go.

In Berea

10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas(MX) away to Berea.(MY) On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.(MZ) 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,(NA) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures(NB) every day to see if what Paul said was true.(NC) 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.(ND)

13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,(NE) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers(NF) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas(NG) and Timothy(NH) stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens(NI) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.(NJ)

In Athens

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue(NK) with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news(NL) about Jesus and the resurrection.(NM) 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,(NN) where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching(NO) is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians(NP) and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus(NQ) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.(NR) 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship(NS)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it(NT) is the Lord of heaven and earth(NU) and does not live in temples built by human hands.(NV) 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.(NW) 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.(NX) 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.(NY) 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[s](NZ) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[t]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.(OA) 30 In the past God overlooked(OB) such ignorance,(OC) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.(OD) 31 For he has set a day when he will judge(OE) the world with justice(OF) by the man he has appointed.(OG) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(OH)

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,(OI) some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus,(OJ) also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 11:16 Or in
  2. Acts 11:16 Or in
  3. Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to
  4. Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he cared for them
  5. Acts 13:33 Psalm 2:7
  6. Acts 13:34 Isaiah 55:3
  7. Acts 13:35 Psalm 16:10 (see Septuagint)
  8. Acts 13:41 Hab. 1:5
  9. Acts 13:47 The Greek is singular.
  10. Acts 13:47 The Greek is singular.
  11. Acts 13:47 Isaiah 49:6
  12. Acts 14:23 Or Barnabas ordained elders; or Barnabas had elders elected
  13. Acts 15:14 Greek Simeon, a variant of Simon; that is, Peter
  14. Acts 15:17 Amos 9:11,12 (see Septuagint)
  15. Acts 15:18 Some manuscripts things’— / 18 the Lord’s work is known to him from long ago
  16. Acts 15:34 Some manuscripts include here But Silas decided to remain there.
  17. Acts 16:12 The text and meaning of the Greek for the leading city of that district are uncertain.
  18. Acts 17:5 Or the assembly of the people
  19. Acts 17:28 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides
  20. Acts 17:28 From the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus
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