17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews:
17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in to them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures,
17:3 Explaining and proving, that Christ needed to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and saying, this Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Christ.
17:4 And some of them believed, and joined Paul and Silas; as did a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the chief women.
17:5 But the Jews who did not believe were moved with envy, and took certain wicked fellows of the rabble, and gathered a crowd, and set all the city in an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
17:6 And when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and certain brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also;
17:7 And Jason has welcomed them: and they do all that is contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
17:8 And the people and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things.
17:9 And when they had taken security from Jason, and from the others, they let them go.
17:10 And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.
17:12 Therefore, many of them believed; together with not a few prominent Greek women, and many men as well.
17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God was being preached by Paul at Beroea, they came there also, and stirred up the people.
17:14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away to the sea: but Silas and Timothy remained there.
17:15 And those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens: and receiving a commandment for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
17:17 Therefore, he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with those who happened to be there.
17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What is this babbler trying to say? and others, He seems to be a proclaimer of strange gods: because he preached to them Jesus, and the resurrection.
17:19 And they took him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine is, of which you speak?
17:20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears: therefore we want to know what these things mean.
17:21 (For all the Athenians, and the strangers there, spent their time in nothing else, but telling, or hearing something new.)
17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.
17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld the objects of your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship as unknown, this I declare to you.
17:24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
17:25 Neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, for he himself gives to all life, and breath, and all things;
17:26 And he has made from one all nations of men to live on all the face of the earth, and has determined their allotted times, and the boundaries of their habitation;
17:27 That they should seek God, in the hope that they might grope for him, and find him, though he is not far from every one of us:
17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as some of your own poets have said, For we also are his offspring.
17:29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, formed by art and man's imagination.
17:30 Those times of ignorance God overlooked; but now he commands all men everywhere to repent:
17:31 Because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he has ordained; and he has given assurance of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear you again on this matter.
17:33 So Paul departed from among them.
17:34 Yet certain men joined him, and believed: among them was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
18:1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and went to Corinth;
18:2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came to see them.
18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he stayed with them, and worked: for they were tentmakers by occupation.
18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
18:5 And when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
18:6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his clothing, and said to them, May your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: henceforth I will go to the Gentiles.
18:7 And he departed from there, and entered a certain man's house, named Justus, one who worshipped God, whose house was next to the synagogue.
18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household; and many of the Corinthians heard and believed, and were baptized.
18:9 Then the Lord spoke to Paul at night by a vision, Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not hold your peace:
18:10 For I am with you, and no man shall attack and hurt you: for I have many people in this city.
18:11 And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
18:12 And when Gallio was the proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,
18:13 Saying, This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.
18:14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to bear with you:
18:15 But if it is a question of words and names, and of your own law, look to it yourselves; for I will not be a judge of such matters.
18:16 And he drove them from the judgment seat.
18:17 Then they all took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
18:18 And after this Paul remained there many days longer, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed from there to Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. He cut his hair in Cenchrea: for he had made a vow.
18:19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
18:20 When they asked him to remain longer with them, he did not consent;
18:21 But bade them farewell, saying, I will return to you, if God wills. And he sailed from Ephesus.
18:22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.
18:23 And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went throughout the region of Galatia and on through Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and diligently taught the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: and when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
18:27 And when he wanted to go to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to welcome him: and when he had come, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed:
18:28 For he mightily refuted the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
19:1 And it came to pass, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
19:2 He said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him, We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
19:3 And he said to them, Into what then were you baptized? And they said, Into John's baptism.
19:4 Then Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.
19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came upon them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.
19:7 And there were about twelve of them in all.
19:8 And he went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
19:9 But when some were hardened, and did not believe, but spoke evil of the way before the multitude, he departed from them, took away the disciples, and held discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus.
19:10 And this continued for two years; so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
19:11 And God performed extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul:
19:12 So that handkerchiefs or aprons he had touched were brought to the sick, and diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
19:13 Then certain of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, We command you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.
19:14 There were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, who were doing this.
19:15 And the evil spirit answered, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?
19:16 And the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, subdued them and overcame them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
19:17 And this became known to all the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
19:18 And many who believed came, and confessed, and disclosed their deeds.
19:19 Many of those who used magic arts brought their books together, and burned them before all: and they counted the price of them, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.
19:20 So the word of God grew and prevailed mightily.
19:21 After these things had ended, Paul resolved in the spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
19:22 So he sent to Macedonia two of those who had ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus; but he stayed in Asia for a while.
19:23 And about that time there arose no small stir about the way.
19:24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain to the craftsmen;
19:25 These he called together, along with workmen of similar occupations, and said, Men, you know that by this craft we have our wealth.
19:26 Moreover you see and hear, that not only in Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods at all:
19:27 So not only is our craft in danger of being discredited; but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may count for nothing, and her magnificence may be degraded, she whom all Asia and the world worships.
19:28 And when they heard this, they were filled with rage, and cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
19:29 And the whole city was filled with confusion: and dragging Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia and Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
19:30 Paul wanted to enter in among the people, but the disciples would not let him.
19:31 And certain of the chief officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him, asking him not to venture into the theatre.
19:32 Some cried out one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and most of them did not know why they had come together.
19:33 And some of the multitude called upon Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defence to the people.
19:34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all cried out with one voice for about two hours, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
19:35 And when the town clerk had calmed the people, he said, Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from heaven?
19:36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash.
19:37 For you have brought here these men, who are neither robbers of temples, nor blasphemers of our goddess.
19:38 Therefore, if Demetrius, and the craftsmen who are with him, have a complaint against any man, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls: let them bring charges against one another.
19:39 But if you require anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.
19:40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause we can give to justify this disorder.
19:41 And when he had spoken thus, he dismissed the assembly.
20:1 And after the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to him, and after exhorting them, he embraced them and departed to go to Macedonia.
20:2 And when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece,
20:3 And there he remained three months. And when the Jews laid in wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
20:4 And he was accompanied into Asia by Sopater of Beroea, son of Pyrrhus; and the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and from Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.
20:5 These went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
20:6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came to them at Troas in five days; where we stayed seven days.
20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them, and because he intended to depart the next day; he continued his speech until midnight.
20:8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
20:9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep: and as Paul kept talking, he was overcome by sleep, and fell down from the third floor, and was taken up dead.
20:10 And Paul went down, and bent over him, and embraced him saying, Do not trouble yourselves; for his life is in him.
20:11 When Paul came up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, he talked a long while, even until the break of day, then he departed.
20:12 And they took the young man home alive, and were not a little comforted.
20:13 And we went ahead to the ship, and sailed to Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there: for so he had directed, intending himself to go by foot.
20:14 And when he met with us at Assos, we took him aboard, and came to Mitylene.
20:15 And we sailed from there, and arrived the next day opposite Chios; and the following day we crossed over to Samos; and the next day we came to Miletus.
20:16 For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, because he did not want to spend time in Asia: for he was making haste, so that if possible, he would be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called for the elders of the church.
20:18 And when they had come to him, he said to them, You yourselves know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I have lived among you at all times,
20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews:
20:20 How I kept back nothing that was profitable for you, but have taught you publicly, and from house to house,
20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and to the Greeks, of repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
20:22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit, to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
20:23 Except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city, that bonds and afflictions await me.
20:24 [But none of these things move me], nor do I count my life as precious to myself, so that I might finish my course, and the ministry, which I have received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
20:25 And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
20:26 Therefore, I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
20:27 For I have not hesitated to declare to you all the counsel of God.
20:28 Take heed for yourselves, and for all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
20:29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
20:30 And from among your own selves men shall arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that for three years I did not cease to warn every one night and day with tears.
20:32 And now, [brethren,] I commit you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
20:33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
20:34 You yourselves know, that these hands have ministered to my needs, and to the needs of those who were with me.
20:35 I have shown you in all things, that by labouring in this manner you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words the Lord Jesus himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
20:36 And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down, and prayed with them all.
20:37 And they all wept bitterly, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,
20:38 Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
21:1 And it came to pass, that after we parted from them, and had set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara:
21:2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set forth.
21:3 Now when we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on our left, and sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unload its cargo.
21:4 And finding disciples, we remained there seven days: and they kept saying to Paul by the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
21:5 And when our days there had ended, we departed and went our way; and they all accompanied us on our way, with wives and children, until we were out of the city: and we knelt down on the shore, and prayed.
21:6 Then when we had taken leave of one another, we got on the ship; and they returned home again.
21:7 And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day.
21:8 The next day we departed, and went to Caesarea: and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven; and stayed with him.
21:9 And he had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
21:10 And while we remained there some days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
21:11 When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus says the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
21:12 When we heard these things, both we, and the people of that place, begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
21:13 Then Paul answered, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
21:14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
21:15 And after those days we packed our baggage, and went up to Jerusalem.
21:16 There also went with us certain of the disciples of Caesarea, who brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
21:17 And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
21:18 The following day Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.
21:19 And when he had greeted them, he declared in detail the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said to him, You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who believe; and they are all zealous for the law:
21:21 And they have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, nor to walk after our customs.
21:22 What then is to be done? for they will surely hear that you have come.
21:23 Therefore, do this that we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow;
21:24 Them take, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses, that they may shave their heads: thus all will know that those things, of which they were informed concerning you, are nothing; but that you yourself also walk in obedience to the law.
21:25 As for the Gentiles who believe, we have written with our decision that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.
21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purified himself with them, then entered the temple to give notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and an offering should be made for each one of them.
21:27 And when the seven days had almost ended, the Jews who were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
21:28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and further, he has also brought Greeks into the temple, and has polluted this holy place.
21:29 (For they had earlier seen him in the city with Trophimus, an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
21:30 And all the city was aroused, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and dragged him out of the temple: and immediately the doors were shut.
21:31 And as they tried to kill him, word came to the commander of the Roman garrison, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
21:32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them: and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
21:33 Then the commander came near, and arrested him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and asked who he was, and what he had done.
21:34 Some among the multitude cried out one thing, some another: and when he could not learn the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be brought to the barracks.
21:35 And when he came to the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the people.
21:36 For the multitude of people followed, crying out, Away with him.
21:37 And as Paul was to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, May I speak to you? And he replied, Can you speak Greek?
21:38 Are you not that Egyptian, who some time ago caused a rebellion, and led out into the wilderness four thousand men who were murderers?
21:39 But Paul said, I am a Jew from Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city: and, I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.
21:40 And when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,