Acts

Acts

Waiting for the Sacred Breath

———

The Sacred Breath Descends, and the Community Awakens

A Sound from the Sky

When the day of Pentecost came,

they were all together in one place.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a mighty wind

came from the sky

and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire

that separated and came to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Sacred Breath

and began to speak in other languages

as the Breath empowered them.

Amazed and Confused

Now there were staying in Jerusalem

God-fearing Jews from every nation under the sky.

When they heard this sound,

a crowd came together in bewilderment,

because each one heard their own language being spoken.

Utterly amazed, they asked:

“Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?

Then how is it that each of us hears them

in our native language?

Parthians, Medes and Elamites;

residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,

Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,

Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;

visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism);

Cretans and Arabs—

we hear them declaring the wonders of God

in our own tongues!”

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,

“What does this mean?”

Some, however, made fun of them and said,

“They have had too much wine.”

Peter Stands Up

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,

raised his voice and addressed the crowd:

“Fellow Jews and all of you living in Jerusalem,

let me explain this to you;

listen carefully to what I say.

These people are not drunk, as you suppose.

It’s only nine in the morning!

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out My Breath on all people.

Your sons and daughters will speak forth truth,

your young ones will see visions,

your elders will dream dreams.

Even on My servants, both men and women,

I will pour out My Breath in those days,

and they will speak on My behalf.

I will show wonders in the sky above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.

And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be made whole.’”

You Crucified Him

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this:

Jesus of Nazareth was a man confirmed by God to you

through miracles, wonders and signs,

which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you

by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;

and you, with the help of lawless people,

put Him to death by nailing Him to a tree.

But God raised Him from the dead,

freeing Him from the agony of death,

because it was impossible for death to hold Him.

David said about Him:

‘I saw the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest in hope,

because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the paths of life;

You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’

Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently

that the patriarch David died and was buried,

and his tomb is here to this day.

But he was a prophet

and knew that God had promised him on oath

that He would place one of his descendants on his throne.

Seeing what was to come,

he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,

that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead,

nor did His body see decay.

God has raised this Jesus to life,

and we are all witnesses of it.

Exalted to the right hand of God,

He has received from the Father the promised Sacred Breath

and has poured out what you now see and hear.

For David did not ascend to the skies, and yet he said:

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit at My right hand

until I make Your enemies

a footstool for Your feet.’

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:

God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,

both Lord and Anointed King.”

Cut to the Heart

When the people heard this,

they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other messengers,

“Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied,

“Turn back and be immersed, every one of you,

in the name of Jesus the Anointed

for the forgiveness of your sins.

And you will receive the gift of the Sacred Breath.

The promise is for you and your children

and for all who are far off—

for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them;

and he pleaded with them,

“Be saved from this crooked generation.”

Those who accepted his message were immersed,

and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

A New Kind of Community

They devoted themselves

to the messengers’ teaching and to fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Everyone was filled with awe

at the many wonders and signs performed through the messengers.

All the believers were together and held all things in common.

They sold property and possessions

to give to anyone who had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their homes

and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

And the Lord added to their number daily

those who were being made whole.

———

Healing, Boldness, and the Power in His Name

At the Gate Called Beautiful

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—three in the afternoon.

Now a man who had been unable to walk since birth

was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful,

where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

When he saw Peter and John about to enter,

he asked them for money.

Peter looked straight at him, as did John.

Then Peter said,

“Look at us!”

So the man gave them his attention,

expecting to receive something from them.

Then Peter said:

“Silver or gold I do not have,

but what I do have I give you:

In the name of Jesus the Anointed of Nazareth,

walk.”

Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up,

and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

He jumped to his feet and began to walk.

Then he went with them into the temple courts,

walking and jumping, and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging

at the temple gate called Beautiful,

and they were filled with wonder and amazement

at what had happened to him.

Not By Our Power

While the man held on to Peter and John,

all the people were astonished

and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.

When Peter saw this, he said to them:

“Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you?

Why do you stare at us

as if by our own power or devotion we made this man walk?

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—

the God of our ancestors—has glorified His servant Jesus.

You handed Him over to be killed,

and you disowned Him before Pilate,

though he had decided to let Him go.

You disowned the Holy and Righteous One

and asked that a murderer be released to you.

You killed the Author of life,

but God raised Him from the dead.

We are witnesses of this.

By trust in His name,

this man whom you see and know was made strong.

It is Jesus’ name and the trust that comes through Him

that has completely healed him,

as you all can see.”

Mercy in Misunderstanding

“Now, fellow Israelites,

I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.

But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets,

saying that His Anointed would suffer.

Turn back, then, and be renewed,

so that your sins may be wiped out,

that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

and that He may send the Anointed—appointed for you—even Jesus.

Heaven must receive Him

until the time comes for God to restore everything,

as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.

For Moses said:

‘The Lord your God will raise up for you

a prophet like me from among your own people;

you must listen to everything He tells you.

Anyone who does not listen to Him

will be completely cut off from their people.’

Indeed, beginning with Samuel,

all the prophets who have spoken

have foretold these days.

And you are heirs of the prophets

and of the covenant God made with your ancestors.

He said to Abraham:

‘Through your offspring

all peoples on earth will be blessed.’

When God raised up His servant,

He sent Him first to you to bless you

by turning each of you away from your destructive ways.”

———

The Name They Could Not Silence

Confronted by the Powerful

While Peter and John were still speaking to the people,

the priests, the captain of the temple guard,

and the Sadducees came up to them.

They were greatly disturbed

because the apostles were teaching the people

and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

They seized Peter and John and,

because it was evening,

they put them in jail until the next day.

But many who heard the message believed—

so the number of men who trusted grew to about five thousand.

Questioned by the Council

The next day the rulers, the elders,

and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.

Annas the high priest was there,

and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander,

and others of the high priest’s family.

They had Peter and John brought before them

and began to question them:

“By what power or what name did you do this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Sacred Breath, said to them:

“Rulers and elders of the people!

If we are being called to account today

for an act of kindness shown to a man who could not walk,

and are being asked how he was healed,

then know this, you and all the people of Israel:

It is by the name of Jesus the Anointed of Nazareth,

whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead,

that this man stands before you whole.

Jesus is:

‘The stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’

Salvation is found in no one else,

for there is no other name under the sky

given to humanity by which we must be saved.”

Amazed by Boldness

When they saw the courage of Peter and John

and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,

they were astonished

and took note that these men had been with Jesus.

But since they could see the man who had been healed

standing there with them,

there was nothing they could say.

So they ordered them to withdraw from the council

and then began to confer together.

“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked.

“Everyone living in Jerusalem knows

they have performed a remarkable sign,

and we cannot deny it.

But to stop this from spreading any further among the people,

we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

Refusing to Be Silent

Then they called them in again

and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

But Peter and John replied:

“Which is right in God’s eyes:

to listen to you, or to Him?

You be the judges!

As for us, we cannot help speaking

about what we have seen and heard.”

After further threats they let them go.

They could not decide how to punish them,

because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

For the man who was miraculously healed

was over forty years old.

A Prayer for Boldness

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people

and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

When they heard this,

they raised their voices together in prayer to God:

“Sovereign Lord,

You made the sky and the earth and the sea,

and everything in them.

You spoke by the Sacred Breath

through the mouth of Your servant, our father David:

‘Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord

and against His Anointed One.’

Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together

with the outsiders and the people of Israel in this city

to conspire against Your holy servant Jesus,

whom You anointed.

They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

Now, Lord, consider their threats

and enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness.

Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders

through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

After they prayed,

the place where they were meeting was shaken.

And they were all filled with the Sacred Breath

and spoke the word of God boldly.

A Community with One Heart

All the believers were one in heart and mind.

No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own,

but they shared everything they had.

With great power the apostles continued

to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

And God’s generous favor was powerfully at work in them all.

There were no needy persons among them.

For from time to time

those who owned land or houses sold them,

brought the money from the sales

and put it at the apostles’ feet,

and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus,

whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),

sold a field he owned

and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

———

A Holy Community is Not to Be Faked

Ananias and Sapphira

Now a man named Ananias,

together with his wife Sapphira,

also sold a piece of property.

With his wife’s full knowledge

he kept back part of the money for himself,

but brought the rest

and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said,

“Ananias,

how has the deceiver filled your heart

to lie to the Sacred Breath

and to keep for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?

And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?

What made you think of doing such a thing?

You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

When Ananias heard this,

he fell down and breathed his last.

Great awe seized all who heard what had happened.

Then some young men came forward,

wrapped up his body,

carried him out,

and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in,

not knowing what had happened.

Peter asked her,

“Tell me,

is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Peter said to her,

“How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?

Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door,

and they will carry you out also.”

At that moment she fell down at his feet and breathed her last.

Then the young men came in and, finding her dead,

carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Great awe seized the whole assembly

and all who heard about these events.

Signs, Awe, and Growth

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.

And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.

No one else dared join them,

even though they were highly regarded by the people.

Nevertheless, more and more men and women

trusted in the Lord and were added to their number.

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets

and laid them on beds and mats

so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem,

bringing their sick and those afflicted by tormenting conditions,

and all of them were made whole.

Arrested for Speaking Life

Then the high priest and all his associates,

who were members of the party of the Sadducees,

were filled with jealousy.

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

But during the night an angel—a messenger of the Lord—

opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.

“Go,” the messenger said,

“stand in the temple courts

and tell the people all about this new life.”

At daybreak they entered the temple courts,

as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived,

they called together the council—

the full assembly of the elders of Israel—

and sent to the jail for the apostles.

But on arriving at the jail,

the officers did not find them there.

So they went back and reported:

“We found the jail securely locked,

with the guards standing at the doors;

but when we opened them,

we found no one inside.”

On hearing this report,

the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled,

wondering what would come of this.

Then someone came and said,

“Look! The men you put in jail

are standing in the temple courts

teaching the people.”

We Must Obey God

At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles.

They did not use force,

because they feared that the people would stone them.

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the council

to be questioned by the high priest.

“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said.

“Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching

and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied:

“We must obey God rather than human beings!

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—

whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree.

God exalted Him to His own right hand as Leader and Rescuer

to bring Israel to a turning of heart and forgiveness of sins.

We are witnesses of these things,

and so is the Sacred Breath whom God has given

to those who walk in trust.”

Wisdom from Gamaliel

When they heard this,

they were furious and wanted to put them to death.

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel,

a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people,

stood up in the council

and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.

Then he addressed the council:

“Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.

Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody,

and about four hundred men rallied to him.

He was killed, all his followers were scattered,

and it all came to nothing.

After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census

and led a band of people in revolt.

He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.

Therefore, in the present case I advise you:

Leave these men alone! Let them go!

For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.

But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them;

you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”

His speech persuaded them.

They called the apostles in and had them flogged.

Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus,

and let them go.

Rejoicing in Suffering

The apostles left the council,

rejoicing because they had been counted worthy

to suffer disgrace for the Name.

Day after day,

in the temple courts and from house to house,

they never stopped teaching and proclaiming

the good news that Jesus is the Anointed One.

———

Multiplying People, Multiplying Needs

The First Conflict in the Community

In those days,

as the number of disciples was increasing,

the Greek-speaking Jews among them

complained against the Hebrew-speaking Jews

because their widows were being overlooked

in the daily distribution of food.

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said:

“It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God

in order to wait on tables.

Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you

who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.

We will turn this responsibility over to them

and give our attention to prayer and to the service of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group.

They chose:

Stephen, a man full of trust and the Sacred Breath,

Philip,

Prochorus,

Nicanor,

Timon,

Parmenas,

and Nicolas from Antioch (a convert to Judaism).

They presented these men to the apostles,

who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The Word Grows, the Resistance Rises

So the word of God spread.

The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,

and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Now Stephen, a man full of grace and power,

performed great wonders and signs among the people.

Opposition arose, however,

from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen

—as it was called—

Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria

as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—

who began to argue with Stephen.

But they could not stand up

against the wisdom the Sacred Breath gave him as he spoke.

False Accusations

So they secretly persuaded some men to say,

“We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words

against Moses and against God.”

So they stirred up the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law.

They seized Stephen

and brought him before the council.

They produced false witnesses, who testified:

“This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

For we have heard him say

that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place

and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

All who were sitting in the council

looked intently at Stephen,

and they saw that his face

was like the face of a messenger.

———

Stephen’s Bold Testimony and the Cost of Truth

Called to Account

Then the high priest asked Stephen,

“Are these charges true?”

And Stephen replied:

“Brothers and fathers, listen to me!

The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham

while he was still in Mesopotamia,

before he lived in Haran.

‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said,

‘and go to the land I will show you.’

So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.

After the death of his father,

God moved him to this land where you are now living.

He gave him no inheritance here,

not even enough ground to set his foot on.

But God promised him that he and his descendants after him

would possess the land—even though at that time Abraham had no child.

God spoke in this way:

‘Your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own,

and they will be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

But I will judge the nation that enslaves them,’ said God,

‘and afterward they will come out and worship Me in this place.’

Then He gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.

And Abraham became the father of Isaac

and circumcised him eight days after his birth.

Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,

and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Joseph: Betrayed and Raised Up

Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,

they sold him into Egypt.

But God was with him

and rescued him from all his troubles.

He gave Joseph wisdom and favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt,

who made him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan,

bringing great suffering,

and our ancestors could not find food.

When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt,

he sent our forefathers there on their first visit.

On their second visit,

Joseph revealed himself to his brothers,

and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family.

After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family—

seventy-five in all.

Then Jacob went down to Egypt,

where he and our ancestors died.

Their bodies were brought back to Shechem

and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought

for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor at Shechem.

Moses: The Misunderstood Deliverer

As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham,

the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.

Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power.

He dealt treacherously with our people

and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them

to abandon their infants so they would not survive.

At that time Moses was born,

and he was no ordinary child.

For three months he was cared for in his father’s house.

When he was placed outside,

Pharaoh’s daughter took him in

and raised him as her own son.

Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians

and was powerful in speech and action.

When Moses was forty years old,

he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites.

He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian,

so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian.

He thought his own people would realize

that God was using him to rescue them,

but they did not.

The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting.

He tried to reconcile them by saying,

‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

But the one who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said,

‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?

Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian,

where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.

A Fire That Spoke

After forty years had passed,

an angel—a messenger—appeared to Moses

in the flames of a bush that was on fire but not consumed,

in the desert near Mount Sinai.

When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight.

As he went over to get a closer look,

he heard the voice of the Lord:

‘I am the God of your ancestors—

the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’

Moses trembled with awe and did not dare to look.

Then the Lord said to him,

‘Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is sacred ground.

I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt.

I have heard their groaning

and have come down to set them free.

Now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

This same Moses—whom they had rejected with the words,

‘Who made you ruler and judge?’—was sent to be their ruler and deliverer

by God Himself, through the hand of the messenger in the bush.

A Pattern of Resistance

Moses led them out of Egypt,

performing wonders and signs in Egypt,

at the Red Sea,

and for forty years in the wilderness.

This is the Moses who told the Israelites,

‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people.’

He was with the assembly in the wilderness,

with the messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai,

and with our ancestors;

and he received living words to pass on to us.

But our ancestors refused to obey him.

Instead, they rejected him

and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

They told Aaron,

‘Make us gods who will go before us.

As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—

we don’t know what has happened to him!’

That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf.

They brought sacrifices to it

and celebrated what their own hands had made.

But God turned away from them

and gave them over to worship the host of heaven—

as it is written in the book of the prophets:

‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings

forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?

You have taken up the tent of Molech

and the star of your god Rephan,

the idols you made to worship.

Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

The Tabernacle and the Presence

Our ancestors had the tent of witness in the wilderness.

It had been made as God directed Moses,

according to the pattern he had seen.

After receiving the tabernacle,

our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them

when they took the land from the nations

God drove out before them.

It remained in the land

until the time of David,

who found favor with God

and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.

However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands.

As the prophet says:

‘Heaven is My throne,

and the earth is My footstool.

What kind of house will you build for Me? says the Lord.

Or where will My resting place be?

Has not My hand made all these things?’

The Final Confrontation

“You stiff-necked people!

Your hearts and ears are still closed.

You are always resisting the Sacred Breath—just as your ancestors did!

Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?

They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One.

And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—

You who received the law given through messengers

but have not obeyed it.”

A Vision and a Murder

When the council heard this,

they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him.

But Stephen, full of the Sacred Breath,

looked up with open eyes and said:

“Look, I see the skies opened

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this, they covered their ears

and, shouting at the top of their voices,

they all rushed at him,

dragged him out of the city,

and began to stone him.

The witnesses laid their coats

at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed,

“Lord Jesus, receive my breath.”

Then he fell on his knees and cried out,

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

When he had said this,

he rested.

———

Persecution Sparks the Spread

Saul Approves

And Saul approved of Stephen’s execution.

On that day, a great persecution broke out

against the community in Jerusalem,

and all except the apostles were scattered

throughout Judea and Samaria.

God-fearing people buried Stephen

and mourned deeply for him.

But Saul began to destroy the movement.

Going from house to house,

he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Wherever They Went

Those who had been scattered

preached the word wherever they went.

Philip went down to a city in Samaria

and proclaimed the Anointed there.

When the crowds heard Philip

and saw the signs he performed,

they all paid close attention to what he said.

For many who had afflicting spirits were restored;

they came out with shouts,

and many who were paralyzed or unable to walk were made whole.

So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city

and amazed all the people of Samaria.

He boasted that he was someone great,

and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and said,

“This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”

They followed him because he had amazed them

for a long time with his magic.

But when they believed Philip

as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God

and the name of Jesus the Anointed,

they were immersed—both men and women.

Simon himself believed and was immersed.

He followed Philip everywhere,

astonished by the great signs and deeds of power he saw.

The Spirit Comes to Samaria

When the messengers in Jerusalem

heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,

they sent Peter and John to them.

When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there

that they might receive the Sacred Breath,

because the Breath had not yet come upon any of them;

they had simply been immersed in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,

and they received the Sacred Breath.

When Simon saw that the Breath was given

at the laying on of the apostles’ hands,

he offered them money and said,

“Give me this authority too,

so that everyone on whom I lay my hands

may receive the Sacred Breath.”

Peter answered:

“May your silver perish with you,

because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

You have no part or share in this ministry,

because your heart is not right before God.

Turn back from this wickedness and pray to the Lord.

Perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.

For I see that you are full of bitterness

and caught in the chains of deception.”

Then Simon answered,

“Pray to the Lord for me

so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

After they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord,

Peter and John returned to Jerusalem,

preaching the good news in many Samaritan villages.

The Ethiopian Official

Now an angel—a messenger—of the Lord said to Philip,

“Go south to the road—the desert road—

that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

So he started out, and on his way

he met an Ethiopian official,

an important man in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake

(meaning queen of the Ethiopians).

This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

and on his way home was sitting in his chariot

reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip,

“Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Then Philip ran up to the chariot

and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.

“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said,

“unless someone explains it to me?”

So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The Scroll of Isaiah

This is the passage of Scripture the man was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so He did not open His mouth.

In His humiliation He was deprived of justice.

Who can speak of His descendants?

For His life was taken from the earth.”

The official asked Philip,

“Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?”

Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture

and told him the good news about Jesus.

Immersed Along the Way

As they traveled along the road,

they came to some water and the official said,

“Look, here is water.

What can stand in the way of my being immersed?”

And he gave orders to stop the chariot.

Then both Philip and the official went down into the water,

and Philip immersed him.

When they came up out of the water,

the Breath of the Lord carried Philip away,

and the official did not see him again,

but went on his way rejoicing.

Philip, however, appeared at Azotus

and traveled about,

proclaiming the good news in all the towns

until he reached Caesarea.

———

From Persecutor to Proclaimer

The Road to Damascus

Meanwhile Saul,

still breathing threats and violence against the Lord’s disciples,

went to the high priest and asked him for letters

to the synagogues in Damascus,

so that if he found any who belonged to the Way—

whether men or women—

he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he neared Damascus on his journey,

suddenly a light from the sky surrounded him.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him:

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked.

The voice replied:

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Now get up and go into the city,

and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood speechless;

they heard the sound but saw no one.

Saul got up from the ground,

but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.

So they led him by the hand into Damascus.

For three days he was blind,

and did not eat or drink anything.

Ananias: A Reluctant Servant

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias.

The Lord called to him in a vision,

“Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him:

“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street

and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul,

for he is praying.

In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias

come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias replied,

“I have heard many reports about this man

and all the harm he has done to Your holy people in Jerusalem.

And he has come here with authority

from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias:

“Go! This man is My chosen instrument

to carry My name before nations, kings, and the people of Israel.

I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

Saul Receives His Sight—and His Calling

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it.

Placing his hands on Saul, he said:

“Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road

as you were coming here—has sent me

so that you may see again and be filled with the Sacred Breath.”

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes,

and he could see again.

He got up and was immersed,

and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Preaching in Damascus

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

At once he began to proclaim in the synagogues

that Jesus is the Son of God.

All those who heard him were astonished and asked,

“Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem

among those who call on this name?

And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

Yet Saul grew more powerful

and baffled the Jewish leaders living in Damascus

by proving that Jesus is the Anointed One.

Escape in the Night

After many days had gone by,

there was a conspiracy among the local leaders to kill him,

but Saul learned of their plan.

Day and night they watched the city gates

in order to kill him.

But his followers took him by night

and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

Rejected, Then Received

When he came to Jerusalem,

he tried to join the disciples,

but they were all afraid of him,

not believing that he really was a disciple.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.

He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord

and that the Lord had spoken to him,

and how in Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

So Saul stayed with them

and moved about freely in Jerusalem,

speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

He talked and debated with the Greek-speaking Jews,

but they tried to kill him.

When the believers learned of this,

they took him down to Caesarea

and sent him off to Tarsus.

A Season of Peace and Strength

Then the movement throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria

enjoyed a time of peace.

It was being built up and strengthened.

Living in reverence for the Lord

and encouraged by the Sacred Breath,

it grew in number.

Aeneas Is Healed

As Peter traveled about the country,

he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda.

There he found a man named Aeneas,

who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.

“Jesus the Anointed heals you,” Peter said to him.

“Get up and roll up your mat.”

Immediately Aeneas got up.

All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him

and turned to the Lord.

Tabitha Is Raised

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha

(which, when translated, is Dorcas).

She was always doing good and helping the poor.

About that time she became sick and died,

and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.

Lydda was near Joppa;

so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda,

they sent two men to him and urged him,

“Please come at once!”

Peter went with them,

and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room.

All the widows stood around him,

crying and showing him the robes and other clothing

that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Peter sent them all out of the room;

then he got down on his knees and prayed.

Turning toward the dead woman, he said,

“Tabitha, get up.”

She opened her eyes,

and when she saw Peter she sat up.

He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.

Then he called for the believers, especially the widows,

and presented her to them alive.

This became known all over Joppa,

and many people believed in the Lord.

Peter stayed in Joppa for some time

with a tanner named Simon.

———

When Walls Come Down

A Vision in Caesarea

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius,

a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.

He and his whole household were God-fearing.

He gave generously to those in need

and prayed to God regularly.

One day at about three in the afternoon

he had a clear vision.

He saw a messenger of God come to him and say,

“Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear.

“What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The messenger answered:

“Your prayers and gifts to the poor

have come up as a memorial before God.

Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon,

who is called Peter.

He is staying with Simon the tanner,

whose house is by the sea.”

When the messenger who spoke to him had gone,

Cornelius called two of his servants

and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.

He told them everything that had happened

and sent them to Joppa.

A Vision in Joppa

About noon the next day as they were on their journey

and approaching the city,

Peter went up on the roof to pray.

He became hungry and wanted something to eat,

and while the meal was being prepared,

he fell into a trance.

He saw heaven opened

and something like a large sheet being let down to earth

by its four corners.

It contained all kinds of four-footed animals,

as well as reptiles and birds.

Then a voice told him:

“Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied.

“I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

The voice spoke to him a second time:

“Do not call anything unclean

that God has made clean.”

This happened three times,

and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

The Visitors Arrive

While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision,

the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was

and stopped at the gate.

They called out, asking if Simon who was called Peter was staying there.

While Peter was still thinking about the vision,

the Breath said to him,

“Look, three men are looking for you.

Get up and go downstairs.

Do not hesitate to go with them,

for I have sent them.”

So Peter went down and said to the men,

“I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

The men replied,

“We have come from Cornelius the centurion.

He is a righteous and God-fearing man,

who is respected by all the Jewish people.

A holy messenger told him to ask you to come to his house

so that he could hear what you have to say.”

Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Crossing Boundaries

The next day Peter started out with them,

and some of the believers from Joppa went along.

The following day he arrived in Caesarea.

Cornelius was expecting them

and had called together his relatives and close friends.

As Peter entered the house,

Cornelius met him

and fell at his feet in reverence.

But Peter made him get up.

“Stand up,” he said,

“I am only a man myself.”

While talking with him,

Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.

He said to them:

“You are well aware that it is against our customs

for a Jew to associate with or visit a non-Jew.

But God has shown me

that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.

So when I was sent for, I came without objection.

May I ask why you sent for me?”

Cornelius Explains

Cornelius answered:

“Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour,

at three in the afternoon.

Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me

and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer

and remembered your gifts to the poor.

Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.

He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’

So I sent for you immediately,

and it was good of you to come.

Now we are all here in the presence of God

to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

The Message of Peace

Then Peter began to speak:

“I now truly understand

that God does not show favoritism

but accepts from every nation

the one who reveres Him and does what is right.

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel,

announcing the good news of peace through Jesus the Anointed,

who is Lord of all.

You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea,

beginning in Galilee after the immersion that John preached—

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Sacred Breath and power,

and how He went around doing good

and healing all who were oppressed by the adversary,

because God was with Him.

We are witnesses of everything He did

in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They killed Him by hanging Him on a tree,

but God raised Him from the dead on the third day

and caused Him to be seen.

He was not seen by all the people,

but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—

by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

He commanded us to proclaim to the people

and to testify that He is the one whom God appointed

as judge of the living and the dead.

All the prophets testify about Him

that everyone who trusts in Him

receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

The Spirit Falls on Outsiders

While Peter was still speaking these words,

the Sacred Breath came on all who heard the message.

The Jewish believers who had come with Peter

were astonished that the gift of the Sacred Breath

had been poured out even on the outsiders,

for they heard them speaking in other tongues

and praising God.

Then Peter said,

“Can anyone keep these people from being immersed with water?

They have received the Sacred Breath just as we have.”

So he ordered that they be immersed

in the name of Jesus the Anointed.

Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

———

Explaining the Unthinkable

The Report Reaches Jerusalem

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea

heard that even the outsiders had received the word of God.

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem,

the circumcised believers criticized him and said,

“You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

Starting from the beginning,

Peter told them the whole story:

“I was in the city of Joppa praying,

and in a vision I saw something like a large sheet

being let down from the sky by its four corners.

It came down to where I was.

I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth,

wild beasts, reptiles, and birds.

Then I heard a voice telling me,

‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord!

Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

The voice spoke from the sky a second time,

‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

This happened three times,

and then it was all pulled up to the sky again.

“Right then, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea

stopped at the house where I was staying.

The Breath told me to go with them without hesitation.

These six brothers also went with me,

and we entered the man’s house.

He told us how he had seen a messenger

standing in his house and saying,

‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.

He will bring you a message

through which you and all your household will be saved.’

“As I began to speak,

the Sacred Breath came on them

just as it had come on us at the beginning.

Then I remembered what the Lord had said:

‘John immersed with water,

but you will be immersed in the Sacred Breath.’

“So if God gave them the same gift He gave us

who trusted in the Lord Jesus the Anointed,

who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

When they heard this,

they had no further objections and praised God, saying,

“So then, even to the outsiders

God has granted the change of heart that leads to life.”

The Movement Spreads to Antioch

Now those who had been scattered

by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed

traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,

spreading the word only among Jews.

Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene,

went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also,

telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

The hand of the Lord was with them,

and a great number of people trusted and turned to the Lord.

News of this reached the church in Jerusalem,

and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done,

he was glad and encouraged them all

to remain true to the Lord with wholehearted devotion.

He was a good man,

full of the Sacred Breath and trust,

and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

Barnabas and Saul Reunite

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

and when he found him,

he brought him to Antioch.

So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul

met with the community and taught great numbers of people.

The disciples were called “Christians”

first at Antioch.

Prophets and Famine Relief

During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

One of them, named Agabus,

stood up and through the Breath predicted

that a severe famine would spread

over the entire Roman world.

(This happened during the reign of Claudius.)

The disciples, as each was able,

decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.

They did this, sending their gift to the elders

by Barnabas and Saul.

———

When Chains Fall and Kings Fall

James Is Killed, Peter Is Imprisoned

It was about this time

that King Herod began to persecute some in the community.

He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

When he saw that this pleased certain leaders,

he proceeded to seize Peter also.

This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

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.

So Peter was kept in prison,

but the community was earnestly praying to God for him.

The Night Before the Trial

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial,

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers,

bound with two chains,

and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

Suddenly a messenger of the Lord appeared,

and 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.

Then the messenger said to him:

“Put on your clothes and sandals.”

And Peter did so.

“Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” he told him.

Peter followed him out of the prison,

but he had no idea that what the messenger was doing was really happening;

he thought he was seeing a vision.

They passed the first and second guards

and came to the iron gate leading to the city.

It opened for them by itself,

and they went through it.

When they had walked the length of one street,

suddenly the messenger left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said,

“Now I know without a doubt

that the Lord has sent His messenger

and rescued me from Herod’s clutches

and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

A Disbelieved Miracle

When this had dawned on him,

he went to the house of Mary the mother of John (also called Mark),

where many people had gathered and were praying.

Peter knocked at the outer entrance,

and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.

When she recognized Peter’s voice,

she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed,

“Peter is at the door!”

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her.

When she kept insisting, they said,

“It must be his messenger.”

But Peter kept on knocking,

and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet

and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison.

“Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said,

and then he left for another place.

Herod’s Wrath and God’s Judgment

In the morning,

there was no small commotion among the soldiers

as to what had become of Peter.

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.

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;

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.

On the appointed day,

Herod, wearing his royal robes,

sat on his throne

and delivered a public address to them.

They shouted,

“This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God,

a messenger of the Lord struck him down,

and he was eaten by worms and died.

The Word Grows

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission,

they returned from Jerusalem,

taking with them John, also called Mark.

———

A Sent Pair, a Divided Crowd, and a Growing Movement

Set Apart for the Mission

Now in the community at Antioch

there were prophets and teachers:

Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,

Manaen (who had been raised with Herod the tetrarch),

and Saul.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,

the Sacred Breath said:

“Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul

for the work to which I have called them.”

So after they had fasted and prayed,

they laid their hands on them

and sent them off.

On the Island of Cyprus

The two of them, sent out by the Sacred Breath,

went down to Seleucia

and sailed from there to Cyprus.

When they arrived at Salamis,

they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.

John was with them as their assistant.

They traveled through the whole island

until they came to Paphos.

There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet

named Bar-Jesus,

who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus.

The proconsul, an intelligent man,

sent for Barnabas and Saul

because he wanted to hear the word of God.

But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means)

opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Then Saul, who was also called Paul,

filled with the Sacred Breath,

looked straight at Elymas and said:

“You are a child of deception and an enemy of everything right!

You are full of trickery and wicked schemes.

Will you never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord?

Now the hand of the Lord is against you.

You are going to be blind for a time,

not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him,

and he groped about,

seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

When the proconsul saw what had happened,

he believed,

for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

From Perga to Pisidian Antioch

From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,

where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.

On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.

After the reading from the Law and the Prophets,

the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying,

“Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”

Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said:

Paul’s Message: From Egypt to the Risen One

“People of Israel and you who reverence God, listen!

The God of this people chose our ancestors.

He made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt;

with mighty power He led them out of that land.

For about forty years He endured their conduct in the wilderness,

and He overthrew seven nations in Canaan,

giving their land to His people as an inheritance.

All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges

until the time of the prophet Samuel.

Then the people asked for a king,

and He gave them Saul son of Kish,

from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.

After removing Saul,

He raised up David as their king.

God testified concerning him:

‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart;

he will do everything I want him to do.’

“From this man’s descendants

God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.

Before the coming of Jesus,

John preached a turning of heart to all the people of Israel.

As John was finishing his work, he said:

‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you’re looking for.

But there is One coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

Forgiveness and a Warning

“Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing outsiders,

it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers

did not recognize Jesus,

yet in condemning Him

they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence,

they asked Pilate to have Him executed.

When they had carried out all that was written about Him,

they took Him down from the tree

and laid Him in a tomb.

But God raised Him from the dead,

and for many days He was seen

by those who had traveled with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem.

They are now His witnesses to our people.

“We tell you the good news:

What God promised our ancestors

He has fulfilled for us, their children,

by raising up Jesus.

As it is written in the second Psalm:

‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’

God raised Him from the dead

never to see decay, as He said:

‘I will give You the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

“So it is also stated elsewhere:

‘You will not let Your holy one see decay.’

“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation,

he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors

and his body decayed.

But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

“Therefore, my friends,

I want you to know

that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

Through Him everyone who trusts is set free from every sin,

a freedom you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

‘Look, you scoffers,

wonder and perish,

for I am doing something in your days

that you would never believe,

even if someone told you.’”

Some Welcome, Some Resist

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,

the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.

When the meeting was over,

many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed them.

Paul and Barnabas talked with them

and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered

to hear the word of the Lord.

When the Jewish leaders saw the crowds,

they were filled with jealousy.

They began to contradict what Paul was saying

and heaped abuse on him.

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly:

“We had to speak the word of God to you first.

Since you reject it

and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life,

we now turn to the outsiders.

For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

‘I have made you a light for the nations,

that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

When the outsiders heard this,

they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord,

and all who were appointed for life in the age to come trusted.

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

But the Jewish leaders incited the women of influence

and the leading men of the city.

They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas

and expelled them from their region.

So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them

and went to Iconium.

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Sacred Breath.

———

A Gospel That Walks Through Fire

Bold in Iconium

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas

went as usual into the Jewish synagogue.

There they spoke so effectively

that a great number of Jews and Greeks came to trust.

But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the outsiders

and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there,

speaking boldly for the Lord,

who confirmed the message of His grace

by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

The people of the city were divided;

some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.

There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews,

together with their leaders,

to mistreat them and stone them.

But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities

of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,

where they continued to preach the good news.

A Cripple Walks and a Crowd Misunderstands

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame.

He had been that way from birth and had never walked.

He listened to Paul as he was speaking.

Paul looked directly at him,

saw that he had trust to be healed,

and called out,

“Stand up on your feet!”

At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done,

they shouted in the Lycaonian language,

“The gods have come down to us in human form!”

Barnabas they called Zeus,

and Paul they called Hermes

because he was the chief speaker.

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.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this,

they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:

“Friends, why are you doing this?

We too are only human, like you.

We are bringing you good news,

telling you to turn from these worthless things

to the living God,

who made the sky and the earth and the sea and everything in them.

In the past, He let all nations go their own way.

Yet He has not left Himself without testimony:

He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons;

He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

Even with these words,

they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

Stoned, But Not Silenced

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium

and won the crowd over.

They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city,

thinking he was dead.

But after the disciples had gathered around him,

he got up and went back into the city.

The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

Strengthening the Believers

They preached the good news in that city

and won a large number of disciples.

Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

strengthening the disciples and encouraging them

to remain true to the faith.

“We must go through many trials

to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each community,

and with prayer and fasting,

committed them to the Lord in whom they had trusted.

The Journey Home

After going through Pisidia,

they came into Pamphylia,

and when they had preached the word in Perga,

they went down to Attalia.

From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch,

where they had been committed to the grace of God

for the work they had now completed.

When they arrived and gathered the community together,

they reported all that God had done through them

and how He had opened a door of trust to the outsiders.

And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

———

The Debate That Could Have Divided the Church

The Dispute Begins

Certain individuals came down from Judea to Antioch

and began teaching the believers:

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses,

you cannot be saved.”

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.

So the community appointed Paul and Barnabas,

along with some other believers,

to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders

about this question.

The community sent them on their way,

and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria,

they told how the outsiders had turned to God.

This news made all the brothers and sisters very glad.

When they came to Jerusalem,

they were welcomed by the community, the apostles, and the elders,

to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,

“The Gentiles must be circumcised

and required to keep the law of Moses.”

The Gathering in Jerusalem

The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them:

“Brothers, you know that some time ago

God made a choice among you

that the outsiders might hear from my lips

the message of the good news and believe.

God, who knows the heart,

showed that He accepted them

by giving the Sacred Breath to them,

just as He did to us.

He made no distinction between us and them,

for He purified their hearts through trust.

Now then, why do you test God

by putting on the necks of the disciples

a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?

No! We trust it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus

that we are saved, just as they are.”

The whole assembly became silent

as they listened to Barnabas and Paul

telling about the signs and wonders God had done

among the outsiders through them.

James Speaks

When they finished, James spoke up:

“Brothers, listen to me.

Simon has described how God first showed His concern

by taking from the outsiders a people for Himself.

The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

‘After this I will return

and rebuild David’s fallen tent.

Its ruins I will rebuild,

and I will restore it,

that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord,

even all the outsiders who bear My name,

says the Lord, who does these things—

things known from long ago.’

“It is my judgment, therefore,

that we should not make it difficult for the outsiders who are turning to God.

Instead, we should write to them,

telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,

from sexual immorality,

from the meat of strangled animals,

and from blood.

For the law of Moses has been preached

in every city from the earliest times

and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

The Letter to the Outsiders

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole community,

decided to choose some of their own men

and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas,

two men who were leaders among the believers.

With them they sent the following letter:

The Letter:

“The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the believers among the outsiders in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization

and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.

So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you

with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—

men who have risked their lives

for the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed.

Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas

to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.

It seemed good to the Sacred Breath and to us

not to burden you with anything beyond the following essentials:

You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols,

from blood,

from the meat of strangled animals,

and from sexual immorality.

You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.”

The Response in Antioch

So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch,

where they gathered the community together

and delivered the letter.

The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.

Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets,

said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.

After spending some time there,

they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace

to return to those who had sent them.

But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch,

where they and many others taught and preached

the word of the Lord.

A Sharp Disagreement

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas,

“Let us go back and visit the believers

in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord

and see how they are doing.”

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,

but Paul did not think it wise to take him,

because he had deserted them in Pamphylia

and had not continued with them in the work.

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.

Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,

but Paul chose Silas and left,

commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.

He went through Syria and Cilicia,

strengthening the communities.

———

Guided by the Breath, Unshaken by Chains

Timothy Joins the Mission

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,

where a disciple named Timothy lived,

whose mother was Jewish and a believer

but whose father was Greek.

The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

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 Greek.

As they traveled from town to town,

they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem

for the people to obey.

So the communities were strengthened in the faith

and grew daily in number.

A Vision of Europe

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region

of Phrygia and Galatia,

having been kept by the Sacred Breath

from preaching the word in the province of Asia.

When they came to the border of Mysia,

they tried to enter Bithynia,

but the Breath of Jesus would not allow them to.

So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

During the night Paul had a vision

of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him,

“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

After Paul had seen the vision,

we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia,

concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

Lydia’s Open Heart

From Troas we put out to sea

and sailed straight for Samothrace,

and the next day on to Neapolis.

From there we traveled to Philippi,

a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia.

And we stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath 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.

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira

named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth.

She was a worshiper of God.

The Lord opened her heart

to respond to Paul’s message.

When she and the members of her household were immersed,

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.

A Slave Girl Set Free

Once, as we were going to the place of prayer,

we were met by a female slave

who had a spirit of fortune-telling.

She earned a great deal of money for her owners

by predicting the future.

She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting,

“These men are servants of the Most High God,

who are telling you the way to be saved!”

She kept this up for many days.

Finally Paul became so troubled

that he turned around and said to the spirit,

“In the name of Jesus the Anointed, I command you to come out of her!”

At that moment the spirit left her.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone,

they seized Paul and Silas

and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.

They brought them before the magistrates and said,

“These men are Jews,

and are throwing our city into an uproar

by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas,

and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.

After they had been severely flogged,

they were thrown into prison,

and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.

When he received these orders,

he put them in the inner cell

and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Singing in the Darkness

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying

and singing songs to God,

and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake

that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

At once all the doors flew open,

and everyone’s chains came loose.

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.

But Paul shouted,

“Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights,

rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

He then brought them out and asked,

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied:

“Trust in the Lord Jesus,

and you will be saved—

you and your household.”

Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him

and to all the others in his house.

At that hour of the night

the jailer took them and washed their wounds;

then immediately he and all his household were immersed.

The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them;

he was filled with joy

because he had come to trust in God—he and his whole household.

The Tables Turn

When it was daylight,

the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order:

“Release those men.”

The jailer told Paul,

“The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released.

Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul said to the officers:

“They beat us publicly without a trial,

even though we are Roman citizens,

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.”

The officers reported this to the magistrates,

and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens,

they were alarmed.

They came to appease them

and escorted them from the prison,

requesting them to leave the city.

After Paul and Silas came out of the prison,

they went to Lydia’s house,

where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them.

Then they left.

———

Passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a meeting place of the people of Israel. As was his custom, Paul entered and, on three Sabbaths, reasoned with them from the sacred writings. He opened them up and explained that the Anointed One had to suffer and rise from among the dead.

“This one I am proclaiming to you,” Paul said, “is the Anointed One.”

Some were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of reverent Greeks and not a few prominent women. But others, becoming jealous, gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and stirred up a riot in the city. They stormed the house of Jason, seeking to bring Paul and Silas out to the assembly. When they couldn’t find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city officials, shouting:

“These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here too, and Jason has welcomed them! They act against the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Joshua!”

This stirred the crowd and the city officials. After taking security from Jason and the others, they released them.

That same night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the gathering place. The Bereans were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. They received the message with eagerness and examined the writings daily to see if what Paul said was true. Many of them came to trust, including both prominent Greek women and men.

But when the people from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the message of God in Berea, they came too, stirring up and agitating the crowds. The brothers immediately sent Paul away to the coast, while Silas and Timothy stayed behind. Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. After receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him quickly, they departed.

While Paul waited in Athens, his spirit was stirred within him as he saw the city full of carved idols. He reasoned in the gathering place with the people of Israel and the worshippers, and every day in the marketplace with those who happened to be there.

Some Epicurean and Stoic thinkers began debating with him. Some said, “What is this seed-gatherer trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divine beings”—because Paul was proclaiming Joshua and the rising from among the dead.

They brought him to the Areopagus and said, “May we understand what this new teaching is that you're speaking about? You bring strange things to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and foreigners living there spent their time doing nothing except speaking and listening to new things.)

Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said:

“People of Athens, I see how devoted you are in every way. As I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To an unknown god.’ What you worship without knowing, I now proclaim to you.

The Source of all—the One who made the world and everything in it—is not confined to shrines made by human hands. He is not served by human hands as if He needed anything, since He Himself gives life, breath, and all things to all people. From one origin, He made every nation to live on the face of the earth, having set their appointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling. He did this so they might search for Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us.

For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said: ‘We are His offspring.’

Since we are the offspring of the Divine, we should not think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone—shaped by human skill or imagination. In the past, ignorance was overlooked, but now people everywhere are invited to change their thinking. For He has appointed a day to bring justice to the world through the one He has chosen—and He has given assurance of this by raising him from among the dead.”

When they heard about the rising from the dead, some mocked, but others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”

So Paul left their gathering. Some joined him and came to trust, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

———

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jewish man named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all people of Israel to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was of the same trade—tentmaking—he stayed and worked with them.

Each Sabbath, he reasoned in the gathering place, trying to persuade both the people of Israel and those from among the nations. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was wholly devoted to the message, bearing witness to the people of Israel that Joshua was the Anointed One.

But when they opposed and slandered him, he shook out his garments and said, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the peoples of the nations.”

He left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshipper of God, whose house was next to the gathering place. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, trusted in the Master with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians who heard Paul came to trust and were immersed.

One night the Master spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid. Keep speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack or harm you, because I have many people in this city.”

So Paul stayed for a year and six months, teaching the message of God among them.

When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the people of Israel united against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat. They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in a way that is against the law!”

But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or serious crime, I would be right to hear your complaint. But since it involves questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I will not judge these matters.” And he drove them from the judgment seat.

Then all of them seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio paid no attention to it.

Paul stayed for many days longer, then said farewell to the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he cut his hair, for he had taken a vow. They came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he went into the gathering place and reasoned with the people. When they asked him to stay longer, he declined. But as he left, he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to greet the assembly and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he set out again, traveling through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the learners.

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was eloquent and strong in the writings. He had been instructed in the Way of the Master, and with a burning spirit, he spoke and taught accurately about Joshua, though he knew only the immersion of John.

He began to speak boldly in the gathering place. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more fully. When he wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he greatly helped those who had come to trust through grace, for he powerfully refuted those who opposed him, showing from the writings that Joshua is indeed the Anointed One.

———

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul took the inland route and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some learners and asked them, “Did you receive the Set-Apart Spirit when you came to trust?”

They answered, “We haven’t even heard that there is a Set-Apart Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then into what were you immersed?”

They replied, “Into John’s immersion.”

Paul said, “John immersed with an immersion of turning hearts—he told the people to trust in the one who would come after him, that is, in Joshua.”

When they heard this, they were immersed into the name of the Master Joshua. Then Paul placed his hands on them, and the Set-Apart Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with clarity and strength and expressed insight. There were about twelve men in all.

Paul entered the gathering place and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became hardened and refused to trust—speaking evil of the Way in front of others—he withdrew from them, taking the learners with him. He began holding discussions daily in the hall of Tyrannus.

This continued for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the message of the Master.

God was doing extraordinary acts through Paul, so much so that even cloths or aprons that had touched him were brought to the sick, and their conditions left them, and oppressive influences were broken off.

Some who traveled from place to place trying to invoke spiritual names tried to use the name of the Master Joshua over those afflicted. They said, “I command you by the Joshua whom Paul proclaims.”

Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this.

But one such spirit replied, “Joshua I know, and Paul I recognize—but who are you?”

Then the afflicted man leapt on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.

This became known to all—both Jews and Greeks—living in Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Master Joshua was honored. Many who had trusted came forward to admit and renounce their past practices. A number of those who had practiced occult crafts brought their books and scrolls together and burned them in public. When they calculated the value, it came to a great sum.

In this way, the message of the Master continued to grow in power and influence.

After these things, Paul resolved in spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then on to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “I must also see Rome.” He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia, while he stayed a little longer in Asia.

About that time, there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen. He called them together, along with others in related trades, and said:

“You know that our prosperity comes from this work. And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great number of people, not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia. He says that gods made by hands are not real gods. This puts our trade at risk of disrepute, and the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be regarded as nothing. She, whom all Asia and the world worship, could be robbed of her majesty.”

When they heard this, they were enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

Soon the whole city was in an uproar. They seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s companions, and rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some officials of the province, who were friends of Paul, sent him word, urging him not to go into the theater.

The assembly was confused—most didn’t even know why they were gathered. Some shouted one thing, some another. The crowd pushed forward Alexander, whom the Jews put forward to speak. He motioned for silence and tried to give a defense, but when the crowd realized he was Jewish, they shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

Finally, the city clerk quieted the crowd and said:

“People of Ephesus, who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven? Since these facts are undeniable, you should calm down and not act rashly. You’ve brought these men here though they haven’t robbed temples or blasphemed our goddess. If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a grievance, the courts are open. Let them bring charges there. If you want to press further, it must be settled in a lawful assembly. We’re in danger of being charged with rioting over what has happened today, since we have no just cause for it.”

After saying this, he dismissed the crowd.

———

After the uproar had settled, Paul sent for the learners, encouraged them, said farewell, and departed for Macedonia. As he traveled through those regions, he spoke many words of encouragement to the believers. Then he came to Greece, where he stayed for three months.

When a plot was made against him by some of the people of Israel just as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater of Berea (son of Pyrrhus), Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas, while we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread. We joined them in Troas five days later, and stayed there seven days.

On the first day of the week, we gathered together to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and because he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. A young man named Eutychus, sitting in a window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept speaking. Overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead.

But Paul went down, bent over him, and taking him in his arms said, “Do not be alarmed, he is alive.” Then he went back upstairs, broke bread and ate, and continued speaking until daylight. Then he left. They took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

We went ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. He had arranged it this way, since he was going there by land. When he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. We sailed from there, and the next day we reached a point opposite Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and the next day we arrived at Miletus.

Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in Asia, for he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called for the elders of the assembly. When they came to him, he said:

“You know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day I set foot in Asia. I served the Master with humility, with tears, and with trials that came upon me through the plots of those who opposed the message. I did not hold back from declaring to you anything that would be helpful. I taught you in public and from house to house, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn toward God and to trust in our Master Joshua.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. The Set-Apart Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and hardship await. But I consider my life worth nothing to myself, if only I may finish the path and the task given to me by the Master Joshua—to testify to the good news of God's grace.

Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore, I declare to you this day: I am innocent of the blood of all. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock of which the Set-Apart Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the assembly of God, which He obtained through His own offering. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come among you and will not spare the flock. Even from among your own group, people will rise up and distort the truth to draw away learners after themselves. Be alert. Remember that for three years I did not stop warning each one of you, night and day, with tears.

Now I entrust you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are set apart. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and for those who were with me. In all things, I showed you that by working hard in this way, we must support the weak and remember the words of the Master Joshua, who said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. They all wept freely and embraced Paul and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

———

After we tore ourselves away from them and set sail, we came straight to Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo.

We sought out the learners there and stayed with them for seven days. Through the Spirit, they urged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. But when our time was up, we left and continued on our journey. All of them, with wives and children, escorted us out of the city, and we knelt on the shore and prayed. After saying farewell, we went on board, and they returned home.

We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. The next day we left and came to Caesarea. There we stayed at the house of Philip the proclaimer, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “This is what the Set-Apart Spirit says: ‘In this way, the people in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the nations.’”

When we heard this, both we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. But Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Master Joshua.”

When he would not be persuaded, we became silent and said, “Let the Master’s will be done.”

After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. Some of the learners from Caesarea went with us and brought us to the home of Mnason of Cyprus, an early follower, where we were to stay.

When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly. The next day Paul went with us to see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the nations through his ministry. When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him:

“You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the people of Israel who have trusted, and they are all zealous for the law. They have been told that you teach our people among the nations to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or follow our customs. What then should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come. So do what we tell you: There are four men with us who have taken a vow. Join in their purification rites, pay their expenses so they can shave their heads, and everyone will know there is no truth to what they’ve heard about you, but that you yourself live in observance of the law.

As for the believers among the nations, we wrote to them our decision: that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”

So the next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

When the seven days were nearly over, some from the province of Asia saw Paul in the temple and stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, shouting:

“Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And now he has even brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place!”

(They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with Paul in the city and assumed he had brought him into the temple.)

The whole city was stirred, and people came running from all directions. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman forces that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He took soldiers and officers and ran down to the crowd. When they saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another. Since he couldn’t get the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Away with him!”

As Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

The commander replied, “You speak Greek? Aren’t you the Egyptian who stirred up a revolt and led four thousand rebels into the wilderness some time ago?”

Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

When the commander had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they became quiet, he addressed them in the Hebrew language...

(continued in next chapter)

———

Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people. When they had become completely silent, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language:

“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”

When they heard that he was addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet.

He continued,

“I am a man of Israel, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I was trained under Gamaliel in strict accordance with the law of our ancestors and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted those who followed the Way—even to death—arresting both men and women and delivering them into prison. The high priest and all the council can testify to this. I even obtained letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there to bring those in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.

But around midday, as I was on my way and approaching Damascus, a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

I answered, ‘Who are You, Master?’

He said, ‘I am Joshua of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’

Those who were with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice of the one speaking to me. I said, ‘What shall I do, Master?’

And the Master said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you have been appointed to do.’

Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand into Damascus by those who were with me.

A man named Ananias came to see me. He was devout by the standards of our law and highly respected by all the people living there. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could see him.

Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from His mouth. You will be His witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now, what are you waiting for? Rise up, be immersed, and wash away your past—calling on His name.’

When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw Him speaking to me: ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem at once, for they will not accept your testimony about Me.’

I replied, ‘Master, they know that I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You. And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.’

But He said to me, ‘Go! I am sending you far away to the nations.’”

Up to this point, they had listened to him. But then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”

As they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that Paul be interrogated under flogging to find out why the people were shouting against him like this.

As they stretched him out to be flogged, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t been found guilty?”

When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen!”

The commander came and asked, “Tell me—are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes,” Paul answered.

“I paid a high price for my citizenship,” the commander said.

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. Even the commander was alarmed, knowing he had put a Roman citizen in chains.

The next day, wanting to know for certain why Paul was being accused by the people, the commander released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.

———

Paul looked directly at the council and said,

“Brothers, I have lived before God with a clear conscience up to this very day.”

At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him,

“God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there judging me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by ordering me to be struck!”

Those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest?”

Paul replied, “Brothers, I didn’t realize he was the high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the council,

“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I am on trial because of the hope in the rising of the dead.”

When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

(The Sadducees say there is no rising, nor messenger beings, nor unseen breathings, while the Pharisees affirm them all.)

A great uproar arose, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and said strongly, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or a messenger has spoken to him?”

The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn apart by them. He ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.

That night, the Master stood beside him and said,

“Take courage. As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

The next morning, some of the people formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath, saying they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and elders and said,

“We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the council petition the commander to bring him down as if to examine his case more closely. We’ll be ready to kill him before he arrives.”

But the son of Paul’s sister heard of the ambush. He went into the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.”

The centurion took him to the commander and said,

“Paul, the prisoner, called me and asked me to bring this young man to you; he has something to say.”

The commander took the young man by the hand, led him aside, and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

He replied,

“The people have agreed to ask you tomorrow to bring Paul before the council as though they want to investigate further. But do not give in, for more than forty men are waiting in ambush. They have bound themselves by an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent.”

The commander dismissed the young man with instructions:

“Don’t tell anyone that you’ve reported this to me.”

Then he called two centurions and said,

“Get ready two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Provide horses for Paul so he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”

He wrote a letter as follows:

Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency Governor Felix, greetings.

This man was seized by the people and was about to be killed by them when I came with the soldiers and rescued him, learning that he is a Roman citizen. Wanting to understand their charges, I brought him before their council. I found that the accusations had to do with questions of their own law and that there was no charge deserving death or imprisonment. When I was informed of a plot against him, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present their case against him before you.

So the soldiers, following their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. The next day, they let the horsemen go on with him while they returned to the barracks. When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.

After reading the letter, the governor asked what province Paul was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, he said,

“I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.”

Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.

———

Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They presented their case against Paul before the governor.

When Paul was summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Most excellent Felix, through you we enjoy long-lasting peace, and your foresight has brought reforms to our nation. In every way and everywhere, we acknowledge this with gratitude. But in order not to take up too much of your time, I beg you to hear us briefly.

We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the people of Israel throughout the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes and even tried to desecrate the temple, so we seized him. By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing.”

The other accusers joined in, affirming that these things were true.

Then the governor motioned for Paul to speak. He replied:

“I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, so I gladly make my defense. You can verify that it was no more than twelve days ago that I went up to Jerusalem to worship. They did not find me arguing with anyone or stirring up a crowd in the temple, in the synagogues, or anywhere in the city. Nor can they prove the charges they are now bringing against me.

However, I do admit this to you: I worship the God of our ancestors according to the Way they call a sect. I believe everything that is written in the law and the prophets, and I have the same hope in God that they themselves hold—that there will be a rising from among the dead, both of the just and the unjust. Because of this, I always strive to maintain a clear conscience before God and people.

After several years, I came to bring gifts for the poor and offerings to my people. While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple—not with a crowd, not causing a disturbance. But some from the province of Asia ought to be here before you to make accusations if they have anything against me. Or let these men here state what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the council—unless it is this one thing I shouted: ‘I am on trial before you today because of the rising from among the dead!’”

Then Felix, who was well-informed about the Way, postponed the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” He ordered the centurion to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and not to prevent any of his friends from meeting his needs.

Several days later, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him speak about trust in the Anointed One. As Paul talked about integrity, self-control, and the coming restoration and judgment, Felix became afraid and said, “That’s enough for now. You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will summon you again.”

At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. But because Felix wanted to gain favor with the people, he left Paul in prison.

———

Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. The chief priests and leaders of the people presented their charges against Paul. They urgently requested Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him along the way.

Festus answered that Paul was being held at Caesarea and that he himself would be going there shortly.

“Let some of your leaders come with me,” he said, “and if this man has done anything wrong, they can bring charges against him there.”

After spending about eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day, he took his seat on the judgment bench and ordered Paul to be brought in. When Paul appeared, the people from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges, but they could not prove them.

Then Paul made his defense:

“I have done nothing wrong against the law of my people, or against the temple, or against Caesar.”

Festus, wanting to do the people a favor, asked Paul,

“Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”

Paul replied,

“I am now standing before Caesar’s judgment seat—where I ought to be tried. I have not wronged the people of Israel, as you yourself know very well. If I am guilty of anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is nothing in these charges, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

After conferring with his council, Festus declared,

“You have appealed to Caesar—to Caesar you shall go!”

A few days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were staying several days, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king.

“There is a man here,” he said, “left in prison by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the religious leaders and elders brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand someone over before they have faced their accusers and had a chance to defend themselves.

So when they came here with me, I didn’t delay. The next day, I took my seat and ordered the man to be brought in. His accusers stood up, but they brought no charges of the kind I expected. Instead, they had some disputes with him about their own beliefs and about a certain man named Joshua who had died—but whom Paul claims is alive. I was at a loss how to investigate such matters, so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem. But Paul appealed to be held over for the Emperor’s decision. So I ordered him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar.”

Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”

“Tomorrow,” Festus replied, “you will hear him.”

The next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great ceremony and entered the audience hall with the commanders and prominent people of the city. At Festus’ command, Paul was brought in.

Festus said:

“King Agrippa, and all who are present with us—you see this man. The whole community of the people of Israel has petitioned me about him, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found that he had done nothing deserving death. But since he appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. So I’ve brought him before all of you—and especially before you, King Agrippa—so that after this examination I may have something to write. For it seems unreasonable to send a prisoner without clearly stating the charges against him.”

———

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:

“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to make my defense against all the accusations brought by the people of Israel—especially because you are well acquainted with all the customs and questions they raise. I beg you to listen to me patiently.

The way I have lived since childhood, from the beginning among my own people and also in Jerusalem, is well known. They have known me for a long time and, if they are willing to testify, they know I lived as a Pharisee—according to the strictest tradition of our faith.

And now it is because of the hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors that I stand on trial. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is for this hope, O king, that I am accused. Why should anyone consider it unbelievable that God raises the dead?

I myself was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Joshua of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests, I put many of His followers in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. I went from one meeting place to another, punishing them, trying to force them to blaspheme. In my fury, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

On one of these journeys, I was going to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests. About midday, O king, I saw a light from the sky—brighter than the sun—shining around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language:

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is painful for you to keep kicking against the goads.’

I said, ‘Who are You, Master?’

And the Master replied, ‘I am Joshua, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and a witness—both of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you. I am sending you to your own people and to the nations, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the rule of the accuser to God, so they may receive release and a place among those who are set apart by trust in Me.’

So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. First to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and throughout the region of Judea, and to the nations, I proclaimed that they should turn and change their thinking, return to God, and express this change through their deeds. That is why some seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.

But God has helped me to this very day, and I stand here to testify to both small and great. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Anointed One would suffer and, as the first to rise from among the dead, would bring light to His own people and to the nations.”

At this point, Festus interrupted Paul:

“You’re out of your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane.”

Paul replied,

“I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice—it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you trust the prophets? I know you do.”

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to become one of your kind?”

Paul replied, “Whether short or long, I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become as I am—except for these chains.”

Then the king rose, and with him the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them. After they had left the room, they began saying to one another,

“This man is doing nothing that deserves death or imprisonment.”

Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

———

When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

The next day we landed at Sidon. Julius treated Paul with kindness and allowed him to go to his friends so they might care for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were against us. We sailed across the open sea off the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia and came to Myra in Lycia.

There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind wouldn’t allow us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

Much time had passed, and sailing had become dangerous because the season for safe navigation was nearly over. Paul warned them:

“Men, I can see that our voyage is going to bring damage and great loss—not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our lives.”

But the centurion was persuaded more by the pilot and the owner of the ship than by what Paul said. Since the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there—a harbor in Crete that faces both southwest and northwest.

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had achieved their purpose, so they weighed anchor and sailed along the coast of Crete. But soon, a fierce wind called the “Northeaster” swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and couldn’t face the wind, so we gave way to it and were driven along.

As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were barely able to secure the ship’s lifeboat. After hoisting it aboard, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the sandbanks of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.

We were violently tossed by the storm. The next day, they began to throw cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the storm continued to rage. We finally gave up all hope of being saved.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up and said:

“Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete—then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to take courage. Not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night, a messenger from the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said: ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’

So take courage, men, for I trust God that it will happen just as I was told. But we must run aground on some island.”

On the fourteenth night, we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms. Fearing we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.

Some of the sailors tried to escape from the ship. They let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower anchors. But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.

Just before dawn, Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you’ve been in constant suspense and gone without food. You haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”

After he said this, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. There were 276 of us on board. After they had eaten, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

When daylight came, they didn’t recognize the land but saw a bay with a beach and decided to run the ship aground there if they could. They cut loose the anchors and untied the rudder ropes. Then they hoisted the foresail and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and wouldn’t move, and the stern was broken by the pounding waves.

The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to follow—some on planks, some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely.

———

Once we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta. The local people showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us, because it had begun to rain and was cold.

Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire. A viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself onto his hand. When the people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another,

“Surely this man is a murderer! Though he escaped the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. They expected him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after watching for a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Nearby there was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us kindly for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him. After praying, he laid his hands on him and he was restored. After this, the rest of the sick on the island came and were also helped.

They honored us in many ways, and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

After three months, we set sail on an Alexandrian ship that had wintered on the island. Its figurehead was the Twin Brothers. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. From there we sailed to Rhegium. A day later, a south wind came up, and on the second day we reached Puteoli. There we found brothers and sisters who invited us to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.

The believers there had heard we were coming and traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he gave thanks to God and took courage.

When we arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

After three days, he called together the leaders of the local people of Israel. When they had assembled, he said:

“Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was handed over to the Romans in Jerusalem as a prisoner. They examined me and wanted to release me, because there was no basis for the death penalty. But when my own people objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that I had any charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, I have asked to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

They replied,

“We have not received any letters about you from Judea, and none of the brothers who came from there have reported anything bad about you. But we would like to hear your views, for we know that people everywhere are speaking against this movement.”

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day and came in large numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning until evening, he explained the kingdom of God to them. He bore witness to Joshua using the law of Moses and the prophets, trying to persuade them.

Some were convinced by what he said, but others did not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul made one final statement:

“The Set-Apart Breath rightly spoke through the prophet Isaiah to your ancestors:

‘Go to this people and say:

You will hear clearly but never understand;

You will look intently but never see.

For this people’s heart has grown dull,

their ears can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts,

and turn—

and I would heal them.’”

“Therefore, let it be known to you that this message of God's restoration has been sent to the nations, and they will listen!”

[Some manuscripts include: “When he had said these words, the Jews left, having a great dispute among themselves.”]

Paul stayed two full years in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Master Joshua the Anointed—with all boldness and without hindrance.