The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 6 through 11, from the 20th Century New Testament. Chapter 6 About this time, when the number of the disciples was constantly increasing, complaints were made by the Jews of foreign birth against the native Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. The twelve therefore called together the general body of the disciples and said to them, It is not well for us to see to the distribution at the tables and neglect God's message. Therefore brothers, look for seven men of reputation among yourselves, wise and spiritually minded men, and we will appoint them to attend to this matter. While we for our part will devote ourselves to prayer and to the delivery of the message. This proposal was unanimously agreed to, and the disciples chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenus, and Nicholas of Antioch, a former convert to Judaism. And they brought these men to the apostles, who, after praying, placed their hands on them. So God's message spread, and the number of the disciples continued to increase rapidly in Jerusalem, and a large body of the priests accepted the faith. Meanwhile Stephen, divinely helped and strengthened, was showing great wonders and signs among the people. But some members of the synagogue known as that of Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and visitors from Silesia and Roman Asia, were roused to action and began disputing with Stephen. Yet they were quite unable to withstand the wisdom and the inspiration with which he spoke. Then they induced some men to assert that they had heard Stephen saying blasphemous things against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people as well as the counselors and the teachers of the law, and set upon Stephen, and arrested him, and brought him before the High Council. There they produced witnesses who gave false evidence. This man, they said, is incessantly saying things against this holy place and the law. Indeed we have heard him declare that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs handed down to us by Moses. The eyes of all the members of the Council were riveted upon Stephen, and they saw his face looking like the face of an angel. Chapter 7 Then the High Priest asked, Is this true? And upon that Stephen spoke as follows. Brothers and Fathers, hear what I have to say. God who manifests himself in the glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia and before he settled in Heran, and said to him, Leave your country and your kindred and come into the country that I will show you. On this Abraham left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Heran, and from there after his father's death God caused him to migrate into this very country in which you are now living. God did not at that time give him any part of it, not even a foot of ground, but he promised to give him possession of it and his descendants after him, though at that time he had no child. God's words were these. Abraham's descendants shall live in a foreign country where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years, but I myself will judge the nation to which they will be enslaved, God said, and after that they shall leave the country and worship me in this place. Then God made with Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision, and under it Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old. And Isaac became the father of Jacob and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs, out of jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery and Egypt, but God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles and enabled him to win favour and show wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him governor of Egypt and of his whole household. Then a famine spread over the whole of Egypt and Canaan causing great distress and our ancestors could find no food. Seeing however that there was corn in Egypt Jacob sent our ancestors there on their first visit. In the course of their second visit Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and his family became known to Pharaoh.  There he died and our ancestors also, and their bodies were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. As the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people increased largely in numbers in Egypt until a new king who knew nothing of Joseph came to the throne. This king acted deceitfully toward our race and ill-treated our ancestors, making them a band in their own infants so that they should not be reared. It was just at this time that Moses was born. He was an exceedingly beautiful child and for three months was brought up in his own father's house, and when he was abandoned the daughter of Pharaoh found him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians and proved his ability both in his words and actions. When he was in his fortieth year he resolved to visit his brother Israelites, and seeing an Israelite ill-treated he defended him and avenged the man who was being wrong by striking down the Egyptian. He thought his brothers would understand that God was using him to save them, but they failed to do so. The next day he again appeared upon the scene when some of them were fighting and tried to make peace between them. Men he said, You are brothers. How is it that you are ill-treating one another? But the man who was ill-treating his fellow workmen pushed Moses aside, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? You mean to make away with me as you did yesterday with that Egyptian? Of these words Moses took to flight and became an exile in Midian, and there he had two sons born to him. Forty years had passed when there appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai an angel in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it he was astonished at the vision, but on his going nearer to look at it more closely the voice of the Lord was heard to say, I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses trembled and did not dare to look.  I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt and heard their groans and I have come down to deliver them. Come now and I will send you into Egypt. This same Moses, whom they had disowned with the words, who made you a ruler and a judge, was the very man whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer under the guidance of the angel that had appeared to him in the bush. He it was who led them out after he had shown wonders and signs in Egypt in the Red Sea and in the desert during forty years. This was the Moses who said to the people of Israel, God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet as he raised up me. He too it was who was present at the assembly in the desert with the angel who talked to him on Mount Sinai and with our ancestors and who received living truths to impart to you. Yet our ancestors refused him obedience. More than that they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt while they said to Aaron, Make us gods who will lead the way for us since as for this Moses who has brought us up out of Egypt we do not know what has become of him. That was the time when they made the calf and offered sacrifice to their idol and held festivities in honor of their own handiwork. So God turned from them and left them to the worship of the starry host as it is written in the Book of the Prophets. Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me, O house of Israel, all those forty years in the desert?  Therefore I will exile you beyond Babylon. Our ancestors had the tabernacle of revelation in the desert constructed just as he who spoke to Moses had directed him to make it after the model which he had seen. This tabernacle, which was handed down to them, was brought into this country by our ancestors who accompanied Joshua at the conquest of the nations that God drove out before their advance and remained here until the time of David. David found favor with God and prayed that he might find a dwelling for the God of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for God. Yet it is not in buildings made by hands of the most high dwells, as the Prophet says, The heavens are a throne for me and the earth a stool for my feet. What manner of house will you build me, saith the Lord, or what places there where I may rest? Was it not my hand that made all these things? O stubborn race, heathen in heart and ears, you are forever resisting the Holy Spirit. Your ancestors did it, and you are doing it still. Which of the Prophets escaped persecution at their hands? They killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one of whom you in your turn have now become the betrayers and murderers, you who receive the law as transmitted by angels and yet fail to keep it. As they listened to this, the Council grew frantic with rage and gnashed their teeth at Stephen. He, filled as he was with the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes intently on the heavens and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand. Look, he exclaimed, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand. At this, with a loud shout, they stopped their ears and all rushed upon him, forced him outside the city, and began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen while he cried to the Lord, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Standing on his knees, he called out loudly, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And with these words he fell asleep. CHAPTER 8 Saul approved of his being put to death. On that very day a great persecution broke out against the church which was in Jerusalem and its members, with the exception of the apostles, were all scattered over the district of Judea and Samaria. Some religious men buried Stephen with loud lamentations for him. But Saul began to devastate the church. He entered house after house, dragged out men and women alike, and threw them into prison. Now those who were scattered in different directions went from place to place proclaiming the good news. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and there began to preach the Christ. The people, one in all, listened attentively to what Philip told them when they heard of and saw the miracles which he was working. For there were many instances of people with foul spirits where the spirits with loud screams came out of them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were cured so that there was great rejoicing throughout that city. There was staying in the city a man named Simon who had been practicing magic there and mystifying the Samaritan people, giving himself out to be some great being. Every one high and low paid attention to him. This man, they used to say, must be that power of God which men call the great power, and they paid attention to him because they had for a long time been mystified by his magic arts. However, when they came to believe Philip, as he told them the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women. Even Simon believed, and after his baptism attached himself to Philip and was in his turn mystified at seeing signs and great miracles constantly occurring. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had welcomed God's message, they sent Peter and John to them, and they, on their arrival, prayed that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit. As yet the Spirit had not descended upon any of them. They had only been baptized into the faith of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that it was through the placing of the apostles' hands on them that the Spirit was given, he brought them a sum of money and said, Give me also this power of yours, so that if I place my hands upon any one he may receive the Holy Spirit. A curse upon you, and upon your money, Peter exclaimed, for thinking that God's free gift can be bought with gold. You have no share or pardon our message, for your heart is not right with God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that if possible you may be forgiven for such a thought. For I see that you have fallen into the bitterness of envy and the fetters of sin. Pray to the Lord for me, all of you, Simon answered, so that none of the things you have spoken of may befall me. Peter and John, having borne their testimony and delivered the Lord's message, returned to Jerusalem, telling the good news as they went in many Samaritan villages. Meanwhile, an angel of the Lord had said to Philip, set out on a journey southwards, along the road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza. It is now deserted. So Philip set out on a journey, and on his way he came upon an official of high rank in the service of Kandisi, Queen of the Abyssinians. He was her treasurer, and had been to Jerusalem to worship, and was now on his way home, sitting in his carriage and reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, Go up to that chariot yonder, and keep close to it. So Philip ran up, and heard the Abyssinian reading the prophet Isaiah. Do you understand what you are reading? He asked. How can I? The other answered, unless someone will explain it to me. And he invited Philip to get up and sit by his side. The passage of Scripture which he was reading was this. Like a sheep he was led away to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in the hands of its shearer, so he refrains from opening his lips. In his lowly condition justice was denied him, who will tell the story of his generation, for his life is cut off from earth. Now, said the treasurer, addressing Philip, tell me, of whom is the prophet speaking, of himself or someone else? Then Philip began, and taking this passage as his text, told him the good news about Jesus. Presently as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the treasurer exclaimed, Look, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized? So he ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, both Philip and the treasurer, and Philip baptized him. But when they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the treasurer saw no more of him, for he continued on his journey with a joyful heart. But Philip was found at Ashdod, and as he went on his way he told the good news in all the towns through which he passed, till he came to Caesarea. CHAPTER IX Meanwhile Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the High Priest, and asked him to give him letters to the Jewish congregations at Damascus, authorizing him if he found any supporters of the cause, whether men or women, to have them put in chains and brought to Jerusalem. While on his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from the heavens flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you, Lord? he asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the voice answered. Yet stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless. They heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one. When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus, and for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink. Now there was at Damascus a disciple named Ananias, to whom, in a vision, the Lord said, Ananias? Yes, Lord, he answered. Go at once, said the Lord, to the straight street, and ask at Judas' house for a man named Saul from Tarsus. He is at this moment praying, and he is seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and placing his hands on him, so that he may recover his sight. Lord! exclaimed Ananias, I have heard from many people about this man. How much harm he has done at Jerusalem to your people there! And here too he holds authority from the chief priest to put in chains all those who invoke your name. But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to uphold my name before the Gentiles, and their kings, and the people of Israel. I will myself show him, all that he has to suffer for my name. So Ananias went, entered the house, and placing his hands on Saul said, Saul, my brother, I have been sent by the Lord, by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, so that you may recover your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up, and was baptized, and after he had taken food he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus, and at once began in the synagogues to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. All who heard him were amazed. Is not this they asked the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the chief priests? Saul's influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ. After some time the Jews laid a plot to kill Saul, but it became known to him. They even watched the gates day and night to kill him, but his disciples led him down by night through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. On his arrival in Jerusalem, Saul attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him as they did not believe that he was really a disciple. Barnabas, however, taking him by the hand, brought him to the apostles, and told them the whole story of how Saul and his journey had seen the Lord, and how the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out fearlessly in the name of Jesus. After that Saul remained in Jerusalem in close intercourse with the apostles, and he spoke fearlessly in the name of the Lord, talking and arguing with the Jews of foreign birth, who, however, made attempts to kill him. But when the brethren found this out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus. And so it came about that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace and became firmly established, and ordering its life by reverence for the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Peter, while traveling from place to place throughout the country, went down to visit the people of Christ living at Lidah. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years with paralysis.  Aeneas got up at once, and all the inhabitants of Lidah and the plain of Chiron saw him, and came over to the Lord's side. At Jaffa there lived a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which is, in Greek, Dorcus, a gazelle. Her life was spent in doing kind and generous actions. Just at that time she had taken ill and died, and they had washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room. Jaffa was near Lidah, and the disciples, having heard that Peter was at Lidah, sent two men with the request that he would come on to them without delay. Peter returned with them at once. At his arrival he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcus had made while she was among them. But Peter sent everybody out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then turning to the body he said, Tabitha, stand up. She opened her eyes and, seeing Peter, sat up. Holding her his hand, Peter raised her up, and calling in the widows and others of Christ's people, presented her to them alive. This became known all through Jaffa, and numbers of people came to believe in the Lord. And Peter stayed some days at Jaffa with a tanner named Simon. CHAPTER X There was then in Caesarea, a man named Cornelius, a captain in the regiment known as the Italian Regiment, a religious man and one who reverenced God with all his household. He was liberal in his charities to the people and prayed to God constantly. One afternoon, about three o'clock, he distinctly saw in a vision an angel from God come to him and call him by name. Cornelius fixed his eyes on him and, in great alarm, said, What is it, Lord? Your prayers and your charities, the angel answered, have been an acceptable offering to God. He now sent messengers to Jaffa and fetch a man called Simon, who is also known as Peter. He is lodging with a tanner named Simon, who has a house near the sea. When the angel who had spoken to him had gone, Cornelius called two men's servants and a religious soldier, who was one of his constant attendants, and after telling them the whole story, sent them to Jaffa. On the next day, while these men were on their way, just as they were nearing the town, Peter went up on the house top about midday to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance and saw that the heavens were open and that something like a great sail was descending, let down by its four corners toward the earth. In it were all kinds of quadrupeds, reptiles, and birds. Then he was aware of a voice which said, Stand up, Peter, kill something and eat. No, Lord, I cannot, answered Peter, for I have never eaten anything defiled and unclean. Again he was aware of a voice which said, What God has pronounced clean, do not regard as defiled. This happened three times, and then suddenly it was all taken up into the heavens. While Peter was still perplexed as to the meaning of the vision that he had seen, the men sent by Cornelius, having inquired the way to Simon's house, came up to the gate and called out and asked if the Simon who was also known as Peter was lodging there. Peter was still pondering over the vision, when the spirit said to him, There are two men looking for you at this moment, go down at once and do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them. Peter went down to the men and said, I am the man for whom you are looking. What is your reason for coming? The men replied, Our captain, Cornelius, a pious man who reverences God and is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, has been instructed by a holy angel to send for you to his house and to listen to what you have to say. Upon this Peter invited the men and entertained them. The next day he lost no time in setting out with them, accompanied by some of the brethren from Jaffa, and the day following he entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had invited his relations and intimate friends to meet them. So when Peter entered the city Cornelius met him and throwing himself at Peter's feet bowed to the ground. Peter however lifted him up, saying as he did so, Stand up, I am only a man like yourself. Talking with him as he went Peter entered the house where he found a large gathering of people to whom he said, You are doubtless aware that it is forbidden for a Jew to be intimate with a foreigner or even to enter his house, and yet God has shown me that I ought not to call any man defiled or unclean. That was why I came when I was sent for without raising any objection. And now I ask your reason for sending for me. Just three days ago this very hour Cornelius said, I was in my house saying the afternoon prayers when a man in dazzling clothing suddenly stood before me. Cornelius he said, Your prayer has been heard and your charities have been accepted by God. Therefore send to Jaffa and invite the Simon who is also known as Peter to come here. He is lodging in the house of Simon the Tanner near the sea. Accordingly I sent to you at once, and you have been so good as to come. And now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to all that you have been instructed by the Lord to say. Then Peter began, I see beyond all doubt he said that God does not show partiality, but that in every nation he who reverences him and does what is right is acceptable to him. God has sent his message to the Israelites and told them through Jesus Christ the good news of peace and Jesus is Lord of all. You yourselves know the story which spread throughout all Judea, how beginning from Galilee after the baptism with John proclaimed, the story I mean of Jesus of Nazareth and how God consecrated him, his Christ, by in doing him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and curing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him. We are ourselves, too, witnesses to all that he did in Judea and in Jerusalem, yet they put him to death by hanging him on a cross. This Jesus God raised on the third day and enabled him to appear not indeed to everyone but to witnesses chosen beforehand by God, to us who ate and drank with him after his resurrection from the dead. Further, God charged us to proclaim to the people and solemnly affirm that it is Jesus who has been appointed by God, judge of the living and the dead. To him it is that all prophets bear witness when they say that everyone who believes in him receives through his name forgiveness of sins. Before Peter had finished saying these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the message. Those converts from Judaism who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed even upon the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking with tongues and extolling God. At this Peter asked, Can anyone refuse the water for the baptism of these people now that they have received the Holy Spirit as we did ourselves? And he directed that they should be baptized in the faith of Jesus Christ. After that they asked him to stay there a few days longer. CHAPTER 11 The apostles and the brethren throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God's message. But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who were converts from Judaism began to attack him on the ground that he had visited people who were not circumcised and had taken meals with them. So Peter began to relate the facts to them as they had occurred. I was in the town of Jaffa, he said, and was praying. And while in a trance I saw a vision, there was something like a great sail descending, let down by its four corners out of the heavens, and it came right down to me. Looking intently at it, I began to distinguish quadrupeds, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. And I also heard a voice saying to me, Stand up, Peter, kill something and eat. No, Lord, I cannot, I answered, for nothing defiled or unclean has ever passed my lips. Then a second time there came a voice from the heavens. What God has pronounced clean it said, You must not call defiled. This happened three times, and then all was drawn up again into the heavens. At that moment three men, who had been sent from Caesarea to see me, came up to the house in which we were. The spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me. And when we came into the man's house, he told us how he had seen the angels standing in his house, and how the angel had said to him, Send to Jaffa and fetch the Simon who is also known as Peter, for he will tell you truths which will prove the means of salvation to you and all your household. I had just begun to speak, continued Peter, when the Holy Spirit fell on them exactly as on us at the first. And I recalled the saying of the Master, John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Since then God had given them the very same gift as he gave us when we became believers in Jesus Christ, the Master. Who was I that I could thwart God? On hearing this statement they said no more, but broke out into praise of God. So even to the Gentiles they exclaimed God has granted the repentance which leads to life. Now those who had been scattered in different directions in consequence of the persecution that followed upon the death of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch telling the message, but only to the Jews. Some of them however, who were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, on coming to Antioch addressed themselves also to the Jews of foreign birth, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The power of the Lord was with them, so that a great number who had learnt to believe came over to the Lord's side. The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. On coming there he saw to his great joy these tokens of the loving kindness of God and encouraged them all to make up their minds to be faithful to the Lord, for Barnabas was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a large number of people took their stand on the Lord's side. Afterwards Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch, and so it came about that for a whole year they attended the meetings of the church there and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. During this time some prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem. One of them, named Agabus, came forward and under the influence of the Spirit foretold a great famine that was to spread over all the world, a famine which occurred in the reign of Claudius. So the disciples without exception determined in proportion to their means to send something to help the brethren living in Judea, and this they did, sending it to the officers of the church by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. End of Chapter 6 through 11. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 12 through 16 from the 20th Century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by J. A. Carter, www.authenticlight.org. The 20th Century New Testament by a company of about twenty scholars. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 12 through 16. Chapter 12. It was at that time that King Herod began to ill-treat some of the members of the church. He had James the brother of John beheaded, and when he saw that the Jews were pleased with this he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the festival of the Unleavened Bread. After seizing Peter, Herod put him in prison and entrusted him to the keeping of four guards of four soldiers each, intending after the Passover to bring him up before the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but meanwhile the prayers of the church were being earnestly offered to God on his behalf. Just when Herod was intending to bring him before the people, on that very night Peter was asleep between two soldiers chained to them both while they were sentries in front of the door regarding the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by him at a light shown in the cell.  The chains dropped from his wrists, and then the angel said, Put on your girdle and sandals. When Peter had done so the angel added, Throw your cloak round you and follow me. Peter followed him out, not knowing that what was happening under the angel's guidance was real, but thinking that he was seeing a vision. Passing the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them of itself. And when they had passed through that, and had walked along one street, all at once the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, Now I know beyond all doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and has rescued me from Herod's hands and from all that the Jewish people have been expecting. As soon as he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was also known as Mark, where a number of people were gathered together praying. On his knocking at the door in the gate, a maid servant named Rhoda came to answer it. She recognized Peter's voice, but in her joy left the gate unopened and ran in and told them that Peter was standing outside. You're mad, they exclaimed. But when she persisted that it was so, they said, It must be his spirit. Meanwhile Peter went on knocking, and when they opened the gate and saw him, they were amazed. Peter signed to them with his hand to be silent, and then told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, adding, Tell James and the brethren all this. Then he left the house and went away to another place. In the morning there was a great stirrer among the soldiers. What could have become of Peter? And when Herod had made further search for him and failed to find him, he closely questioned the guard and ordered them away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to stay at Caesarea. It happened that Herod was deeply offended with the people of Tyre and Sidon, but they went in a body to him, and having succeeded in winning over Blastus the Chamberlain, they begged Herod for a reconciliation because their country was dependent on the kings for its food supply. On an appointed day Herod wearing his state robes seated himself on his throne and delivered an oration. The people kept shouting, It is the voice of God and not of a man! Instantly an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was attacked with worms and died. Meanwhile the Lord's message kept extending and spreading far and wide. When Barnabas and Saul had carried out their mission they returned to Jerusalem and took with them John, who was also known as Mark. Among the members of the church at Antioch there were several prophets and teachers. Barnabas, Simeon who was known by the name of Black, Lucius of Cyrene, Menean, foster brother of Prince Herod, and Saul. While they were engaged in the worship of the Lord and were fasting the Holy Spirit said, Set apart from me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Accordingly after fasting and prayer they placed their hands on them and dismissed them. Barnabas and Saul sent on this mission as they were by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from their sail to Cyprus. On reaching Salamis they began to tell the message of God in the Jewish synagogues and they had John with them as an assistant. After passing through the whole island they reached Paphos where they found an astrologer who pretended to be a prophet, a Jew by birth whose name was Bar Joshua. He was at the court of the governor Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence who sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked to be told God's message. But Elimus the astrologer, for that is the meaning of the word, opposed them, eager to divert the governor's attention from the faith. However, Saul, who is the same as Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on him and said, You incarnation of deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you opponent of all that is good, will you never cease to divert the straight paths of the Lord? Listen, the hand of the Lord is upon you even now, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the Son. Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him and he went feeling about for someone to guide him. When the governor saw what had happened he became a believer in Christ, being greatly impressed by the teaching about the Lord. After this Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and went to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them and returned to Jerusalem. The others went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. There they went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the presidents of the synagogue sent them this message. Brothers, if you have any helpful words to address to the people, now is the time to speak. So Paul rose and motioning with his hand spoke as follows. Men of Israel, and all here who reverence God, hear what I have to say. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and during their stay in Egypt increased the prosperity of the people and then with uplifted arm brought them out from that land. For about forty years he bore with them in the desert and then after destroying seven heathen nations in Canaan he allotted their land to this people for about four hundred and fifty years. In later times he gave them judges of whom the prophet Samuel was the last and when they demanded a king God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin who reigned for forty years. After removing him he raised David to the throne and bore this testimony to him. In David the son of Jesse I have found a man after my own heart who will carry out all my purposes. It was from this man's descendants that God in accordance with his promise gave Israel a savior, Jesus, John having first proclaimed before the appearance of Jesus a baptism upon repentance for all the people of Israel. As John was drawing toward the end of his career he said, What do you suppose that I am? I am not the Christ, but there is one coming after me whose very sandal I am not worthy to untie. Brothers, descendants of Abraham and all those among you who reverence God, it was to us that the message of this salvation was sent. The people of Jerusalem and their leading men failing to recognize Jesus and not understanding the utterances of the prophets that are read every Sabbath fulfilled them by condemning him. They found no ground at all for putting him to death and yet demanded his execution from Pilate. And after carrying out everything written about him they took Jesus down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead and he appeared for many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem and who are now witnesses for him to the people. We also have good news to tell you about the promises made to our ancestors, that our children have had this promise completely fulfilled to them by God by his raising Jesus. That is just what is said in the second Psalm. Thou art my Son, this day I have become thy Father. As to his raising Jesus from the dead, never again to return to corruption, this is what is said. I will give to you the sacred promises made to David. And therefore in another Psalm it is said, Thou will not give up thy Holy One to undergo corruption. David, after obediently doing God's will in his own time, fell asleep and was laid by the side of his ancestors and did undergo corruption. But Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, did not undergo corruption. I would therefore have you know, brothers, that through Jesus forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you and that in union with him every one who believes in him is absolved from every sin from which under the law of Moses you could not be absolved. Beware therefore that what is said in the prophets does not come true of you. Look you despisers and wonder and perish, for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed which though told you in full, you will never believe. As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people begged for a repetition of this teaching on the next Sabbath. After the congregation had dispersed, many of the Jews and of the converts who joined in their worship followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue to rely upon the loving kindness of God. On the following Sabbath almost all the city gathered to hear God's message. But the sight of the crowds of people filled the minds of the Jews with jealousy, and they kept contradicting Paul's statements in violent language. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly and said, It was necessary that the message of God should be told to you first. But since you rejected and reckon yourselves not worthy of the immortal life, we turn to the Gentiles. For this is the Lord's command to us. I have destined thee for a light to the Gentiles, a means of salvation to the ends of the earth. On hearing this, the Gentiles were glad and extolled God's message, and all those who had been enrolled for immortal life became believers in Christ, and the Lord's message was carried throughout that district. But the Jews incited the women of position who worshipped with them and the leading men of the town, and started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their neighborhood. They, however, shook the dust off their feet in protest and went to Iconium, leaving the disciples full of joy and of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 14 The same thing occurred in Iconium where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoken such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed in Christ. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore Paul and Barnabas spent a long time there and spoke out fearlessly, relying upon the Lord who confirmed the message of his love by permitting signs and wonders to take place at their hands. But the town's people were divided, some citing with the Jews, some with the apostles. And when there was an attempt on the part of both Gentiles and Jews with their leading men to resort to violence and to stone them, the apostles heard of it and took refuge in Lystra and Derby, towns in Lyconia and in the district round, and there they continued to tell the good news. In the streets of Lystra there used to sit a man who had no power in his feet. He had been lame from his birth and had never walked. This man was listening to Paul speaking, when Paul fixing his eyes on him and seeing that he had the faith to be healed said loudly, Stand upright on your feet. The man leaped up and began walking about and the crowd, seeing what Paul had done, called out in the Lyconian language, the gods have made themselves like men and have come down to us. So they called Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes because he took the lead in speaking. And the priests of Zeus beyond the walls, accompanied by the crowd, brought bullocks and garlands to the gates with the intention of offering sacrifices. But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd. Friends, why are you doing this? they shouted. We are only men like yourselves and we have come with the good news that you should turn away from these follies to a living God who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them. In bygone times he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, yet he has not failed to give you in the good he does some revelation of himself, sending you from heaven rain and fruitful seasons and gladdening your hearts with plenty and good cheer. Even with this appeal they could hardly restrain the people from offering sacrifice to them. Presently, however, there came some Jews from Antioch and Iconium who after they had won over the people, stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, thinking him to be dead. But when the disciples had gathered round him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he went with Barnabas to Derby. After telling the good news throughout that town and making a number of converts they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, reassuring the minds of the disciples, urging them to remain true to the faith and showing that it is only through many troubles that we can enter the kingdom of God. They also appointed officers for them in every church, and after prayer and fasting committed them to the Lord in whom they had learned to believe. Paul and Barnabas then went through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia and, after telling the message at Perga, went down to Atelia. From there they sailed to Antioch, the place where they had been committed to the gracious care of God for the work which they had now finished. After their arrival they gathered the church together and gave an account of all that God had helped them to do, especially how he had opened to the Gentiles the door of faith. At Antioch they stayed with the disciples for a considerable time. CHAPTER XV But certain persons came down from Judea and began to teach the brethren that unless they were circumcised in accordance with the custom enjoined by Moses they could not be saved. This gave rise to a serious dispute and much discussion between Paul and Barnabas and these men, and it was therefore settled that Paul and Barnabas and others of their number should go up to Jerusalem to consult the apostles and officers of the church about the matter under discussion. The church therefore sent them on their journey, and they made their way through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling the story of the conversion of the Gentiles to the great joy of all the brethren. On their arrival at Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church as well as by the apostles and the officers and gave an account of all that God had helped them to do. Some of the Pharisees' party, however, who had become believers in Christ, came forward and declared that they were bound to circumcise converts and to direct them to observe the law of Moses. The apostles and the officers of the church held a meeting to consider this question. After much discussion Peter rose and said, You, my brothers, know well that long ago God singled me out that through my lips the Gentiles should hear the message of the good news and become believers in Christ. Now God, who reads all hearts, declared his acceptance of the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between them and us, when he purified their hearts by their faith. Why then do you now provoke God by putting on the necks of these disciples a yoke which neither our ancestors nor we were able to bear? No, it is through the loving kindness of the Lord Jesus that we, just as they do, believe that we have been saved. Every voice in the assembly was hushed as they listened to Barnabas and Paul while they gave an account of all the signs and wonders which God had shown among the Gentiles through them. After they had finished speaking, James addressed the council. Brothers, he began, here would I have to say. Simon has described the manner in which God first visited the Gentiles in order to take from among them a people to bear his name. And that is in harmony with the words of the prophets, where they say, After this I will return, and I will rebuild the house of David which has fallen. It's very ruins I will rebuild and will set it up once more. That so that the rest of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord. Even all the Gentiles on whom my name has been bestowed, says the Lord, as he does these things, for known from them of old. In my judgment, therefore, we should not add to the difficulties of these Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them, who abstain from food that has been polluted by being sacrificed to idols, from impurity, from eating the flesh of strangled animals and from blood. For in every town for generations past there have been those who preach Moses, read as he is in the synagogues every Sabbath. It was then decided by the Apostles and the Officers, with the Ascent of the whole Church, to choose some of their number and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Those chosen were Judas, called Bar-Sabbas, and Silas, who were leading men among the Brethren. They were bearers of the following letter. The Apostles and the Brothers who are the Officers of the Church, send their greetings to the Brethren of Gentile birth in Antioch, Syria, and Silesia. As we had heard that some of our number had upset you by their assertions and unsettled your minds, without instructions from us, we met and decided to choose certain men and send them to you with our dear brothers Barnabas and Paul, who have sacrificed themselves for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We have therefore decided, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to lay no further burden upon you beyond these necessary conditions, that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating the flesh of strangled animals, and from impurity. If you guard yourselves against such things it will be well with you. Farewell. So the bearers of this letter were sent on their way and went down to Antioch. There they called a meeting of all the Brethren and delivered the letter, the reading of which caused great rejoicing by its encouraging contents. Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, further encouraged the Brethren by many an address and strengthened their faith. After some stay they were dismissed with kind farewells from the Brethren and returned to those who had sent them. Paul and Barnabas, however, remained in Antioch, where they taught and with the help of many others told the good news of the Lord's message. Some time after this, Paul said to Barnabas, Let us go back and visit the Brethren in every town in which we have told the Lord's message and see how they are prospering. Barnabas wished to take with them John, whose other name was Mark, but Paul felt that they ought not to take with them the man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to their work. This caused such unpleasant feeling between them that they parted Barnabas taking Mark and sailing for Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas for his companion, and after he had been committed by the Brethren to the gracious care of the Lord, started on his journey and went through Syria and Silesia, strengthening the churches in the faith. CHAPTER XVI. Among other places Paul went to Derby and Lystra. At the latter place he found a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer in Christ, while his father was a Greek, and who was well spoken of by the Brethren in Lystra and Iconium. Wishing to take this man with him on his journey, Paul caused him to be circumcised on account of the Jews in that neighborhood, for they all knew that his father had been a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they gave the Brethren the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and officers of the Church of Jerusalem for them to observe. So the churches grew stronger in the faith and increased in numbers from day to day. They next went through the Phrygian district of Galatia, but were restrained by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message in Roman Asia. When they reached the borders of Maesia, they attempted to go into Bethenia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them. Passing through Maesia, they went down to Troas, and there one night Paul saw a vision. A Macedonian was standing and appealing to him. Come over to Macedonia and help us. So immediately after Paul had seen the vision, we looked for an opportunity to cross over to Macedonia, concluding that God had summoned us to tell the good news to the people there. Accordingly, we set sail from Troas and ran before the wind to Samothraeus, reaching Neopolis the next day. From there we made our way to Philippi, which is the principal city of that part of Macedonia, and also a Roman settlement. In that city we spent several days. On the Sabbath, we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and talked to the women who were gathered there. Among them was a woman named Lydia, belonging to Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth who was accustomed to join in the worship of God. The Lord touched this woman's heart so that she gave attention to the message delivered by Paul, and when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us to become her guests. Since you have shown your conviction, she said, that I am really a believer in the Lord. Come and stay in my house. And she insisted on our doing so. One day, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a girl possessed by a divining spirit who made large profits for her masters by fortune telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, calling out, These men are servants of the Most High God, and they are bringing you news of a way to salvation. She had been doing this for several days, when Paul, much vexed, turned and said to the spirit within her, In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave her. That very moment the spirit left her. When her masters saw that there was no hope of further profit from her, they seized Paul and Silas, dragged them into the public square to the authorities, and took them before the magistrates. These men are causing a great disturbance in our town, they exclaimed. They are Jews, and they are teaching customs which it is not right for us as Romans to sanction or adopt. On this the mob rose as one man against them, and the magistrates stripped them of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After beating them severely, the magistrates put them in prison with orders to the governor of the jail to keep them in safe custody. On receiving so strict in order the governor put them into the inner cell and secured their feet in the stocks. About midnight, while Paul and Barnabas were praying and singing hymns to God, and while the prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was an earthquake of such a violence that the jail was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open and all the prisoners' chains were loosened. Roused from his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, the governor drew his sword, intending to kill himself in the belief that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out loudly, �Do not harm yourself! We are all here!� Calling for a light, the governor rushed in and flung himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas.  And that very hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he himself and every one belonging to him were baptized without delay. Afterwards he took them up to his house and set before them something to eat, rejoicing that he with all his household had come to believe in God. In the morning the magistrates sent the police with an order for the men to be discharged. The governor of the jail told Paul of his instructions, �The magistrates have sent an order for your discharge,� he said, �so you�d better leave the place at once and go quietly away.� But Paul�s answer to them was, �They have flogged us in public without trial, though we are Roman citizens, and they have put us in prison, and now they are sending us out secretly.� �No, indeed! Let them come and take us out themselves.� The police reported these words to the magistrates, who on hearing that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens were alarmed, and went into the prison and did their best to conciliate them. Then they took them out and begged them to leave the city. When Paul and Silas left the prison they went to Lydia�s house, and after they had seen the brethren and encouraged them they left the place. End of CHAPTER XII-XVI. CHAPTER XVII. After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue, and following his usual custom Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the Scriptures. He laid before them and explained that the Christ must undergo suffering and rise from the dead. �And it is this man,� he declared, �who is the Christ, this Jesus, about whom I am telling you.� Some of the people were convinced and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas, as did also a large body of Greeks who were accustomed to join in the Jewish services, and a great number of women belonging to the leading families. But the Jews, coming jealous, engaged some worthless fellows from the streets and getting a mob together, kept the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason�s house with the intention of bringing Paul and Silas before the popular assembly, and not finding them there, they proceeded to drag Jason and some of the brethren before the city magistrates, shouting out, �These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here and have been harbored by Jason. They are all defying the decrees of the Emperor. They say that someone else is king, a man called Jesus.� On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned, and before letting them go they took bail from Jason and the others. That very night the brethren sent Paul and Silas off to Berea, and on reaching that place they went to the Jewish synagogue. �These Jews of Berea were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with great readiness, and daily examined the scriptures to see if what was said was true.� As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position and of men also. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that God�s message had been delivered by Paul at Berea, they came there too, exciting and disturbing the minds of the people. Immediately upon that the brethren sent Paul off on his way to the sea coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Berea. The friends who escorted Paul took him as far as Athens, and after receiving a message for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they started on their return. While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who joined in their worship as well as daily in the public square with those who happened to be there. Among others some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers joined issue with him. Some would ask, �What is this praetor wanting to make out?� While others would say, �He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities.� This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. So they laid hold of him and took him to the court of Areopagus. �May we hear,� they asked, �What new teaching this is that you are giving?� For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean. All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling or listening to the last new thing. So Paul took his stand in the middle of the court and said, �Men of Athens, on every hand I see signs of your being very devout, for as I was going about looking at your sacred shrines I came upon an altar with this inscription, to an unknown God. What therefore you worship an ignorance that I am now proclaiming to you. The God who made the world and all things that are in it. He, Lord as he is of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands, nor yet do human hands minister to his once as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all, life and breath and all things. He made all races of men from one stock and caused them to settle on all parts of the earth's surface, fixing a time for their rise and fall and the limits of their settlements, that they might search for God, if by any means they might feel their way to him and find him. And yet he is not really far from any one of us, for in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets, his offspring too are we. Therefore as the offspring of God we must not think that the deity has any resemblance to anything made of gold or silver or stone, a work of human art and imagination. True, God looked with indulgence on the days of men's ignorance. But now he is announcing to everyone, everywhere, the need for repentance, because he has fixed a day on which he intends to judge the world with righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given all men a pledge by raising this man from the dead. On hearing of a resurrection of the dead, some began jeering, but others said that they would hear what he had to say about that another time. So Paul left the court. There were, however, some men who joined him and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysus, a member of the court of Areopagus, a woman named Demaris, and several others. CHAPTER XVIII On leaving Athens, Paul next went to Corinth. There he met a Jew of the name of Aquila, a native of Pontus, who with his wife Priscilla had lately come from Italy in consequence of the order which had been issued by the Emperor Claudius for all Jews to leave Rome. Paul paid them a visit, and since their trade was the same as his, he stayed and worked with them. Their trade was tent-making. Every Sabbath Paul gave addresses to the synagogue, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself entirely to delivering the message, earnestly maintaining before the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. However, as they set themselves against him and became abusive, Paul shook his clothes in protest and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads. My conscience is clear. From this time forward I shall go to the Gentiles. So he left, and went to the house of a certain tedious justice who had been accustomed to joining the worship of God and whose house was next door to the synagogue. Christmas the president of the synagogue came to believe in the Lord, and so did all his household, and many of the Corinthians as they listened to Paul became believers in Christ and were baptized. One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, Have no fear, but continue to speak and refuse to be silenced, for I am with you, and no one shall do you harm, for I have many people in this city. So he settled there for a year and a half and taught God's message among the people. While Galio was governor of Greece, the Jews made a combined attack on Paul and brought him before the governor's bench, charging him with persuading people to worship God in a way forbidden by the law. Just as Paul was on the point of speaking, Galio said to the Jews, Jews, if this were a case of misdemeanor or some serious crime, there would be some reason for my listening patiently to you. But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, you must see to it yourselves, I do not choose to be a judge in such matters. Saying this, he drove them back from the bench. Then they all set upon sastanese, the president of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the bench, but Galio did not trouble himself about any of these things. Paul remained there some time after this, and then took leave of the brethren, and sailed to Syria with Priscilla and Aquila, not before his head had been shaved at Sincre because he was under a vow. They put into Ephesus, and there Paul, leaving his companions, went into the synagogue and addressed the Jews. When they asked him to prolong his stay, he declined, saying however as he took his leave, I will come back again to you, please God, and then set sail from Ephesus. On reaching Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and exchanged greetings with the church, and then went down to Antioch. After making some stay in Antioch, he set out on a tour through the Phrygian district of Galatia, strengthening the faith of all the disciples as he went. Meanwhile, there had come to Ephesus an Alexandrian Jew named Apollos, an eloquent man who was well versed in the scriptures. He had been well instructed in the cause of the Lord, and with burning zeal he spoke of and taught carefully the facts about Jesus, though he knew of no baptism but John's. This man began to speak out fearlessly in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the cause of God to him more carefully still. When he wanted to cross to Greece, the brethren furthered his plans and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival he proved a great assistance to those who had, through the loving kindness of God, become believers in Christ, for he vigorously confuted the Jews, publicly proving by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. CHAPTER XIX While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland districts of Roman Asia and went to Ephesus. There he found some disciples, of whom he asked, Did you, when you became believers in Christ, receive the Holy Spirit? No, they answered. We did not even hear that there was a Holy Spirit. What then was your baptism? Paul asked. John's baptism was their answer. John's baptism was a baptism upon repentance, rejoined Paul, and John told the people, speaking of the one coming after him, that they should believe in him, that is, in Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptized into the faith of the Lord Jesus, and after Paul had placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and they began to speak with tongues and to preach. There were about twelve of them in all. Paul went to the synagogue there, and for three months spoke out fearlessly, giving addresses and trying to convince his hearers about the kingdom of God. Some of them, however, hardened their hearts and refused to believe, denouncing the cause before the people. So Paul left them, and withdrew his disciples, and gave daily addresses in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Roman Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the Lord's message. God did miracles of no ordinary kind by Paul's hands, so that people would carry home to the sick handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body, and their diseases would leave them, and the wicked spirits go out of them. An attempt was made by some itinerant Jews who were exorcists to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had wicked spirits in them.  The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this, but the wicked spirit answered them, Jesus, I acknowledge, and Paul, I know, but you, who are you? Then the man in whom the wicked spirit was sprang upon them, mastered both of them, and so completely overpowered them that they fled out of the house, stripped of their clothes, and wounded. This incident came to the knowledge of all the Jews and Greeks living at Ephesus. They were all awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in the highest honor. Many two of those who had become believers in Christ came with a full confession of their practices, while a number of people who had practiced magic collected their books and burnt them publicly, and on reckoning up the price of these they found that it amounted to five thousand pounds. So, irresistibly, did the Lord's message spread and prevail. Some time after these events, Paul resolved to go through Macedonia and Greece, and then make his way to Jerusalem. After I have been there, he said, I must visit Rome also. So he sent to Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Roman Asia. Just about that time a great disturbance arose about the cause. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver models of the Shrine of Artemis and so gave a great deal of work to the artisans, got these men together, as well as the workmen engaged in similar occupations, and said, Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this work, and you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but in almost the whole of Roman Asia this Paul has convinced and won over great numbers of people by his assertion that those gods which are made by hands are not gods at all, so that not only is this business of ours likely to fall into discredit, but there is the further danger that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be thought nothing of, and that she herself will be deprived of her splendor, though all Roman Asia and the whole world worship her. When they heard this, the men were greatly enraged and began shouting, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. The commotion spread throughout the whole city, and the people rushed together into the amphitheater dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions. Paul wished to go into the amphitheater and face the people, but the disciples would not let him, while some of the chief religious officials of the province who were friendly to him sent repeated entreaties to him not to trust himself inside. Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was all in confusion, most of them present not even knowing why they had met, but some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front, and he waved his hand to show that he wanted to speak in their defense to the people. However, when they recognized him as a Jew, one cry broke from them all, and they continued shouting for two hours, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. When the recorder had succeeded in quieting the crowd, he said, Men of Ephesus, who is there I ask you, who needs to be told that this city of Ephesus is the warden of the temple of the Great Artemis, and of the statue that fell down from Zeus. As these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and do nothing rash, for you have brought these men here, though they are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. If, however, Demetrius and the artisans who are acting with him have a charge to make against any one, there are court days, and there are magistrates, that both parties take legal proceedings. But if you want anything more, it will have to be settled in the regular assembly, for I tell you that we are in danger of being preceded against for today's riot, there being nothing to account for it, and in that case we shall be at a loss to give any reason for this disorderly gathering. With these words he dismissed the assembly. CHAPTER XX When the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and with encouraging words, bade them goodbye, and started on his journey to Macedonia. After going through those districts and speaking many encouraging words to the disciples, he went into Greece, where he stayed three months. He was about to sail to Syria when he learned that a plot had been laid against him by the Jews, so he decided to return by way of Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater the son of Pyrus of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius of Derby and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus of Roman Asia. These men went to Troas and waited for us there, while we ourselves sailed from Philippi after the Passover, and joined them five days later at Troas where we stayed for a week. On the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread, Paul, who was intending to leave the next day, began to address those who were present and prolonged his address till midnight. There were a good many lamps in the upstairs rooms where we had met, and a young man named Eudicus sitting at the window was gradually overcome with great drowsiness as Paul continued his address. At last, quite overpowered by his drowsiness, he fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up for dead. But Paul went down, threw himself upon him and put his arms around him. Do not be alarmed, he said. He's still alive. Then he went upstairs, and after breaking and partaking of the bread, he talked with them at great length till daybreak, and then left. Meanwhile they had taken the lad away alive, and were greatly comforted. We started first, went on board ship, and sailed for Asos, intending to take Paul on board there. This was by his own arrangement, as he intended to go by land himself. So when he met us at Asos, we took him on board, and went on to Medellin. The day after we had sailed from there, we arrived at Chios, touched at Samos the following day, and the next day reached Miletus, for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as to avoid spending too much time in Roman Asia. He was making haste to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the festival at the close of the harvest. From Miletus, however, he sent to Ephesus, and invited the officers of the church to meet him, and when they came, he spoke to them as follows. You know well the life that I always led among you from the very first day that I set foot in Roman Asia, serving the Lord as I did in all humility, amid the tears and trials which fell to my lot through the plots of the Jews. I never shrank from telling you anything that could be helpful to you, or from teaching you both in public and in private. I earnestly pointed both Jews and Greeks to the repentance that leaves to God and to faith in Jesus, our Lord. And now, under spiritual constraint, I am here on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that in town after town the Holy Spirit plainly declares to me that imprisonment and troubles await me. But I count my life of no value to myself if only I may complete the course marked out for me, and the task that was allotted to me by the Lord Jesus, which was to declare the good news of the love of God.  Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear in regard to the fate of any of you, for I have not shrunk from announcing the whole purpose of God regarding you. Be watchful over yourselves, and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge to shepherd the church of God, which he won for himself at the cost of his life. I know that after my departure merciless wolves will get in among you, who will not spare the flock, and from among yourselves too men will arise who will teach perversions of truth, so as to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on your guard, remembering how for three years, night and day, I never ceased even with tears to warn each one of you.  I have never coveted any one's gold or silver or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided not only for my own ones, but for my companions also. I left nothing undone to show you that laboring as I labored, you ought to help the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said himself, it is more blessed to give than to receive. When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with them all. All were in tears, and throwing their arms round Paul's neck, they kissed him again and again, grieving most of all over what he had said, that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship. Chapter XXI When we had torn ourselves away, and had set sail, we ran before the wind to coast. The next day we came to Rhodes, and from there to Patera, where we found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, and went on board and set sail. After sighting Cyprus, and leaving it on the left, we sailed to Syria, and put into Tyre, where the ship was to discharge her cargo. There we found the disciples, and stayed a week with them. Speaking under the influence of the Spirit, they warned Paul not to set foot in Jerusalem. However, when we had come to the end of our visit, we went on our way, all the disciples with their wives and children escorting us out of the city. We knelt down on the beach and prayed, and then said good-bye to one another, after which we went on board, and they returned home. After we had made the run from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemaeus, and exchanged greetings with the brethren there, and spent a day with them. The next day, we left and reached Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the missionary, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. During our visit, which lasted several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to see us, and taking Paul's girdle, and binding his own feet and hands with it, said, This is what the Holy Spirit says. The man to whom this girdle belongs will be bound like this at Jerusalem by the Jews, and they will give him up to the Gentiles. When we heard that, we and the people of the place began to entreat Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. It was then that Paul made the reply, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart like this? For my part I am ready not only to be bound, but even to suffer death at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. So, as he would not be persuaded, we said no more to him, only adding, The Lord's will be done. At the end of our visit, we made our preparations, and started on our way to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, and brought Maneson with them, a Cypriot disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay. On our arrival at Jerusalem, the brethren there gave us a hearty welcome, and the next day Paul went with us to see James, and all the officers of the church were present. After greeting them, Paul related in detail all that God had done among the Gentiles through his efforts, and when they had heard it, they began praising God, and said to Paul, You see, brother, that the Jews who have become believers in Christ may be numbered by tens of thousands, and that they are all naturally earnest in upholding the Jewish law. Now they have heard it said about you that you teach all Jews in foreign countries to forsake Moses, for you tell them not to circumcise their children or even to observe Jewish customs. Well now, as they are certain to hear of your arrival, do what we are going to suggest. We have four men here who have of their own accord put themselves under a vow. Join these men, share their purification, and bear their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and then all will see that there is no truth in what they have been told about you, but that on the contrary you yourself rule your life in obedience to the Jewish law. As to the Gentiles who have become believers in Christ, we have sent our decision that they should avoid food offered to idols and blood, and the flesh of strangled animals and impurity. On this Paul joined the men, and the next day shared their purification and went into the temple, and gave notice of the expiration of the period of purification when the usual offering should have been made on behalf of each of them. But just as the seven days were drawing to a close, the Jews from Roman Asia caught sight of Paul in the temple, and caused great excitement among all the people present by seizing Paul and shouting, Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. And what is more, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this sacred place. For they had previously seen trophemous the Ephesians and Paul's company in the city, and were under the belief that Paul had taken him into the temple. The whole city was stirred, and the people quickly collected, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple when the doors were immediately shut. They were bent upon killing him when it was reported to the officer commanding the garrison that all Jerusalem was in commotion. He instantly got together some officers and men, and charged down upon the crowd who, when they saw the commanding officer and his men, stopped beating Paul. Then he went up to Paul, arrested him, ordered him to be doubly chained, and proceeded to inquire who he was and what he had been doing. Some of the crowd said one thing and some another, and as he could get no definite reply on account of the uproar, he ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, he was actually being carried by the soldiers owing to the violence of the mob. For the people were following in a mass shouting out, Kill him! Just as he was about to be taken into the fort, Paul said to the commanding officer, May I speak to you? Do you know Greek? asked the commanding officer. Are not you then the Egyptian who some time ago raised an insurrection and led the four thousand bandits out into the wilderness? No, said Paul. I am a Jew of Tarsus in Silesia, a citizen of a city of some note, and I beg you to give me permission to speak to the people. The commanding officer gave his permission, and Paul, standing on the steps, made signs with his hand to the people, and when comparative silence had been obtained, he spoke to them in Hebrew as follows. Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I am about to make. When they heard that he was speaking to them in Hebrew, they were still more quiet. And Paul went on, I am a Jew, a native of Tarsus in Silesia, but I was brought up in this city under the teaching of Gameliel, and educated in accordance with the strict system of our ancestral law. I was as zealous in God's service as any of you who are here today. In my persecution of this cause I did not stop even at the taking of life. I put in chains and imprisoned men and women alike, and to that the High Priest himself and all the council can testify. For I had letters of introduction from them to our fellow Jews at Damascus, and I was on my way to that place to bring those whom I might find their prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment. While I was still on my way, just as I was getting close to Damascus, about midday suddenly there flashed from the heavens a great light all round me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you, Lord? I replied. Then the voice said, I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting. The men with me saw the light but did not hear the speaker's voice. Then I said, What am I to do, Lord? Get up and go into Damascus, the Lord said to me, and there you shall be told all that you have been appointed to do. In consequence of that dazzling light I could not see, but my companions led me by the hand till I reached Damascus. There a man named Ananias, a strict observer of our law, well spoken of by all the Jewish inhabitants, came to see me. Standing close to me he said, Saul, my brother, recover your sight. And then and there I recovered my sight and looked up at him.  And now, why wait any longer, be baptized at once, wash away your sins and invoke his name. After my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying one day in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying to me, Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me. Lord, I answered, these people know that I used to imprison and scourge in synagogue after synagogue those who believed in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was being shed I was myself standing by approving of his death and took charge of the clothes of those who were murdering him. But Jesus said to me, Go, for I will send you to the Gentiles far away. Up to this point the people had been listening to Paul. But at these words they called out, Kill him! A fellow like this ought not to have been allowed to live. As they were shouting, tearing off their clothes and throwing dust in the air, the commanding officer ordered Paul to be taken into the fort and directed that he should be examined under the lash, that he might find out the reason for their outcry against him. But just as they had tied him up to be scourged, Paul said to the captain standing near, Is it legal for you to scourge a Roman citizen, unconvicted? On hearing this, the captain went and reported it to the commanding officer. Do you know what you are doing, he said? This man is a Roman citizen. So the commanding officer went up to Paul and said, Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? Yes, replied Paul. I had to pay a heavy price from my position as citizen, said the officer. I am one by birth, rejoin Paul. The men who were to have examined Paul immediately drew back, and the officer, finding that Paul was a Roman citizen, was alarmed at having put him in chains. On the next day, the commanding officer, wishing to find out the real reason why Paul was denounced by the Jews, had his chains taken off and directed the chief priests and the whole of the high council to assemble, and then took Paul down and brought him before them. CHAPTERS XXIII THROUGH XXVIII Paul fixed his eyes upon the council and began. Brothers, from my part I have always ordered my life before God with a clear conscience up to this very day. At this the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near to strike him on the mouth, where upon Paul turned to him and said, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet in defiance of law order me to be struck? The people standing near said to Paul, do you know that you are insulting God's high priest? I did not know, brothers, that it was the high priest, said Paul, for scripture says, of the ruler of thy people thou shalt speak no ill. Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the council, Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial. As soon as he said this, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and there was a sharp division of opinion among those present. For Sadducees say there is no such thing as a resurrection, and that there is neither angel nor spirit, while Pharisees believe in both. So a great uproar ensued, and some of the teachers of the law belonging to the Pharisees party stood up and hotly protested. We find nothing whatever wrong in this man. Suppose a spirit did speak to him, or an angel. The dispute was becoming so violent that the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces between them, ordered the guard to go down and rescue him from them, and take him into the fort. That night the Lord came and stood by Paul, and said, Courage, you have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, and you must bear witness in Rome also. In the morning the Jews combined together and took an oath that they would not eat or drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty in the plot, and they went to the chief priests and the counselors, and said, We have taken a solemn oath not to touch food till we have killed Paul. So we want you now with the consent of the counsel to suggest to the commanding officer that he should bring Paul down before you, as though you intended to go more fully into his case. But before he comes here we will be ready to make a way with him. However, the son of Paul's sister, hearing of the plot, went to the fort, and on being admitted, told Paul about it. Paul called one of the captains of the garrison, and asked him to take the lad to the commanding officer, as he had something to tell him. The captain went with the lad to the commanding officer, and said, The prisoner Paul called me, and asked me to bring this lad to you, as he has something to tell you. The commanding officer took the lad by the hand, and stepping aside asked what it was he had to tell him. The Jews have agreed, answered the lad, to ask you to bring Paul down before the counsel tomorrow, on the plea of you making further inquiry into his case. But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him who have taken an oath that they will not eat or drink till they have made away with him, and they are at this very moment in readiness, counting upon your promise. The commanding officer then dismissed the lad, cautioning him not to mention to anybody that he had given him that information. Then he called two captains, and ordered them to have two hundred men ready to go to Caesarea, as well as seventy troopers and two hundred lancers by nine o'clock that night, and to have horses ready for Paul to ride, so that they may take him safely to Felix, the governor. To him he wrote a letter, somewhat as follows. Claudius Lyceus sends his compliments to his Excellency, Felix the governor. The man whom I send with this had been seized by the Jews, and was on the point of being killed by them, when I came upon them with the force under my command and rescued him, as I learned that he was a Roman citizen. Wishing to ascertain exactly the ground of the charges they made against him, I brought him before their council, when I found that their charges were connected with questions of their own law, and that there was nothing alleged involving either death or imprisonment. Having, however, information of a plot against the man, which was about to be put into execution, I am sending him to you at once, and I have also directed his accusers to prosecute him before you. The soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took charge of Paul and conducted him by night to Antipatris, and on the next day, leaving the troopers to go on with them, they returned to the fort. On arriving at Caesarea the troopers delivered the letter to the governor and brought Paul before him. As soon as Felix had read the letter he inquired to what province Paul belonged, and learning that he came from Silesia he said, I will hear all you have to say as soon as your accusers have arrived. And he ordered Paul to be kept under guard in Herod's government house. CHAPTER XXIV Five days afterwards the high priest Ananias came down with some of the counselors and a barrister named Tertulus. They laid an information with the governor against Paul, and when the hearing came on Tertulus began his speech for the prosecution. We owe it to your excellency, he said, that we are enjoying profound peace, and we owe it to your foresight that this nation is constantly securing reforms, advantages which we very gratefully accept at all times and places. But not to be tedious, I beg you with your custom fairness to listen to a brief statement of our case. We have found this man a public pest. He is one who stirs up disputes among the Jews all the world over, and is a ringleader of the Nazarene heretics. He even attempted to desecrate the temple itself, but we caught him, and you will be able by examining him on all these points to satisfy yourself as to the charges which we are bringing against him. The Jews also joined in the attack and bore out his statements. On a sign from the governor, Paul made this reply, Knowing as I do, for how many years you have acted as judge to this nation, it is with confidence that I undertake my own defense. For you can easily ascertain that it is not more than twelve days ago that I went up to worship at Jerusalem, where my prosecutors never found me holding discussions with anyone or causing a crowd to collect, either in the temple or in the synagogues or about the city, and they cannot establish the charges which they are now making against me. This however I do acknowledge to you that it is as a believer in the cause which they call heretical, that I worship the God of my ancestors. At the same time I believe everything that is in accordance with the law and that is written in the prophets, and I have a hope that rests in God, a hope which they also cherish, that there will one day be a resurrection of good and bad alike. This being so I strive at all times to keep my conscience clear before both God and man. After some year's absence I had come to bring charitable gifts to my nation and to make offerings, and it was while engaged in this that they found me in the temple after completing a period of purification but not with any crowd or disorder. There were however some Jews from Roman Asia who ought to have been here before you and who have made any charge that they may have against me, or else let my opponents here say what they found wrong with me when I was before the council, except as to one sentence that I shouted out as I stood among them, it is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial before you today. Felix however adjourned the case, though he had a fairly accurate knowledge of all that concerned the cause, with the promise, when Lyceus the commanding officer comes down I will give my decision in your case. So he gave orders to the captain in charge of Paul to keep him in custody, but to relax the regulations and not to prevent any of his personal friends from attending to his wants. Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was herself a Jewish, and sending for Paul listen to what he had to say about faith in Christ Jesus. But while Paul was speaking at length about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became terrified and interrupted him. Go for the present, but when I find an opportunity I will sin for you again. He was hoping too for a bribe from Paul and so he used to sin for him frequently and talk with him. But after a lapse of two years Felix was succeeded by Portia's Festus, and wishing to gain popularity with the Jews, he left Paul a prisoner. CHAPTER XXV Three days after Festus had entered upon his province, he left Caesarea and went up to Jerusalem. There the chief priests and the leading men among the Jews laid an information before him against Paul, and asked a favour of him to Paul's injury, to have Paul brought to Jerusalem. All the while they were plotting to make away with him on the road. But Festus answered that Paul was in prison at Caesarea and that he himself would be leaving for that place shortly. So let the influential men among you, he said, go down with me, and if there is anything amiss in the man charge him formally with it. After staying among them some eight or ten days Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he took his seat on the bench and ordered Paul to be brought before him. On Paul's appearance the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and made many serious charges which they failed to establish. Paul's answer to the charge was, I have not committed any offense against the Jewish law or the temple or the emperor. But as Festus wished to gain popularity with the Jews he interrupted Paul with the question, are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there? No, replied Paul. I am standing at the emperor's bar where I ought to be tried. I have not wronged the Jews as you yourself are well aware. If however I am breaking the law and have committed any offense deserving death I do not ask to escape that penalty. But if there is nothing in the accusations of these people no one has the power to give me up to them. I appeal to the emperor. Upon that Festus, after conferring with his council, answered, You have appealed to the emperor. To the emperor you shall go. Some days later King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea and paid a visit of congratulation to Festus. And as they were staying there for several days Festus laid Paul's case before the king. There is a man here he said, left a prisoner by Felix about whom when I came to Jerusalem the Jewish chief priests and the counselors laid an information demanding judgment against him. My answer to them was that it was not the practice of Romans to give up any man to his accusers till the accused had met them face to face and had also had an opportunity of answering the charges brought against him. So they met here and without loss of time I took my seat on the bench the very next day and ordered the man to be brought before me. But when his accusers came forward they brought no charge of wrongdoing such as I had expected but I found that there were certain questions in dispute between them about their own religion and about some dead man called Jesus whom Paul declared to be alive. And as I was at a loss how to inquire into questions of this kind I asked Paul if he were willing to go up to Jerusalem and there to be put upon his trial. Paul however appealed to have his case reserved for the consideration of his august majesty so I ordered him to be detained in custody until I could send him to the emperor. I should like to hear this man myself Agrippa said to Festus. You shall hear him tomorrow Festus answered. So the next day when Agrippa and Bernice had come in full state and had entered the audience chamber with the superior officers and the principal people of the city by the order of Festus Paul was brought before them. Then Festus said, King Agrippa and all here present you see before you the man about whom the whole Jewish people have applied to me both at Jerusalem and here loudly asserting that he ought not to be allowed to live. I found however that he had not done anything deserving death. So as he had himself appealed to his august majesty I decided to send him but I have nothing definite to write about him to my imperial master. And for that reason I have brought him before you all and especially before you King Agrippa that after examining him I may have something to write for it seems to me absurd to send a prisoner without it the same time stating the charges made against him. Chapter 26 Turning to Paul, Agrippa said, You are at liberty to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. I have been congratulating myself King Agrippa, he said, that it is before you that I have to make my defense today with regard to all the charges brought against me by Jews, especially as you are so well versed in all the customs and questions of the Jewish world. I beg you therefore to give me a patient hearing. My life then from youth upwards was passed from the very first among my own nation and in Jerusalem and is within the knowledge of all Jews. And they have always known if they choose to give evidence that in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion I lived a true Pharisee. Even now it is because of my hope and the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial, a promise which our twelve tribes by earnest service night and day hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, Your Majesty, that I am accused and by Jews themselves. Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead? I myself it is true once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the chief priests, I myself threw many of the people of Christ into prison, and when it was proposed to put them to death I gave my vote for it. Time after time in every synagogue I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders. It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the chief priests that at midday, Your Majesty, I saw right in my path coming from the heavens a light brighter than the glare of the sun which shone all round me and those traveling with me. We all fell to the ground and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself. Who are you, Lord? I asked, and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and stand upright for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had and of those which I shall yet appear to you since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness into light and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive pardon for their sins and a place among those who have become God's people by faith in me. After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision. On the contrary, first those at Damascus and Jerusalem and then through the whole of Judea and to the Gentiles as well, I began to preach repentance and conversion to God and a life befitting that repentance.  However, I have received help from God to this very day and so stand here and bear my testimony to high and low alike, without adding a word to what the prophets as well as Moses declared should happen, that the Christ must suffer and that by rising from the dead he was destined to be the first to bring news of light not only to our nation but also to the Gentiles. While Paul was making this defense, Festus called out loudly, You are mad, Paul. Your great learning is driving you mad. I am not mad, Your Excellency, he replied. On the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober. Indeed, the King knows about these matters, so I speak before him without constraint. I am sure that there is nothing whatever of what I have been telling him that has escaped his attention, for all this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do. But Agrippa said to Paul, You are soon trying to make a Christian out of me. Whether it is soon or late, answered Paul, I would to God that not only you but all who are listening to me might today become just what I am myself except for these chains. Then the King rose with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting among them and after retiring discussed the case among themselves. There is nothing they said deserving death or imprisonment in this man's conduct and speaking to Festus, Agrippa added, The man might have been discharged if he had not appealed to the Emperor. Chapter 27 As it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were put in charge of a captain of the Augustan Guard named Julius. We went on board a ship from Adramidium which was on the point of sailing to the ports along the coast of Roman Asia and put to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica went with us. The next day we put into Sidon where Julius treated Paul in a friendly manner and allowed him to go to see his friends and receive their hospitality. Putting to sea again we sailed under the Lee of Cyprus because the wind was against us and after crossing the sea of Seligia and Pamphylia we reached Myra in Lycia. There the Roman officer found an Alexandrian ship on our way to Italy and put us on board of her. For several days our progress was slow and it was only with difficulty that we arrived off Gnitis. As the wind was still unfavorable when we came off Cape Salmonae we sailed under the Lee of Crete and with difficulty by keeping close in shore we reached a place called Fair Havens near which was the town of Lasse. This had taken a considerable time and sailing was already dangerous for the fast was already over and so Paul gave this warning. My friends he said, I see that this voyage will be attended with injury and much damage not only to the cargo and the ship but to your own lives also. The Roman officer however was more influenced by the captain and the owner than by what was said by Paul and as the harbor was not a suitable one to winter in the majority were in favor of continuing the voyage in the hope of being able to reach Phoenix and winter there. Phoenix was a Cretan harbor open to the northeast and southeast. So when a light wind sprang up from the south thinking that they had found their opportunity they weighed anchor and kept along the coast of Crete close in shore. But shortly afterwards a hurricane came down on us off the land, a Nor'easter as it is called. The ship was caught by it and was unable to keep her head to the wind so we had to give way and let her drive before it. Running under the Lee of a small island called Kauta we only just managed to secure the ship's boat and after hoisting it on board the men frapped the ship but afraid of being driven on to the Cirta's sands they lowered the yard and then drifted. So violently where we tossed about by the storm that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard and on the following day threw out the ship's tackle with their own hands. As neither sun nor stars were visible for several days and as the gale still continued severe all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. It was then when they had gone a long time without food that Paul came forward and said, My friends you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and so incurred this injury and damage. Yet even as things are I urge you not to lose courage for there will not be a single life lost among you, only the ship. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood by me and said, Have no fear, Paul. You must appear before the Emperor and God himself has given you the lives of all your fellow voyagers. Therefore courage, my friends, for I believe God that everything will happen exactly as I have been told. We shall, however, have to be driven on some island. It was now the fourteenth night of the storm and we were drifting about in the Adriatic Sea. When about midnight the sailors began to suspect that we were drawing near land. So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms of water. After waiting a little they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms. Then as they were afraid of our being driven upon some rocky coast they let go four anchors from the stern and longed for daylight. The sailors wanted to leave the ship and had lowered the boat on pretense of running out anchors from the bows when Paul said to the Roman officer and his men, Unless the sailors remain on board you cannot be saved. Upon that the soldiers cut the ropes which held the boat and let her drift away. In the interval before daybreak Paul kept urging them all to take something to eat. It is a fortnight today, he said, that owing to your anxiety you have gone without food taking nothing. So I urge you to take something to eat.  With these words he took some bread and after saying the thanksgiving to God before them all broke it in pieces and began to eat. And the men all felt cheered and had something to eat themselves. There were about seventy six of us on board all told. After satisfying their hunger they further lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. When daylight came they could not make out what land it was but observing a creek in which there was a beach they consulted as to whether they could run the ship safely into it. Then they cast off and abandoned the anchors and at the same time unlashed the gear of the steering oars, hoisted the four sail to the wind and made for the beach. They got however into a kind of channel and there ran the ship aground. The bow stuck fast and could not be moved while the stern began breaking up under the strain. The advice of the soldiers was that the prisoners should be killed for fear that any of them should swim away and make their escape. But the Roman officer, anxious to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their intention and ordered that those who could swim should be the first to jump into the sea and try to reach the shore and that the rest should follow some on planks and others on different pieces of the ship. In these various ways every one managed to get safely ashore. CHAPTER XXVIII. When we were all safe we found that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us marked kindness for they lit a fire and took us all under shelter because it had come on to rain and was cold. Paul had gathered a quantity of dry sticks and laid them on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand they said to one another, evidently this man is a murderer for though he has been saved from the sea justice has not allowed him to live. However Paul shook the creature off into the fire and took no harm. The natives were expecting inflammation to set in or that he would suddenly fall dead. But after waiting for a long time and seeing that there was nothing amiss with him they changed their minds and said that he was a god. In that neighborhood there was an estate belonging to the governor of the island whose name was Publius. He took us up to his house and for three days entertained us most courteously. It happened that the father of Publius was lying ill of fever and dysentery. So Paul went to see him and after praying he placed his hands on him and cured him. After this all the people in the island who had any illness came to Paul and were cured. They also presented us with many gifts and when we had set sail they put supplies of necessaries on board. After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island. She was an Alexandrian vessel and had the twin sons of Zeus for her figurehead. We put in at Syracuse, stayed there three days and from there we worked to Windward and so got to Regium. A day later a south wind sprang up and took us to Petoli in two days. There we found some of the brethren and were urged to stay a week with them, after which we went on to Rome. The brethren there had heard about us and came out as far as the market of Apias and the three taverns to meet us. At sight of them Paul thanked God and was much cheered. On our reaching Rome Paul was allowed to live by himself except for the soldier who was in charge of him. Three days after our arrival Paul invited the leading Jews to meet him and when they came he spoke to them as follows. Brothers, although I had done nothing hostile to the interests of our nation or to our ancestral customs, yet I was sent from Jerusalem as a prisoner and handed over to the Romans. The Romans when they had examined me were ready to release me because there was nothing in my conduct deserving death, but as the Jews opposed my release I was compelled to appeal to the emperor, not indeed that I had any charge to make against my own nation. This indeed is my reason for urging you to come to me and talk with me, because it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am here in chains. We, was the reply, have not had any letter about you from Judea nor have any of our fellow Jews come and reported or said anything bad about you, but we shall be glad to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we are well aware that it is spoken against on all sides. They then fixed a day with him and came to the place where he was staying in even larger numbers, when Paul proceeded to lay the subject before them. He bore his testimony to the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus by arguments drawn from the Law of Moses and from the prophets, speaking from morning till evening. Some were inclined to accept what he said, others however rejected it. So as they disagreed among themselves they began to disperse, Paul adding only, True indeed was the declaration made by the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah to your ancestors.  Understand then, that this salvation of God was sent for the Gentiles, and they will listen. For two whole years Paul stayed in a house which he rented for himself, welcoming all who came to see him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with perfect fearlessness unmolested. End of chapters 23 through 28. End of the Acts of the Apostles