¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”^(A)

²³ After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,^{(A) 24} but Saul learned of their plan.^(B) Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵ But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.^(C)

²⁹ He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,^[a](A) but they tried to kill him.^(B)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(A) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(B) and dragged^(C) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^{(D) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(E) to accept or practice.”^(F)

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

²⁵ About midnight^(J) Paul and Silas^(K) were praying and singing hymns^(L) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,^(A) not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me^(B) that prison and hardships are facing me.^{(C) 24} However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;^(D) my only aim is to finish the race^(E) and complete the task^(F) the Lord Jesus has given me^(G)—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.^(H)

¹³ Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die^(A) in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”^(B)

Paul Arrested

²⁷ When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,^{(A) 28} shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”^{(B) 29} (They had previously seen Trophimus^(C) the Ephesian^(D) in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul,^(E) they dragged him^(F) from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.^(G)

³³ The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound^(H) with two^(I) chains.^(J) Then he asked who he was and what he had done.