Acts 15:36-28:31

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

V. The Mission of Paul to the Ends of the Earth

Paul and Barnabas Separate. ^36 [a]After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us make a return visit to see how the brothers are getting on in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark, ³⁸ but Paul insisted that they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia and who had not continued with them in their work.^{(A) 39} So sharp was their disagreement that they separated. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ He traveled through Syria and Cilicia bringing strength to the churches.

Chapter 16

Paul in Lycaonia: Timothy. ¹ He reached [also] Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.^{(B) 2} The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,^{(C) 3} and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,^[b] for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. ⁵ Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.

Through Asia Minor. ⁶ They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^[c] did not allow them, ⁸ so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. ⁹ During [the] night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen the vision, we^[d] sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

Into Europe. ^11 [e]We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. ¹³ On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God,^[f] listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. ¹⁵ After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

Imprisonment at Philippi. ¹⁶ As we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl with an oracular spirit,^[g] who used to bring a large profit to her owners through her fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She began to follow Paul and us, shouting, “These people are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸ She did this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned, and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” Then it came out at that moment.

¹⁹ When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square before the local authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates^[h] and said, “These people are Jews and are disturbing our city ²¹ and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.” ^22 (D)The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³ After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴ When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake.

Deliverance from Prison. ²⁵ About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, ²⁶ there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. ²⁷ When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew [his] sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” ²⁹ He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” ³² So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. ³³ He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. ³⁴ He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

³⁵ But when it was day, the magistrates sent the lictors^[i] with the order, “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer reported the[se] words to Paul, “The magistrates have sent orders that you be released. Now, then, come out and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, even though we are Roman citizens and have not been tried, and have thrown us into prison.^(E) And now, are they going to release us secretly? By no means. Let them come themselves and lead us out.”^{[j] 38} The lictors reported these words to the magistrates, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens.^{(F) 39} So they came and placated them, and led them out and asked that they leave the city. ⁴⁰ When they had come out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and then they left.

Chapter 17

Paul in Thessalonica. ¹ When they took the road through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they reached Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.^{(G) 2} Following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three sabbaths he entered into discussions with them from the scriptures, ³ expounding and demonstrating that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that “This is the Messiah, Jesus, whom I proclaim to you.”^{(H) 4} Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so, too, a great number of Greeks who were worshipers, and not a few of the prominent women. ⁵ But the Jews became jealous and recruited some worthless men loitering in the public square, formed a mob, and set the city in turmoil. They marched on the house of Jason,^(I) intending to bring them before the people’s assembly. ^6 [k]When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city magistrates, shouting, “These people who have been creating a disturbance all over the world have now come here, ⁷ and Jason has welcomed them.^(J) They all act in opposition to the decrees of Caesar and claim instead that there is another king, Jesus.”^{[l] 8} They stirred up the crowd and the city magistrates who, upon hearing these charges, ⁹ took a surety payment from Jason and the others before releasing them.

Paul in Beroea. ¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas to Beroea during the night. Upon arrival they went to the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ These Jews were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all willingness and examined the scriptures daily to determine whether these things were so.^{(K) 12} Many of them became believers, as did not a few of the influential Greek women and men. ¹³ But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had now been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea also, they came there too to cause a commotion and stir up the crowds. ¹⁴ So the brothers at once sent Paul on his way to the seacoast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.^{(L) 15} After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

Paul in Athens.^{[m] 16} While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he grew exasperated at the sight of the city full of idols. ¹⁷ So he debated in the synagogue with the Jews and with the worshipers, and daily in the public square with whoever happened to be there. ¹⁸ Even some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers^[n] engaged him in discussion. Some asked, “What is this scavenger trying to say?” Others said, “He sounds like a promoter of foreign deities,” because he was preaching about ‘Jesus’ and ‘Resurrection.’ ¹⁹ They took him and led him to the Areopagus^[o] and said, “May we learn what this new teaching is that you speak of?^{(M) 20} For you bring some strange notions to our ears; we should like to know what these things mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians as well as the foreigners residing there used their time for nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

Paul’s Speech at the Areopagus. ²² Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:^[p]

“You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. ²³ For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’^[q] What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,^{(N) 25} nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. ²⁶ He made from one^[r] the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, ²⁷ so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us.^{(O) 28} For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’^[s] as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²⁹ Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.^{(P) 30} God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent ³¹ because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.”^(Q)

³² When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.” ³³ And so Paul left them. ³⁴ But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Chapter 18

Paul in Corinth. ¹ After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila,^(R) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla^[t] because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them ³ and, because he practiced the same trade, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. ⁴ Every sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. ⁶ When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments^[u] and said to them, “Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(S) 7} So he left there and went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God;^[v] his house was next to a synagogue.^{(T) 8} Crispus,^[w] the synagogue official,^(U) came to believe in the Lord along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized. ^9 (V)One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, ¹⁰ for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.

Accusations Before Gallio. ¹² But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,^[x] the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him to the tribunal, ¹³ saying, “This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”^{[y] 14} When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews; ¹⁵ but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from the tribunal. ¹⁷ They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official, and beat him in full view of the tribunal. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.

Return to Syrian Antioch. ¹⁸ Paul remained for quite some time, and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut^(W) because he had taken a vow.^{[z] 19} When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, while he entered the synagogue and held discussions with the Jews. ²⁰ Although they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, ²¹ but as he said farewell he promised, “I shall come back to you again, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² Upon landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church^[aa] and then went down to Antioch. ^23 [ab]After staying there some time, he left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country and Phrygia, bringing strength to all the disciples.

Apollos. ²⁴ A Jew named Apollos,^(X) a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the scriptures.^{[ac] 25} He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way [of God]^[ad] more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. ²⁸ He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.

Chapter 19

Paul in Ephesus. ^1 [ae]While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came [down] to Ephesus where he found some disciples. ² He said to them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.” ³ He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.” ⁴ Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”^{(Y) 5} When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul laid [his] hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.^{(Z) 7} Altogether there were about twelve men.

⁸ He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some in their obstinacy and disbelief disparaged the Way before the assembly, he withdrew and took his disciples with him and began to hold daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This continued for two years with the result that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, Jews and Greeks alike. ¹¹ So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul ¹² that when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.^(AA)

The Jewish Exorcists. ¹³ Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” ¹⁴ When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, tried to do this, ¹⁵ the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?” ¹⁶ The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house. ¹⁷ When this became known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in great esteem. ¹⁸ Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices. ¹⁹ Moreover, a large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces. ²⁰ Thus did the word of the Lord continue to spread with influence and power.

Paul’s Plans. ²¹ When this was concluded, Paul made up his mind to travel through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to go on to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must visit Rome also.”^{(AB) 22} Then he sent to Macedonia two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for a while in the province of Asia.

The Riot of the Silversmiths. ²³ About that time a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way. ²⁴ There was a silversmith named Demetrius who made miniature silver shrines of Artemis^[af] and provided no little work for the craftsmen. ²⁵ He called a meeting of these and other workers in related crafts and said, “Men, you know well that our prosperity derives from this work. ²⁶ As you can now see and hear, not only in Ephesus but throughout most of the province of Asia this Paul has persuaded and misled a great number of people by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.^{(AC) 27} The danger grows, not only that our business will be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be of no account, and that she whom the whole province of Asia and all the world worship will be stripped of her magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were filled with fury and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed with one accord into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians, Paul’s traveling companions.^{(AD) 30} Paul wanted to go before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him, ³¹ and even some of the Asiarchs^[ag] who were friends of his sent word to him advising him not to venture into the theater. ³² Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, others something else; the assembly was in chaos, and most of the people had no idea why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, as the Jews pushed him forward, and Alexander signaled with his hand that he wished to explain something to the gathering. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ³⁵ Finally the town clerk restrained the crowd and said, “You Ephesians, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple^[ah] of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from the sky? ³⁶ Since these things are undeniable, you must calm yourselves and not do anything rash. ³⁷ The men you brought here are not temple robbers, nor have they insulted our goddess. ³⁸ If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ If you have anything further to investigate, let the matter be settled in the lawful assembly, ⁴⁰ for, as it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today’s conduct. There is no cause for it. We shall [not]^[ai] be able to give a reason for this demonstration.” With these words he dismissed the assembly.

Chapter 20

Journey to Macedonia and Greece. ¹ When the disturbance was over, Paul had the disciples summoned and, after encouraging them, he bade them farewell and set out on his journey to Macedonia.^{(AE) 2} As he traveled throughout those regions, he provided many words of encouragement for them. Then he arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed for three months. But when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return by way of Macedonia.

Return to Troas. ^4 (AF)Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus, from Beroea, accompanied him, as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia ⁵ who went on ahead and waited for us^[aj] at Troas.^{(AG) 6} We sailed from Philippi after the feast of Unleavened Bread,^[ak] and rejoined them five days later in Troas, where we spent a week.

Eutychus Restored to Life. ⁷ On the first day of the week^[al] when we gathered to break bread, Paul spoke to them because he was going to leave on the next day, and he kept on speaking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered, ⁹ and a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the window sill was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. Once overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and when he was picked up, he was dead. ^10 (AH)Paul went down,^[am] threw himself upon him, and said as he embraced him, “Don’t be alarmed; there is life in him.” ¹¹ Then he returned upstairs, broke the bread, and ate; after a long conversation that lasted until daybreak, he departed. ¹² And they took the boy away alive and were immeasurably comforted.

Journey to Miletus. ¹³ We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos where we were to take Paul on board, as he had arranged, since he was going overland. ¹⁴ When he met us in Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ We sailed away from there on the next day and reached a point off Chios, and a day later we reached Samos, and on the following day we arrived at Miletus. ^16 [an]Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus in order not to lose time in the province of Asia, for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if at all possible, for the day of Pentecost.

Paul’s Farewell Speech at Miletus. ¹⁷ From Miletus he had the presbyters of the church at Ephesus summoned. ¹⁸ When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews, ²⁰ and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes. ²¹ I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus. ²² But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, ²³ except that in one city after another the holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me.^{(AI) 24} Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace.^(AJ)

²⁵ “But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again. ²⁶ And so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, ²⁷ for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God. ^28 (AK)Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,^[ao] in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.^{(AL) 30} And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them.^{(AM) 31} So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.^{(AN) 32} And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated. ³³ I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions.^{(AO) 35} In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”^(AP)

³⁶ When he had finished speaking he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ They were all weeping loudly as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him, ³⁸ for they were deeply distressed that he had said that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

Chapter 21

Arrival at Tyre. ^1 [ap]When we had taken leave of them we set sail, made a straight run for Cos, and on the next day for Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² Finding a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went on board and put out to sea. ³ We caught sight of Cyprus but passed by it on our left and sailed on toward Syria and put in at Tyre where the ship was to unload cargo. ⁴ There we sought out the disciples and stayed for a week. They kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to embark for Jerusalem. ⁵ At the end of our stay we left and resumed our journey. All of them, women and children included, escorted us out of the city, and after kneeling on the beach to pray, ⁶ we bade farewell to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

Arrival at Ptolemais and Caesarea. ⁷ We continued the voyage and came from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed a day with them. ⁸ On the next day we resumed the trip and came to Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven,^[aq] and stayed with him.^{(AQ) 9} He had four virgin daughters gifted with prophecy. ¹⁰ We had been there several days when a prophet named Agabus^[ar] came down from Judea. ^11 (AR)He came up to us, took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the holy Spirit: This is the way the Jews will bind the owner of this belt in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.”^{[as] 12} When we heard this, we and the local residents begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? I am prepared not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ^14 (AS)Since he would not be dissuaded we let the matter rest, saying,^(AT) “The Lord’s will be done.”^[at]

Paul and James in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ After these days we made preparations for our journey, then went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea came along to lead us to the house of Mnason, a Cypriot, a disciple of long standing, with whom we were to stay. ^17 [au]When we reached Jerusalem the brothers welcomed us warmly. ¹⁸ The next day, Paul accompanied us on a visit to James, and all the presbyters were present. ¹⁹ He greeted them, then proceeded to tell them in detail what God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry. ²⁰ They praised God when they heard it but said to him, “Brother, you see how many thousands of believers there are from among the Jews, and they are all zealous observers of the law. ²¹ They have been informed that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses and that you are telling them not to circumcise their children or to observe their customary practices. ²² What is to be done? They will surely hear that you have arrived. ^23 [av]So do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow.^{(AU) 24} Take these men and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses^[aw] that they may have their heads shaved. In this way everyone will know that there is nothing to the reports they have been given about you but that you yourself live in observance of the law. ^25 (AV)As for the Gentiles who have come to believe, we sent them our decision that they abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.”^{[ax] 26} So Paul took the men, and on the next day after purifying himself together with them entered the temple to give notice of the day when the purification would be completed and the offering made for each of them.^(AW)

Paul’s Arrest. ²⁷ When the seven days were nearly completed, the Jews from the province of Asia noticed him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and laid hands on him, ^28 (AX)shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us. This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place, and what is more, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this sacred place.”^{[ay] 29} For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him and supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ The whole city was in turmoil with people rushing together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were closed. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, a report reached the cohort commander^[az] that all Jerusalem was rioting. ³² He immediately took soldiers and centurions and charged down on them. When they saw the commander and the soldiers they stopped beating Paul. ³³ The cohort commander came forward, arrested him, and ordered him to be secured with two chains; he tried to find out who he might be and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the mob shouted one thing, others something else; so, since he was unable to ascertain the truth because of the uproar, he ordered Paul to be brought into the compound. ³⁵ When he reached the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob, ^36 [ba](AY)for a crowd of people followed and shouted, “Away with him!”

³⁷ Just as Paul was about to be taken into the compound, he said to the cohort commander, “May I say something to you?” He replied, “Do you speak Greek? ³⁸ So then you are not the Egyptian^[bb] who started a revolt some time ago and led the four thousand assassins into the desert?”^{(AZ) 39} Paul answered, “I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; I request you to permit me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ When he had given his permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people; and when all was quiet he addressed them in Hebrew.^[bc]

Chapter 22

Paul’s Defense Before the Jerusalem Jews.^{[bd] 1} “My brothers and fathers, listen to what I am about to say to you in my defense.” ² When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew they became all the more quiet. And he continued, ³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.^{(BA) 4} I persecuted this Way to death, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.^{(BB) 5} Even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf. For from them I even received letters to the brothers and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment those there as well.

⁶ “On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.^{(BC) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’^{(BD) 8} I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’^{(BE) 9} My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.^{(BF) 10} I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.’^{(BG) 11} Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.^(BH)

^12 (BI)“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me and stood there and said, ‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’ And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; ¹⁵ for you will be his witness^[be] before all to what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.’

¹⁷ “After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry, leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ But I replied, ‘Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue to synagogue I used to imprison and beat those who believed in you.^{(BJ) 20} And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself stood by giving my approval and keeping guard over the cloaks of his murderers.’^{(BK) 21} Then he said to me,^(BL) ‘Go, I shall send you far away to the Gentiles.’”^[bf]

Paul Imprisoned. ^22 (BM)They listened to him until he said this, but then they raised their voices and shouted, “Take such a one as this away from the earth. It is not right that he should live.”^{[bg] 23} And as they were yelling and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the cohort commander ordered him to be brought into the compound and gave instruction that he be interrogated under the lash to determine the reason why they were making such an outcry against him. ^25 (BN)But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion on duty, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and has not been tried?”^{[bh] 26} When the centurion heard this, he went to the cohort commander and reported it, saying, “What are you going to do? This man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁷ Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered. ²⁸ The commander replied, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” Paul said, “But I was born one.” ²⁹ At once those who were going to interrogate him backed away from him, and the commander became alarmed when he realized that he was a Roman citizen and that he had had him bound.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin. ³⁰ The next day, wishing to determine the truth about why he was being accused by the Jews, he freed him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Chapter 23

¹ Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have conducted myself with a perfectly clear conscience before God to this day.”^{(BO) 2} The high priest Ananias^[bi] ordered his attendants to strike his mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you,^[bj] you whitewashed wall. Do you indeed sit in judgment upon me according to the law and yet in violation of the law order me to be struck?”^{(BP) 4} The attendants said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” ⁵ Paul answered, “Brothers, I did not realize he was the high priest. For it is written,^(BQ) ‘You shall not curse a ruler of your people.’”^[bk]

⁶ Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees, so he called out before the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; [I] am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”^{(BR) 7} When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.^{(BS) 9} A great uproar occurred, and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party stood up and sharply argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ The dispute was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him into the compound. ^11 [bl](BT)The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Transfer to Caesarea. ¹² When day came, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ You, together with the Sanhedrin, must now make an official request to the commander to have him bring him down to you, as though you meant to investigate his case more thoroughly. We on our part are prepared to kill him before he arrives.” ¹⁶ The son of Paul’s sister, however, heard about the ambush; so he went and entered the compound and reported it to Paul. ¹⁷ Paul then called one of the centurions^[bm] and requested, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commander and explained, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked that I bring this young man to you; he has something to say to you.” ¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, drew him aside, and asked him privately, “What is it you have to report to me?” ²⁰ He replied, “The Jews have conspired to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they meant to inquire about him more thoroughly, ²¹ but do not believe them. More than forty of them are lying in wait for him; they have bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are now ready and only wait for your consent.” ²² As the commander dismissed the young man he directed him, “Tell no one that you gave me this information.”

²³ Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight,^[bn] along with seventy horsemen and two hundred auxiliaries. ²⁴ Provide mounts for Paul to ride and give him safe conduct to Felix the governor.” ²⁵ Then he wrote a letter with this content: ^26 [bo]“Claudius Lysias to his excellency the governor Felix, greetings.^{[bp] 27} This man, seized by the Jews and about to be murdered by them, I rescued after intervening with my troops when I learned that he was a Roman citizen.^{(BU) 28} I wanted to learn the reason for their accusations against him so I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. ²⁹ I discovered that he was accused in matters of controversial questions of their law and not of any charge deserving death or imprisonment.^{(BV) 30} Since it was brought to my attention that there will be a plot against the man, I am sending him to you at once, and have also notified his accusers to state [their case] against him before you.”

³¹ So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and escorted him by night to Antipatris. ³² The next day they returned to the compound, leaving the horsemen to complete the journey with him. ³³ When they arrived in Caesarea they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him. ³⁴ When he had read it and asked to what province he belonged, and learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I shall hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be held in custody in Herod’s praetorium.

Chapter 24

Trial Before Felix. ¹ Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an advocate, a certain Tertullus, and they presented formal charges against Paul to the governor. ² When he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Since we have attained much peace through you, and reforms have been accomplished in this nation through your provident care, ³ we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all gratitude. ⁴ But in order not to detain you further, I ask you to give us a brief hearing with your customary graciousness. ^5 (BW)We found this man to be a pest; he creates dissension among Jews all over the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazoreans.^{[bq] 6} He even tried to desecrate our temple, but we arrested him.^(BX) [⁷ ]^{[br] 8} If you examine him you will be able to learn from him for yourself about everything of which we are accusing him.” ⁹ The Jews also joined in the attack and asserted that these things were so.

^10 [bs]Then the governor motioned to him to speak and Paul replied, “I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years and so I am pleased to make my defense before you. ¹¹ As you can verify, not more than twelve days have passed since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor anywhere in the city did they find me arguing with anyone or instigating a riot among the people. ¹³ Nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me. ¹⁴ But this I do admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors and I believe everything that is in accordance with the law and written in the prophets.^{(BY) 15} I have the same hope in God as they themselves have that there will be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.^{(BZ) 16} Because of this, I always strive to keep my conscience clear before God and man.^{(CA) 17} After many years, I came to bring alms for my nation and offerings.^{(CB) 18} While I was so engaged, they found me, after my purification, in the temple without a crowd or disturbance.^{(CC) 19} But some Jews from the province of Asia, who should be here before you to make whatever accusation they might have against me— ²⁰ or let these men themselves state what crime they discovered when I stood before the Sanhedrin, ²¹ unless it was my one outcry as I stood among them, that ‘I am on trial before you today for the resurrection of the dead.’”^(CD)

²² Then Felix, who was accurately informed about the Way, postponed the trial, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I shall decide your case.” ²³ He gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from caring for his needs.

Captivity in Caesarea. ^24 [bt]Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He had Paul summoned and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ But as he spoke about righteousness and self-restraint and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now; when I find an opportunity I shall summon you again.” ²⁶ At the same time he hoped that a bribe would be offered him by Paul, and so he sent for him very often and conversed with him.

²⁷ Two years passed and Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison.^[bu]

Chapter 25

Appeal to Caesar. ¹ Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem ² where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented him their formal charges against Paul.^[bv] They asked him ³ as a favor to have him sent to Jerusalem, for they were plotting to kill him along the way. ⁴ Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea and that he himself would be returning there shortly. ⁵ He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, let them accuse him.”

⁶ After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the following day took his seat on the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought in. ⁷ When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and brought many serious charges against him, which they were unable to prove. ⁸ In defending himself Paul said, “I have committed no crime either against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” ^9 [bw]Then Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, said to Paul in reply, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there stand trial before me on these charges?” ¹⁰ Paul answered, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar; this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you very well know. ¹¹ If I have committed a crime or done anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape the death penalty; but if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then Festus, after conferring with his council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.”

Paul Before King Agrippa. ¹³ When a few days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice^[bx] arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. ¹⁴ Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man here left in custody by Felix.^{(CE) 15} When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation. ¹⁶ I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge. ¹⁷ So when [they] came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. ^18 (CF)His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. ¹⁹ Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. ²⁰ Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. ²¹ And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Agrippa said to Festus, “I too should like to hear this man.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

²³ The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great ceremony and entered the audience hall in the company of cohort commanders and the prominent men of the city and, by command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all you here present with us, look at this man about whom the whole Jewish populace petitioned me here and in Jerusalem, clamoring that he should live no longer. ²⁵ I found, however, that he had done nothing deserving death, and so when he appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write about him to our sovereign; therefore I have brought him before all of you, and particularly before you, King Agrippa, so that I may have something to write as a result of this investigation. ²⁷ For it seems senseless to me to send up a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”

Chapter 26

King Agrippa Hears Paul. ¹ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak on your own behalf.” So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. ^2 [by]“I count myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am to defend myself before you today against all the charges made against me by the Jews, ³ especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. And therefore I beg you to listen patiently. ⁴ My manner of living from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my people^[bz] and in Jerusalem, all [the] Jews know. ^5 (CG)They have known about me from the start, if they are willing to testify, that I have lived my life as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion. ^6 (CH)But now I am standing trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors. ⁷ Our twelve tribes hope to attain to that promise as they fervently worship God day and night; and on account of this hope I am accused by Jews, O king. ⁸ Why is it thought unbelievable among you that God raises the dead? ^9 (CI)I myself once thought that I had to do many things against the name of Jesus the Nazorean, ¹⁰ and I did so in Jerusalem. I imprisoned many of the holy ones with the authorization I received from the chief priests, and when they were to be put to death I cast my vote against them.^{(CJ) 11} Many times, in synagogue after synagogue, I punished them in an attempt to force them to blaspheme; I was so enraged against them that I pursued them even to foreign cities.

¹² “On one such occasion I was traveling to Damascus with the authorization and commission of the chief priests. ^13 (CK)At midday, along the way, O king, I saw a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my traveling companions.^{(CL) 14} We all fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?^(CM) It is hard for you to kick against the goad.’^{[ca] 15} And I said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.^{(CN) 16} Get up now, and stand on your feet.^(CO) I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.^{[cb] 17} I shall deliver you from this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you,^{(CP) 18} to open their eyes^[cc] that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in me.’^(CQ)

¹⁹ “And so, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. ²⁰ On the contrary, first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout the whole country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached the need to repent and turn to God, and to do works giving evidence of repentance. ^21 (CR)That is why the Jews seized me [when I was] in the temple and tried to kill me. ^22 (CS)But I have enjoyed God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, saying nothing different from what the prophets and Moses foretold,^{[cd] 23} that the Messiah must suffer^[ce] and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”^(CT)

Reactions to Paul’s Speech. ²⁴ While Paul was so speaking in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul; much learning is driving you mad.” ²⁵ But Paul replied, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and reason. ²⁶ The king knows about these matters and to him I speak boldly, for I cannot believe that [any] of this has escaped his notice; this was not done in a corner.^{[cf] 27} King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?^[cg] I know you believe.” ²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You will soon persuade me to play the Christian.” ²⁹ Paul replied, “I would pray to God that sooner or later not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am except for these chains.”

³⁰ Then the king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and the others who sat with them. ^31 [ch]And after they had withdrawn they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing [at all] that deserves death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”^(CU)

Chapter 27

Departure for Rome. ^1 [ci]When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius of the Cohort Augusta.^{[cj] 2} We went on board a ship from Adramyttium bound for ports in the province of Asia and set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.^{(CV) 3} On the following day we put in at Sidon where Julius was kind enough to allow Paul to visit his friends who took care of him. ⁴ From there we put out to sea and sailed around the sheltered side of Cyprus because of the headwinds, ⁵ and crossing the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia we came to Myra in Lycia.

Storm and Shipwreck. ⁶ There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship that was sailing to Italy and put us on board. ⁷ For many days we made little headway, arriving at Cnidus only with difficulty, and because the wind would not permit us to continue our course we sailed for the sheltered side of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ We sailed past it with difficulty and reached a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

⁹ Much time had now passed and sailing had become hazardous because the time of the fast^[ck] had already gone by, so Paul warned them,^{(CW) 10} “Men, I can see that this voyage will result in severe damage and heavy loss not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our lives.” ¹¹ The centurion, however, paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. ¹² Since the harbor was unfavorably situated for spending the winter, the majority planned to put out to sea from there in the hope of reaching Phoenix, a port in Crete facing west-northwest, there to spend the winter.

¹³ A south wind blew gently, and thinking they had attained their objective, they weighed anchor and sailed along close to the coast of Crete. ¹⁴ Before long an offshore wind of hurricane force called a “Northeaster” struck. ¹⁵ Since the ship was caught up in it and could not head into the wind we gave way and let ourselves be driven. ¹⁶ We passed along the sheltered side of an island named Cauda and managed only with difficulty to get the dinghy under control. ¹⁷ They hoisted it aboard, then used cables to undergird the ship. Because of their fear that they would run aground on the shoal of Syrtis, they lowered the drift anchor and were carried along in this way. ¹⁸ We were being pounded by the storm so violently that the next day they jettisoned some cargo, ¹⁹ and on the third day with their own hands they threw even the ship’s tackle overboard. ²⁰ Neither the sun nor the stars were visible for many days, and no small storm raged. Finally, all hope of our surviving was taken away.

²¹ When many would no longer eat, Paul stood among them and said, “Men, you should have taken my advice and not have set sail from Crete and you would have avoided this disastrous loss. ²² I urge you now to keep up your courage; not one of you will be lost, only the ship. ²³ For last night an angel of the God to whom [I] belong and whom I serve stood by me ²⁴ and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake, God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you.’^{(CX) 25} Therefore, keep up your courage, men; I trust in God that it will turn out as I have been told. ²⁶ We are destined to run aground on some island.”

²⁷ On the fourteenth night, as we were still being driven about on the Adriatic Sea, toward midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were nearing land. ²⁸ They took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on, they again took soundings and found fifteen fathoms. ²⁹ Fearing that we would run aground on a rocky coast, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. ³⁰ The sailors then tried to abandon ship; they lowered the dinghy to the sea on the pretext of going to lay out anchors from the bow. ³¹ But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² So the soldiers cut the ropes of the dinghy and set it adrift.

³³ Until the day began to dawn, Paul kept urging all to take some food. He said, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting, going hungry and eating nothing. ³⁴ I urge you, therefore, to take some food; it will help you survive. Not a hair of the head of anyone of you will be lost.” ³⁵ When he said this, he took bread,^[cl] gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat.^{(CY) 36} They were all encouraged, and took some food themselves. ³⁷ In all, there were two hundred seventy-six of us on the ship. ³⁸ After they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.

³⁹ When day came they did not recognize the land, but made out a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore on it, if they could. ⁴⁰ So they cast off the anchors and abandoned them to the sea, and at the same time they unfastened the lines of the rudders, and hoisting the foresail into the wind, they made for the beach. ⁴¹ But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow was wedged in and could not be moved, but the stern began to break up under the pounding [of the waves]. ⁴² The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so that none might swim away and escape, ⁴³ but the centurion wanted to save Paul and so kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the shore, ⁴⁴ and then the rest, some on planks, others on debris from the ship. In this way, all reached shore safely.

Chapter 28

Winter in Malta. ¹ Once we had reached safety we learned that the island was called Malta. ² The natives showed us extraordinary hospitality; they lit a fire and welcomed all of us because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³ Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, escaping from the heat, fastened on his hand. ⁴ When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must certainly be a murderer; though he escaped the sea, Justice^[cm] has not let him remain alive.” ⁵ But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead but, after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.^{(CZ) 7} In the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to a man named Publius, the chief of the island. He welcomed us and received us cordially as his guests for three days. ⁸ It so happened that the father of Publius was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, after praying, laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹ After this had taken place, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. ¹⁰ They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail they brought us the provisions we needed.

Arrival in Rome. ¹¹ Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the Dioscuri^[cn] as its figurehead. ¹² We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days, ¹³ and from there we sailed round the coast and arrived at Rhegium. After a day, a south wind came up and in two days we reached Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found some brothers and were urged to stay with them for seven days. And thus we came to Rome. ¹⁵ The brothers from there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul gave thanks to God and took courage. ¹⁶ When he entered Rome,^[co] Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Testimony to Jews in Rome. ^17 [cp]Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “My brothers, although I had done nothing against our people or our ancestral customs, I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.^{(DA) 18} After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me, because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.^{(DB) 19} But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.^{(DC) 20} This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel^[cq] that I wear these chains.”^{(DD) 21} They answered him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor has any of the brothers arrived with a damaging report or rumor about you. ²² But we should like to hear you present your views, for we know that this sect is denounced everywhere.”^(DE)

²³ So they arranged a day with him and came to his lodgings in great numbers. From early morning until evening, he expounded his position to them, bearing witness to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets. ²⁴ Some were convinced by what he had said, while others did not believe. ^25 [cr]Without reaching any agreement among themselves they began to leave; then Paul made one final statement. “Well did the holy Spirit speak to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, saying:

^28 (DG)Let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” [²⁹ ]^[cs]

^30 [ct]He remained for two full years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him, ³¹ and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.