Acts 28

²⁶However, we must run aground on some island.”

⁴⁴The rest were to follow on planks and various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely to land.

³⁹When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

¹⁰As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.

¹⁴I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.

²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

⁴When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

²⁷in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.

¹¹If, then, I do not know the meaning of someone’s language, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.

³³You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

⁴When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

²³Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.

⁷But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

²⁴Behold, you are nothing and your work is of no value. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

²To this He replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this way?

⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?

²The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

⁵But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.

²⁴Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”

¹Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth,

²and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.

¹⁸they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

¹³You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.

³And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.

⁴They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

⁶So the Lord sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.

⁷Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people.

¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

¹⁵that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

²²And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

¹¹When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The gods have come down to us in human form!”

¹²Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

⁹The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”

⁴⁰He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.

⁴¹Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.

⁷an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.

⁶So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully.

⁷And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”

¹²While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.

²The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

²⁴Provide mounts for Paul to take him safely to Governor Felix.”

⁴⁰Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

⁵So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them.

¹⁸While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.”

¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

¹⁸they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

²⁴News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.

¹²The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.

¹⁵As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus

⁵⁵and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was.

⁶Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

³²For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

¹⁹And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

¹¹I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.

¹²I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. In any and every situation I have learned the secret of being filled and being hungry, of having plenty and having need.

²⁷Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,

⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

⁹Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts.

⁶There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

²⁰Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.

⁴So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.

⁹But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They disputed with Stephen,

⁵The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

¹⁶Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to Him.

¹³When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete.

⁶And after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we sailed from Philippi, and five days later we rejoined them in Troas, where we stayed seven days.

⁴For seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”

⁷When we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day.

⁸Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven.

⁴We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹⁰Noah waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.

¹¹And behold, the dove returned to him in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.

¹While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples

³Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.

²⁴I hope to see you on my way to Spain. And after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can equip me for my journey.

²⁵As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.

¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

¹⁴Wait patiently for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the Lord!

⁶Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them.

⁷Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.

³The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care.

²³He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs.

³⁰Paul stayed there two full years in his own rented house, welcoming all who came to visit him.

³¹Boldly and freely he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world.

¹¹The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”

²The captain of the guard found Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster on this place,

⁸Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”

¹⁴For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁰Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

³³The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, and some another. And since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks.

¹⁰When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he began his response: “Knowing that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense.

¹¹You can verify for yourself that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship.

³¹On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”

³²And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

²⁹I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.

²⁴the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.

²⁵But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”

³⁰The next day the commander, wanting to learn the real reason Paul was accused by the Jews, released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.

¹⁰When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he began his response: “Knowing that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense.

⁷When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could not prove.

⁸Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”

³²And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

²⁵But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

²¹But when Paul appealed to be held over for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar.”

¹⁰Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.

¹¹If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

²²“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”

²³When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

⁶And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers,

⁷the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.

⁹for which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained!

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

²⁹“Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.”

¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

¹⁵and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

¹¹Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish.

¹⁷No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

⁸The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁷But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

¹⁴I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

¹²Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.

²⁰They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil

²¹by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”

¹⁴If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁵Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

⁵We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

⁶and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.

⁸Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

²As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

³explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he declared.

²⁸For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

²²But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:

²³that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁶Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”

²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

³⁵Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

⁴The people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews, and others with the apostles.

⁴Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.

⁵The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.

⁸Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

⁹But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

⁶But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷So Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus, a worshiper of God.

³What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?

⁴And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

⁵In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:

⁶Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

²¹For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

⁹And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

¹⁰Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

²“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

¹⁹Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the Lord?

²⁰Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”

¹⁴In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

¹⁵For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹²so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”

⁴⁵Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

¹⁰Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

³⁰For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

³¹which You have prepared in the sight of all people,

¹⁷I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them

¹⁸to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

²⁹Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

³⁰since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

⁶And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’”

⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

⁹so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.”

¹⁸When they heard this, they had no further objections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

²⁹And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

²³So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

¹⁴And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

²⁵Now I know that none of you among whom I have preached the kingdom will see my face again.