The Macedonian Call
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been qforbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the rSpirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the snight: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul1 had seen the vision, immediately twe sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to upreach the gospel to them.
The Conversion of Lydia
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 vand from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the2 district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a wworshiper of God. The Lord xopened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was ybaptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, zcome to my house and stay.” And she aprevailed upon us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the bname of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it ccame out that very hour.
19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and ddragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to ebeat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into fprison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Philippian Jailer Converted
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were gpraying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great hearthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were iopened, and everyone’s jbonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ksupposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer3 called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, l“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, m“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was nbaptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had obelieved in God.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are pRoman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were qafraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and rasked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to ssuffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout tGreeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews1 were ujealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they vformed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have wturned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another xking, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
Paul and Silas in Berea
10 The brothers2 immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
Paul in Athens
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching yJesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this znew teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Paul Addresses the Areopagus
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the aunknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in btemples made by man,3 25 nor is he served by human hands, cas though he needed anything, since he himself dgives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made efrom one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having fdetermined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 gthat they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually hnot far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;4
as even some of iyour own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’5
29 Being then jGod’s offspring, we ought knot to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an limage formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The mtimes of ignorance God noverlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to orepent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness pby a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the qresurrection of the dead, some rmocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
Paul in Corinth
1 After this Paul1 left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named sAquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and tworked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the usynagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 vWhen Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the wChrist was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his xgarments and said to them, y“Your zblood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will ago to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 bCrispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul cbelieved and were dbaptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one enight in a vision, f“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
