- katapi - New Study Bible ... by URL bible references -
| DB1 | New English Bible
36 AFTER A WHILE Paul said to Barnabas, 'Ought we not to go back now to see how our brothers are faring in the various towns where we proclaimed the word of the Lord?' 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them; 38 but Paul judged that the man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on to share in their work was not the man to take with them now. 39 The dispute was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus, 40 while Paul chose Silas. He started on his journey, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord, 41 and travelled through Syria and Cilicia bringing new strength to the congregations.
161 He went on to Derbe and to Lystra, and there he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish Christian mother and a Greek father. 2 He was well spoken of by the Christians at Lystra and Iconium, 3 and Paul wanted to have him in his company when he left the place. So he took him and circumcised him, out of consideration for the Jews who lived in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they made their way from town to town they handed on the decisions taken by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem and enjoined their observance. 5 And so, day by day, the congregations grew stronger in faith and increased in numbers.
6 They travelled through the Phrygian and Galatian region, because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message in the province of Asia; 7 and when they approached the Mysian border they tried to enter Bithynia; but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, 8 so they skirted Mysia and reached the coast at Troas. 9 During the night a vision came to Paul: a Macedonian stood there appealing to him and saying, 'Come across to Macedonia and help us.' 10 After he had seen this vision we at once set about getting a passage to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to bring them the good news.
11 So we sailed from Troas and made a straight run to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a city of the first rank in that district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. Here we stayed for some days, 13 and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the riverside, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and sat down and talked to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of them named Lydia, a dealer in purple fabric from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God, was listening, and the Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul said. 15 She was baptized, and her household with her, and then she said to us, 'If you have judged me to be a believer in the Lord, I beg you to come and stay in my house.' And she insisted on our going.
16 Once, when we were on our way to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who was possessed by an oracular spirit and brought large profits to her owners by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Supreme God, and are declaring to you a way of salvation.' 18 She did this day after day, until Paul could bear it no longer. Rounding on the spirit he said, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her', and it went out there and then.
19 When the girl's owners saw that their hope of gain had gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the city authorities in the main square; 20 and bringing them before the magistrates, they said, 'These men are causing a disturbance in our city, they are Jews; 21 they are advocating customs which it is illegal for us Romans to adopt and follow.' 22 The mob joined in the attack; and the magistrates tore off the prisoners' clothes and ordered them to be flogged. 23 After giving them a severe beating they flung them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them under close guard. 24 In view of these orders, he put them in the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas, at their prayers, were singing praises to God, and the other prisoners were listening, 26 when suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken; all the doors burst open and all the prisoners found their fetters unfastened. 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open, and assuming that the prisoners had escaped, drew his sword intending to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted, 'Do yourself no harm; we are all here.' 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and threw himself down before Paul and Silas, trembling with fear. 30 He then escorted them out and said, 'Masters, what must I do to be saved?' 31 They said, 'Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.' 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. 33 At that late hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; and immediately afterwards he and his whole family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set out a meal, and rejoiced with his whole household in his new-found faith in God.
35 When daylight came the magistrates sent their officers with instructions to release the men. 36 The jailer reported the message to Paul: 'The magistrates have sent word that you are to be released. So now you may go free, and blessings on your journey.' 37 But Paul said to the officers: 'They gave us a public flogging, though we are Roman citizens and have not been found guilty; they threw us into prison, and are they now to smuggle us out privately? No indeed! Let them come in person and escort us out.' 38 The officers reported his words. The magistrates were alarmed to hear that they were Roman citizens, 39 and came and apologized to them. Then they escorted them out and requested them to go away from the city. 40 On leaving the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met their fellow-Christians, and spoke words of encouragement to them; then they departed.
171 THEY NOW TRAVELLED by way of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 Following his usual practice Paul went to their meetings; and for the next three Sabbaths he argued with them, quoting texts of Scripture 3 which he expounded and applied to show that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. 'And this Jesus,' he said, 'whom I am proclaiming to you, is the Messiah.' 4 Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did a great number of godfearing Greeks and a good many influential women.
5 But the Jews in their jealousy recruited some low fellows from the dregs of the populace, roused the rabble, and had the city in an uproar. They mobbed Jason's house, with the intention of bringing Paul and Silas before the town assembly. 6 Failing to find them, they dragged Jason himself and some members of the congregation before the magistrates, shouting, 'The men who have made trouble all over the world have now come here; 7 and Jason has harboured them. They all flout the Emperor's laws, and assert that there is a rival king, Jesus.' 8 These words caused a great commotion in the mob, which affected the magistrates also. 9 They bound over Jason and the others, and let them go.
10 As soon as darkness fell, the members of the congregation sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea. On arrival, they made their way to the synagogue. 11 The Jews here were more liberal-minded than those at Thessalonica: they received the message with great eagerness, studying the scriptures every day to see whether it was as they said. 12 Many of them therefore became believers, and so did a fair number of Greeks, women of standing as well as men. 13 But when the Thessalonian Jews learned that the word of God had now been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea, they came on there to stir up trouble and rouse the rabble. 14 Thereupon the members of the congregation sent Paul off at once to go down to the coast, while Silas and Timothy both stayed behind. 15 Paul's escort brought him as far as Athens, and came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him with all speed.
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens he was exasperated to see how the city was full of idols. 17 So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and gentile worshippers, and also in the city square every day with casual passers-by. 18 And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers joined issue with him. Some said, 'What can this charlatan be trying to say?'; others, 'He would appear to be a propagandist for foreign deities'- this because he was preaching about Jesus and Resurrection. 19 So they took him and brought him before the Court of Areopagus and said, 'May we know what this new doctrine is that you propound? 20 You are introducing ideas that sound strange to us, and we should like to know what they mean.' 21 (Now the Athenians in general and the foreigners there had no time for anything but talking or hearing about the latest novelty.)
22 Then Paul stood up before the Court of Areopagus and said: 'Men of Athens, I see that in everything that concerns religion you are uncommonly scrupulous. 23 For as I was going round looking at the objects of your worship, I noticed among other things an altar bearing the inscription "To an Unknown God". What you worship but do not know - this is what I now proclaim.
24 'The God who created the world and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by men. 25 It is not because he lacks anything that he accepts service at men's hands, for he is himself the universal giver of life and breath and all else. 26 He created every race of men of one stock, to inhabit the whole earth's surface. He fixed the epochs of their history and the limits of their territory. 27 They were to seek God, and, it might be, touch and find him; though indeed he is not far from each one of us, 28 for in him we live and move, in him we exist; as some of your own poets have said, "We are also his offspring." 29 As God's offspring, then, we ought not to suppose that the deity is like an image in gold or silver or stone, shaped by human craftsmanship and design. 30 As for the times of ignorance. God has overlooked them; but now he commands mankind, all men everywhere, to repent, 31 because he has fixed the day on which he will have the world judged, and justly judged, by a man of his choosing; of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.'
32 When they heard about the raising of the dead, some scoffed; and others said, 'We will hear you on this subject some other time.' 33 And so Paul left the assembly. 34 However, some men joined him and became believers, including Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus; also a woman named Damaris, and others besides.
181 After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he fell in with a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, and his wife Priscilla; he had recently arrived from Italy because Claudius had issued an edict that all Jews should leave Rome. 3 Paul approached them and, because he was of the same trade, he made his home with them, and they carried on business together; they were tent-makers. 4 He also held discussions in the synagogue Sabbath by Sabbath, trying to convince both Jews and pagans.
5 Then Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, and Paul devoted himself entirely to preaching, affirming before the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. 6 But when they opposed him and resorted to abuse, he shook out the skirts of his cloak and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! My conscience is clear; now I shall go to the Gentiles.' 7 With that he left, and went to the house of a worshipper of God named Titius Justus, who lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, who held office in the synagogue, now became a believer in the Lord, with all his household; and a number of Corinthians listened and believed, and were baptized. 9 One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, 'Have no fear: go on with your preaching and do not be silenced, 10 for I am with you and no one shall attempt to do you harm; and there are many in this city who are my people.' 11 So he settled down for eighteen months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 But when Gallic was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews set upon Paul in a body and brought him into court. 13 'This man', they said, 'is inducing people to worship God in ways that are against the law.' 14 Paul was just about to speak when Gallic said to them, 'If it had been a question of crime or grave misdemeanour, I should, of course, have given you Jews a patient hearing, 15 but if it is some bickering about words and names and your Jewish law, you may see to it yourselves; I have no mind to be a judge of these matters.' 16 And he had them ejected from the court. 17 Then there was a general attack on Sosthenes, who held office in the synagogue, and they gave him a beating in full view of the bench. But all this left Gallic quite unconcerned.
18 Paul stayed on for some time, and then took leave of the brotherhood and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, because he was under a vow. 19 When they reached Ephesus he parted from them and went himself into the synagogue, where he held a discussion with the Jews. 20 He was asked to stay longer, but declined 21 and set out from Ephesus, saying, as he took leave of them, 'I shall come back to you if it is God's will.' 22 On landing at Caesarea, he went up and paid his respects to the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there, he set out again and made a journey through the Galatian country and on through Phrygia, bringing new strength to all the converts.
24 NOW THERE ARRIVED at Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, powerful in his use of the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was full of spiritual fervour; and in his discourses he taught accurately the facts about Jesus, though he knew only John's baptism. 26 He now began to speak boldly in the synagogue, where Priscilla and Aquila heard him; they took him in hand and expounded the new way to him in greater detail. 27 Finding that he wished to go across to Achaia, the brotherhood gave him their support, and wrote to the congregation there to make him welcome. From the time of his arrival, he was very helpful to those who had by God's grace become believers; 28 for he was indefatigable in confuting the Jews, demonstrating publicly from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.
191 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul travelled through the inland regions till he came to Ephesus. 2 There he found a number of converts, to whom he said, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?' 'No,' they replied, 'we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' 3 He said, 'Then what baptism were you given?' 'John's baptism', they answered. 4 Paul then said, 'The baptism that John gave was a baptism in token of repentance, and he told the people to put their trust in one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.' 5 On hearing this they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; 6 and when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues of ecstasy and prophesied. 7 Altogether they were about a dozen men.
8 During the next three months he attended the synagogue and, using argument and persuasion, spoke boldly and freely about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some proved obdurate and would not believe, speaking evil of the new way before the whole congregation, he left them, withdrew his converts, and continued to hold discussions daily in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, with the result that the whole population of the province of Asia, both Jews and pagans, heard the word of the Lord.
13 But some strolling Jewish exorcists tried their hand at using the name of the Lord Jesus on those possessed by evil spirits; they would say, 'I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul proclaims.' 14 There were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who were using this method, 15 when the evil spirit answered back and said, 'Jesus I acknowledge, and I know about Paul, but who are you?' 16 And the man with the evil spirit flew at them, overpowered them all, and handled them with such violence that they ran out of the house stripped and battered. 17 This became known to everybody in Ephesus, whether Jew or pagan; they were all awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus gained in honour. 18 Moreover many of those who had become believers came and openly confessed that they had been using magical spells. 19 And a good many of those who formerly practised magic collected their books and burnt them publicly. The total value was reckoned up and it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 In such ways the word of the Lord showed its power, spreading more and more widely and effectively.