The New Testament Part 25

7 [13:42]And when they had gone out, [the people] requested that these words might be spoken to them on the next sabbath. [13:43]And the congregation being dismissed, many of the Jews and pious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who gave them additional instructions, and persuaded them to continue in the grace of G.o.d. [13:44]And on the following sabbath almost all the city came together to hear the word of the Lord. [13:45]And the Jews seeing the mult.i.tudes were filled with envy, and contradicted the things said by Paul, disputing and blaspheming. [13:46]And both Paul and Barnabas speaking boldly said, It was necessary that the word of G.o.d should first be spoken to you; but since you cast it away, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the gentiles. [13:47]For thus has the Lord commanded us; I have set you for a light of nations, that you should be a salvation even to the end of the earth. [13:48] And the gentiles hearing this rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed; [13:49]and the word of the Lord was spread through all the country. [13:50]But the Jews excited the pious and honorable women, and the first men of the city, and raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out from their limits. [13:51]And shaking off the dust of their feet against them, they went to Iconium; [13:52] and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

8 [14:1]And at Iconium they went together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great mult.i.tude of the Jews and Greeks believed. [14:2]But the unbelieving Jews excited the minds of the gentiles against the brothers, and made them ill-disposed. [14:3]Then they spent a long time in speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting miracles and prodigies to be performed by their hands. [14:4]And the mult.i.tude of the city were divided; some were with the Jews, and some with the apostles. [14:5]And when a design was formed by the gentiles and Jews with their rulers to treat them injuriously, and stone them, [14:6]knowing it, they fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding country, [14:7]and preached the good news there.

9 [14:8]And there sat a certain man at Lystra, infirm in his feet, lame from his birth, who had never walked. [14:9]This man heard Paul speaking, who, looking steadily at him and seeing that he had faith to be cured, [14:10]said with a loud voice, Stand up erect on your feet.

And he leaped, and walked. [14:11]And the mult.i.tude seeing what Paul did, lifted up their voice in the language of Lycaonia, saying, The G.o.ds have come down to us in the likeness of men; [14:12]and they called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercury, because he was a master of eloquence. [14:13]And the priest of the Jupiter which was before the city brought bulls and garlands to the gates, and wished to offer sacrifices with the mult.i.tudes. [14:14]But the apostles Barnabas and Paul hearing of it, rending their clothes ran among the mult.i.tude, crying [14:15]and saying, Men, why do you do these things? We are also men subject to like sufferings with you, preaching that you should turn from these vain [services] to the living G.o.d, who made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things in them, [14:16]who in past generations permitted all nations to walk in their own ways; [14:17]although indeed he left not himself without a witness, doing good, giving rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. [14:18]And saying these things they with difficulty restrained the mult.i.tudes from sacrificing to them.

10 [14:19]But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the mult.i.tudes, and having stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. [14:20]But while the disciples stood around him, he arose and entered into the city. And on the next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. [14:21]And having preached the good news to that city, and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, [14:22]confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of G.o.d. [14:23]And having appointed them elders in every church, and having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

11 [14:24]And pa.s.sing through Pisidia they came to Pamphylia, [14:25]and having spoken the word in Perga they went down to Attalia, [14:26]and thence sailed to Antioch, whence they had been commended to the favor of G.o.d for the work which they performed. [14:27]And having arrived, and a.s.sembled the church, they reported what G.o.d had done with them, and that he had opened the door of faith to the gentiles.

[14:28]And they remained there not a little time with the disciples.

CHAPTER XII.

THE COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM ON CIRc.u.mCISION.--A.D. 50.

1 [15:1]AND certain persons having come down from Judea taught the brothers, If you are not circ.u.mcised according to the custom of Moses you cannot be saved. [15:2]There being therefore no little dissension and disputation of Paul and Barnabas with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, concerning this question. [15:3]They, therefore, being sent forward by the church, went to Phenicia and Samaria, relating the conversion of the gentiles, and caused great joy to all the brothers. [15:4]And when they came to Jerusalem they were received by the church, and the apostles, and the elders, and related what things G.o.d had done with them. [15:5]But some of those of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, rose and said, that it is necessary to circ.u.mcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

2 [15:6]And the apostles and elders were a.s.sembled together to see about this matter. [15:7]And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, Men and brothers, you know that in former days G.o.d chose among you that the gentiles should hear by my mouth the word of the gospel and believe. [15:8] And the heart-searching G.o.d testified to them, giving to them the Holy Spirit even as to us, [15:9]and made no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by the faith.

[15:10]Now, therefore, why do you try G.o.d, to put on the necks of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we could bear?

[15:11]But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same manner as they.

3 [15:12]And all the mult.i.tude was silent, and heard Barnabas and Paul relate what miracles and prodigies G.o.d performed among the gentiles through them. [15:13]And after they were silent, James answered, saying, Men and brothers, hear me. [15:14]Simeon has related how G.o.d first visited the gentiles to take a people for his name. [15:15]And with this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written, [15:16]After this will I return and build up the tabernacle of David which had fallen down, and rebuild its ruins, and set it up, [15:17]that the rest of men may seek the Lord, even all the nations on whom my name has been called, says the Lord who does these things, [15:18]known from eternity. [15:19]Wherefore I judge that we ought not to trouble those who turned to G.o.d from the gentiles, [15:20]but to send to them to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and fornication, and things strangled, and blood. [15:21]For Moses from ancient times has those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.

4 [15:22]Then it seemed good to the apostles and elders, with all the a.s.sembly [the church], to send delegates from themselves to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, [15:23]writing by their hand, The apostles and elders and brothers, to the brothers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, who are of the gentiles, greeting. [15:24]Since we heard that some going out from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls, to whom we gave no charge, [15:25]it seemed good to us, being of one opinion, to send delegates to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, [15:26]men who have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15:27]We have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, and they will tell you the same things by word. [15:28]For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to put no greater burden upon you except these necessary things; [15:29] that you should abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and blood, and things strangled, and fornication, from which if you keep yourselves you will do well. Farewell.

5 [15:30]They, therefore, being dismissed went to Antioch, and a.s.sembling the mult.i.tude delivered the epistle. [15:31]And reading it they rejoiced at the exhortation. [15:32]And Judas and Silas being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brothers with much argument, and confirmed them. [15:33]And having staid [some] time, they were dismissed in peace by the brothers to those that sent them. [15:35]But Paul and Barnabas remained at Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others the word of the Lord.

CHAPTER XIII.

PAUL'S SECOND MISSION TO ASIA MINOR.--A.D. 51-52.

1 [15:36]AND after some days Paul said to Barnabas, Let us return and visit the brothers in every city in which we preached the word of the Lord, [and see] how they do. [15:37]And Barnabas wished to take with them John called Mark; [15:38] but Paul thought not best to take with them one who deserted them at Pamphylia and did not go with them to the work. [15:39]And there was a sharp contention, so that they separated from each other; and Barnabas taking Mark sailed to Cyprus.

2 [15:40]But Paul choosing Silas went out, commended to the favor of the Lord by the brothers. [15:41]And he pa.s.sed through Syria and Cilicia confirming the churches. [16:1]And he went to Derbe and Lystra.

And behold, there was a certain disciple there by the name of Timothy, a son of a Jewish woman, a believer, but of a Greek father, [16:2]who was commended by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. [16:3]Him Paul wished to have go with him; and he took and circ.u.mcised him on account of the Jews who were in those places; for all knew that his father was a Greek.

3 [16:4]And when he went through the cities he gave them the ordinances to observe which had been determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

4 [16:5]Then the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. [16:6]And pa.s.sing through Phrygia and the country of Galatia, being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, [16:7]coming by Mysia they endeavored to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; [16:8]and pa.s.sing by Mysia they went down to Troas. [16:9]And a vision appeared by night to Paul; a certain man of Macedonia standing, asking him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. [16:10]And when he saw the vision we immediately sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the good news to them.

CHAPTER XIV.

PAUL AND HIS COMPANY AT PHILIPPI ON THEIR FIRST MISSION TO EUROPE.--A.D. 52-53.

1 [16:11]AND sailing from Troas we came in a direct course to Samothracia, and on the next day to Neapolis, [16:12]and thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, [and] a colony. And we spent some days in that city. [16:13]And on the sabbath we went out of the gate, by the river, where the proseuche [place of prayer] usually was, and sitting down we spoke to the women who came together. [16:14]And a certain woman by the name of Lydia, a dealer in purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped G.o.d, heard, whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the [words] spoken by Paul.

2 [16:15]And when she was baptized, and her house, she requested saying, If you have judged me faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay; and she constrained us.

3 [16:16]And when we went to the proseuche, a certain female servant having a spirit, a diviner, met us, who brought her masters much gain by divining. [16:17]She following Paul and us, cried, saying, These men are servants of the Most High G.o.d, who declare to us the way of salvation; [16:18]and this she did for many days. And Paul being grieved turned around and said to the spirit, I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her. And it came out of her in that hour. [16:19]And her masters seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, seizing Paul and Silas dragged them to the market, to the rulers, [16:20] and bringing them before the prefects said, These men, being Jews, greatly trouble the city, [16:21]and preach customs which it is not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.

[16:22]And the mult.i.tude came together against them, and the prefects tearing off their clothes gave orders to beat them with rods, [16:23]and having inflicted many blows on them cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely; [16:24]who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

4 [16:25]But at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sung praises to G.o.d, and the prisoners heard them. [16:26]And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and all the doors were immediately opened, and the bands of all were removed.

[16:27]And the jailer awaking from sleep and seeing the doors of the prison opened, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. [16:28]But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. [16:29]And asking for a light he sprang in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, [16:30]and bringing them out said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? [16:31] And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, and your house. [16:32]And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all those in his house.

5 [16:33]And taking them that hour of the night, he washed them from their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his, immediately, [16:34]and conducting them up into his house he set a table, and rejoiced with all his house, having believed in G.o.d. [16:35]And when it was day the prefects sent the lictors, saying, Let those men go.

[16:36]And the jailer told these words to Paul; The prefects have sent to let you go; now, therefore, go, and depart in peace.

6 [16:37]But Paul said to him, They have beaten us publicly uncondemned, being Romans, and cast us into prison; and now do they privately cast us out? No, indeed: but let them come themselves and conduct us out. [16:38]And the lictors told these words to the prefects, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans; [16:39]and they came and besought them, and conducting them out desired them to leave the city. [16:40]And going out of the prison they entered into the house of Lydia, and having seen the brothers they exhorted them, and departed.

CHAPTER XV.

PAUL AND HIS COMPANY AT THESSALONICA, BEREA, AND ATHENS.--A.D. 53.

1 [17:1]AND travelling through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. [17:2]And according to his custom Paul went in to them, and reasoned with them three sabbaths from the Scriptures, [17:3]explaining and a.s.serting that the Christ ought to suffer and to rise from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ. [17:4]And some of them believed and adhered to Paul and Silas; of the pious Greeks a great mult.i.tude, and of the chief women not a few. [17:5]But the unbelieving Jews taking certain base men of those about the markets, and exciting a mob, disturbed the city; and coming to the house of Jason sought to bring them out to the people; [17:6]but not finding them, they dragged Jason and some brothers to the rulers of the city, crying, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, [17:7]and Jason has received them; and they all do things contrary to the ordinances of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.

[17:8]And they excited the mult.i.tude and the rulers of the city hearing these things, [17:9]and taking security of Jason and the rest they let them go.

2 [17:10]And the brothers immediately, by night, sent away Paul and Silas to Berea; and when they came they went into the synagogue of the Jews; [17:11]but these were more n.o.ble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all readiness, examining the Scriptures daily [to see] if these things were so. [17:12]Many of them therefore believed, both of honorable Grecian women, and of men not a few.

[17:13]And when the Jews in Thessalonica knew that the word of G.o.d was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there exciting the mult.i.tudes.

3 [17:14]Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away, as if to go by sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there. [17:15]And those conducting Paul brought him to Athens, and receiving a charge to Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

4 [17:16]And while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was moved within him as he saw the city wholly devoted to idolatry. [17:17]Then he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and those that were pious, and in the market every day with those he met. [17:18]And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers disputed with him, and some said, What does this trifler mean to say? And others, He seems to be a preacher of strange demons; because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

[17:19]And laying hold of him they brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which is taught by you?

[17:20]for you bring certain strange things to our ears; we wish therefore to know what these things mean. [17:21]And all the Athenians and the strangers living there spend their leisure in nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

5 [17:22]And Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are extremely devoted to the worship of demons. [17:23]For as I pa.s.sed through, and observed your objects of worship, I found also an altar on which was inscribed, TO AN UNKNOWN G.o.d. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I declare to you. [17:24]The G.o.d who made the world and all things in it, this [G.o.d]

being Lord of heaven and earth dwells not in temples made with hands, [17:25]neither is he served by the hands of men as needing any thing, since he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; [17:26]and he made of one blood every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, determining their appointed times and the bounds of their habitation, [17:27]that they should seek G.o.d, if perhaps they might feel after and find him, and indeed he is not far from every one of us.

[17:28]For in him we live, and move, and are; as some also of your own poets have said, For we are his offspring. [17:29]Being therefore an offspring of G.o.d, we ought not to think the Deity to be like gold or silver or stone, a work of art and human device.

6 [17:30]Overlooking therefore the times of ignorance, G.o.d now commands all men everywhere to change their minds, [17:31]because he has appointed a day in which he is about to judge the world in righteousness, by the man whom he has appointed, giving a.s.surance to all by raising him from the dead. [17:32]But when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, We will hear you again of this. [17:33]So Paul went out from the midst of them; [17:34]but certain men adhering to him believed, among whom were Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

CHAPTER XVI.

PAUL AND HIS COMPANY AT CORINTH, HIS VISIT TO SYRIA AND ASIA MINOR.--A.D. 53-55.

1 [18:1]AND after this Paul left Athens and came to Corinth. [18:2]And finding a certain Jew by the name of Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy, and his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome, he went to them, [18:3]and because he was of the same trade continued and labored with them; for they were tent makers. [18:4]And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

2 [18:5]And when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul gave himself wholly to preaching the word, testifying to the Jews Christ Jesus. [18:6]But when they disputed and blasphemed, shaking his garments he said to them, Your blood be upon your heads; I, pure, from this time will go to the gentiles.