Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

¹Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father.

²The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

³Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁴As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

⁵So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian

⁶After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from speaking the word in the province of Asia,they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia.

⁷And when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them.

⁸So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

⁹During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

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.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

¹¹We sailed from Troas straight to Samothrace, and the following day on to Neapolis.

¹²From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia.And we stayed there several days.

¹³On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.

¹⁴Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

¹⁵And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

¹⁶One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination,who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.

¹⁷This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

¹⁸She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

¹⁹When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.

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.”

²²The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods.

²³And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely.

²⁴On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Conversion of the Jailer

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

²⁶Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

²⁷When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

³⁰Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”

³²Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.

³³At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized.

³⁴Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.

An Official Apology

³⁵When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers with the order: “Release those men.”

³⁶The jailer informed Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. Now you may go on your way in peace.”

³⁷But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”

³⁸So the officers relayed this message to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

³⁹They came to appease them and led them out, requesting that they leave the city.

⁴⁰After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.

Paul’s Trial before Festus

¹Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,

²where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul. They urged Festus

³to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

⁴But Festus replied, “Paul is being held in Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.

⁵So if this man has done anything wrong, let some of your leaders come down with me and accuse him there.”

⁶After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in.

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.”

⁹But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to stand trial before me on these charges?”

Paul Appeals 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!”

¹²Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus Consults Agrippa

¹³After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.

¹⁴Since they were staying several days, Festus laid out Paul’s case before the king: “There is a certain man whom Felix left in prison.

¹⁵While I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews presented their case and requested a judgment against him.

¹⁶I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.

¹⁷So when they came here with me, I did not delay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered that the man be brought in.

¹⁸But when his accusers rose to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.

¹⁹They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

²⁰Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.

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.”

²²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”“Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus declared.

Paul before Agrippa and Bernice

²³The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium, along with the commanders and leading men of the city. And Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.

²⁴Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him, both here and in Jerusalem, crying out that he ought not to live any longer.

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

²⁶I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this inquiry I may have something to write.

²⁷For it seems unreasonable to me to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”

Tertullus Prosecutes Paul

¹Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyernamed Tertullus, who presented to the governor their case against Paul.

²When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened the prosecution: “Because of you, we have enjoyed a lasting peace, and your foresight has brought improvements to this nation.

³In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude.

⁴But in order not to delay you any further, I beg your indulgence to hear us briefly.

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.

⁸By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about all our charges against him.”

⁹The Jews concurred, asserting that these charges were true.

Paul’s Defense to Felix

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.

¹²Yet my accusers did not find me debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city.

¹³Nor can they prove to you any of their charges against me.

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,

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.

¹⁶In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.

¹⁷After several years, then, I returned to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings.

¹⁸At the time they found me in the temple, I was ceremonially clean and was not inciting a crowd or an uproar. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia

¹⁹who ought to appear before you and bring charges, if they have anything against me.

²⁰Otherwise, let these men state for themselves any crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin,

²¹unless it was this one thing I called out as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

The Verdict Postponed

²²Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “When Lysias the commander comes, I will decide your case.”

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

²⁴After several days, Felix returned with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you.”

²⁶At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.

²⁷After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

Warnings about the Adulteress

¹My son, keep my wordsand treasure my commandments within you.

²Keep my commandments and live;guard my teachings as the appleof your eye.

³Tie them to your fingers;write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”and call understanding your kinsman,

⁵that they may keep you from the adulteress,from the stranger with seductive words.

⁶For at the window of my houseI looked through the lattice.

⁷I saw among the simple,I noticed among the youths,a young man lacking judgment,

⁸crossing the street near her corner,strolling down the road to her house,

⁹at twilight, as the day was fadinginto the dark of the night.

¹⁰Then a woman came out to meet him,with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

¹¹She is loud and defiant;her feet do not remain at home.

¹²Now in the street, now in the squares,she lurks at every corner.

¹³She seizes him and kisses him;she brazenly says to him:

¹⁴“I have made my peace offerings;today I have paid my vows.

¹⁵So I came out to meet you;I sought you, and I have found you.

¹⁶I have decked my bed with coverings,with colored linen from Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,with aloes, and with cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.Let us delight in loving caresses!

¹⁹For my husband is not at home;he has gone on a long journey.

²⁰He took with him a bag of moneyand will not return till the moon is full.”

²¹With her great persuasion she entices him;with her flattering lips she lures him.

²²He follows her on impulse,like an ox going to the slaughter,like a deer bounding into a trap,

²³until an arrow pierces his liver,like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.

²⁴Now, my sons, listen to me,and attend to the words of my mouth.

²⁵Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;do not stray into her paths.

²⁶For she has brought many down to death;her slain are many in number.

²⁷Her house is the road to Sheol,descending to the chambers of death.