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“ Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” a   39 For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them. ” b 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Je-sus' glory and spoke about Him. 42 Neverthe-less, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me. 45 And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness. 47 As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last d ay. 49 I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know that His com-mand leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say. ” Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the 13 John 13: 1 | 1293 a 38 Isaiah 53:1 b 40 Isaiah 6:10 27 Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glori-fied it, and I will glorify it again. ” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an an-gel had spoken to Him. 30 In response, Jesus said, “This voice was not for My benefit, but yours. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself. ” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die. 34 The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light. ” After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them. Belief and Unbelief 37 Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not be-lieve in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

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world, He loved them to the very end. a   2 The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So He got up from the supper, laid aside His outer garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist. 5 After that, He poured water into a ba-sin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel that was around Him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. ” 8 “Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me. ” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you. ” 11 For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean. ” 12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His outer garments, He reclined with them again and asked, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Truly, truly, I tel l you, no servant is greater than his master,b   nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Jesus Predicts His Betrayal (Psalm 41: 1-13) 18 I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: 'The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me. ' c   19 I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe that I am He. 20 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me. ” 21 After Jesus had said this, He became trou-bled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me. ” 22 The disciples looked at one another, per-plexed as to which of them He meant. 23 One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. d   24 So Simon Peter mo-tioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about. 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it. ” Then He dipped the morsel and gav e it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27 And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly. ” 28 But no one at the table knew why Jesus had said this to him. 29 Since Judas kept the money bag, some thought that Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as he had received the morsel, Judas went out into the night. 1294 | John 13:2 a 1 Or He showed them the full extent of His love.   b 16 Cited in John 15:20 c 18 Psalm 41:9 d 23 Greek was reclin-ing in the bosom of Jesus

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Love On e Another (Romans 12:9-13 ; 1 John 3:11-24) 31 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him,a   God will also glorify the Son in Himself —and will glo-rify Him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: 'Where I am going, you cannot come. ' 34 A new comm andment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. ” Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial (Matthew 26:3 1-35 ; Mark 14:2 7-31 ; Lu ke 22:3 1-38) 36 “Lord, where are You going?” Simon Peter asked. Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can-not follow Me now, but you will follow later. ” 37 “Lord,” said Peter, “why can't I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You. ” 38 “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Jesus replied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. In My Father's House Are Many Ro oms “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; b   believe in Me as well. 2 In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  c   3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you i nto My pres-ence, so that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going. d  ” The Way, the Truth, and the Life 5 “Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him. ” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us. ” 9 Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Any-one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Fa-ther is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. 11 Be-lieve Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me —or at lea st believe on account of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me e   for anything in My name, I will do it. Jesu s Promise s the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-16) 15 If you love Me, you will keep f  My command-ments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate g to be with you 14 John 14: 16 | 1295 a 32 WH does not include If God is glorifie d in Him  . b 1 Or Believ e in God   c 2 Or If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going ther e to prepar e a plac e for you.   d 4 BYZ and TR And where I go you know, and the way you know. e 14 TR does not include Me  . f 15 Or If you love Me, keep   g 16 Or Comforter or Helper or Counselor  ; Greek Paraclete  ; also in verse 26

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forever — 17 the Spirit of truth. The world can-not receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. a   18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has My command-ments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him. ” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me. 25 All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. Peace I Leave with You 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. 28 You heard Me say, 'I am going away, and I am coming back to you. ' If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. 31 But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us go on from here. Jesus the Tru e Vine (Isaiah 27:1-13) “I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. 2 He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and with-ers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples. No Greater Love 9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My com-mandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 15 a 17 WH and is in you1296 | John 14:17

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12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I c om-mand you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I ap-pointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain —so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17 This is My command to you: Love one another. The Hatred of the World 18 If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. 20 Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. ' a   If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. 21 But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no ex-cuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated Me without reason. ' b 26 When the Advocate c   comes, whom I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father —He will testify about Me. 27 And you also must testify, becau se you have been with Me from the be-ginning. Persecution Foretold (Acts 23:1 2-22) “I have told you these things so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me. 4 But I have told you these things so that wh en their hour comes, you will re-member that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, be-cause I was with you. The Promis e of the Hol y Spirit (John 14:1 5-26) 5 Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you a sks Me, 'Where are You going?' 6 Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow because I have told you these things. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Ad-vocate d   will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 in regard to righteous-ness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 and in regard to judg-ment, because the prince of this world has been condemned. 16 John 16: 11 | 1297 a 20 John 13:16 b 25 See Psalm 35:19, Psalm 38:19, and Psalm 69:4. c 26 Or Comforter or Helper or Counselor  ; Greek Paraclete   d 7 Or Comforter or Helper or Counselor  ; Greek Paraclete  

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12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you. 16 In a little while you will see Me no mo re, and then after a little while you will see Me. a  ” Grief Will Turn to Joy 17 Then some of His disciples asked one an-other, “Why is He telling us, 'In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me' and 'Because I am going to the Father' ?” 18 They kept asking, “Why is He saying, 'a little while' ? We do not under-stand what He is saying. ” 19 Aware that they wanted to question Him, Je-sus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, 'In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me'? 20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she for-gets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. 22 So also y ou have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. Ask in My Name (Matthew 18:1 9-20) 23 In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. 25 I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. b   28 I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Fa-ther. ” 29 His disciples said, “See, now You are speak-ing plainly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we understand that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God. ” 31 “Do you finally believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the wor ld you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!” Prayer for the Son When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. 2 For You granted Him authority over all people,c   so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him. 3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. 4 I have g lorified 17 1298 | John 16:12 a 16 BYZ and TR include becaus e I go away to the Father.   b 27 WH from the Father   c 2 Literally all flesh

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You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed. Prayer for the Disciples 6 I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. 8 For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with cer-tainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours. 10 All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine; and in them I have been glorified. 11 I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, a   so that they may be one as We are one. 12 While I was with them, I pro-tected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of d estruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to You; and I am say-ing these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. 14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. b   16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth. Prayer for All Believers 20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, as You, Fa ther, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— 23 I in them and You in Me —that they may be per-fectly united, so t hat the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me be-fore the foundation of the world. 25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me. 26 And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them. ” The Betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 26:47-56 ; Mark 14:4 3-52 ; Lu ke 22:47-53) After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they entered a gar-den. 2 Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 So Judas brought a band of sol-diers and officers from the chief priests and 18 John 18: 3 | 1299 a 11 Literally Your name, which You gave Me  ; TR Your name. These You have give n Me  ; similarly in verse 12 b 15 Or from evil

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Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lantern s, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. Jesus said, “I am He. ” And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them. 6 When Jes us said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. 8 “I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go. ” 9 This was to fulfill the word He had spoken: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me. ” a   10 Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 “Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?” 12 Then the band of soldiers, with its com-mander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him. 13 They brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better if one man died for the people. Peter's First Denial (Matthew 26:69-70 ; Mark 14:6 6-68 ; Lu ke 22:54-57) 15 Now Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he also went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Pe-ter in. 17 At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter, “Aren't you also one of this man's disciples?” “I am not,” he answered. 18 Because it was cold, the servants and offi- cers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself. Jesus befor e th e High Priest (Matthew 26:57-68 ; Mark 14:5 3-65 ; Lu ke 22:66-71) 19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching. 20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come to-gether. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard My message. Surely they know what I said. ” 22 When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why did you strike Me?” 24 Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to Caia-phas the high priest. Peter's Second and Third Denials (Matthew 26:71-75 ; Mark 14:6 9-72 ; Lu ke 22:58-62) 25 Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren't you also one of His disciples?” 1300 | John 18:4 a 9 See John 6:39 and John 17:12.

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He denied it and said, “I am not. ” 26 One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn't I see you with Him in the garden?” 27 Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed. Jesus before Pilate (Matthew 27:1 1-14 ; Luke 23:1-5) 28 Then they led Jesus away from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. By now it was early morning, and the Jews did not enter the Prae-torium, to avoid being defiled and unable to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?” 30 “If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you. ” 31 “You take Him and judge Him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “We are not permitted to execute anyone,” the Jews replied. 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to die. a   33 Pilate went back into the Praetorium, sum-moned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 “Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own peo-ple and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm. ” 37 “Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice. ” 38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against Him. 39 But it is your custom that I release to you one prisoner at the Pass-over. So then, do y ou want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 “Not this man,” they shouted, “but Barab-bas!” (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist. ) The Soldiers Mock Jesus (Isaiah 50: 4-11 ; Matthew 27:2 7-31 ; Ma rk 15:1 6-20 ; Luke 22:6 3-65) Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted to-gether a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. 3 And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face. 4 Once again Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him. ” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him. ” 7 “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and ac-cording to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God. ” 19 John 19: 7 | 1301 a 32 See John 12:3 2-33.

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8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back into the Praetorium. “Where are You from?” he asked. But Jesus gave no answer. 10 So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have au-thority to release You and authority to crucify You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no au-thority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin. ” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar. ” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in He-brew a   is Gabbatha. 14 It was the day of Prepa-ration for the Passover, about the sixth hour. b And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15 At this, they shouted, “Away with H im! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests. The Crucifixion (Psalm 22:1-31 ; Matthew 27:32-44 ; Ma rk 15:2 1-32 ; Luke 23:2 6-43) 16 Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be cruci-fied, and the soldiers took Him away. 17 Carry-ing His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but only that He said, 'I am the King of the Jews. ' ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written. ” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bot-tom. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it. ” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing. ”  c   So that is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son. ” 27 Then He said t o the disciple, “Here is your mother. ” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home. The Death of Jesus (Psalm 22: 1-31 ; Matthew 27:45-56 ; Ma rk 15:3 3-41 ; Luke 23:4 4-49) 28 After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty. ” d   29 A jar of sour 1302 | John 19:8 a 13 Or in Aramaic  ; also in verses 17 and 20 b 14 That is, about noon c 24 Psalm 22:18 d 28 See Psalm 22:15.

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wine a   was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. b   30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished. ” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit. Jesus' Side Is Pierced (Zechariah 12:1 0-14) 31 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other. 33 But wh en they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony i s true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken. ” c   37 And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced. ” d   The Burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53: 9-12 ; Matthew 27:5 7-61 ; Mark 15:4 2-47 ; Luke 23:5 0-56) 38 Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus a t night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. e   40 So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. 41 Now there was a garden in th e place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there. The Resurrection (Matthew 28: 1-10 ; Mark 16:1-8 ; Luk e 24:1-12) Early on the first day of the week,f while it was still dark, Mary Magda-lene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Simon Peter arrived just after him. He en-tered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The cloth g   that had been around Jesus' head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed. 9 For they still did not un-derstand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. 20 John 20: 9 | 1303 a 29 Or A jar of wine vinegar  ; similarly in verse 30 b 29 See Psalm 69:21. c 36 Psalm 34:20; see also Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12. d 37 Zechariah 12:10 e 39 Greek about a hundred litras  ; that is, approximately 34 kilograms f 1 Literally Now on the first of the Sabbaths, early,   g 7 Greek soudarion

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Jesus Appears to Mar y Magdalene (Mar k 16: 9-11) 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him. ” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus. 15 “Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him. ” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary. ” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew,a   “Rab-boni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 “Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God. '  ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her. Jesus Appears to the Disciples (Luke 24:3 6-49 ; 1 John 1:1-4) 19 It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were to-gether with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them. 20 After He had said this, He showed them His hand s and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you. ” 22 When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld. ” Jesu s Appear s to Thomas 24 Now Thomas called Didymus,b   one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So th e other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe. ” 26 Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you. ” 27 Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe. ” 28 Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. ” The Purpose of John's Book 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not writ-ten in this book. 31 But these are written so 1304 | John 20:10 a 16 Or in Aramaic   b 24 Didymus means the twin  .

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that you may believe a   that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. Jesus Appears by th e Sea of Tiberias Later, by the Sea of Tiberias,b   Jesus again revealed Himself to the disci-ples. He made Himself k nown in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,c   Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing. ” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus. 5 So He called out to them, “Chil-dren, do you have any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. ” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea. 8 The other disciples came ashore in the boat. They dragged in the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards. d   9 When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught. ” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn. 12 “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said to them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead. Jesu s and Peter 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You. ” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs. ” 16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You. ” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep. ” 17 Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You. ” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone 21 a 31 Or may continue to believe   b 1 That is, the Sea of Galilee c 2 Didymus means the twin  . d 8 Greek about two hundred cubits away  ; that is, approximately 300 feet or 91 meters John 21: 18 | 1305

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else a   will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. ” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after He had said this, He told him, “Fol-low Me. ” Jesus and the Beloved Disciple 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Je-sus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus b   at the supper to ask, “Lord, who is going to betray You?” 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain un-til I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. However, Jesus did not say that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies to the se things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written. 1306 | John 21:19 a 18 Or others   b 20 Greek reclined on His bosom

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Prologue (Luke 1: 1-4) In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, 2 until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. 3 Af-ter His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 And while they were gathered together,a   He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. b  ” The Ascension (Mark 16:1 9-20 ; Luke 24:5 0-53) 6 So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the king-dom to Israel?” 7 Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ” 9 After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven. ” Matthias Replaces Judas 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, whi ch is near the city, a Sab-bath day's journey away. c   13 When they ar-rived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 With one accord they all continued in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit fore-told through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who ar-rested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in this ministry. ” 1 Acts a 4 Or eating together   b 5 Or For John baptize d in water, but in a few days you will be baptize d in the Holy Spirit  ; cited in Acts 11:16 c 12 A Sabbath day's journey is 2,000 cubits (approximately 3,000 feet or 914. 4 meters)

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18 (Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out. 19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Ake ldama, that is, Field of Blood. ) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' a   and, 'May another take his position. ' b 21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from John's baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resur-rection. ” 23 So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Mat-thias. 24 And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen 25 to take up this ministry and apostleship, which Judas abandoned to go to his rightful place. ” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Mat-thias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Genesis 11:1-9 ; Leviticus 23:1 5-22) When the day of Pentecost c   came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and beg an to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were dwelling d   in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each o ne heard them speaking his own language. 7 Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,e 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs —we hear them declaring the won-ders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocked them and said, “They are drunk on new wine!” Peter Addresses the Crowd (Psalm 16:1-11 ; Joel 2:28-32) 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only the third ho ur of the day! f 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 2 1308 | Acts 1:18 a 20 Psalm 69:25 b 20 Psalm 109:8 c 1 That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Weeks (see Exodus 34:22). d 5 Or staying  ; simi-larly in verse 14 e 9 That is, the Roman Province of Asia, located in what is now western Turkey f 15 That is, nine in the morning

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17 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, yo ur young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on My menservants and maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ' a   22 Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. 23 He was delivered up by God's set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches. 25 David says about Him: 'I saw b   the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope, 27 because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence. ' c   29 Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised hi m on oath that He would place one of his de-scendants on his throne. d   31 Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven, b ut he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, “S it at My right hand 35 until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. ”  ' e 36 Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you cru-cified, both Lord and Christ!” Three Thousand Believe 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Je sus Christ Acts 2:38 | 1309 a 21 Joel 2:2 8-32 (see also LXX) b 25 Literally I foresaw  ; see verse 31. c 28 Psalm 16:8-11 (see also LXX) d 30 Literally on oath that He would place out of the fruit of his loins on his throne ; BYZ and TR on oath out of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, to raise up Christ to sit on his throne ; Psalm 132:11 e 35 Psalm 110:1

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for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This prom-ise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off —to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself. ” 40 With many other words he testified, and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt gen-eration. ” 41 Those who embraced his messa ge were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day. a   The Fellowship of Believers (Acts 4:3 2-37) 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 A sense of awe b came over everyone, and the apostles per-formed many wonders and signs. 44 All the believers were to gether and had everything in common. 45 Selling their posses-sions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. 46 With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts c   and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. A Lame Man Walks One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. d   2 And a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts. e 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked di rectly at him, as did John. “Look at us!” said Peter. 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to receive some-thing from them. 6 But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk! f ” 7 Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once the man's feet and ankles were made strong. 8 He sprang to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautifu l Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had hap-pened to him. Peter Speaks in Solomon's Colonnade (Deuteronomy 18:1 5-22) 11 While the man clung to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and ran to them in the wa lkway called Solomon's Colonnade. g 12 And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant h Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. 14 You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact. 3 1310 | Acts 2:39 a 41 Literally about three thousand souls were added that day   b 43 Or fear   c 46 Literally the temple   d 1 That is, three in the afternoon e 2 Literally the temple  ; also in verse 8 f 6 SBL, NE, and WH In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!   g 11 Literally in the colonnade called Solomon's   h 13 Or His child  ; also in verse 26

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16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence. 17 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But in this way God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the pr es-ence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. 21 Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. a   23 Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people. b  ' 24 Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days. 25 And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. ' c   26 When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turn-ing each of you from your wicked ways. ” Peter and John befor e th e Sanhedrin While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Pe-ter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thou-sand. 5 The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest's family. 7 They had Peter and John brought in and be-gan to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed, 10 then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 This Jesus is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. ' d   12 Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. ” The Name Forbidden 13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and to ok note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in response. 15 So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin e   and then conferred together. 4 Acts 4:15 | 1311 a 22 Deuteronomy 18:15 b 23 See Deuteronomy 18:19. c 25 Genesis 22:18 d 11 Psalm 118:22 e 15 Or the Council

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16 “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusa-lem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn th em not to speak to anyone in this name. ” 18 Then they called them in again and com-manded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rathe r than God. 20 For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. ” 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was mi rac-ulously healed was over forty years old. The Believers' Prayer (Psalm 2: 1-12) 23 On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and every-thing in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant,a   our fa-ther David: 'Why do the nations rage and t he peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and a gainst His Anointed One. ' b 27 In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. 28 They carried out what Your hand and will had decided before-hand would happen. 29 And n ow, Lord, con-sider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness, 30 as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus. ” 31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Sharing among Believers (Acts 2:4 2-47) 32 The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his pos-sessions was his own, bu t they shared every-thing they owned. 33 With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, 35 and lay them at the apostles' feet for distribution to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Ananias and Sapphira Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apos-tles' feet. 5 1312 | Acts 4:16 a 25 Or child  ; also in verses 27 and 30 b 26 Or His Christ or His Messiah  ; Psalm 2: 1-2

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3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Sa-tan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? 4 Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!” 5 On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” said Peter, “is this the price you and your hus-band got for the land?” “Yes,” she answered, “that is the price. ” 9 “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also. ” 10 At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her be-side her husband. 11 And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events. The Apostles Heal Many 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them. 14 Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord —large numbers of both men and women. 15 As 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. 16 Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spir-its, and all of them were healed. The Apostles Arrested and Freed 17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They went out 18 and arrested the apostles and put them in the pub-lic jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors o f the jail and brought them out, saying, 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts a   and tell the people the full message of this new life. ” 21 At daybreak the apostles entered the tem-ple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates ar-rived, they convened the Sanhedrin  b  —the full assembly of the elders of Israel —and sen t to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they returned with the report: 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one ins ide. ” The Apostles before the Sanhedrin 24 When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening. c   25 Then someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!” Acts 5:25 | 1313 a 20 Literally the temple  ; also in verses 21, 25, and 42 b 21 Or the Council  ; also in verses 27, 34, and 41 c 24 Literally as to what this might be  

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26 At that point, the captain went with the of-ficers and brought the apostles —but not by force, for fear the people would stone them. 27 They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. 28 “We gave you st rict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man's blood. ” 29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. 31 God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and for-giveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Ho ly Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. ” Gamaliel's Advice 33 When the Council members heard this, they were enraged, and they resolved a   to put the apostles to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Ga-maliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time. 35 “Men of Israel,” he said, “consider carefully what you are about to do to these m en. 36 Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all his follow-ers were scattered. 38 So in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God. ” 40 At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffer-ing disgrace for the Name. 42 Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. The Choosing of the Seven (1 Timothy 3: 8-13) In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the He-braic Jews b   because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibil-ity to them 4 and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. ” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. c   6 They pre-sented these seven to the apostles,d   who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, 6 1314 | Acts 5:26 a 33 ECM, BYZ, TR, and Tischendorf; or they took counsel  ; NA, SBL, NE, and WH they wanted   b 1 Literally th e Hellen-ists bega n to grumble agains t the Hebrews   c 5 Literally and Nicolas, a conver t of Antioch   d 6 Literally —w hom they set befo re th e apostles,  

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and a great number of priests became obedi-ent to the faith. The Arrest of Stephen 8 Now Stephen, who was full of grace and power, was perf orming great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. a   They began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. 11 Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. ” 12 So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,b 13 where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us. ” 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Stephen's Address: The Call of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-9) Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” 2 And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopo-tamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and told him, 'Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you. ' c   4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living. 5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give pos-session of the land to Abraham and his de-scendants, even though he did not yet have a child. 6 God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundre d years. 7 'But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,' God said, 'and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place. '  d   8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of cir-cumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Ja-cob of the twelve patriarchs. Joseph Sold into Egypt (Genesis 37:12-30) 9 Because the patriarchs were jealous of Jo-seph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wis-dom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household. 11 Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food. 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to e   his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all. 7 Acts 7:14 | 1315 a 9 Literally and those from Cilicia and Asia  ; the Roman Province of Asia was located in what is now western Turkey. b 12 Or the Council  ; also in verse 15 c 3 Genesis 12:1 d 7 Genesis 15:1 3-14; Exodus 3:12 e 13 Or Joseph was made known to or Joseph was recognized by

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Israel Oppressed in Egypt (Exodus 1:8-22) 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. 16 Their bones were carried back a   to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver. 17 As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. 18 Then anoth er king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. 19 He exploited our people and op-pressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. The Birth and Adoption of Moses (Exodus 2:1-10 ; Hebrews 11:2 3-29) 20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. b   For three months he was nurtured in his father's house. 21 When he was set outside, Pharaoh's daugh-ter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moses was educated in all the wis-dom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. The Rejection and Flight of Moses (Exodus 2:1 1-22) 23 When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being mis-treated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. 25 He assumed his brothers would un derstand that God was us-ing him to deliver them, but they did not. 26 The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?' 27 But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler a nd judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' c   29 At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons. The Call of Moses (Exodus 3: 1-22) 30 After for ty years had passed, an angel ap-peared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: 32 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-cob. ' d   Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have indeed seen the op-pression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt. '  e 35 This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' f is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel  g   who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out and per-formed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. 37 This is the same Moses who told the Israel-ites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. ' h   38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with 1316 | Acts 7:15 a 16 Literally And they were carried back   b 20 Or he was of great statu s in God's eyes or he was no ordinar y child   c 28 Exodus 2:13-14 (see also LXX) d 32 Exodus 3:6 e 34 Exodus 3: 5-10 f 35 Exodus 2:14 g 35 Or Angel  ; also in verse 38 h 37 Deuteronomy 18:15

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our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. a   The Rebellion of Israel (Exodus 32:1-35 ; Deuteronomy 9:7-29 ; Amos 5:16-27) 39 But our fathers refused to obey him. In-stead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40 They said to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him. '  b 41 At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings for ty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyo nd Babylon. ' c   The Tabernacle of the Testimony (Exodus 40:1-33 ; Hebrews 9:1-10) 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testi-mony with them in the wilderness. It was con-structed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45 And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. d   47 But it was Solo-mon who built the house for Him. 48 Howev er, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: 49 'Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be? 50 Has not My hand made all these things?' e 51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the com-ing of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers — 53 you who re-ceived the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it. ” The Stoning of Stephen 54 On hearing this, the members of the San-hedrin were enraged,f  and they gnashed their teeth at hi m. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. ” 57 At this they cov ered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:58 | 1317 a 38 NE and WH to you   b 40 Exodus 32:1 c 43 Amos 5:25-27 (see also LXX) d 46 SBL, WH, BYZ, and TR; see also LXX for Psalm 132:5; ECM and NE a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.   e 50 Isaiah 66:1-2 f 54 Literally On hear‐ ing these things, they were cut in their hearts,

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59 While they were stoning him, Stephen ap-pealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. ” 60 Fall-ing on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them. ” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Saul Persecutes the Church And S aul was there, giving approval to Stephen's death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 God-fearing men buried Ste-phen and mourned deeply over him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Philip in Samaria 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria an d proclaimed the Christ to them. 6 The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip's message and to the signs they saw him perform. 7 With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were heal ed. 8 So there was great joy in that city. Simon the Sorcerer (Deuteronomy 18: 9-14) 9 Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be some-one great, 10 and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power cal led the Great Power. ” 11 They paid close attention to him be-cause he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were bap-tized, bo th men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He fol-lowed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 On their arri-val, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had sim ply been bap-tized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. 19 “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. ” 20 But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Per-haps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bit-terness and captive to iniquity. ” 24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me. ” 25 And af ter Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages. 8 1318 | Acts 7:59

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Philip and the Ethiopian (Isaiah 53:1-8) 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Phi lip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. ” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace,a   queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to wor-ship, 28 and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it. ” 30 So Philip ran up and heard the man read ing Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a s h eep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth. ” b 34 “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” c   38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea. The Road to Damascus (Acts 22: 1-21 ; Acts 26:1-23) Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest 2 and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As Saul drew near to Damascus on his jour-ney, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you per-secute Me?” 5 “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. d   6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. ” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. e   So they led him by the hand into 9 Acts 9:8 | 1319 a 27 Greek Kandak ē   b 33 Isaiah 53: 7-8 (see also LXX) c 36 TR includes 37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized. ” The eunuch replied, “I believ e that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. ”   d 5 TR includes “It is har d for you to kick against the goads. ”   e 8 Literally he could see nothing or he could see no one  

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Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and he did not eat or drink anything. Ananias Baptizes Saul 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am, Lord,” he answered. 11 “Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. ” 13 But Ananias answe red, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name. ” 15 “Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gen-tiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for My name. ” 17 So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. ” 18 At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Da-mascus. Saul Preaches at Damascus 20 Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God. ” 21 All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take t hem as pris-oners to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul was empowered all the more, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. The Escape from D amascus 23 After many days had passed, the Jews con-spired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him. 25 One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a bas-ket through a window in the wall. a   Saul in Jerusalem 26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who spoke to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and deba ted with the Grecian Jews,b   but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 1320 | Acts 9:9 a 25 Literally throug h the wall  ; see 2 Corinthians 11:33. b 29 Or Hellenists  

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The Healin g of Aeneas 31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit. 32 As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the sa ints in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat. ” Im-mediately Aeneas got up, 35 and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. The Raisin g of Tabitha (John 11:3 8-44) 36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas),a   who was al-ways occupied with works of kindness and charity. 37 At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men t o urge him, “Come to us without delay. ” 39 So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. 40 Then 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. 41 Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and w idows and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 And Peter stayed for several days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon. Cornelius Sends for Peter At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about the ninth hour,b   he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea. c  ” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a de-vout soldier from among his attendants. 8 He explained what had happened and sent them to Joppa. Peter's Vision (Leviticus 11: 1-47 ; Deuteronomy 14:1-21) 9 The next day at about the sixth hour,d   as the men were approaching the city on their jour-ney, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed 10Acts 10: 12 | 1321 a 36 Tabitha in Aramaic and Dorcas in Greek both mean gazelle  . b 3 That is, about three in the afternoon; also in verse 30 c 6 TR includes He will tell you what you need to do.   d 9 That is, about noon

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animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air. 13 Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure a   or unclean. ” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. ” 16 This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven. Peter Called to Caesarea 17 While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon's house and approached the gate. 18 They called out to ask if Simon called Peter was staying there. 19 As Peter continued to reflect on the vision, the Spirit s aid to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. b   20 So get up! Go downstairs and accompany them without hesitation, be-cause I have sent them. ” 21 So Peter went down to the men c   and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?” 22 “Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jew-ish nation. A holy angel instructed him to re-ques t your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you. ” 23 So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa. Peter Visits Cornelius 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him. 26 But Peter helped him up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself. ” 27 As Peter talked with him, he went inside and fo und many people gathered together. 28 He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29 So when I was invited, I came without object ion. I ask, then, why have you sent for me?” 30 Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. d   Sud-denly a man in radiant clothing stood before me 31 and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God. 32 Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea. ' 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to every-thing the Lord has instructed you to tell us. ” Good News for the Gentiles 34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly un-ders tand that God does not show favoritism, 35 but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. 36 He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaim-ing the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 132 2 | Acts 10:13 a 14 Literally common  ; similarly in verses 15 and 28 b 19 ECM and TR; NE and WH two men are looking for you  ; SBL, BYZ, and Tischendorf men are looking for you   c 21 TR the men sent to him by Cornelius   d 30 BYZ and TR Four days ago I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour I was praying in my house.

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37 You yourselves know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and he aling all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, 40 God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen — 41 not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. ” The Ge ntiles Receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 19: 1-7) 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his mes-sage. 45 All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have re-ceived the Holy Spirit just as we have!” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days. Peter's Report at Jerusalem The apostles and brothers through-out Judea soon heard that the Gen-tiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circum-cised believers a   took issue with him 3 and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them. ” 4 But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me. 6 I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 Then I heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat. ' 8 'No, Lord,' I said, 'for nothing impure b   or unclean has ever entered my mouth. ' 9 But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. ' 10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven. 11 Just then three men sent to me from Caesa-rea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them with-out hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's home. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel stand-ing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will convey to you a message by which you and all your household will be saved. ' 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the be-ginning. 16 Then I remembered the word of the 11 Acts 11:16 | 1323 a 2 Literally those of the circumcision   b 8 Literally common  ; similarly in verse 9

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Lord, as He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ' a   17 So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?” 18 When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles re-pentance unto life. ” The Church at Antioch 19 Meanwhile those scattered by the persecu-tion that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews. 20 But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks b   as well, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Je-sus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 When news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts. 24 Bar-nabas was a good man, full of t he Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught la rge numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. 27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. c   (This hap-pened under Claudius. ) 29 So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul. Jame s Killed, Peter Imprisoned About that time, King Herod  d   reached out to harm e   some who be-longed to the church. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 And seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feas t of Unleavened Bread. f  4 He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod in-tended to bring him out to the people after the Passover. The Rescue of Peter 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him. 6 On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two sol-diers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly. ” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 “Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and fol low me. ” 9 So Peter followed him out, but he was un- aware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and 12 1324 | Acts 11:17 a 16 Or 'John baptize d in water, but in a few days you will be baptize d in the Holy Spirit. ' Acts 1:5 b 20 Or the Hellen-ists   c 28 Or the entire Roman world   d 1 That is, King Herod Agrippa e 1 Literally put forth the hands to mistreat f 3 Literally seize Peter —now these were the days of the Unleavened  ; see Exodus 12:14-20.

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came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod's grasp and from everything the Jewish people were antic-ipating. ” 12 And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying. 13 He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!” 15 “You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel. ” 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place. 18 At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After He rod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there. The Death of Herod 20 Now Herod was in a furious dispute a   with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the sup-port of Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region de-pended on the king's country for food. 21 On the appointed day, Herod donned his r oyal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people. 22 And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God continued to spread and multiply. 25 When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned,b   bringing with them John, also called Mark. Paul's First Missionary Journey Begins (Acts 15:3 6-41 ; Acts 18:2 3-28) Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barna-bas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Se t apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. ” 3 And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. On Cyprus 4 So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer 13 Acts 13: 6 | 1325 a 20 Or had become furious b 25 Or had fulfille d their mission, they returned to Jerusalem  ; NE and TR had fulfille d their mission, they returned from Jerusalem

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and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 an at-tendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul bec ause he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas 10 and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of de-ceit and trickery! Will you never stop pervert-ing the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun. ” Immediately mist and dark-ness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had hap-pened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. In Pisidian Antioch 13 After setting sail from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the syn-agogu e on the Sabbath and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of encourage-ment for the people, please speak. ” 16 Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land. 18 He endured their con-duct for about forty years in the wilderness. 19 And having vanqui shed seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. 22 After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety. '  a   23 From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He prom-ised. 24 Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his course, he said, 'Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But He is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. '  b 26 Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this mes-sage of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled th e words of the prophets that are read every Sab-bath. 28 And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was writ-ten about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Hi m in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the dead, 31 and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people. 32 And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers 33 He has ful-filled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: 1326 | Acts 13:7 a 22 See 1 Samuel 13:14. b 25 Luke 3:16; see also Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7, and John 1:27.

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'You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. ' a   34 In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings pr omised to David. ' b 35 So also, He says in another Psalm: 'You will not let Your Holy One see decay. ' c   36 For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay. 37 But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. 40 Watch out, then, that what was spo-ken by the prophets does not happen to you: 41 'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish! For I am doing a work in your days th at you would never believe, even if someone told you. ' d  ” A Light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 49: 1-6) 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the syn-agogue, the people urged them to continue this message on the next Sabbath. 43 After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urg ed them to continue in the grace of God. 44 On the following Sabbath, nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphe-mously contradicted what Paul was saying. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a l ight for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. ' e  ” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord spread through-out that region. 50 The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominenc e and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Pau l and Barnabas at Iconium At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbe-lieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles an d poi-soned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who af-firmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews, and others with the 14 Acts 14: 4 | 1327 a 33 Psalm 2:7; literally today I have begotte n You   b 34 Literally I will give you the holy, the trustworthy of David  ; Isaiah 55:3 c 35 Psalm 16:10 d 41 Habakkuk 1:5 (see also LXX) e 47 Isaiah 49:6

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apostles. 5 But when the Gentiles and Jews, to-gether with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them, 6 they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding region, 7 where they c ontinued to preach the gospel. The Visit to Lystra and Derbe 8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 This man was listening to the words of Paul, who looked intently at him and saw that he had fait h to be healed. 10 In a loud voice Paul called out, “Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped up and began to walk. 11 When 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!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crow ds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting, 15 “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worth-less things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16 In past generations, He let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, fill-ing your hearts with food and gladness. ” 18 Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead. 20 But after the disci-ples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. And th e next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. Strengthenin g th e Disciples 21 They preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must en-dure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed. 24 After p assing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From Attalia they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had just completed. 27 When they arrived, they gathered the church to-gether and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent a long time there with the disciples. The Dispute over Circumcision Then some men came down from Ju-dea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. ” 2 And after engag ing these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with 15 1328 | Acts 14:5

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some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 Sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers. 4 On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them. The Counci l at Jerusalem (Amos 9:11-15 ; Galatians 2:1-10) 5 But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gen-tiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses. ” 6 So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter. 7 After much discussion, Pet er got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giv-ing the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. ” 12 The whole assembly fell silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they had fin-ished speaking, James declared, “Brothers, lis-ten to me! 14 Simon a   has told us how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: 16 'After this I will return and rebuild the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things 18  that have been known for ages. ' b 19 It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. 21 For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. ” The Letter to the Gentile Believers 22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to select men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, two leaders among the brothers, 23 and sent them with this letter: The apostles and the elders, your broth-ers, To the brothers among the Genti les in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 It has come to our attention that some went out from us without our authoriza-tion and unsettled you, troubling your minds by what they said. c   25 So we all a 14 Greek Simeon  , a variant of Simon b 18 Amos 9:1 1-12 (see also LXX); BYZ and TR says the Lord, who doe s all these thing s. 18 Know n unt o God are all His works from the ages.   c 24 BYZ and TR by saying that you must be circum-cised and keep th e law.   Acts 15: 25 | 1329

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agreed to choose men to send to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 There-fore we are sending Judas and Silas to tell you in person the same things we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything be-yond these essential requirements: 29 You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangle d animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. The Believers at Antioch Rejoice 30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they assembled the congrega-tion and delivered the letter. 31 When the peo-ple read it, they rejoiced at its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encoura ge and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers in peace to return to those who had sent them. a   35 But Paul and Barnabas re-mained at Antioch, along with many others, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord. Paul's Second Missionary Journey Begins (Acts 13:1-3 ; Acts 18:2 3-28) 36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing. ” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark. 38 But Paul thought it best not to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not ac-companied them in the work. 39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Timothy Joins Paul and Silas Paul came to Derbe and then to Lys-tra, where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father. 2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul 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. 4 As they went from town to town, they del iv-ered the decisions handed down by the apos-tles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. Paul's Vision of the Macedonian 6 After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from sp eaking the word in the province of Asia,b   they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia. 7 And when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not per-mit them. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us. ” 10 As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready 16 1330 | Acts 15:26 a 33 TR includes 34 Silas, however, decided to remain there.   b 6 Literally in Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

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to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Lydia's Conversion in Philippi (Revelation 2:18-29) 11 We sailed from Troas straight to Samo-thrace, and the following day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Mac-edonia. a   And we stayed there several days. 13 On the S abbath 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. 14 Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the c ity of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you con-sider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house. ” And she persuaded us. Pau l and Silas Imprisoned 16 One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, b   who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. 17 This 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!” 18 She continued this for many days. Eventu-ally Paul grew s o 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. 19 When the girl's owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the author-ities in the marketplace. 20 They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil 21 by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice. ” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. 24 On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fas-tened their feet in the stocks. The Conversion of the Jailer 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were prayin g and singing hymns to God, and the other pris-oners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose. 27 When 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. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. ” 32 Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyon e in his house. 33 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized. 34 Then he brought them into his home and set a meal Acts 16: 34 | 1331 a 12 Literally we went to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia —a colony b 16 Greek a spirit of Python  ; that is, a spirit of divination named after the mythical serpent slain by Apollo

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before them. So he and all his household re-joiced that they had come to believe in God. An Official Apology 35 When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers with the order: “Release those men. ” 36 The jailer informed Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. Now you may go on your way in peace. ” 37 But 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 se-cretly? Absolutely not! Let them come them-selves and escort us out!” 38 So the officers relayed this message to the magistrat es, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 They came to appease them and led them out, re-questing that they leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house to see the brothers and encour-age them. Then they left the city. The Uproar in Thessalonica When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 ex-plaining 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. 4 Some 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. 5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the mar-ketplace, 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. 6 But when they co uld not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world up-side down have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, sayi ng that there is another king, named Jesus!” 8 On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed. 9 And they collected bond from Jason and the others, and then re-leased them. The Character of the Bereans 10 As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teach-ings were true. a   12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there them-selves to incite and agitate the crowds. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 17 1332 | Acts 16:35 a 11 Literally with great eagerness, every day examining the Writings, whether thes e things wer e so.  

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Pau l in Athens 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God- fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day. 18 Som e Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating for-eign gods. ” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. 19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus,a   where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean. ” 21 Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas. Paul's Address in the Areopagus 22 Then Paul stood up in the meeting b   of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this in-scription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore wh at you worship as something un-known, I now proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and every-thing in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. 25 Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man c   He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach ou t for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in Him we live and move and have our being. ' d   As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring. ' e   29 Therefore, being off-spring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man's skill and imagination. 30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead. ” 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic. ” 33 At that, Paul left the Areopagus. 34 But some f  joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them. Pau l Ministers in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:1-3 ; 2 Corinthians 1:1-2) After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had re-cently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla 18 Acts 18: 2 | 1333 a 19 Or Ares Hill or Mars Hill  ; also in verse 22 and added for clarity in verse 33 b 22 Literally in the middle   c 26 Literally From one  ; BYZ and TR From one blood   d 28 This is probably a quote from the Cretan philosopher Epimenides of Knossos. e 28 This is probably a quote from the poem “Phainomena” by the Cilician philosopher Aratus. f 34 Literally some men

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because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them, 3 and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But when they opposed and in-sulted 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. ” 7 So Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus,a   a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his whole household believed in the Lord. And many of the Corinthians who heard the mes-sage believed and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent. 10 For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city. ” 11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching the word of God among the Corinthians. Paul before Gallio 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him be fore the judgment seat. 13 “This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law,” they said. 14 But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrong-doing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be rea-sonable for me to hear your complaint. 15 But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things. ” 16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat. 17 At this, the crowd b   seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio. Paul Returns to Antioch 18 Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. 19 When they reached Ephesus, Paul parted ways with Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue there and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a while longer, he declined. 21 But as he left, he said, “I will come back c   to you if God is will-ing. ” And he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem. d   Then he went down to Antioch. Paul's Third Missionary Journey Begins (Acts 13: 1-3 ; Acts 15:3 6-41) 23 After Paul had spent some time in Antioch, he traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a n eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,e   though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 And he be-gan to speak boldly in the synagogue. When 1334 | Acts 18:3 a 7 ECM; SBL, NE, and WH Titius Justus  ; BYZ and TR Justus   b 17 Literally they all  ; BYZ and TR all the Greeks   c 21 BYZ and TR I must by all means keep this feast that comes in Jerusalem, but I will come back   d 22 Literally he went up and greeted the church   e 25 BYZ and TR about the Lord  

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Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him in and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he power-fully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. The Holy Spirit Received at Ephesus (Acts 10:4 4-48) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior  a   and came to Ephesus. There he found some disci-ples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. ” 3 “Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied. 4 Paul explained: “John's baptism was a bap-tism of repentance. He told the people to be-lieve in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus. ” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophe-sied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. Paul Ministers in Ephesus (Ephesians 1: 1-2 ; Revelation 2:1-7) 8 Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But 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. 10 This continued for two years, so that everyone who lived in the province of Asia,b   Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs c   and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them. Seven Sons of Sceva 13 Now there were some itinerant Jewish ex-orcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I bind you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims. ” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 Eventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and woun ded. 17 This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. d   20 So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail. 19 a 1 Or the highland   b 10 Literally in Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey; similarly in verses 22, 26, 27, and 31. c 12 Greek soudaria   d 19 Or fifty thousand pieces of silver. A drachma was a silver coin worth about one day's wages. Acts 19: 20 | 1335

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The Riot in Ephesus 21 After these things had happened, Paul re-solved in the Spirit a   to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well. ” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed for a time in the province of Asia. 23 About that time there arose a great disturb-ance b   about the Way. 24 It began with a silver-smith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business c   to the craftsmen. 25 Demetrius assembled the craftsmen, along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you know that this business is our source of prosperity. 26 And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discred-ited and her majesty deposed —she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world. ” 28 When the men heard this, they were en-raged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in disarray. They rushed together into the thea-tre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Ma cedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go before the assembly, but the disciples would not allow him. 31 Even some of Paul's friends who were officials of the province of Asia d   sent word to him, beg-ging him not to venture into the theatre. 32 Meanwhile th e assembly was in turmoil. Some were shouting one thing and some an-other, and most of them did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people. 34 But when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd and declared, “Men of Ephesus, doesn't everyone know that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her im-age, which fell from heaven? 36 Since these things are undeniable, you ought to be calm and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here, though they have nei-ther robbed our temple nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and procon suls are available. Let them bring charges against one another there. 39 But if you are seeking anything beyond this, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 For we are in jeopardy of being charged with rioting for today's events, and we have no justifi ca-tion to account for this commotion. ” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. Paul in Macedonia and Greece When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples. And after en-couraging them, he said goodbye to them and left for Macedo nia. 2 After traveling through that area and speaking many words of encour-agement, he arrived in Greece, 3 where he 201336 | Acts 19:21 a 21 Or resolve d in spirit   b 23 Literally there arose no little disturbance   c 24 Literally bringing no little business d 31 Or friends who were Asiarchs  

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stayed three months. And when the Jews formed a plot against him as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secun-dus from Thessalonica, Gaius fr om Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. a   5 These men went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. 6 And after the Feast of Unleavened Bread,b   we sailed from Philippi, and five days later we rejoined them in Troas, where we stayed seven days. Eutychus Revive d at Troas (2 Kings 4:18-37) 7 On the first day of the week we came to-gether to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight. 8 Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a certain young ma n named Eutychus, seated in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and embraced him. “Do not be alarmed!” he said. “He is still alive!” 11 Then Paul went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate. And after speaking until daybreak, he departed. 12 And the people were greatly relieved to take the boy home alive. From Troas to Miletus 13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, where we were to take Paul aboard. He had arranged this because he was going there on foot. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 Sailing on from there, we arrived t he next day opposite Chios. The day after that we arrived at Samos, and c   on the following day we came to Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was in a hurry t o reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. d   Paul's Farewell to the Ephesians 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they came to him, he said, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews. 20 I did not shrink back from declaring any-thing that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. e 22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me. 24 But I con-sider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus —the min-istry of testifying to the good news of God's grace. 25 Now I know that none of you among whom I have preached the kingdom will see my face Acts 20: 25 | 1337 a 4 Literally from Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey; also in verses 16 and 18. 16 b 6 Literally after the days of the Unleavened  ; see Exodus 12:14-20. c 15 BYZ and TR and, after remaining at Trogyllium,   d 16 That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Weeks (see Exodus 34:22). e 21 ECM, TR, and Tischendorf; SBL, NE, BYZ, and WH our Lord Jesus  

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again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. a   27 For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,b which He purchased with His own blood. c   29 I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert and remember that for three yea rs I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 And now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions. 35 In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remember-ing the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive. ' ” 36 When Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept openly as they embraced Paul and kissed him. 38 They were especially grieved by his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. Paul's Journey to Jerusalem After we had torn ourselves away from them, we sailed directly to Cos, and the next day on to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded it and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing south of it, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go up to Je-rusalem. 5 But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the be ach to pray with us. 6 And after we had said our farewells, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. 7 When we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. Paul Visits P hilip the Evangelist 8 Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evange-list, who was one of the Seven. d   9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10 After we had been there several day s, a prophet named Agabus came down from Ju-dea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: 'In this way the Jews of Jeru-salem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles. '  ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. ” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we fell silent and said, “The Lord's will be done. ” 21 1338 | Acts 20:26 a 26 See Ezekiel 33: 8-9. b 28 Tischendorf of the Lord  ; BYZ and GOC of the Lord and God   c 28 Or with the blood of His own Son.   d 8 See Acts 6:5.

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15 After these days, we packed up and went on to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us, and they took us to stay at the home of Mnason the Cypriot, an early disciple. Paul's Arrival at Jerusalem 17 When we arri ved in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us joyfully. 18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and re-counted one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 But they are under the impression that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gen tiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe our customs. 22 What then should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do what we advise you. There are four men with us who have taken a vow. 24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. ” 26 So the next day Paul took the men and puri-fied himself along with them. Then he entered the temple to give notice of the date when their purification would be complete and the offering would be made for each of them. Paul Seized at the Temple 27 When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from the province of Asia a   saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches everywhere against our peo ple and against our law and against this place. Furthermore, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place. ” 29 For they had previ-ously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they assumed that Paul had brought him into t he temple. 30 The whole city was stirred up, and the peo-ple rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman reg-iment b   received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil. 32 Immediately he took some soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 The 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. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, and some another. And since the commander could not get at the truth because of the up-roar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. 36 For the crowd that followed him kept shouting, “Away with him!” Acts 21:36 | 1339 a 27 Literally from Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province i n what is now western Turkey. b 31 Literally the commander of the cohort  

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Paul Addresses the Crowd 37 As they were about to take Paul into the bar-racks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren't you the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the 'Assassins' into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to spe ak to the people. ” 40 Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:  a   Paul's Defense to the Crowd (Acts 9: 1-19 ; Acts 26:1-23) “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you. ” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew,b   they be-came even more silent. Then Paul declared, 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tar-sus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict con-formity to the law of our fathers. I am just as zealous for God as any of you here today. 4 I persecuted this Way even to the death, de-taining both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even ob-tained 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. 6 About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul, Saul, why do you perse-cute Me?' 8 'Who are You, Lord?' I asked. 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are perse-cuting,' He replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me. 10 Then I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' 'Get up and go into Damascus,' He told me. 'There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do. ' 11 Because the brilliance of the light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus. 12 There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there, 13 came and st ood beside me. 'Brother Saul,' he said, 'receive your sight. ' And at that moment I could see him. 14 Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear His voice. 15 You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name. ' 17 Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and sa w the Lord c   saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me. ' 19 'Lord,' I answered, 'they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You. 20 And when the blood of Your witness d   Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him. ' 22 a 40 Or in Aramaic  ; literally in the Hebrew language   b 2 Or in Aramaic  ; literally in the Hebrew language   c 18 Literally saw Him   d 20 Or martyr  1340 | Acts 21:37

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21 Then He said to me, 'Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles. ' ” Paul the Roman Citizen 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!” 23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, 24 the commander or dered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him. 25 But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawf ul for you to flog a Roman citi-zen without a trial?” 26 On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen. ” 27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered. 28 “I paid a high price for my citizenship,” said the commander. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. 29 Then those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander him-self was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains. 30 The 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  a   to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them. Paul before the Sanhedrin Paul looked directly at the Sanhed-rin  b   and said, “Brothers, I have conducted myself before God in all good con-science to this day. ” 2 At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself vio-late the law by commanding that I be struck. ” 4 But those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult the high priest of God!” 5 “Brothers,” Paul replied, “I was not aware that he was the high priest, for it is w ritten: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people. ' c  ” 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is becau se of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial. ” 7 As soon as he had said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sad-ducees say that there is neither a resurrection, nor ange ls, nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and con-tended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spo-ken to him?” 10 The dispute grew so violent that the commander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into the barracks. 23 Acts 23: 10 | 1341 a 30 Or the whole Council   b 1 Or the Council  ; also in verses 6, 15, 20, and 28 c 5 Exodus 22:28 (see also LXX)

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11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have tes-tified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome. ” The Plot to Kill Paul (John 16: 1-4) 12 When daylight came, the Jews formed a con-spiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty of them were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have kil led Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way. ” 16 But when the son of Paul's sister heard about the plot,a   he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centu-rions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him. ” 18 So the centurion took him to the com-mander and said, “Paul the pri soner sent and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you. ” 19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside, and asked, “What do you need to tell me?” 20 He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul to the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of acquiring more information about him. 21 Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent. ” 22 So the commander dismissed the youn g man and instructed him, “Do not tell anyone that you have reported this to me. ” Paul Sent to Felix 23 Then he called two of his centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea in the third hour of the night. b 24 Provide mounts for Paul to take him safely to Governor Felix. ” 25 And he wrote the follow-ing letter: 26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews, an d they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen, 28 and since I wanted to understand their charges against him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the ac-cusation invol ved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also instructed his accusers to pre-sent their case against him before yo u. 31 So the soldiers followed their orders and brought Paul by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day they returned to the barracks and let the horsemen go on with him. 33 When the horsemen arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province Paul was from. Learning that 1342 | Acts 23:11 a 16 Or the ambush   b 23 That is, at nine tonight

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he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive. ” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's Praetorium. Tertullus Prosecutes Paul Five days later the high priest Ana-nias came down with some elders and a lawyer a   named Tertullus, who pre-sented to the governor their case against Paul. 2 When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened the prosecution: “Because of you, we have enjoyed a lasting peace, and your fore-sight has brought improvements to this na-tion. 3 In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude. 4 But in order not to burden you any further, I beg your indulgence to hear us briefly. 5 We 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, 6 and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. b   8 By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about all our charges against him. ” 9 The Jews concurred, asserting that these charges were true. Paul's Defens e to Felix 10 When 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. 11 You can verify for yourself that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to w or-ship. 12 Yet my accusers did not find me debat-ing with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Nor can they prove to you any of their charges against me. 14 I 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, 15 and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 In this hope, I strive always to main-tain a clear conscience before God and man. 17 After several years, then, I returned to Jeru-salem to bring alms to my people and to pre-sent o fferings. 18 At 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  c   19 who ought to appear before you and bring charges, if they have anything against me. 20 Otherwise, let these men state for them-selves any crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, d   21 unless it was this one thing I cal led 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 22 Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “When Lysias the command er comes, I will de-cide your case. ” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs. 24 After several days, Felix returned with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sen t for Paul and listened to him speak about faith in 24 Acts 24: 24 | 1343 a 1 Or an orator   b 6 BYZ and TR include and we would have judged him according to our law. 7 But Lysias the com-mander came with great force and took him out of our hands, 8 ordering his accusers to come before you. c 18 Literally from Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey. d 20 Or the Council

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Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul expounded on right-eousness, self-control, and the coming judg-ment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you. ” 26 At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him. 27 After two years had passed, Felix was suc-ceeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. Paul's Trial before Festus Three days after his arrival in the province, Festu s went up from Caes-area to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul. They urged Festus 3 to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were prepar-ing an ambush to kill h im along the way. 4 But Festus replied, “Paul is being held in Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 So if this man has done anything wrong, let some of your leaders come down with me and accuse him there. ” 6 After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesa-rea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could n ot prove. 8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have commit-ted no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar. ” 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jeru-salem to stand trial before me on these charges?” Paul Appeals to Caesar 10 Paul replied, “I am standing before the judg-ment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if ther e is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” Festus Consults Agrippa 13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were staying several days, Festus laid out Paul's case before the king: “There is a certain man whom Felix left in prison. 15 While I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews presented their case and requested a judgment against him. 16 I 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. 17 So 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. 18 But when his accusers rose to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had ex-pected. 19 They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 20 Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerus alem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But when Paul appealed to be held over for 25 1344 | Acts 24:25

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the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar. ” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself. ” “Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus de-clared. Paul before Agrippa and Bernice 23 The 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. 24 Then 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. 25 But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Em-peror, I decided to send him. 26 I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign one 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. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send on a pris-oner without specifying the charges against him. ” Paul's Testimony to Agrippa (Acts 9: 1-19 ; Acts 22:1-21) Agrippa said to Paul, “You have per-mission to speak for yourself. ” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patien tly. 4 Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, ad-hering to the strictest sect of our religion. 6 And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers, 7 the promise o ur twelve tribes are hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? 9 So then, I too was convinced tha t I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusa-lem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 I frequently had them pun-ished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to perse-cute them. 12 In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the ch ief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my compan-ions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew,a   'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. ' 15 'Who are You, Lord?' I asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 16 'But get up and stand on your 26 Acts 26: 16 | 1345 a 14 Or in Aramaic  ; literally in the Hebrew language  

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feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes, so that t hey may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive for-giveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me. ' 19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20 First t o those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple c ourts a   and tried to kill me. 22 But 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: 23 that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim l ight to our people and to the Gentiles. ” Festus Interrupts Paul's Defense 24 At this stage of Paul's defense, Festus ex-claimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to mad-ness!” 25 But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety. 26 For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not don e in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do. ” 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you per-suade me in such a short time to become a Christian?” 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. ” 30 Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them. 31 On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment. ” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar. ” Paul Sails for Rome When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial b Regiment. 2 We boarded an Adramyttian ship about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia,c   and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedo-nian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care. 4 Af-ter putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 After sailing slowly for many days, we ar-rived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 27 1346 | Acts 26:17 a 21 Literally the temple   b 1 Or Augustan   c 2 Literally sail to the places along Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

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8 After we had moved along the coast with dif-ficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 By now much time had passed, and the voy-age had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. a   So Paul advised them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well. ” 11 But contrary to Paul's advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pi lot and by the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, if somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete facing both southwest and northwest. The Storm at Sea (Jonah 1: 4-10) 13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hug-ging the coast of Crete. 14 But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island. 15 Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along. 16 Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda,b   we barely managed to secure the life-boat. 17 After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor c   and were driven along. 18 We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved. 21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have averted this disaster and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship. 23 For just last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me 24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you. ' 25 So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me. 26 However, we must run aground on some island. ” The Shipwreck 27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. d   About mid-night the sailors sensed they were approach-ing land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. e Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms. f  29 Fear-ing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak. 30 Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down int o the sea. 31 But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved. ” 32 So the sol-diers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and set it adrift. Acts 27: 32 | 1347 a 9 That is, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement b 16 NE, BYZ, and TR Clauda   c 17 Or the sails   d 27 The Adriatic Sea referred to an area extending well south of Italy to include the central portion of the Mediterranean Sea. e 28 20 fathoms is approximately 120 feet or 36. 6 meters. f 28 15 fathoms is approximately 90 feet or 27. 4 meters.

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33 Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food. 34 So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost. ” 35 After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and took some food themselves. 37 In all, there were 276 a   of us on board. 38 Af-ter the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. 39 When 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. 40 Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loos-ened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the vessel struck a sand-bar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom. 43 But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul's life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who cou ld swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow on planks and various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely to land. Ashore on Malta Once we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us extraordi-nary kindness. They kindled a fire and wel-comed all of us because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. 4 When the is-landers 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  b   has not allowed him to live. ” 5 But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The islanders were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusua l happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7 Nearby stood an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 The father of Publius was sick in bed, suffer-ing from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after praying and placing his hands on him, he healed the man. 9 After this had happened, the rest of the sick on the is-land came and were cured as well. 10 The islanders honored us in many ways a nd supplied our needs when we were ready to sail. Paul Arrives in Italy 11 After three months we set sail in an Alexan-drian ship that had wintered in the island. It had the Twin Brothers c   as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. 13 From there we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day, a south wind came up, and on the second day we arrived at Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers who invited us to spend the week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers there had heard about us and traveled as far as the Forum of Appius d   and the Three Taverns e   to meet us. When Paul saw 281348 | Acts 27:33 a 37 WH 76   b 4 Greek Dike  ; that is, the Greek goddess of justice c 11 Greek Dioscuri  ; that is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux d 15 The Forum of Appius was about 43 miles or 70 kilometers from Rome. e 15 The Three Taverns was about 35 miles or 57 kilometers from Rome.

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them, he was encouraged and gave thanks to God. Pau l Preaches at Rome (Isaiah 6:1-13) 16 When we arrived in Rome,a   Paul was per-mitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him. 17 After three days, he called together the lead-ers of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, I was taken prisoner in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They ex-amined me and wanted to release me, because there was no basis for a death sentence against me. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, even though I have no charge to bring against my nation. 20 So for this reason I have called to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain. ” 21 The leaders replied, “We have not received any letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the brothers from there reported or even mentioned anything bad about you. 22 But we consider your views worth hearing, because we know that people everywhere are speak-ing against this sect. ” 23 So 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 even-ing, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some of the m were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe. 25 They dis-agreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit was right when He spoke to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 'Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ” 27 For 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. ' b 28 Be advised, therefore, that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” c   30 Paul stayed there two full years in his own rented house, welcoming all who came to visit him. 31 Boldly and freely he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 28: 31 | 1349 a 16 BYZ and TR include the centurion delivered up the prisoners to the captain of the barrack, but  . b 27 Isaiah 6: 9-10 (see also LXX) c 28 BYZ and TR include 29 When he ha d said this, the Jews went away, disputing sharpl y among themselves.  

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Pau l Greets the Saints in Rome Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God — 2 the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resur-rection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles t o the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To 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. Unashame d of the Gospel 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my spirit a   in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God's will I may suc-ceed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but hav e been prevented from visiting b   until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks,c   both to the wise and t he foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17 For the gospel reveals the righteous-ness of God that comes by faith from start to finish,d   just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith. ” e God's Wrath against Sin 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wick-edness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creati on of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workman-ship, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 1 Romans a 9 Or in my spirit   b 13 Literally but have been prevented   c 14 Literally to Greeks and barbarians   d 17 Literally For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith   e 17 Habakkuk 2:4

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23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the de-sires of their hearts to impurity for the dishon-oring of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and wor-shiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! a Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women ex-changed natural rel ations for unnatural ones. 27 Likewise, the men abandoned natural rela-tions with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a de-praved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. 31 They are senseless, faithless, heart-less, merciless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them. God's Righteous Judgment (Psalm 75: 1-10) You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on what-ever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 And we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and pa-tience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against your-self for the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each one according to his deeds. ” b   7 To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self- seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and d istress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Greek. 11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 All who sin apart from the law wi ll also per-ish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous. 14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts eit her accusing or defending 2 Romans 2:15 | 1351 a 25 Or forever blessed   b 6 Psalm 62:12

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them 16 on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Christ Jesus,a   as proclaimed by my gospel. The Jews and the Law 17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in da rkness, 20 an in-structor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth — 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who forbid a dultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. ”  b 25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, your circumci-sion has become uncircumcision. 26 If a man who is not circumcised keeps the require-ments of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 The one who is physically uncircumcised yet keeps the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a law-breaker. 28 A man is not a Jew because he is one out-wardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise does not come from men, but from God. God Remains Faithful What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circum- cision? 2 Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words c   of God. 3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Cer-tainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge. ” d   5 But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms. 6 Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world? 7 However, if my falsehood accentuates God's truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still cond emned as a sinner? 8 Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result” ? Their condemnation is deserved! Ther e Is No One Righteous (Psalm 14:1-7 ; Psalm 53:1-6 ; Isaiah 59:1-17) 9 What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not e ven one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not e ven one. ” e 3 1352 | Romans 2:16 a 16 BYZ and TR through Jesu s Christ b 24 Isaiah 52:5 (see also LXX) c 2 Or the oracles   d 4 Or whe n You are judged  ; Psalm 51:4 (see also LXX) e 12 Psalm 14: 1-3 and Psalm 53: 1-3 (see also LXX)

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13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. ” a   “The venom of vipers is on their lips. ” b 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. ” c   15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16  ruin and misery lie in their wake, 17  and the way of peace they have not known. ” d   18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes. ” e 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brin gs awareness of sin. Righteousness through Faith in Christ (Philippians 3:1-11) 21 But now, apart from the law, the righteous-ness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 And this right-eousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no dis-tinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ J esus. 25 God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice f through faith in His blood, in order to demon-strate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins com-mitted beforehand. 26 He did this to demon-strate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircum-cised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law. Abraha m Justified by Faith (Genesis 15:1-7 ; Psalm 32:1-11 ; Hebre ws 11:8-19) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has discovered? 2 If Abra-ham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ” g 4 Now the wages of the worker a re not cred-ited as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is cred-ited as righteousness. 6 And David speaks like-wise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits ri ghteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. ” h 9 Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been say-ing that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 In what context was it 4 Romans 4:10 | 1353 a 13 Psalm 5:9 b 13 Psalm 140:3 c 14 Psalm 10:7 (see also LXX) d 17 Isaiah 59: 7-8 (see also LXX) e 18 Psalm 36:1 f 25 Or as a propitiation   g 3 Genesis 15:6 h 8 Psalm 32: 1-2 (see also LXX)

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credited? Was it after his circumcision, or be-fore? It was not after, but before. a   11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the foot-steps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Abraha m R eceive s the Promise (Genesis 15:8-21) 13 For the promise to Abraham and his off-spring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is wort hless, 15 be-cause the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaran-teed to all Abraham's offspring —not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations. ” b   He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be. ” c   19 Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah's womb. 20 Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had prom-ised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness. ” d   23 Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham, 24 but also for us, to whom righteousness will be cred-ited —for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was deliv-ered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification. The Triumph of Faith Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have  e   peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice f  in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, char-acter; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Christ's Sacrifice for the Ungodly (John 3: 1-21) 6 For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possi-bly dare to die. 8 But God proves His love for us in this: While we were sti ll sinners, Christ died for us. 5 1354 | Romans 4:11 a 10 Literally How then was it reckoned —being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncir-cumcision.   b 17 Genesis 17:5 c 18 Genesis 15:5 d 22 Genesis 15:6 e 1 Or let us have   f 2 Or exult  ; also in verses 3 and 11

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9 Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! 10 For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the d eath of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! 11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Genesi s 3:1-7) 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned. 13 For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into ac-count when there is n o law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many! 16 Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judg-ment that followed one sin brought condem-nation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 So then, just as one trespass brought con-demnation for all men, so also one act of right-eousness brought justification and life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace in-creased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Dead to Sin, Alive to God (2 Corinthians 4:7-18) What then shall we say? Shall we con-tinue in sin so that grace may increase? 6 Romans 6:13 | 1355 2 Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? 3 Or aren't you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certain ly also be united with Him in His resurrection. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. 7 For anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He can-not die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. 11 So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. 13 Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instru-ments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from

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death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. The Wages of Sin 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that when you offer your-selves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to im-purity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 For when you we re slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slav es to God, the fruit you reap leads to holi-ness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eter-nal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Release from the Law (Galatians 3:1 5-25) Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2 For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is re-leased from the law of marriage. 3 So then, if she is joined to another man while her hus-band is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress, even if she mar-ries anot her man. 4 Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5 For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death. 6 But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. God's Law Is Holy 7 What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Cer-tainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet. ”  a   8 But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, pro-duced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 So I disco vered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, de-ceived me and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the command-ment is holy, righteous, and good. 7 1356 | Romans 6:14 a 7 Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21

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Struggling with Sin 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14 We know that the law is spir itual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good. 17 In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evi l I do not want to do. 20 And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law. 23 But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. a   24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Walking by the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:1 6-38 ; Galatians 5:16-26) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. b   2 For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you c   free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. d   He thus condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the flesh e   cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive f  because of right-eousness. 11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead g   will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. Heirs with Christ 12 Therefore, brothers, we h ave an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 8 Romans 8:12 | 1357 a 23 Literally captiv e to the law of sin being in my members.   b 1 BYZ and TR in Christ Jesus, who do not walk accord-ing to the flesh but according to the Spirit.   c 2 BYZ and TR me   d 3 Literally in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin e 8 Literally Those being in the flesh  ; similarly in verse 9 f 10 Or yet the Spirit is life   g 11 NA, BYZ, and TR raise d Christ from the dead  

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13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Fa-ther!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ —if indeed we su ffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. Future Glory (2 Corinthians 5:1-10) 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be re-vealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the revela tion of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futil-ity, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit inter cedes for the saints according to the will of God. God Works in All Things (Ephesians 1: 3-14) 28 And we know that God works all things to-gether for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those God foreknew, He also predes-tined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God — and He is interceding for us. More than Conquerors (Psalm 44:1-26) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble o r distress or persecu-tion or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. ” a   37 No, in all these things we are more than con-querors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither 1358 | Romans 8:13 a 36 Psalm 44:22

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angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all crea-tion, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul's Concern for the Jews I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit. 2 I have deep sorrow and unceas-ing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise!  a   Amen. God's Sovereign Choice (Genesis 25:19-28 ; Malachi 1:1-5) 6 It is not as though God's word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are Abraham's descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned. ”  b   8 So it is not the children of the flesh who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son. ”  c   10 Not only that, but Rebecca's children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11 Yet before the twins were born or had done any-thing good or bad, in order that God's plan of election might stand, 12 not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “Th e older will serve the younger. ” d   13 So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. ” e 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Cer-tainly not! 15 For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. ” f 16 So then, it does not depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For the Scrip-ture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I mi ght display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth. ”  g   18 Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. 19 One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” h 21 Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for spe-cial occasions and another for common use? 22 What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, pre pared for destruction? 23 What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory — 24 including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gen-tiles? 25 As He says in Hosea: “I will call them 'My People' who are not My people, and I will call her 'My Beloved' who is not My beloved,” i  9 Romans 9:25 | 1359 a 5 Or forever blessed   b 7 Genesis 21:12 c 9 Genesis 18:14 d 12 Genesis 25:23 e 13 Malachi 1: 2-3 f 15 Exodus 33:19 g 17 Exodus 9:16 (see also LXX) h 20 Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9 i 25 Hosea 2:23

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26 and, “It will happen that in the very place wh ere it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' they will be called 's ons of the living God. '  ” a   27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is li ke the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively. ” b 29 It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unle ss the Lord of Hosts had left us de scendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah. ” c   Israel's Unbelief 30 What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have ob-tained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; d   and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame. ” e The Word Brings Salvation (Isaiah 65: 1-16) Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. 3 Because they were ignorant of God's righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's right-eousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: “The man who does these things will live by them. ”  f  6 But the right-eousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' g (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or, 'Who will descend into the Abyss?' h   (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” i  that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. 11 It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame. ” j 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ” k   14 How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they be-lieve in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beau tiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” l 10 1360 | Romans 9:26 a 26 Hosea 1:10 b 28 Isaiah 10:22-23 (see also LXX) c 29 Isaiah 1:9 (see also LXX) d 33 Isaiah 8:14 e 33 Isaiah 28:16 (see also LXX) f 5 Leviticus 18:5; see also Ezekiel 20:11, 13, and 21. g 6 Deuteronomy 30:12 h 7 See Deuteronomy 30:13. i 8 Deuteronomy 30:14 j 11 Isaiah 28:16 (see also LXX) k 13 Joel 2:32 l 15 Literally good news of good things  ; BYZ and TR How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of peace, who bring good news of good things  ; Isaiah 52:7

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16 But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” a   17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. ” b 19 I ask instead, did Israel not understand? First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation without understanding. ” c   20 And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those wh o did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me. ” d   21 But as for Israel he says: “All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people. ” e A Remnant Chosen by Grace I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite my-self, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he ap-pealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your al-tars. I am the only one left, and they are seek-ing my life as well”  f ? 4 And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. ” g 5 In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace. h 7 What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day. ” i  9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. ” j The Ingrafting of the Gentiles 11 I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? k   Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. 12 But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! 13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconcilia-tion of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 11 Romans 11:1 6 | 1361 a 16 Isaiah 53:1 b 18 Psalm 19:4 (see also LXX) c 19 Deuteronomy 32:21 (see also LXX) d 20 Isaiah 65:1 e 21 Isaiah 65:2 (see also LXX) f 3 1 Kings 19:10, 14 g 4 1 Kings 19:18 h 6 BYZ and TR include But if it is by works, then it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.   i 8 See Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. j 10 Psalm 69:22-23 (see also LXX) k 11 Or did they stumble so as to lose their share? Literally did they stumble that they might fall?

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17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourish-ment of the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in. ” 20 That is cor-rect: They were broken off because of unbe-lief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not a   spare you either. 22 Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kind-ness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God i s able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! All Israel Will Be Saved 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mys-tery, brothers, so that you will not be con-ceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; H e will remove godlessness from Jacob. 27 And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins. ” b 28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. 29 For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have now received mercy through their d is- obedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you. c   32 For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone. A Hymn of Praise (Isaiah 40: 9-31) 33 O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, an d untraceable His ways! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” d   35 “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?” e 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. Living Sacrifices (1 Corinthians 3:1 6-23 ; 1 Co rinthians 6:18-20) Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of wor-ship. f  2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has 12 1362 | Romans 11:17 a 21 Or He will perhaps not  ; SBL, NE, and WH He will not   b 27 Isaiah 27:9 and Isaiah 59:2 0-21; see also LXX c 31 Literally may now receive mercy through your mercy  ; BYZ and TR may receiv e mercy through your mercy d 34 Isaiah 40:13 (see also LXX) e 35 Job 41:11 f 1 Or your reasonable service

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one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. 6 We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one's gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; 7 if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giv-ing, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love, Zeal, Hope, Hospitality (John 13:3 1-35 ; 1 John 3:11-24) 9 Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another. 11 Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints who are in need. Prac-tice hospitality. Forgiveness (Matthew 18:2 1-35) 14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in har-mony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be con-ceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of every-body. 18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord. ”  a   20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head. ” b 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Submissio n to Authorities (1 Pete r 2:1 3-20) Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. 2 Consequently, whoever resists author-ity is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. 4 For he is God's servant for your go od. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God's servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore it is necessary to submit to author-ity, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscien ce. 6 This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God's ser- vants, who devote themselves to their work. 7 Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to 13 Romans 13: 7 | 1363 a 19 Deuteronomy 32:35 (see also LXX) b 20 Proverbs 25:2 1-22 (see also LXX)

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whom taxes are due, revenue to whom reve-nue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Love Fulfills the Law (Leviticus 19:9-18) 8 Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” a   and any other com-mandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself. ” b 10 Love does no wrong to its neighbor. There-fore love is the fulfillment of the law. The Da y Is Near 11 And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer no w than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunken-ness, not in sexual immo rality and debauch-ery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourselves with c   the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. The Law of Liberty (Matthew 7: 1-6 ; Luke 6:37-42) Accept him whose faith is weak, with-out passing judgment on his opin-ions. d   2 For one person has faith to eat all things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; e   he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God. ” f 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. The Law of Love (Ezekiel 14:1-11 ; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13) 13 Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 1364 | Romans 13:8 a 9 Exodus 20:1 3-17; Deuteronomy 5:1 7-21 b 9 Leviticus 19:18 c 14 Or put on  ; see verse 12. d 1 Or withou t quarreling over disputable matters   e 6 BYZ and TR include he who does not regard the day, to the Lord he does not regar d it;   f 11 Or will give praise to God or will acknowledge God  ; Isaiah 45:23 (see also LXX)

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14 I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is dis-tressed by what you eat, you are no longer act-ing in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good, then, to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a ma tter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. 19 So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destr oy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eat-ing be a stumbling block. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble. a   22 Keep your belief about such matters be-tween yourself and God. b   Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everyth ing that is not from faith is sin. c   Accept One Another We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me. ” d   4 For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through en-durance and the encouragement of the Scrip-tures, we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Fa-ther of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ the Servant of Jews and Gentiles 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God. 8 For 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, 9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is wr itten: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gen t iles; I will sing hymns to Your name. ” e 10 Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people. ” f 11 And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and e xtol Him, all you peoples. ” g 12 And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One w ho will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope. ” h 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul the Minister to the Gentiles 14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, brimming with knowledge, and able to instruct one 15Romans 15:1 4 | 1365 a 21 SBL, BYZ, and TR include or to be hindered or weakened  . b 22 Literally Keep th e faith that you hav e to yourself before God   c 23 Some manuscripts place the text of Romans 16:2 5-27 here. d 3 Psalm 69:9 e 9 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49 f 10 Deuteronomy 32:43 g 11 Psalm 117:1 h 12 Isaiah 11:10 (see also LXX)

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another. 15 However, I have written you a bold reminder on some points, because of the grace God has given me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sancti-fied by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I exult in Christ Jesus in my ser-vice to God. 18 I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obedi-ence by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. a   So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 In this way I have aspired to preach the gos-pel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foun-dation. 21 Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. ” b 22 That is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. Paul's Travel Plans (1 Corinthians 16: 5-9) 23 But now that there are no further opportu-nities for me in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to visit you, 24 I 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. 25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the saints there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Genti les have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings. 28 So after I have completed this service and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off to Spain by way of you. 29 I know that wh en I come to you, I will come in the full-ness of the blessing c   of Christ. 30 Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may b e delivered from the unbe-lievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusa-lem may be acceptable to the saints there, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with all of you. Amen. d   Personal Greetings and Love I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant e   of the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need f rom you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me. 3 Greet Prisca f  and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who have risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5 Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my beloved Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. g 6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 16 a 19 SBL the power of the Spirit  ; NE and WH the power of the Holy Spirit   b 21 Isaiah 52:15 (see also LXX) c 29 TR and BYZ include of the gospel  . d 33 Some manuscripts do not include Amen. One early manuscript places the text of Romans 16:25-27 here. e 1 Or deaconess   f 3 Prisca is a variant of Priscilla  ; see Acts 18:2. g 5 Literally in Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey. 1366 | Romans 15:15

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7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,a   my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman. Greet those from the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, women who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my beloved Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patro-bas, Hermas, and the brothers with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings. Avoid Divisions (Titus 3:9-11) 17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and fl attery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan un-der your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ b   be with you. Greetings from Paul's Fellow Workers (Colossians 4:7-14) 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen. 22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, who has hosted me and all the church, sends you greetings. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you greet-ings, as does our brother Quartus. c   Doxology (Jude 1:2 4-25) 25 Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mys-tery concealed for ages past 26 but now re-vealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedi-ence that comes from faith  d— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. e Romans 16:2 7 | 1367 a 7 Some translators Junias   b 20 NA, NE, and WH Lord Jesus   c 23 SBL, BYZ, and TR include 24 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.   d 26 Literally the obedience of faith   e 27 Some manuscripts place the text of verses 2 5-27 after Romans 14:23 or after Romans 15:33.

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Greetings from Pau l and Sosthenes (Acts 18:1-11 ; 2 Corinthians 1:1-2) Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Je-sus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving (Philippians 1: 3-11 ; Colossians 1:3-14) 4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in Him you have been enriched in ever y way, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will sustain you to the end, so that you w ill be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. Unity in the Church (Psalm 133: 1-3 ; Ephesians 4:1-16) 10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: Individuals among you are say-ing, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,”  a   or “I follow Christ. ” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Cr ispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that I do not remember if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. The Messag e of the Cross 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I wil l destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. ” b 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God 1 1 Corinthians a 12 That is, Peter b 19 Isaiah 29:14 (see also LXX)

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was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,a   24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom,b   and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Wisdom from God 26 Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human stand-ards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the w eak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast in His presence. 30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ J e-sus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. ” c   Paul's Message by the Spirit's Power When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I pro-claimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preach-ing were not with persuasive words of wis-dom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. Spiritual Wisdom (Ephesians 1:15-23) 6 Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom —but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of the mys-terious and hidden wisdom of God,d   which He destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who lo ve Him. ” e 10 But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 And this is what we speak, not in words tau ght us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. f 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to an yone's judgment. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” g   But we have the mind of Christ. 21 Corinthians 2:16 | 1369 a 23 BYZ and TR to Greeks   b 25 Literally than men  ; twice in this verse c 31 Jeremiah 9:24 d 7 Or we speak God's wisdom in a mystery   e 9 Isaiah 64:4 f 13 Or to spiritual people   g 16 Isaiah 40:13 (see also LXX)

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God's Fellow Workers (Hebrews 5:11-14) Brothers, I could not address you as spir-itual, but as worldly —as infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy an d dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man? 4 For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men? 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through who m you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6 I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose,a   and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. Chris t Our Foundation (Isaiah 28:1 4-22 ; Ephesians 2:19-22 ; 1 Peter 2:1-8) 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foun-dation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay a founda-tion other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 his workmanship will be evident, be-cause the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. God's Temple and God's Wisdom (Romans 12: 1-8 ; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20) 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and that God's Spirit dwells in b you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness. ” c   20 And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are fu-tile. ” d   21 Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas e   or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ be-longs to God. Servants of Christ So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of Go d. 2 Now it is required of stew-ards that they be found faithful. 3 I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the ap-pointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. 3 4 1370 | 1 Corinthians 3:1 a 8 Literally are one   b 16 Or among   c 19 Job 5:13 d 20 Psalm 94:11 e 22 That is, Peter

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At that time each will receive his praise from God. 6 Brothers, I have applied these things to my-self and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. 7 For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 8 Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have be-come kings. How I wish you rea lly were kings, so that we might be kings with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has displayed us apos-tles at the end of the procession, like prisoners appointed for death. We have become a spec-tacle to the whole world, to angels as well as to men. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. 11 To this very hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard wit h our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. Paul's Fatherly Warning 14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Je-sus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, a   which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Some of you have become arrog ant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant peo-ple are saying, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of powe r. 21 Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit? Immorality Rebuked (Leviticus 20:1 0-21 ; Proverbs 5:1-23) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowsh ip the man who did this? 3 Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus b   and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord. c   6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleav-ened bread of sincerity and of truth. 5 a 17 BYZ and TR my way of life in Christ,   b 4 Or In the name of our Lord Jesus, whe n you are assembled   c 5 BYZ and TR the Lord Jesus  1 Corinthians 5:8 | 1371

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Expe l the Immor al Brother 9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 I was not includ-ing the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you not t o associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you. ” a   Lawsuits among Believers If any of you has a grievance against an-other, how dare he go to law before the unrighteous instead of before the saints! 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial case s? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 So if you need to settle everyday matters, do you appoint as judges those of no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is there really no one among you wise enough to arbitrate between his brothers? 6 Instead, one brother goes to law against another, and this in front of unbelievers! 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means that you are thoroughly defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, even against your own brothers!  b Mem bers of Christ 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not in-herit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or per-form homosexual acts, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor dru nkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is per-missible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will destroy them both. The body is not intended for sexual im-morality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are mem-bers of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Or don't you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two wil l become one flesh. ”  c   17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. The Templ e of the Hol y Spirit (Romans 12:1-8 ; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23) 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. d   6 1372 | 1 Corinthians 5:9 a 13 Literally Expel the evil from among you  ; Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7, 19:19, 21:21, 22:21, 22:24, and 24:7 b 8 Literally do wrong, and this to brothers!   c 16 Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX) d 20 BYZ and TR include and with your spirit, which belong to God  .

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Principles of Marriage Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations. a   2 But because there is so much sexual immo-rality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the hus-band does not have authority over his own body, but the wife. 5 Do not de prive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a con-cession, not as a command. 7 I wish that a ll men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8 Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must re-main unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has an unbelieving hus-band and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For t he unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The believ ing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you b   to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? Live Your Calling 17 Regardless, each one should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man still uncircumcised when called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commandments is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called. 21 Were you a sl ave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each one should remain in the s ituation he was in when God called him. The Unmarried and Widowed 25 Now about virgins, I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of 7 1 Corinthians 7:26 | 1373 a 1 Literally It is good for a man not to touch a woman.   b 15 SBL, BYZ, and TR us  

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the present a   crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you committed to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you free of commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. 29 What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a pur-chase, as if they had nothing; 31 and those who use the things of this world, as if not depend-ent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away. 32 I want you to be free from concern. The un-married man is concerned about the work of the Lord, h ow he can please the Lord. 33 But the married man is concerned about the af-fairs of this world, how he can please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. The unmar-ried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum and undivided devotion to the Lord. 36 However, if someone thinks he is acting in-appropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry,b let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married. 37 But the man who is firmly established in his heart and under no constraint, with control over his will and re-solve in his heart not to marry the virgin,c   he will do well. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better. 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he be-longs to the Lord. d   40 In my judgment, how-ever, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. Food Sacrificed to Idols (Ezekiel 14: 1-11 ; Romans 14:1 3-23) Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the one who loves God is known by God. 4 So 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. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Je-sus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist. 7 But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustom ed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food 81374 | 1 Corinthians 7:27 a 26 Or impending   b 36 Literally and it ought to be so   c 37 Literally in his heart to keep the virgin or in his hear t to keep th e betrothed   d 39 Literally she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord  

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sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 By sinning against your broth-ers in this way and wounding their weak con-science, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble. The Rights of an Apostle (Deuteronomy 18: 1-8) Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you your-selves not my workmanship in the Lord? 2 Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who scrutinize me: 4 Have we no right to food and to drink? 5 Have we no right to take along a believing wife,a   as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? b   6 Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a liv-ing? c   7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk? 8 Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. ” d   Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Isn't He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plow-man plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right to your support, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rathe r than hinder the gos-pel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nul-lify my boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no rea-son to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility. 18 What then is my re-ward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it. Paul the Servant to All 19 Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I my-self am not under the law), to win those under the law. 21 To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not out-side the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 9 1 Corinthians 9:22 | 1375 a 5 Literally take along a sister —a wife —   b 5 That is, Peter c 6 Literally Or is it only Barnabas and I who do not have authority not to work?   d 9 Deuteronomy 25:4

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23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. Run Your Race to Win 24 Do you not know that in a race all the run-ners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. 25 Everyone who competes i n the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is per-ishable, but we do it for a crown that is imper-ishable. 26 Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air. 27 No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. Warnings from Israel's Past (Numbers 16:4 1-50 ; Numbers 25:1-5) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spir-itual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. 6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to indulge in revelry. ” a   8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thou-sand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,b   as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. c   11 Now these things happened to them as ex-amples and were written down as warnings for us, on wh om the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. 13 No temp-tation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it. Flee from Idolatry (Exodus 20:2 2-26) 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not th e cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. 18 Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar? 19 Am I suggesting, then, that food sacri-ficed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too. 22 Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy ? Are we stronger than He? All to God's Glory (1 Peter 4: 1-11) 23 “Everything is permissible,” d   but not every-thing is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is edifying. 24 No one should seek his own good, but the good of others. 10 1376 | 1 Corinthians 9:23 a 7 Or to play  ; Exodus 32:6 b 9 WH, NE, and Tischendorf test the Lord   c 10 Literally the destroyer d 23 Or “All things are lawful,” twice in this verse

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25 Eat anything sold in the meat market with-out raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. ” a   27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience —  b   29 the other one's conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. 32 Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God — 33 as I also try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the go od of many, that they may be saved. Roles in Worship You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 2 Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to underst and that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman f or man. 10 For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on c   her head, because of the angels. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not inde-pendent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncov-ered? 14 Doesn't nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God. Sharing in the Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:2 0-30 ; Mark 14:1 7-26 ; Luke 22:1 4-23 ) 17 In the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good. 18 First of all, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are ap-proved. 20 Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat. 21 For as you eat, 11 1 Corinthians 11:2 1 | 1377 a 26 Psalm 24:1 b 28 BYZ and TR and for the sake of conscience —for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof —   c 10 Or have authority over

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each of you goes ahead without sharing his meal. a   While one remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; b   do this in remem-brance of Me. ” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. ” 26 For as of-ten as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you pro claim the Lord's death until He comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the c   body and blood of the Lord. 28 Each one must examine himself bef ore he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body d   eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disci-plined so that we will not be condemned with the world. 33 So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hun-gry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters. Spir itual Gifts Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 There are different ways of working, but the same God works all thi ngs in all peo-ple. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spi rit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to an-other speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He deter-mines. The Body of Christ 12 The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 For the body does not consist of one part, but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” 12 1378 | 1 Corinthians 11:22 a 21 Literally each one takes first his own meal.   b 24 BYZ and TR which is broke n for you   c 27 Or will be responsibl e for the   d 29 BYZ and TR the body of the Lord  

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that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sen se of smell be? 18 But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the han d, “I do not need you. ” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you. ” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indis-pensable, 23 and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty, 24 whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual con-cern for one another. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is hon-ored, every part rejoices with it. The Greater Gifts 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of mir-acles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all inter-pret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. Love If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mys-teries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body,a   but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But where there are proph-ecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love. Prophecy and Tongues Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2 For he who speaks in a 13 14 1 Corinthians 14: 2 | 1379 a 3 SBL, NE, BYZ, and TR surrender my body to be burned

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tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 But he who prophe-sies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be edified. 6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or proph-ecy or teaching? 7 Even in the case of lifeles s instruments, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone recognize the tune they are play-ing unless the notes are distinct? 8 Again, if the trumpet sounds a muffled call, who will pre-pare for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible word s with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Assuredly, there are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If, then, I do not know the meaning of someone's language, I am a for-eigner a   to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12 It is the same with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13 Therefore, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 Otherwise, if you speak a blessing in spirit,b   how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other one is not edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In re-gard to evil be infants, but i n your thinking be mature. 21 It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord. ” c   22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believer s, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is pro phesy-ing, he will be convicted and called to account by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!” Orderly Worship 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an inter-pretation. All of these must be done to build up the church. 1380 | 1 Corinthians 14:3 a 11 Literally a barbarian  ; twice in this verse b 16 Or in the Spirit   c 21 Isaiah 28:1 1-12

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27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two, or at most three, should speak in turn, and someone must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, he should remain silent in the church and speak only to himself and God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelatio n comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints. a   34 Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they wish to inquire about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for it is dishon-orable for a woman to speak in the church. b 36 Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If any-one considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, let him acknowledge that what I am writing you is the Lord's command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, he himself will be ignored. c   39 So, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner. The Resurrection of Christ Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas d   and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them —yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. The Resurrection of the Dead 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worth-less, and so is your faith. 15 In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesse s about God. For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, y our faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pit-ied more than all men. 15 1 Corinthians 15:1 9 | 1381 a 33 Or of peace. As in all the churches of the saints: Thus, some translators begin the new paragraph after peace  . b 35 Some manuscripts place verses 3 4-35 after verse 40. c 38 BYZ and TR let him be ignorant   d 5 That is, Peter

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The Order of Resurrection 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 24 Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last en-emy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put everything under His feet. ” a   Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. 28 And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Him-self will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all. 29 If these things are not so, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day, broth-ers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ”  b 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character. ” c   34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame. The Resurrection Body 35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not com e to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, per-haps of wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: M en have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another. 41 The s un has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” d   the last Adam a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the like-ness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man. 1382 | 1 Corinthians 15:20 a 27 Psalm 8:6 b 32 Isaiah 22:13 c 33 Probably a quote from the Greek comedy Thais by Menander d 45 Genesis 2:7

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Where, O Death, Is Your Victory? (Hosea 13:9-14) 50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperisha-ble. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — 52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must be clothed a   with the imperishable, and the mor-tal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immor-tality, b   then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. ” c   55 “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” d   56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be stead-fast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. The Collection for the Saints (2 Corinthians 9:1-15) Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia: 2 On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a por-tion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed. 3 Then, o n my arrival, I will send letters with those you recommend to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it is advisable for me to go also, they can travel with me. Paul's Trave l Plans (Romans 15:2 3-33) 5 After I go through Macedonia, however, I will come to you; for I will be going through Mace-donia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now only in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,e 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me. Timothy and Apollos (Philippians 2:19-30) 10 If Timothy comes, see to it that he has noth-ing to fear while he is with you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he can return to me, for I am expecting him along with the brothers. 12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity. Concluding Exhortations 13 Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. 14 Do everything in love. 15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first converts in Achaia, and they 161 Corinthians 16:1 5 | 1383 a 53 Or cloth e itself   b 54 WH does not include and the mortal with immortality  . c 54 Isaiah 25:8 d 55 Hosea 13:14 (see also LXX); BYZ and TR “Where, O Death, is your sting? Where, O Hades, is your victory?”   e 8 That is, Sha-vuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Weeks (see Exodus 34:22).

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have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you, brothers, 16 to submit to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have arrived, because they have sup-plied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours as well. Show your appr eciation, therefore, to such men. Signature and Final Greetings (Colossians 4:1 5-18 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18) 19 The churches in the province of Asia a   send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca b   greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 This greeting is in my own hand —Paul. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord! c   23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen. d   1384 | 1 Corinthians 16:16 a 19 Literally in Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey. b 19 Prisca is a variant of Priscilla  ; see Acts 18:2. c 22 Greek Maran a Tha! from a transliteration of the Aramaic, an exclamation of approach-ing divine judgment d 24 SBL, WH, and NA do not include Amen.

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Pau l Greets the Corinthians (Acts 18:1-11 ; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The God of All Comfort 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Je-sus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For j ust as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experi-ence. 7 And our hope for you is sure, because we know that just as you share in our suffer-ings, so also you will share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the prov-ince of Asia. a   We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we des-paired even of life. 9 Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the fa-vor shown us in answer to their prayers. Paul's Change of Plans 12 And this is our bo ast: Our conscience testi-fies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God —not in worldly b   wisdom, but in the grace of God. 13 For we do not write you anything that is be-yond your ability to read and understand. And I hope that you will understand us completely, 14 as you have already understood us in part, so that you may boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of our Lord Jesus. c   15 Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedo-nia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and then to have you help me on my way to Judea. 17 When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to say “Yes, yes” when I really mean “No, no”? 18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No. ” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was 1 2 Corinthians a 8 Literally in Asia  ; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey. b 12 Literally fleshly c 14 BYZ and TR the Lord Jesus  

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proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus a   and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes. ” 20 For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He ano inted us, 22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come. 23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow w orkers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm. Reaffirm Your Love So I made up my mind not to make an-other painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be saddened by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy. 4 For through m any tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you. 5 Now if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me but all of you —to some degree, not to overstate it. 6 The punishment imposed on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by exces-sive sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 My purpose in writing you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in every-thing. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. Triumph in Christ 12 Now when I wen t to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord, 13 I had no peace in my spirit, be-cause I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Mace-donia. 14 But thanks be to God, who always lead s us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 15 For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one, we are an odor of d eath and de-mise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. b And who is qualified for such a task? 17 For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the con-trary, in Christ we speak before God with si n-cerity, as men sent from God. Ministers of a New Covenant Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 It is clear that you are a letter from Chris t, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence before God is ours through Christ. 5 Not that we are competent in our-selves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. 6 And He 2 3 1386 | 2 Corinthians 1:20 a 19 That is, Silas b 16 Literally To the one, indeed, an aroma from death to death; but to the other, an aroma from life to life.  

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has qualified us as ministers of a new cove-nant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. The Glory of the New Covenant (Exodus 34:1 0-35) 7 Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of con-demnation was glorious, how m uch more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! 10 In-deed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Isra-elites from gazing at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. 15 And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spi rit. The Light of the Gospel Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, a   we do not lose heart. 2 Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man's con-science in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is th e image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” b   made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. c   Treasure in Jars of Clay (Romans 6: 1-14) 7 Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpa ssingly great power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; per-plexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be re-vealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 And in keeping with what is written: “I believed, therefore I have spoken,” d   we who 4 2 Corinthians 4:13 | 1387 a 1 Literally Therefore, having this ministry, as we have received mercy,   b 6 Genesis 1:3 c 6 SBL, NE, and WH in the face of Christ   d 13 Psalm 116:10 (see also LXX)

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Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwell-ing, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 So while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 And God has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. Ambassadors for Christ 11 Ther efore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well. 12 We are not com-mending ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart. 13 If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for a ll, therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. b   The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be rec-onciled to God. 21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin c   on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 5 1388 | 2 Corinthians 4:14 a 14 SBL who raised Jesus   b 17 Or a new creature   c 21 Or a sin offering have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus a   will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Thou gh our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unsee n. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Our Eternal Dwelling (Romans 8:1 8-27)

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Paul's Hardships and God's Grace As God's fellow workers,a   then, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. ” b Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation! 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no one can discredit our ministry. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend our-selves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, a nd calamities; 5 in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger; 6 in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righte ousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine; 9 as unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are open wide. 12 It is not our affec-tion, but yours, that is restrained. 13 As a fair exchange, I ask you as my children: Open wide your hearts also. Do Not Be Unequally Yoked 14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbeliev-ers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 What har-mony is there between Christ and Belial? c   Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement can exist be-tween the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them an d walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. ” d   17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. ” e 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, an d you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. ” f Paul's Joy in the Corinthians Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, per-fecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have e xploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die to-gether with you. 4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows. 5 For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bod-ies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction —conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the 6 7 2 Corinthians 7:6 | 1389 a 1 Literally Now working together   b 2 Isaiah 49:8 (see also LXX) c 15 Scrivener's TR and GOC; many Greek sources Beliar   d 16 Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27 e 17 Isaiah 52:11; see also Ezekiel 20:34, in-cluding LXX. f 18 See 2 Samuel 7:14.

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downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, 7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and yo ur zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more. 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time. 9 And now I rejoice, not because you were mad e sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 Consider what this godly sorrow has pro-duced in you: what earnestness, what eager-ness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your ear-nestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God. 13 On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everythin g we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedi-ent as you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you. Generosity Commended (Philippians 4:1 0-20) Now, brothers, we wa nt you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. 2 In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave according to their abil-ity and even bey ond it. Of their own accord, 4 they earnestly pleaded with us for the privi-lege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, because it was the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it. 7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you a   —see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincer-ity of your love in comparison to the earnest-ness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10 And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire. 11 Now finish the work, so that you may complete it just as eagerly as you began, according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 13 It is not our intention that others may be re-lieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. 14 At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn 8 1390 | 2 Corinthians 7:7 a 7 Or in your love for us

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their surplus will meet your need. Then there will be equality. 15 As it is written: “He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. ” a   Titus Commended (Titus 1: 1-4) 16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you. 17 For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition. 18 Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all th e churches for his work in the gospel. 19 More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the offering b—the gracious gift we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We hope to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift. 21 For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. 22 And we are sending along with them our brother whose earnestne ss has been proven many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are mes-sengers c   of the churches, to the glory of Christ. 24 In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the rea-son for our boasting about you. God Loves a Cheerful Giver (1 Corinthians 16:1-4) Now about the service to the saints, there is no need for me to write to you. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting to the Macedonians that since last year you in Achaia were prepared to give. And your zeal has stirred most of them to do like-wise. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting abou t you in this matter should not prove empty, but that you will be prepared, just as I said. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you un-prepared, we —to say nothing of you —would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it nece ssary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the bountiful gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly. 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and w hoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. d   8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, s o that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever. ” e 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, so that through us your giving will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expres-sions of thanksgiving to God. 9 a 15 Exodus 16:18 b 19 See 1 Corinthians 16: 3-4. c 23 Or apostles   d 7 See Proverbs 22:8, LXX addition. e 9 Psalm 112:9 2 Corinthians 9:12 | 1391

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13 Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify Go d for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others. 14 And their prayers for you will express their affection for you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Paul's Apostolic Authority Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you —I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away. 2 I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live ac-cording to the flesh. 3 For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage wa r according to the flesh. 4 The weap-ons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We tear down argu-ments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete. 7 You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does. 8 For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the author-ity the Lord gave us for buildin g you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account. ” 11 Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present. 12 We d o not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend them-selves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us —a field that reaches even to you. 14 We are not overstepping our bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase as well, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in the work already done in another man's territory. 17 Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. ” a   18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Paul and the False Apostles I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already do-ing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was de-ceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pur e devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we pro-claimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily. 10 11 1392 | 2 Corinthians 9:13 a 17 Jeremiah 9:24

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