Also some of the Epicurean ¹  and Stoic ²  philosophers were conversing ³  with him, and some were asking, ⁴  “What does this foolish babbler ⁵  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ⁶  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ⁷ 

For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us ¹  not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules: ² 

[[EMPTY]] ¹ 

we have unanimously ¹  decided ²  to choose men to send to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,

Paul looked directly ¹  at the council ²  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ³  before God to this day.”

But carefully select from among you, brothers, ¹  seven ²  men who are well-attested, ³  full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge ⁴  of this necessary task. ⁵ 

And now I advise ¹  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ² 

The following night the Lord ¹  stood near ²  Paul ³  and said, “Have courage, ⁴  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ⁵  so you must also testify in Rome.” ⁶ 

A man named Ananias, ¹  a devout man according to the law, ²  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ³ 

Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ¹  that it will be just as I have been told.

After there had been much debate, ¹  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago ²  God chose ³  me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message ⁴  of the gospel ⁵  and believe. ⁶ 

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided ¹  to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, ²  leaders among the brothers, to Antioch ³  with Paul and Barnabas.

But the word of God ¹  kept on increasing ²  and multiplying.

In ¹  past ²  generations he allowed all the nations ³  to go their own ways,

The brothers in Lystra ¹  and Iconium ²  spoke well ³  of him. ⁴ 

So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves.

Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. ¹  So now we are all here in the presence of God ²  to listen ³  to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” ⁴ 

and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, ¹  you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness – will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? ² 

Paul, after staying ¹  many more days in Corinth, ²  said farewell to ³  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ⁴  Priscilla and Aquila. ⁵  He ⁶  had his hair cut off ⁷  at Cenchrea ⁸  because he had made a vow. ⁹ 

Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on ¹  them just as he did ²  on us at the beginning. ³