<p class="bodytext">So Paul stood<n id="1" /> before the Areopagus and said, &#8220;Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious<n id="2" /> in all respects.<n id="3" />

But some people<n id="1" /> joined him<n id="2" /> and believed. Among them<n id="3" /> were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus,<n id="4" /> a woman<n id="5" /> named Damaris, and others with them.p>

He gathered<n id="1" /> these<n id="2" /> together, along with the workmen in similar trades,<n id="3" /> and said, &#8220;Men, you know that our prosperity<n id="4" /> comes from this business.

<p class="bodytext">Paul looked directly<n id="1" /> at the council<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience<n id="3" /> before God to this day.&#8221;

and said, &#8220;Men of Galilee, why do you stand here<n id="1" /> looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven<n id="2" /> will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.&#8221;p>

&#8220;Brothers,<n id="1" /> the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through<n id="2" /> David concerning Judas &#8211; who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus &#8211;

<t /><p class="bodytext">But Peter stood up<n id="1" /> with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: &#8220;You men of Judea<n id="2" /> and all you who live in Jerusalem,<n id="3" /> know this<n id="4" /> and listen carefully to what I say.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Men of Israel,<n id="1" /> listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds,<n id="2" /> wonders, and miraculous signs<n id="3" /> that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know &#8211;

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Brothers,<n id="1" /> I can speak confidently<n id="2" /> to you about our forefather<n id="3" /> David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, &#8220;Men of Israel,<n id="1" /> why are you amazed at this? Why<n id="2" /> do you stare at us as if we had made this man<n id="3" /> walk by our own power or piety?

But someone came and reported to them, &#8220;Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts<n id="1" /> and teaching<n id="2" /> the people!&#8221;

So he replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather<n id="2" /> Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

<p class="bodytext">Now while Peter was puzzling over<n id="1" /> what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon&#8217;s house was<n id="2" /> and approached<n id="3" /> the gate.

After the reading from the law and the prophets,<n id="1" /> the leaders of the synagogue<n id="2" /> sent them a message,<n id="3" /> saying, &#8220;Brothers,<n id="4" /> if you have any message<n id="5" /> of exhortation<n id="6" /> for the people, speak it.&#8221;<n id="7" />

After the city secretary<n id="1" /> quieted the crowd, he said, &#8220;Men of Ephesus, what person<n id="2" /> is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper<n id="3" /> of the temple of the great Artemis<n id="4" /> and of her image that fell from heaven?<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Then when Paul noticed<n id="1" /> that part of them were Sadducees<n id="2" /> and the others Pharisees,<n id="3" /> he shouted out in the council,<n id="4" /> &#8220;Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection<n id="5" /> of the dead!&#8221;

&#8220;Men, I can see the voyage is going to end<n id="1" /> in disaster<n id="2" /> and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Since many of them had no desire to eat,<n id="1" /> Paul<n id="2" /> stood up<n id="3" /> among them and said, &#8220;Men, you should have listened to me<n id="4" /> and not put out to sea<n id="5" /> from Crete, thus avoiding<n id="6" /> this damage and loss.

&#8220;Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures<n id="1" /> just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn<n id="2" /> from these worthless<n id="3" /> things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth,<n id="4" /> the sea, and everything that is in them.

After there had been much debate,<n id="1" /> Peter stood up and said to them, &#8220;Brothers, you know that some time ago<n id="2" /> God chose<n id="3" /> me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message<n id="4" /> of the gospel<n id="5" /> and believe.<n id="6" />