until another king who did not know about ¹  Joseph ruled ²  over Egypt. ³ 

But get up, ¹  go down, and accompany them without hesitation, ²  because I have sent them.”

You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ¹  to you anything that would be helpful, ²  and from teaching you publicly ³  and from house to house,

The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers ¹  also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.

They ¹  went ²  to the chief priests ³  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ⁴  not to partake ⁵  of anything until we have killed Paul.

If then I am in the wrong ¹  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ²  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ³  no one can hand me over to them. ⁴  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁵ 

But you rejected ¹  the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you.

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 

For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers ¹  nor blasphemers of our goddess. ² 

When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ¹  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ² 

But I do not consider my life ¹  worth anything ²  to myself, so that ³  I may finish my task ⁴  and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news ⁵  of God’s grace.

When they heard this, ¹  they ceased their objections ²  and praised ³  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ⁴  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ⁵ 

Paul said in his defense, ¹  “I have committed no offense ²  against the Jewish law ³  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁴ 

They replied, ¹  “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there ²  and reported or said anything bad about you.

After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising ¹  God for what had happened.

Since many of them had no desire to eat, ¹  Paul ²  stood up ³  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ⁴  and not put out to sea ⁵  from Crete, thus avoiding ⁶  this damage and loss.

Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, ¹  “It was necessary to speak the word of God ²  to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy ³  of eternal life, we ⁴  are turning to the Gentiles. ⁵