Now<n id="1" /> look, the hand of the Lord is against<n id="2" /> you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!&#8221; Immediately mistiness<n id="3" /> and darkness came over<n id="4" /> him, and he went around seeking people<n id="5" /> to lead him by the hand.

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" />

But while John was completing his mission,<n id="1" /> he said repeatedly,<n id="2" /> &#8216;What do you think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet!&#8217;<n id="3" />

When the meeting of the synagogue<n id="1" /> had broken up,<n id="2" /> many of the Jews and God-fearing proselytes<n id="3" /> followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and were persuading<n id="4" /> them<n id="5" /> to continue<n id="6" /> in the grace of God.p>

But the Jews incited<n id="1" /> the God-fearing women of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out<n id="2" /> of their region.

When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate<n id="1" /> with them, the church<n id="2" /> appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with<n id="3" /> the apostles and elders in Jerusalem<n id="4" /> about this point of disagreement.<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">The whole group kept quiet<n id="1" /> and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs<n id="2" /> and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After some days Paul said to Barnabas, &#8220;Let&#8217;s return<n id="1" /> and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord<n id="2" /> to see how they are doing.&#8221;<n id="3" />

After she and her household were baptized, she urged us,<n id="1" /> &#8220;If<n id="2" /> you consider me to be a believer in the Lord,<n id="3" /> come and stay in my house.&#8221; And she persuaded<n id="4" /> us.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now<n id="1" /> as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means.<n id="2" /> She<n id="3" /> brought her owners<n id="4" /> a great profit by fortune-telling.<n id="5" />

But when her owners<n id="1" /> saw their hope of profit<n id="2" /> was gone, they seized<n id="3" /> Paul and Silas and dragged<n id="4" /> them into the marketplace before the authorities.

When the jailer woke up<n id="1" /> and saw the doors of the prison standing open,<n id="2" /> he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,<n id="3" /> because he assumed<n id="4" /> the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul said to the police officers,<n id="1" /> &#8220;They had us beaten in public<n id="2" /> without a proper trial<n id="3" /> &#8211; even though we are Roman citizens<n id="4" /> &#8211; and they threw us<n id="5" /> in prison. And now they want to send us away<n id="6" /> secretly? Absolutely not! They<n id="7" /> themselves must come and escort us out!&#8221;<n id="8" />

But the Jews became jealous,<n id="1" /> and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace,<n id="2" /> they formed a mob<n id="3" /> and set the city in an uproar.<n id="4" /> They attacked Jason&#8217;s house,<n id="5" /> trying to find Paul and Silas<n id="6" /> to bring them out to the assembly.<n id="7" />

These Jews<n id="1" /> were more open-minded<n id="2" /> than those in Thessalonica,<n id="3" /> for they eagerly<n id="4" /> received<n id="5" /> the message, examining<n id="6" /> the scriptures carefully every day<n id="7" /> to see if these things were so.

But when the Jews from Thessalonica<n id="1" /> heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God<n id="2" /> in Berea,<n id="3" /> they came there too, inciting<n id="4" /> and disturbing<n id="5" /> the crowds.

Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens,<n id="1" /> and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now when Silas and Timothy arrived<n id="1" /> from Macedonia,<n id="2" /> Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming<n id="3" /> the word, testifying<n id="4" /> to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.<n id="5" />

When they opposed him<n id="1" /> and reviled him,<n id="2" /> he protested by shaking out his clothes<n id="3" /> and said to them, &#8220;Your blood<n id="4" /> be on your own heads! I am guiltless!<n id="5" /> From now on I will go to the Gentiles!&#8221;

But just as Paul was about to speak,<n id="1" /> Gallio said to the Jews, &#8220;If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy,<n id="2" /> I would have been justified in accepting the complaint<n id="3" /> of you Jews,<n id="4" />