The Lord said to Paul by a vision<n id="1" /> in the night,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Do not be afraid,<n id="3" /> but speak and do not be silent,

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now while Gallio<n id="1" /> was proconsul<n id="2" /> of Achaia,<n id="3" /> the Jews attacked Paul together<n id="4" /> and brought him before the judgment seat,<n id="5" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">While<n id="1" /> Apollos was in Corinth,<n id="2" /> Paul went through the inland<n id="3" /> regions<n id="4" /> and came to Ephesus.<n id="5" /> He<n id="6" /> found some disciples there<n id="7" />

and when Paul placed<n id="1" /> his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came<n id="2" /> upon them, and they began to speak<n id="3" /> in tongues and to prophesy.<n id="4" />

But the evil spirit replied to them,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I know about Jesus<n id="2" /> and I am acquainted with<n id="3" /> Paul, but who are you?&#8221;<n id="4" />

The<n id="1" /> city was filled with the uproar,<n id="2" /> and the crowd<n id="3" /> rushed to the theater<n id="4" /> together,<n id="5" /> dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul&#8217;s traveling companions.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging<n id="1" /> them and saying farewell,<n id="2" /> he left to go to Macedonia.<n id="3" />

But Paul went down,<n id="1" /> threw himself<n id="2" /> on the young man,<n id="3" /> put his arms around him,<n id="4" /> and said, &#8220;Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!&#8221;<n id="5" />

After we located<n id="1" /> the disciples, we stayed there<n id="2" /> seven days. They repeatedly told<n id="3" /> Paul through the Spirit<n id="4" /> not to set foot<n id="5" /> in Jerusalem.<n id="6" />

(For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and<n id="1" /> they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)<n id="2" />

He<n id="1" /> immediately took<n id="2" /> soldiers and centurions<n id="3" /> and ran down to the crowd.<n id="4" /> When they saw<n id="5" /> the commanding officer<n id="6" /> and the soldiers, they stopped beating<n id="7" /> Paul.

When they had stretched him out for the lash,<n id="1" /> Paul said to the centurion<n id="2" /> standing nearby, &#8220;Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen<n id="3" /> without a proper trial?&#8221;<n id="4" />

The commanding officer<n id="1" /> answered, &#8220;I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.&#8221;<n id="2" /> &#8220;But I was even<n id="3" /> born a citizen,&#8221;<n id="4" /> Paul replied.<n id="5" />

<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;

Paul replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I did not realize,<n id="2" /> brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, &#8216;<b><i>You must not speak evil about a ruler of your peoplei>b>.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">When morning came,<n id="1" /> the Jews formed<n id="2" /> a conspiracy<n id="3" /> and bound themselves with an oath<n id="4" /> not to eat or drink anything<n id="5" /> until they had killed Paul.

They<n id="1" /> went<n id="2" /> to the chief priests<n id="3" /> and the elders and said, &#8220;We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath<n id="4" /> not to partake<n id="5" /> of anything until we have killed Paul.

Paul called<n id="1" /> one of the centurions<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;Take this young man to the commanding officer,<n id="3" /> for he has something to report to him.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">After five days the high priest Ananias<n id="1" /> came down with some elders and an attorney<n id="2" /> named<n id="3" /> Tertullus, and they<n id="4" /> brought formal charges<n id="5" /> against Paul to the governor.

At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money,<n id="1" /> and for this reason he sent for Paul<n id="2" /> as often as possible<n id="3" /> and talked<n id="4" /> with him.