<p class="bodytext">Then the Jewish leaders<n id="1" /> said to one another, &#8220;Where is he<n id="2" /> going to go that we cannot find him?<n id="3" /> He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed<n id="4" /> among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he?<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> the Judeans<n id="2" /> responded,<n id="3" /> &#8220;Now we know you&#8217;re possessed by a demon!<n id="4" /> Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet<n id="5" /> you say, &#8216;If anyone obeys<n id="6" /> my teaching,<n id="7" /> he will never experience<n id="8" /> death.&#8217;<n id="9" />

(His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders.<n id="1" /> For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus<n id="2" /> to be the Christ<n id="3" /> would be put out<n id="4" /> of the synagogue.<n id="5" />

The Jewish leaders<n id="1" /> surrounded him and asked,<n id="2" /> &#8220;How long will you keep us in suspense?<n id="3" /> If you are the Christ,<n id="4" /> tell us plainly.&#8221;<n id="5" />

Then the people<n id="1" /> who were with Mary<n id="2" /> in the house consoling her saw her<n id="3" /> get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep<n id="4" /> there.p>

Jesus replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues<n id="2" /> and in the temple courts,<n id="3" /> where all the Jewish people<n id="4" /> assemble together. I<n id="5" /> have said nothing in secret.

<p class="bodytext">Pilate told them,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him<n id="2" /> according to your own law!&#8221;<n id="3" /> The Jewish leaders<n id="4" /> replied,<n id="5" /> &#8220;We cannot legally put anyone to death.&#8221;<n id="6" />

<p class="bodytext">From this point on, Pilate tried<n id="1" /> to release him. But the Jewish leaders<n id="2" /> shouted out,<n id="3" /> &#8220;If you release this man,<n id="4" /> you are no friend of Caesar!<n id="5" /> Everyone who claims to be a king<n id="6" /> opposes Caesar!&#8221;

<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.

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.

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" />

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.

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" />

When the seven days were almost over,<n id="1" /> the Jews from the province of Asia<n id="2" /> who had seen him in the temple area<n id="3" /> stirred up the whole crowd<n id="4" /> and seized<n id="5" /> him,

He replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council<n id="2" /> tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him.

<p class="bodytext">Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbath<n id="1" /> (for that Sabbath was an especially important one),<n id="2" /> the Jewish leaders<n id="3" /> asked Pilate to have the victims&#8217; legs<n id="4" /> broken<n id="5" /> and the bodies taken down.<n id="6" />

He came<n id="1" /> to us, took<n id="2" /> Paul&#8217;s belt,<n id="3" /> tied<n id="4" /> his own hands and feet with it,<n id="5" /> and said, &#8220;The Holy Spirit says this: &#8216;This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over<n id="6" /> to the Gentiles.&#8217;&#8221;