About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ¹  and singing hymns to God, ²  and the rest of ³  the prisoners were listening to them.

for he refuted the Jews vigorously ¹  in public debate, ²  demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ ³  was Jesus. ⁴ 

But if you want anything in addition, ¹  it will have to be settled ²  in a legal assembly. ³ 

except ¹  that the Holy Spirit warns ²  me in town after town ³  that ⁴  imprisonment ⁵  and persecutions ⁶  are waiting for me.

Since I wanted to know ¹  what charge they were accusing him of, ²  I brought him down to their council. ³ 

He ¹  even tried to desecrate ²  the temple, so we arrested ³  him.

As you can verify ¹  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ²  I went up to Jerusalem ³  to worship.

For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ¹  the charges against him.”

So Agrippa ¹  said to Paul, “You have permission ²  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ³  and began his defense: ⁴ 

When the ship was caught in it ¹  and could not head into ²  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ³  along.

Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ¹  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ² 

take them and purify ¹  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ²  so that they may have their heads shaved. ³  Then ⁴  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁵  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ⁶  the law. ⁷ 

So the twelve ¹  called ²  the whole group ³  of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. ⁴ 

For we have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs ¹  that Moses handed down to us.”

But God spoke as follows: ‘Your ¹  descendants will be foreigners ²  in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. ³ 

This was the one who exploited ¹  our people ²  and was cruel to our ancestors, ³  forcing them to abandon ⁴  their infants so they would die. ⁵ 

Then he fell ¹  to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” ²  When ³  he had said this, he died. ⁴ 

and by this one ¹  everyone who believes is justified ²  from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify ³  you. ⁴ 

The priest of the temple ¹  of Zeus, ²  located just outside the city, brought bulls ³  and garlands ⁴  to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them. ⁵ 

yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, ¹  by giving you rain from heaven ²  and fruitful seasons, satisfying you ³  with food and your hearts with joy.” ⁴