not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen,<n id="1" /> who ate and drank<n id="2" /> with him after he rose from the dead.

When she recognized Peter&#8217;s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told<n id="1" /> them<n id="2" /> that Peter was standing at the gate.

and said, &#8220;You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing,<n id="1" /> you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness &#8211; will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?<n id="2" />

<p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<b><i>Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish!i>b><n id="1" />p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>For I am doing a work in your days,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><i><b>a work you would never believe, even if someone tells youb>.i>&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

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" />

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" />

Some of them were persuaded<n id="1" /> and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group<n id="2" /> of God-fearing Greeks<n id="3" /> and quite a few<n id="4" /> prominent women.

After the city secretary<n id="1" /> quieted the crowd, he said, &#8220;Men of Ephesus, what person<n id="2" /> is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper<n id="3" /> of the temple of the great Artemis<n id="4" /> and of her image that fell from heaven?<n id="5" />

Then Paul replied, &#8220;What are you doing, weeping and breaking<n id="1" /> my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up,<n id="2" /> but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.&#8221;

Paul answered,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I am a Jew<n id="2" /> from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.<n id="3" /> Please<n id="4" /> allow me to speak to the people.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">The crowd<n id="1" /> was listening to him until he said this.<n id="2" /> Then<n id="3" /> they raised their voices and shouted,<n id="4" /> &#8220;Away with this man<n id="5" /> from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!&#8221;<n id="6" />

<p class="bodytext">After Festus<n id="1" /> had stayed<n id="2" /> not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea,<n id="3" /> and the next day he sat<n id="4" /> on the judgment seat<n id="5" /> and ordered Paul to be brought.

If then I am in the wrong<n id="1" /> and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying,<n id="2" /> but if not one of their charges against me is true,<n id="3" /> no one can hand me over to them.<n id="4" /> I appeal to Caesar!&#8221;<n id="5" />

I answered them<n id="1" /> that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone<n id="2" /> before the accused had met his accusers face to face<n id="3" /> and had been given<n id="4" /> an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation.<n id="5" />

But I have nothing definite<n id="1" /> to write to my lord<n id="2" /> about him.<n id="3" /> Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa,<n id="4" /> so that after this preliminary hearing<n id="5" /> I may have something to write.

Paul replied, &#8220;I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time<n id="1" /> not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

&#8220;Men, I can see the voyage is going to end<n id="1" /> in disaster<n id="2" /> and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed<n id="1" /> a bay<n id="2" /> with a beach,<n id="3" /> where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

The local inhabitants<n id="1" /> showed us extraordinary<n id="2" /> kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain<n id="3" /> and was cold.

When the local people<n id="1" /> saw the creature hanging from Paul&#8217;s<n id="2" /> hand, they said to one another, &#8220;No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself<n id="3" /> has not allowed him to live!&#8221;<n id="4" />