<p class="otpoetry"><b><i>so that the rest of humanityi>b><n id="1" /> <b><i>may seek the Lord,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>namely,i>b><n id="2" /> <b><i>all the Gentilesi>b><n id="3" /> <b><i>I have called to be my own,i>b>&#8217;<n id="4" /> <b><i>says the Lord,i>b><n id="5" /> <i>who makes these thingsi>

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" />

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;

Then the man who was possessed by<n id="1" /> the evil spirit jumped on<n id="2" /> them and beat them all into submission.<n id="3" /> He prevailed<n id="4" /> against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

This became known to all who lived in Ephesus,<n id="1" /> both Jews and Greeks; fear came over<n id="2" /> them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.<n id="3" />

They have been informed about you &#8211; that you teach all the Jews now living<n id="1" /> among the Gentiles to abandon<n id="2" /> Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children<n id="3" /> or live<n id="4" /> according to our customs.

<t /><p class="bodytext">The next day, because the commanding officer<n id="1" /> wanted to know the true reason<n id="2" /> Paul<n id="3" /> was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council<n id="4" /> to assemble. He then brought<n id="5" /> Paul down and had him stand before them.p>

to open their eyes so that they turn<n id="1" /> from darkness to light and from the power<n id="2" /> of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share<n id="3" /> among those who are sanctified by faith in me.&#8217;p>

But the centurion,<n id="1" /> wanting to save Paul&#8217;s life,<n id="2" /> prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,<n id="3" />

When they heard this, they entered the temple courts<n id="1" /> at daybreak and began teaching.<n id="2" />p> <p class="bodytext">Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin<n id="3" /> &#8211; that is, the whole high council<n id="4" /> of the Israelites<n id="5" /> &#8211; and sent to the jail to have the apostles<n id="6" /> brought before them.<n id="7" />

After there had been much debate,<n id="1" /> Peter stood up and said to them, &#8220;Brothers, you know that some time ago<n id="2" /> God chose<n id="3" /> me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message<n id="4" /> of the gospel<n id="5" /> and believe.<n id="6" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After three days<n id="1" /> Paul<n id="2" /> called the local Jewish leaders<n id="3" /> together. When they had assembled, he said to them, &#8220;Brothers,<n id="4" /> although I had done<n id="5" /> nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors,<n id="6" /> from Jerusalem<n id="7" /> I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans.<n id="8" />

<p class="bodytext">They set<n id="1" /> a day to meet with him,<n id="2" /> and they came to him where he was staying<n id="3" /> in even greater numbers.<n id="4" /> From morning until evening he explained things<n id="5" /> to them,<n id="6" /> testifying<n id="7" /> about the kingdom of God<n id="8" /> and trying to convince<n id="9" /> them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

<p class="otpoetry"><b><i>For the heart of this people has become dull,i>b><n id="1" />p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and their ears are hard of hearing,i>b><n id="2" />p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and they have closed their eyes,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>so that they would not see with their eyesi>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and hear with their earsi>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and understand with their hearti>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and turn,i>b><n id="3" /> <i><b>and I would heal themb>.i>&#8221;&#8217;<n id="4" />p>