<p class="bodytext">Now Herod<n id="1" /> was having an angry quarrel<n id="2" /> with the people of Tyre<n id="3" /> and Sidon.<n id="4" /> So they joined together<n id="5" /> and presented themselves before him. And after convincing<n id="6" /> Blastus, the king&#8217;s personal assistant,<n id="7" /> to help them,<n id="8" /> they asked for peace,<n id="9" /> because their country&#8217;s food supply was provided by the king&#8217;s country.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After some days Paul said to Barnabas, &#8220;Let&#8217;s return<n id="1" /> and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord<n id="2" /> to see how they are doing.&#8221;<n id="3" />

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" />

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;

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" />

<p class="bodytext">When they arrived, he said to them, &#8220;You yourselves know how I lived<n id="1" /> the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot<n id="2" /> in the province of Asia,<n id="3" />

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks,<n id="1" /> he said<n id="2" /> to the commanding officer,<n id="3" /> &#8220;May I say<n id="4" /> something to you?&#8221; The officer<n id="5" /> replied,<n id="6" /> &#8220;Do you know Greek?<n id="7" />

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;

as both the high priest and the whole council of elders<n id="1" /> can testify about me. From them<n id="2" /> I also received<n id="3" /> letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way<n id="4" /> to make arrests there and bring<n id="5" /> the prisoners<n id="6" /> to Jerusalem<n id="7" /> to be punished.

So I asked,<n id="1" /> &#8216;What should I do, Lord?&#8217; The Lord said to me, &#8216;Get up<n id="2" /> and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything<n id="3" /> that you have been designated<n id="4" /> to do.&#8217;

Then Paul said to him, &#8220;God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall!<n id="1" /> Do<n id="2" /> you sit there judging me according to the law,<n id="3" /> and in violation of the law<n id="4" /> you order me to be struck?&#8221;

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" />

For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely<n id="1" /> to him,<n id="2" /> because I cannot believe<n id="3" /> that any of these things has escaped his notice,<n id="4" /> for this was not done in a corner.<n id="5" />

Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided<n id="1" /> to put out to sea<n id="2" /> from there. They hoped that<n id="3" /> somehow they could reach<n id="4" /> Phoenix,<n id="5" /> a harbor of Crete facing<n id="6" /> southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

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" />

The father<n id="1" /> of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him<n id="2" /> and after praying, placed<n id="3" /> his hands on him and healed<n id="4" /> him.

They replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there<n id="2" /> and reported or said anything bad about you.

when he said,p> <p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<b><i>Go to this people and say,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry">&#8220;<b><i>You will keep on hearing,i>b><n id="1" /> <b><i>but will never understand,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and you will keep on looking,i>b><n id="2" /> <i><b>but will never perceiveb>.i>p>

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" />

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;