And Saul agreed completely with killing ¹  him.Now on that day a great ²  persecution began ³  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁴  and all ⁵  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁶  of Judea and Samaria.

with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, ¹  that ²  God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He ³  went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, ⁴  because God was with him. ⁵ 

When Herod ¹  had searched ²  for him and did not find him, he questioned ³  the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. ⁴  Then ⁵  Herod ⁶  went down from Judea to Caesarea ⁷  and stayed there.

For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize ¹  him, ²  and they fulfilled the sayings ³  of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning ⁴  him. ⁵ 

When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported ¹  all the things God ²  had done with them, and that he had opened a door ³  of faith for the Gentiles.

Paul wanted Timothy ¹  to accompany him, and he took ²  him and circumcised ³  him because of the Jews who were in those places, ⁴  for they all knew that his father was Greek. ⁵ 

A ¹  woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth ²  from the city of Thyatira, ³  a God-fearing woman, listened to us. ⁴  The Lord opened her heart to respond ⁵  to what Paul was saying.

Now ¹  as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. ²  She ³  brought her owners ⁴  a great profit by fortune-telling. ⁵ 

These Jews ¹  were more open-minded ²  than those in Thessalonica, ³  for they eagerly ⁴  received ⁵  the message, examining ⁶  the scriptures carefully every day ⁷  to see if these things were so.

He had been instructed in ¹  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ²  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ³  about Jesus, although he knew ⁴  only the baptism of John.

Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, ¹  that is, in Jesus.”

On the first day ¹  of the week, when we met ²  to break bread, Paul began to speak ³  to the people, and because he intended ⁴  to leave the next day, he extended ⁵  his message until midnight.

Watch out for ¹  yourselves and for all the flock of which ²  the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, ³  to shepherd the church of God ⁴  that he obtained ⁵  with the blood of his own Son. ⁶ 

When they heard this, they praised ¹  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ²  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ³  of the law. ⁴ 

But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ¹  and when the commanding officer ²  was unable ³  to find out the truth ⁴  because of the disturbance, ⁵  he ordered Paul ⁶  to be brought into the barracks. ⁷ 

the commanding officer ¹  ordered Paul ²  to be brought back into the barracks. ³  He told them ⁴  to interrogate Paul ⁵  by beating him with a lash ⁶  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ⁷  was shouting at Paul ⁸  in this way.

When the argument became ¹  so great the commanding officer ²  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ³  he ordered the detachment ⁴  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁵  and bring him into the barracks. ⁶ 

When I was informed ¹  there would be a plot ²  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ³  against him before you.

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

I punished ¹  them often in all the synagogues ²  and tried to force ³  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ⁴  at them, I went to persecute ⁵  them even in foreign cities.