<p class="bodytext">Now while Peter was puzzling over<n id="1" /> what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon&#8217;s house was<n id="2" /> and approached<n id="3" /> the gate.

Therefore if God<n id="1" /> gave them the same gift<n id="2" /> as he also gave us after believing<n id="3" /> in the Lord Jesus Christ,<n id="4" /> who was I to hinder<n id="5" /> God?&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen<n id="1" /> went as far as<n id="2" /> Phoenicia,<n id="3" /> Cyprus,<n id="4" /> and Antioch,<n id="5" /> speaking the message<n id="6" /> to no one but Jews.

<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.

But the Jews incited<n id="1" /> the God-fearing women of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out<n id="2" /> of their region.

So they stayed there<n id="1" /> for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified<n id="2" /> to the message<n id="3" /> of his grace, granting miraculous signs<n id="4" /> and wonders to be performed through their hands.

She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed,<n id="1" /> and turned<n id="2" /> and said to the spirit, &#8220;I command you in the name of Jesus Christ<n id="3" /> to come out of her!&#8221; And it came out of her at once.<n id="4" />

But when her owners<n id="1" /> saw their hope of profit<n id="2" /> was gone, they seized<n id="3" /> Paul and Silas and dragged<n id="4" /> them into the marketplace before the authorities.

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;

so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body<n id="1" /> were brought<n id="2" /> to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.<n id="3" />

But some itinerant<n id="1" /> Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name<n id="2" /> of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by<n id="3" /> evil spirits, saying, &#8220;I sternly warn<n id="4" /> you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.&#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" />

When<n id="1" /> our time was over,<n id="2" /> we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied<n id="3" /> us outside of the city. After<n id="4" /> kneeling down on the beach and praying,<n id="5" />

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

When the seven days were almost over,<n id="1" /> the Jews from the province of Asia<n id="2" /> who had seen him in the temple area<n id="3" /> stirred up the whole crowd<n id="4" /> and seized<n id="5" /> him,

When the commanding officer<n id="1" /> had given him permission,<n id="2" /> Paul stood<n id="3" /> on the steps and gestured<n id="4" /> to the people with his hand. When they had become silent,<n id="5" /> he addressed<n id="6" /> them in Aramaic,<n id="7" />p>

<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.

But Festus,<n id="1" /> wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, &#8220;Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried<n id="2" /> before me there on these charges?&#8221;<n id="3" />

Paul replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I am standing before Caesar&#8217;s<n id="2" /> judgment seat,<n id="3" /> where I should be tried.<n id="4" /> I have done nothing wrong<n id="5" /> to the Jews, as you also know very well.<n id="6" />