Philippians 1:12

⁹in which I suffer hardship to the point of chains as a criminal. But God’s word isn’t chained.

²⁸We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

¹⁹They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only. ²⁰But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists,^[+] preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

¹“Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”

²When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,

³“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. ⁴I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, ⁵as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

⁶“As I made my journey and came close to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky. ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’

⁹“Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me. ¹⁰I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹²“One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus, ¹³came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him. ¹⁴He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. ¹⁵For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

¹⁷“When I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’ ¹⁹I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you. ²⁰When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’

²¹“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

²²They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”

²³As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air, ²⁴the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that. ²⁵When they had tied him up with straps, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”

²⁶When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”

²⁷The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”

²⁸The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”

²⁹Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him. ³⁰But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

⁴Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.

¹Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the month, when the king’s commandment and his decree came near to be put in execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to conquer them, (but it turned out that the opposite happened, that the Jews conquered those who hated them),

¹⁰Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.

¹When we had escaped, then they^[+] learned that the island was called Malta. ²The natives showed us uncommon kindness; for they kindled a fire and received us all, because of the present rain and because of the cold. ³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. ⁴When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live.” ⁵However he shook off the creature into the fire, and wasn’t harmed. ⁶But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

⁷Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and courteously entertained us for three days. ⁸The father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery. Paul entered in to him, prayed, and laying his hands on him, healed him. ⁹Then when this was done, the rest also who had diseases in the island came and were cured. ¹⁰They also honored us with many honors; and when we sailed, they put on board the things that we needed.

¹¹After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose figurehead was “The Twin Brothers.” ¹²Touching at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. ¹³From there we circled around and arrived at Rhegium. After one day, a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli, ¹⁴where we found brothers,^[+] and were entreated to stay with them for seven days. So we came to Rome. ¹⁵From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. ¹⁶When we entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

¹⁷After three days Paul called together those who were the leaders of the Jews. When they had come together, he said to them, “I, brothers, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, still was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, ¹⁸who, when they had examined me, desired to set me free, because there was no cause of death in me. ¹⁹But when the Jews spoke against it, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything about which to accuse my nation. ²⁰For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

²¹They said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you. ²²But we desire to hear from you what you think. For, as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against.”

²³When they had appointed him a day, many people came to him at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying about God’s Kingdom, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning until evening. ²⁴Some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. ²⁵When they didn’t agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one message: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, ²⁶saying, ‘Go to this people and say, in hearing, you will hear, but will in no way understand. In seeing, you will see, but will in no way perceive. ²⁷For this people’s heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, then I would heal them.’

²⁸“Be it known therefore to you that the salvation of God is sent to the nations, and they will listen.”

²⁹When he had said these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.

^30[+] Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house and received all who were coming to him, ³¹preaching God’s Kingdom and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without hindrance.

¹¹Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.”