Acts:16-17

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* Then came he to Derbe and Lystra : and , behold , a certain disciple was there , named Timotheus , the son of a certain woman , which was a Jewess , and believed ; but his father was a Greek : * Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium . * Him would Paul have to go forth with him ; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters : for they knew all that his father was a Greek . * And as they went through the cities , they delivered them the decrees for to keep , that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem . * And so were the churches established in the faith , and increased in number daily . * Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia , and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia , * After they were come to Mysia , they assayed to go into Bithynia : but the Spirit suffered them not . * And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas . * And a vision appeared to Paul in the night ; There stood a man of Macedonia , and prayed him , saying , Come over into Macedonia , and help us . * And after he had seen the vision , immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia , assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them . * Therefore loosing from Troas , we came with a straight course to Samothracia , and the next day to Neapolis ; * And from thence to Philippi , which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia , and a colony : and we were in that city abiding certain days . * And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side , where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down , and spake unto the women which resorted thither . * And a certain woman named Lydia , a seller of purple , of the city of Thyatira , which worshipped God , heard us : whose heart the Lord opened , that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul . * And when she was baptized , and her household , she besought us , saying , If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord , come into my house , and abide there . And she constrained us . * And it came to pass , as we went to prayer , a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us , which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying : * The same followed Paul and us , and cried , saying , These men are the servants of the most high God , which shew unto us the way of salvation . * And this did she many days . But Paul , being grieved , turned and said to the spirit , I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her . And he came out the same hour . * And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone , they caught Paul and Silas , and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers , * And brought them to the magistrates , saying , These men , being Jews , do exceedingly trouble our city , * And teach customs , which are not lawful for us to receive , neither to observe , being Romans . * And the multitude rose up together against them : and the magistrates rent off their clothes , and commanded to beat them . * And when they had laid many stripes upon them , they cast them into prison , charging the jailor to keep them safely : * Who , having received such a charge , thrust them into the inner prison , and made their feet fast in the stocks . * And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed , and sang praises unto God : and the prisoners heard them . * And suddenly there was a great earthquake , so that the foundations of the prison were shaken : and immediately all the doors were opened , and every one 's bands were loosed . * And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep , and seeing the prison doors open , he drew out his sword , and would have killed himself , supposing that the prisoners had been fled . * But Paul cried with a loud voice , saying , Do thyself no harm : for we are all here . * Then he called for a light , and sprang in , and came trembling , and fell down before Paul and Silas , * And brought them out , and said , Sirs , what must I do to be saved ? * And they said , Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ , and thou shalt be saved , and thy house . * And they spake unto him the word of the Lord , and to all that were in his house . * And he took them the same hour of the night , and washed their stripes ; and was baptized , he and all his , straightway . * And when he had brought them into his house , he set meat before them , and rejoiced , believing in God with all his house . * And when it was day , the magistrates sent the serjeants , saying , Let those men go . * And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul , The magistrates have sent to let you go : now therefore depart , and go in peace . * But Paul said unto them , They have beaten us openly uncondemned , being Romans , and have cast us into prison ; and now do they thrust us out privily ? nay verily ; but let them come themselves and fetch us out . * And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates : and they feared , when they heard that they were Romans . * And they came and besought them , and brought them out , and desired them to depart out of the city . * And they went out of the prison , and entered into the house of Lydia : and when they had seen the brethren , they comforted them , and departed . * Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia , they came to Thessalonica , where was a synagogue of the Jews : * And Paul , as his manner was , went in unto them , and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures , * Opening and alleging , that Christ must needs have suffered , and risen again from the dead ; and that this Jesus , whom I preach unto you , is Christ . * And some of them believed , and consorted with Paul and Silas ; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude , and of the chief women not a few . * But the Jews which believed not , moved with envy , took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort , and gathered a company , and set all the city on an uproar , and assaulted the house of Jason , and sought to bring them out to the people . * And when they found them not , they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city , crying , These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also ; * Whom Jason hath received : and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar , saying that there is another king , one Jesus . * And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city , when they heard these things . * And when they had taken security of Jason , and of the other , they let them go . * And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea : who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews . * These were more noble than those in Thessalonica , in that they received the word with all readiness of mind , and searched the scriptures daily , whether those things were so . * Therefore many of them believed ; also of honourable women which were Greeks , and of men , not a few . * But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea , they came thither also , and stirred up the people . * And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea : but Silas and Timotheus abode there still . * And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens : and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed , they departed . * Now while Paul waited for them at Athens , his spirit was stirred in him , when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry . * Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews , and with the devout persons , and in the market daily with them that met with him . * Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans , and of the Stoicks , encountered him . And some said , What will this babbler say ? other some , He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods : because he preached unto them Jesus , and the resurrection . * And they took him , and brought him unto Areopagus , saying , May we know what this new doctrine , whereof thou speakest , is ? * For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears : we would know therefore what these things mean . * (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else , but either to tell , or to hear some new thing .) * Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars ' hill , and said , Ye men of Athens , I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious . * For as I passed by , and beheld your devotions , I found an altar with this inscription , TO THE UNKNOWN GOD . Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship , him declare I unto you . * God that made the world and all things therein , seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth , dwelleth not in temples made with hands ; * Neither is worshipped with men 's hands , as though he needed any thing , seeing he giveth to all life , and breath , and all things ; * And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth , and hath determined the times before appointed , and the bounds of their habitation ; * That they should seek the Lord , if haply they might feel after him , and find him , though he be not far from every one of us : * For in him we live , and move , and have our being ; as certain also of your own poets have said , For we are also his offspring . * Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God , we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold , or silver , or stone , graven by art and man 's device . * And the times of this ignorance God winked at ; but now commandeth all men every where to repent : * Because he hath appointed a day , in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men , in that he hath raised him from the dead . * And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead , some mocked : and others said , We will hear thee again of this matter . * So Paul departed from among them . * Howbeit certain men clave unto him , and believed : among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite , and a woman named Damaris , and others with them . * After these things Paul departed from Athens , and came to Corinth ;

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