Acts 25:22

But, as it is written, “They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who haven’t heard will understand.”

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,

“I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to far-away islands, who have not heard my fame, nor have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.

“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”

But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.

As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.”

Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.

But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

He shall sprinkle on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,

He 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.

through whom we received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations for his name’s sake;

For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;

that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about; for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me if I don’t preach the Good News.

But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace

to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood,

that no one would be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task.

to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”

They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from Yahweh God.”

After my words they didn’t speak again. My speech fell on them.

Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am Yahweh; and those who wait for me shall not be disappointed.”

Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified you.”

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols.

The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf.

Jesus said to him, “See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

“The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

and laid hands on the apostles, then put them in public custody.

But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.

But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison.

When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

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

but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised—

For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope;

I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service;

By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.

to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.

You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.

“Behold, I am of small account. What will I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.

Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers won’t be hidden any more, but your eyes will see your teachers;

My righteousness is near. My salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples. The islands will wait for me, and they will trust my arm.

so he will cleanse many nations. Kings will shut their mouths at him; for they will see that which had not been told them, and they will understand that which they had not heard.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

But Yahweh said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am a child;’ for you must go to whomever I send you, and you must say whatever I command you.

Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for he has roused himself from his holy habitation!”

Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.

But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people.”

But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.

You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.

They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about?

For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”

When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.

But 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.

But after some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus.

Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.

Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

Therefore don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but endure hardship for the Good News according to the power of God,

For this I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.

let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water,

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme;

I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.

These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful.”