Acts 26:24

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

I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.

When all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said to one another, “What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

The best of them is like a brier. The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even your visitation, has come; now is the time of their confusion.

Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.

He said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead.

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.

For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.

But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.

gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness;

When you come there, find Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him rise up from among his brothers, and take him to an inner room.

In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune. It is ready for them whose foot slips.

My enemies reproach me all day. Those who are mad at me use my name as a curse.

The arrogant mock me excessively, but I don’t swerve from your law.

What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

They are vanity, a work of delusion. In the time of their visitation they will perish.

Your prophets have seen false and foolish visions for you. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to reverse your captivity, but have seen for you false revelations and causes of banishment.

The Lord Yahweh says, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.

When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, “He is insane.”

The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.

and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict.

The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.

who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.

Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor.

For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake,

For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray for this: your becoming perfect.

But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone.

When Jehu came out to the servants of his lord, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” He said to them, “You know the man and how he talks.”

“Yahweh has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in Yahweh’s house, for every man who is crazy, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

Her prophets are arrogant and treacherous people. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.

The Jews therefore said, “Will he kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come’?”

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.

Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

The days of visitation have come. The days of reckoning have come. Israel will consider the prophet to be a fool, and the man who is inspired to be insane, because of the abundance of your sins, and because your hostility is great.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”

The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?”

Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”

Then the Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, ‘If a man keeps my word, he will never taste of death.’

Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?”

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

As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, “Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you.”

Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and all speak with other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy?

but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”