Acts 6:9

Having spent some time there, he departed, and went through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples.

Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

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 one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while.

The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying,

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong.

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

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

But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say;

But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.

When they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you all the time,

Therefore watch, remembering that for a period of three years I didn’t cease to admonish everyone night and day with tears.

They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

“Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

amid which certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, not with a mob, nor with turmoil.

having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”

For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;

Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Now concerning Apollos, the brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers; and it was not at all his desire to come now; but he will come when he has an opportunity.

persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all.

Send Zenas, the lawyer, and Apollos on their journey speedily, that nothing may be lacking for them.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Get the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

He leads counselors away stripped. He makes judges fools.

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

Who has fashioned a god, or molds an image that is profitable for nothing?

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

She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

Joses, who by the apostles was also called Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race,

But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy

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.

When the brothers knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.

They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.

Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them.

He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.

When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

“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.

When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said,

Festus therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.

and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:

Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

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

for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia; and Titus to Dalmatia.

But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. They are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason.

this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to Yahweh his God’s hand on him.

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

As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.

But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them.

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.

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,

When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.

This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him,

Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;

They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.

When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus.

Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

But 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.

Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

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

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.

You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands.

But Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”

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

There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us on board.

After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose sign was “The Twin Brothers.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,