弟兄们，我愿意你们知道，我所遭遇的事更是叫福音兴旺，

弟兄们，我要你们知道，我所遭遇的事反而使福音更兴旺，

弟兄们，我要你们知道，我所遭遇的事反而使福音更兴旺，

弟兄姊妹，我希望你们知道，我的遭遇反而会使福音传得更广，

弟兄们，我愿意你们知道，我所遭遇的反而使福音更加兴旺了，

弟兄们，我愿你们知道，我的遭遇反而促进了福音的进展，

弟兄們，我願意你們知道，我所遭遇的事更是叫福音興旺，

弟兄們，我要你們知道，我所遭遇的事反而使福音更興旺，

弟兄們，我要你們知道，我所遭遇的事反而使福音更興旺，

弟兄姊妹，我希望你們知道，我的遭遇反而會使福音傳得更廣，

弟兄們，我願意你們知道，我所遭遇的反而使福音更加興旺了，

弟兄們，我願你們明白我的景況反而促成了福音之進步，

弟兄們，我願你們知道，我的遭遇反而促進了福音的進展，

兄弟乎、我欲爾知、我所遭之事、適以廣福音之傳、

我欲兄弟知我遇難、福音益以廣布、

我欲兄弟知我所遇之事、更有益於福音、

茲欲告慰於兄弟者、即予所遭受之一切、適足促成福音之發揚光大也。

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

Brothers and sisters, here is what I want you to know. What has happened to me has actually helped to spread the good news.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel,

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel;

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advance of the gospel,

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things[ which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:

Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (niv)

for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. (niv)

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (niv)

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

“ Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:“ I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.“ About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,‘ Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’“‘ Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.“‘ I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.“‘ What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.“‘ Get up,’ the Lord said,‘ and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.“ A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.He stood beside me and said,‘ Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.“ Then he said:‘ The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’“ When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a tranceand saw the Lord speaking to me.‘ Quick!’ he said.‘ Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’“‘ Lord,’ I replied,‘ these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’“ Then the Lord said to me,‘ Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted,“ Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there,“ Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it.“ What are you going to do?” he asked.“ This man is a Roman citizen.”The commander went to Paul and asked,“ Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”“ Yes, I am,” he answered.Then the commander said,“ I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”“ But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them. (niv)

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (niv)

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other,“ This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days.His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island— it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days.From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged.When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them:“ My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people.For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”They replied,“ We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:“ The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:“‘ Go to this people and say,“ You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’“ Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” (niv)

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” (niv)

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. (niv)

shouting,“ Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”( They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.The crowd that followed kept shouting,“ Get rid of him!” (niv)

Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. (niv)