they attempted to go into Bithynia: but the spirit of 8 Jesus * suffered them not. So when they had passed by 9 Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia stood and besought him, saying, "Come over into Macedonia, 10 and help us." And after he had seen the vision, we immediately endeavoured to go into Macedonia; concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them.

11 We loosed therefore from Troas, and came with a

straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Nea12 polis; and thence to Philippi, which is a chief city of

that part of Macedonia, and a colony. And we abode 13 in that city some days. And on the sabbath-day we went

out of the city by a river, where prayer was wont to be made and we sat down and spake to the women who 14 resorted thither. And a certain woman heard us, named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, a gentile who worshiped God: whose heart the Lord opened, so that she attended to the things which were spoken by 15 Paul. And when she had been baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, "If ye judge me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and remain there." And she constrained us.

16

And it came to pass as we went to prayer, that a certain damsel, having a spirit of divination, met us; who 17 brought her masters much gain by divining. She follow

ed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the most high God, who declare to us the 18 way of salvation." And she did this for many days. But Paul was grieved, and turned, and said to the spirit, "I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of 19 her." And it came out at that very time. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they

*The words, "of Jesus," are introduced into the text upon the most approved authorities. See Griesbach.

seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the market20 place to the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, These men, who are Jews, 21 greatly trouble our city; and teach customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or observe, being Romans.” 22 And the multitude rose up together against them and

the magistrates tore off their clothes, and commanded to 23 beat them with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they cast them into prison, and charged 24 the gaoler to keep them safely who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang 26 praises to 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 the bands of all were loosed*, 27 And when the gaoler awoke out of his sleep, and saw the

prison-doors opened, he drew out his sword, and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had 28 escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Do 29 thyself no harm: for we are all here." Then the gaoler called for a light, and sprang in, and trembled, and fell 30 down before Paul and Silas; and brought them out, and 31 said, Sirs, what must I do to be safe †?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 32 safe, and thine household." And they spake unto him

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the word of the Lord, and unto all that were in his house. 33 And he took them in that hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was immediately baptized, he and all 34 his household. And when he had brought them into his

* Or, all the bands were loosed. See Griesbach.

+ Saved, N. Mr. Wakefield explains it, to avoid punishment for what has befallen the prisoners and the prison. This, he adds, "is beyond all doubt the sense of the passage, though Paul in his reply uses the words in a more extensive signification: a practice common in these writings."

35

house, he set food before them, and greatly rejoiced with all his household, on believing in God.

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, 36 saying, "Let those men go." Then the gaoler told these words to Paul, "The magistrates have sent to let you 37 go; now therefore depart, and go in peace." But Paul said unto them, "They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, being Roman-citizens, and have cast us into prison; and now do they send us away privately? No, truly but let them come themselves and bring us out." 38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates; who

feared when they heard that the men were Roman-citizens. 39 So they came and besought them, and brought them out, 40 and desired them to depart from 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.

CH. XVII. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis

and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a 2 synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and on three sabbaths discoursed to 3 them out of the scriptures; explaining them, and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered, and have risen again from the dead; and that "this Jesus whom I preach 4 unto you, is the Christ." And some of them believed, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas; and of the gentiles who worshiped God a great multitude, and of the 5 chief women not a few. But the Jews took* unto them some wicked men of the meaner sort, and gathered a multitude, and raised a tumult in the city, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought after Paul and Silas, that 6 they might bring them out to the people. And when they

found them not, they dragged Jason, and some of the brethren, to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These

who believed not, moved with envy, took, &c. R. T.

that have disturbed the world, are come hither also 7 whom Jason hath received: and all these act contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, 8 one Jesus." And they alarmed the people, and the rulers 9 of the city, who heard these things. And when the rulers had taken security of Jason, and of the others, they let them go.

10

*

Then the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night to Berea: who, when they came thither, 11 went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more ingenuous than those in Thessalonica, because they received the word with all readiness of mind, searching the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12 Wherefore many of them believed; and of gentile women 13 of rank †, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews

of Thessalonica knew that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came thither also, stirring up the 14 multitudes. And then the brethren immediately sent away

Paul, to go toward the sea: but Silas and Timothy re15 mained there still. And those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens: and having received a commandment to Silas and Timothy, that they would come to him with all speed, they departed.

16

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly provoked within him, when he beheld‡ the 17 city full of idols. He discoursed therefore in the synagogue with the Jews, and with those gentiles who worshiped God; and in the market-place daily with such 18 as presented themselves. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, "What will this babbler say §?" and others, He seemeth to be a setter forth of foreign demons" because he preached to them the glad tidings

* Or, were of a better disposition. Bishop Pearce.
women of rank who were gentiles, N.

§ Or, What doth this babbler mean to say? Wakefield.

saw,

N.

strange demons, N.

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of Jesus, and of the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him to the court of Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine is, of which thou 20 speakest*? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears we desire therefore to know what these things 21 mean." (Now all the Athenians, and the foreigners † who dwelt among them, employed their leisure in nothing else, but either in telling or hearing some new 22 thing.) Then Paul stood in the midst of the court of Areopagus, and said, "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that ye are exceedingly addicted to the worship of de23 monst. For as I passed by, and beheld your deities, I found also § an altar with this inscription, ro AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Whom therefore ye Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, 24 him I declare unto you. The God who made the world,

and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and 25 earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; nor is he served by the hands of men, as if he needed any thing; since He Himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all 26 things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men, to dwell on the whole face of the earth, and hath determined their appointed times, and the bounds of their ha27 bitation; that they might seek God ¶, if perhaps they

might feel him out and find him; though he be not far 28 from every one of us: for through him we live, and

move, and have our being; as some of the poets also among you have said, 'For we are even his offspring.' 29 Wherefore, being the offspring of God, we ought not

"We cannot understand what this new doctrine which is proposed by thee is," Wakefield, who adopts the conjecture of Toup, that the negative adverb has been lost before duvausta. This conjecture is confirmed by one manuscript of Matthæi. † strangers, N.

In all things ye are somewhat too religious, N. See Doddridge and Newcome's note, who justly observes that "it is agreeable to St. Paul's delicacy of address to suppose that the original word is used in a good sense here, of which it is known to be capable." See ch. xxv. 19.

§ among others, N.

THE, N. See Wakefield,

seek the Lord, R. T.