Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to God's people there.

If I have, as it were, fought "wild beasts" here in Ephesus simply from human motives, what have I gained? But if the dead are not raised to life, then, as the saying goes, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die."

We want to remind you, friends, of the trouble we had in the province of Asia. The burdens laid upon us were so great and so heavy that we gave up all hope of staying alive.

From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again,

We wanted to return to you. I myself tried to go back more than once, but Satan would not let us.

But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength, so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear; and I was rescued from being sentenced to death.

'I will no longer help them,' he said; 'then I will see what happens to them, those stubborn, unfaithful people.

Jesus answered, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me!"

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.

I tell you, he will judge in their favor and do it quickly. But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes?"

While Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in him as they saw the miracles he performed.

There was no need for anyone to tell him about them, because he himself knew what was in their hearts.

When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; they disputed what Paul was saying and insulted him.

But the Jews stirred up the leading men of the city and the Gentile women of high social standing who worshiped God. They started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their region.

But the Jews who would not believe stirred up the Gentiles and turned them against the believers.

But some Jews were jealous and gathered worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason, in an attempt to find Paul and Silas and bring them out to the people.

Some of them were convinced by his words, but others would not believe.

But not all have accepted the Good News. Isaiah himself said, "Lord, who believed our message?"

For if the gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost.

They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.