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.

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,

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 God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.

Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

“ Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said,“ listen to me as I offer my defense.”When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.Then Paul said,“ I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.“ As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,‘ Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’“‘ Who are you, lord?’ I asked.“ And the voice replied,‘ I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me.“ I asked,‘ What should I do, Lord?’“ And the Lord told me,‘ Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’“ I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.He came and stood beside me and said,‘ Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!“ Then he told me,‘ The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’“ After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me,‘ Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’“‘ But Lord,’ I argued,‘ they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’“ But the Lord said to me,‘ Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout,“ Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!”They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there,“ Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked,“ What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”So the commander went over and asked Paul,“ Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”“ Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.“ I am, too,” the commander muttered,“ and it cost me plenty!” Paul answered,“ But I am a citizen by birth!”The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.The next day the commander ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them.

But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.

Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other,“ A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island— an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days.From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli.There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them,“ Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors.The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence.But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people.I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel— the Messiah— has already come.”They replied,“ We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here.But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening.Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul:“ The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,‘ Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”

So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies.

yelling,“ Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple— and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.”( For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him.As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done.Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress.As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him.And the crowd followed behind, shouting,“ Kill him, kill him!”

Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon.