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.

When Gallio was made the Roman governor of Achaia, Jews there got together, seized Paul, and took him into court.

As the crowd heard these words, they became furious and started shouting, "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!"

Paul himself wanted to go before the crowd, but the believers would not let him.

Meanwhile the whole meeting was in an uproar: some people were shouting one thing, others were shouting something else, because most of them did not even know why they had come together.

But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted together the same thing for two hours: "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!"

Nobody can deny these things. So then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless.

If Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against anyone, we have the authorities and the regular days for court; charges can be made there.

For after what has happened today, there is the danger that we will be accused of a riot. There is no excuse for all this uproar, and we would not be able to give a good reason for it."

Confusion spread through the whole city, and the people all ran together, grabbed Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. At once the Temple doors were closed.

The mob was trying to kill Paul, when a report was sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting.

The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, "Away with him! Kill him! He's not fit to live!"

They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air.

But Paul said to the police officers, "We were not found guilty of any crime, yet they whipped us in public---and we are Roman citizens! Then they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Not at all! The Roman officials themselves must come here and let us out."

They called the apostles in, had them whipped, and ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and then they set them free.

The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the fort, and he told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him.

When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him, "What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!"

Watch out, for there will be those who will arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues.

Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them; and after he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified.

We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food.

Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman---but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often.

three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water.

You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him.

Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison.

Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.