Study Desk

"Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this [blessing] which you both see and hear.

"And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health and complete wholeness in your presence.

and he said, "Look! I see the heavens opened up [in welcome] and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

"For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin."

Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

And he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank.

"Now, watch! The hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, [so blind that you will be] unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he groped around, seeking people to lead him by the hand.

"For this reason He also says in another Psalm, 'YOU WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO SEE DECAY.'

After some time Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers and sisters (believers) in every city where we preached the message of the Lord, and see how they are doing."

Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because [the Roman Emperor] Claudius had issued an edict that all the Jews were to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,

but since it is merely a question [of doctrine within your religion] about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to judge these matters."

Now after these events, Paul determined in the Spirit that he would travel through Macedonia and Achaia (most of the Greek mainland), and go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome [and preach the good news of salvation]."

"You see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but almost all over [the province of] Asia, this Paul has persuaded [people to believe his teaching] and has misled a large number of people, claiming that gods made by [human] hands are not really gods at all.

"And now, listen carefully: I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see me again.

grieving and distressed especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see him again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

And coming to [see] us, he took Paul's [wide] band (belt, sash) and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: 'In this same way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this band, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles (pagans).'"

On the next day Paul went with us to [see] James, and all the elders of the church were present.

And when they heard it, they began glorifying and praising God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all enthusiastic supporters of the Law [of Moses].

"But since I could not see because of the [glorious intensity and dazzling] brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.