The Good Story Continues Acts

²³They chose elders to watch over every sacred family gathering. After praying and going without food, they dedicated them to our Honored Chief in whom they had put their trust.

²⁴On their journey they walked back through the territory of Tree Sap (Pisidia) and Many Tribes (Pamphylia). ²⁵There in Earth Village (Perga) they told the good story to the people before traveling on to the village of Grows More (Attalia). ²⁶From there they traveled by water to Stands Against (Antioch), where, by Creator’s great kindness, they had been sent out on this journey that was now complete.

²⁷After arriving, they gathered the sacred family together and told the story of all that Creator had done among them, about how he had opened a pathway of faith for all Nations. ²⁸And they remained there with the sacred family for a long time.

¹While Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) were in Stands Against (Antioch), some men came down from the Land of Promise (Judea) and began to teach the followers there.

They said, “Unless you have participated in the traditional cutting of the flesh ceremony, given by Drawn from the Water (Moses), you cannot be set free and made whole.”

²But Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) did not agree with them and had a strong argument with them. It was decided that Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas), along with a few others, would go to the message bearers and elders at Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to settle this among them.

³So, having been sent on their way by the sacred family, they traveled through Land of Palm Trees (Phoenicia) and High Place (Samaria). As they traveled, they told how the Outside Nations had come to faith. This made the hearts of all the followers glad.

⁴When they came to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the message bearers, elders, and the sacred family welcomed them. They told them the stories of all that the Great Spirit had done through them. ⁵But some of the sacred family members who belonged to the band of the Separated Ones (Pharisees) stood up among them to make their voice heard.

“The Outside Nations,” said the Separated Ones (Pharisees), “must participate in the cutting of the flesh ceremony and be required to follow our tribal law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses).”

⁶The message bearers and elders sat in council together to discuss this matter. ⁷After much talk and debate, Stands on the Rock (Peter) stood up among them.

“My fellow members of the sacred family,” he said to all, “you know that a good while ago Creator chose me to be the one to help the Outside Nations come to faith by telling them the good story. ⁸The Knower of Hearts made this clear when he gave them the Holy Spirit in the same manner as he did for us. ⁹The Great Spirit made no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts when they trusted in him. ¹⁰So why put Creator to the test by putting a burden on their shoulders that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to carry?

¹¹“So then,” Stands on the Rock (Peter) finished, “we believe it is because of the gift of great kindness from Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, that we will be set free and made whole. It is the same for us and them!”

¹²Silence fell upon all who had gathered there as they listened to Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Small Man (Paul) tell about the wondrous and powerful signs the Great Spirit had done through them when they were with the Outside Nations.

¹³When they were finished speaking, He Leads the Way (James) stood up and spoke to the gathering.

“My fellow Tribal Members,” he said. “Hear what I have to say. ¹⁴One Who Hears (Simon) has spoken well to remind us of how the Great Spirit first showed to us his concern for the Outside Nations, by choosing from among them those who would represent him. ¹⁵This agrees with the words of the prophets from long ago.

“It is written in the Sacred Teachings, ¹⁶‘At that time I will return and repair the sacred tent of Much Loved One (David) that has fallen to the ground. I will raise it up from its tattered ruins and mend its tears, ¹⁷so that the rest of humankind may search for the Great Spirit—all the Outside Nations who have also been chosen to represent me. This is what Creator is saying, ¹⁸for he made these things known long ago.’45

¹⁹“So, as I see it, we should not put stumbling stones in the path of the ones in these Outside Nations who are turning to the Great Spirit. ²⁰The message we should send to them is that they should stay away from things offered to evil spirits,46 from sexual impurity, from the meat of a strangled animal, and from drinking blood. ²¹For from ancient times the ways of Drawn from the Water (Moses) have been taught in every village, and his words are read out loud in the tribal gathering houses on every Day of Resting.”

²²Then the message bearers, the elders, and all of the sacred family agreed that it was a good thing to choose some men, along with Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas), to take a message to Stands Against (Antioch). They chose Speaks Well Of (Judas) who is also called Son of Resting (Barsabbas) and Woods Man (Silas), spiritual leaders among the sacred family.

²³Here is the message they sent in a letter: “Greetings, from the message bearers and elders of the sacred family, to our brothers and sisters who are from the Outside Nations in the villages of Stands Against (Antioch), Bright Sun (Syria), and Turns Over (Cilicia).

²⁴“We heard that some of our people came to you, even though we did not send them, and that they said things that troubled and confused you. ²⁵We all agreed it would be good to send some men to represent us—along with our much-loved Son of Comfort (Barnabas) and Small Man (Paul). ²⁶These are men who have risked their lives representing our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One. ²⁷So we sent Speaks Well Of (Judas) and Woods Man (Silas) to tell you the same things we have written.

²⁸“So then, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to place on you no burden other than these necessary things: ²⁹that you stay away from things offered to evil spirits, from drinking blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual impurity. If you stay away from these things you will be walking in a good way. Safe journeys to you.”

³⁰So they sent the messengers to Stands Against (Antioch). ³¹When they gathered everyone together and read the message, their hearts were encouraged and made glad. ³²Speaks Well Of (Judas) and Woods Man (Silas), who were also prophets, lifted their spirits and made their hearts strong with many words.

³³After some time there, they sent the messengers back with a blessing of peace on those who had sent them. ³⁴Woods Man (Silas) thought it good to remain there.47 ³⁵Small Man (Paul) and Son of Comfort (Barnabas) also remained in Stands Against (Antioch). There, along with many others, they taught the message of the good story about our Honored Chief.

³⁶After they had stayed there for a while, Small Man (Paul) said to Son of Comfort (Barnabas), “Come with me and we will visit the sacred family in every village where we taught Creator’s message, to see how well they are doing.”

³⁷Now Son of Comfort (Barnabas) wanted Walks in Kindness (John), who is also named War Club (Mark), to go with them. ³⁸But Small Man (Paul) did not think it wise, for he had deserted them in the territory of Many Tribes (Pamphylia) and did not complete his task.

³⁹Their argument became so strong that they split apart and went their separate ways. Son of Comfort (Barnabas) took War Club (Mark) and set out by water for Island of Flowers (Cyprus), ⁴⁰but Small Man (Paul) chose Woods Man (Silas). So they were given Creator’s blessing by the sacred family and set out, ⁴¹traveling through Bright Sun (Syria) and Turns Over (Cilicia). There they gave strength to the sacred family gatherings in that territory.

¹Small Man (Paul) also went to the village of Hide Tanner (Derbe) and then to Set Free (Lystra). In that village was a follower named He Gives Honor (Timothy). His mother was a Tribal Woman who trusted in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and his father was from an Outside Nation.48 ²He Gives Honor (Timothy) was well spoken of by the sacred family at Set Free (Lystra) and Spirit Village (Iconium).

³Small Man (Paul) wanted to take He Gives Honor (Timothy) with him, so he performed the cutting of the flesh ceremony for him, because of the Tribal People in the area who knew his father was from an Outside Nation.^b

⁴As they journeyed through the villages, they instructed the sacred family gatherings to follow the decisions made by the message bearers and elders who were in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵So the members of the sacred family were made strong in the faith, and their numbers grew larger each day.

⁶Small Man (Paul) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) continued their journey through the territory of Dry Wood (Phrygia) and Land of Pale Skinned People (Galatia), for the Holy Spirit had held them back from telling the good story in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). ⁷When they came to Land of Beech Trees (Mysia), they tried to go to Rushing Storm (Bithynia), but the Spirit of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would not permit them. ⁸So they went around Land of Beech Trees (Mysia) and traveled on to the village of Cut Through (Troas).

⁹During the night Small Man (Paul) had a vision in which he saw a man from Land of Tall People (Macedonia) standing in front of him. The man was begging him and saying, “Come over to our land and help us!”

¹⁰When the vision was done, right away we tried to go into the Land of Tall People (Macedonia), trusting that Creator had chosen us to tell them the good story.

¹¹So we set off by water straight from Cut Through (Troas) to Sign of Rags (Samothrace). The next day we came to New Village (Neapolis), ¹²and from there we went on to Village of Horses (Philippi), the chief village of Land of Tall People (Macedonia) under the rule of the People of Iron (Romans). There we remained for a number of days.

¹³Then on the Day of Resting we went outside of the village gate to a nearby river to find a place to send our voices to the Great Spirit. We sat down on the riverbank and spoke to some women who had gathered there. ¹⁴One of the women there, named Bitter Fruit (Lydia), from High Rock House (Thyatira), was a trader in purple cloths and had great respect for Creator. As Small Man (Paul) spoke, she listened closely to the message, and Creator opened her heart. ¹⁵She and her family then participated in the purification ceremony.49

“If you consider me to be one who trusts in our Honored Chief,” she said to us firmly, “then you must come and stay at my house.” And she would not take no for an answer.

¹⁶As we were on our way to where we gathered for prayer, a slave-girl who had an evil snake spirit met us.50 She brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.

¹⁷She began to follow after Small Man (Paul) and shout out loud, “These men, who serve the One Above Us All, are showing us the way to be set free and made whole.”

¹⁸She did this for many days. By so doing, she greatly troubled Small Man (Paul), who finally turned and spoke to the evil spirit, “As one who represents Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, I tell you now to come out of this woman!”

¹⁹Right away the spirit left her. When her owners saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they took hold of Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) and dragged them to the village rulers at the trading post.

²⁰They brought them before the village council and said, “These men are from the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). They are bringing trouble to our village ²¹by trying to force their tribal customs on us. Since we are of the People of Iron (Romans), we are not permitted to accept or follow these customs.”

²²The people who had gathered there also began to speak against them, so the village council stripped their clothes off them and gave orders for them to be beaten with sticks. ²³When they finished beating them, they threw them into prison and told the headman of the prison to lock them up. ²⁴So he followed his instructions, put them deep into the prison, and locked their feet in iron bindings.

²⁵In the middle of the night Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) were sending up prayers and singing sacred songs to the Great Spirit. The other prisoners were listening, ²⁶when suddenly the earth began to shake violently, and the stones holding the prison up began to tremble. Right then the prison doors were opened, and everyone’s iron bindings fell off.

²⁷When the headman of the prison woke up and saw all the prison doors standing open, he took his long knife and was going to kill himself, for he thought all the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸But Small Man (Paul) shouted out to him, “Do not harm yourself, we are all here!”

²⁹The headman of the prison asked for a torch, and, trembling with fear, he rushed inside and fell down before Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas).

³⁰He then took them outside and said, “What must I do to be set free and made whole?”

³¹“Put your trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), our Honored Chief,” they said to him. “He will make you whole and set you and all your family free to follow him.”

³²Then they told Creator’s good story to him and all his family. ³³It was still late in the night, but the headman took Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) and washed their wounds. Then right away the headman and his family all participated in the purification ceremony.51 ³⁴He then invited them into his home and fed them. His heart was glad because he and all his family had put their trust in the Great Spirit.

³⁵In the morning the village council sent messengers, saying, “Release these men.”

³⁶So the headman of the prison told Small Man (Paul), “The council has instructed me to release you. You may go in peace.”

³⁷But Small Man (Paul) said, “We are citizens of the People of Iron (Romans)! They have beaten us before the village without a trial and thrown us in prison, and now they would send us away in secret? No! Let them come here and take us out themselves!”

³⁸The messengers went back and reported what they said to the village council. When they heard that they were citizens of the People of Iron (Romans), they were afraid. ³⁹So they came and apologized to them, released them, and asked them to leave the village. ⁴⁰So after they left the prison, they went to the home of Bitter Fruit (Lydia). There they encouraged the sacred family, and then left to continue their journey.

¹After traveling through Circle Village (Amphipolis) and Village of Destroyer (Apollonia), they came to a tribal gathering house at the village of False Victory (Thessalonica). ²As was his custom, Small Man (Paul) went to the gathering house on the next three Days of Resting. He tried to convince them from the Sacred Teachings, ³explaining and proving to them that the Chosen One had to suffer and then rise again from the dead.

Then he said to them, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one I have been telling you about, is the Chosen One!”

⁴Some of them were won over and joined with Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas), including a large number of Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) who had deep respect for Creator and also many of the local headwomen.

⁵But the Tribal Members became jealous. Banding together with some troublemakers from the trading post, they gathered a crowd and caused an uprising in the village. They broke into the house of a man named Healer (Jason), looking for Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) so they could bring them before the people. ⁶Not finding them there, they took hold of Healer (Jason) and some of the other sacred family members and dragged them before the village council.

“The ones who have turned the world upside down,” they shouted, “have also come here! ⁷And Healer (Jason) has welcomed them into his house. They are going against the laws of the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), by saying there is another ruler—Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

⁸This troubled the people and the village council, ⁹so after taking payment as a promise from Healer (Jason) and the others that there would be no more trouble, they let them go.

¹⁰Right away, under the cover of night, members of the sacred family sent Small Man (Paul) and Woods Man (Silas) to Much Water (Berea). When they arrived, they went to the local tribal gathering house. ¹¹The Tribal Members there were more honorable than the ones in False Victory (Thessalonica), for they welcomed the message with glad hearts, and each day they searched the Sacred Teachings to see whether their message agreed. ¹²In this way many Tribal Members came to the faith, including honored women and men from the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks).

¹³When the Tribal Members from False Victory (Thessalonica) found out that Small Man (Paul) was telling the Sacred Story in Much Water (Berea), they also came there to stir up the crowds and make trouble for them. ¹⁴So right away the sacred family sent Small Man (Paul) away to the great sea, but Woods Man (Silas) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) remained behind.

¹⁵The ones who went with Small Man (Paul) took him to Wondering Place (Athens). Small Man (Paul) told them to send Woods Man (Silas) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) to him right away, and so they went back to Much Water (Berea).

¹⁶While Small Man (Paul) was waiting for them at Wondering Place (Athens), he saw that this large village was filled with images of powerful spirit-beings. ¹⁷So every day at the tribal gathering house he would argue with the Tribal Members, and at the trading posts he would talk with any spiritual people who happened to be there. ¹⁸Some traditional wisdom seekers52 also argued with him.

Others wondered, “What is this talking head saying?” while others said, “He seems to be talking about strange and powerful spirits.”

They said this because he was telling them the good story about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his rising from the dead. ¹⁹So they took him to the council at Mars Hill (Areopagus).

“Explain this new teaching to us,” they asked him, ²⁰“for your message is strange to us, and we want to know its meaning.”

²¹The people who lived in Wondering Place (Athens) would spend all their time telling or hearing about some new thing.

²²So Small Man (Paul) stood up in the center of Mars Hill (Areopagus) and said, “People of Wondering Place (Athens), I can see that in all things you are a very spiritual people. ²³As I walked around, I saw some of your sacred objects. One altar had this message carved into it:

DEDICATED TO AN UNKNOWN POWERFUL SPIRIT

“So then, the one you sacredly honor without knowing is the one I will make known to you. ²⁴The Great Spirit is the one who created the universe and all things in it. Since he is the rightful ruler of the spirit-world above and the earth below, he does not live in lodges built by human hands. ²⁵Creator does not really need human beings to do things for him, since he is the one who gives all people life and breath and everything we need.

²⁶“Beginning with the first human being, he made all tribes and nations. He wanted people to live all over the face of the earth. He decided ahead of time when and where each tribe would live. ²⁷He did this so that all people could look for him and find the trail that leads to him. Creator is not far away from any one of us. ²⁸It is through him that we live, walk, and have our being.

“As some of your song makers have said, ‘We are children of the Great Spirit.’ ²⁹Since we are his children, we should not think that he is made of gold or silver or wood or stones. He is not like the carvings that people have thought up in their minds and made with their hands.

³⁰“In times past Creator overlooked this empty way of thinking. But now he wants all people everywhere to return to the right way of thinking, ³¹because he has chosen a day when he will decide, for all people, who has done right and who has done wrong. He has chosen a man who will do this and has shown all people who he is by bringing him back to life again from the dead.”

³²When they heard about the rising from the dead, some mocked him, but others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

³³So Small Man (Paul) went on his way. ³⁴Some of the people believed and joined with him, including one of the council members of Mars Hill (Areopagus) named Shining Tree (Dionysius) and a woman named Good Wife (Damaris), along with a few others.

¹Small Man (Paul) left from Wondering Place (Athens) and went to Village of Pleasure (Corinth). ²There he found a Tribal Member named Strong Eagle (Aquila) who lived in Land of Black Waters (Pontus). He and his wife, Lives Long (Priscilla), had recently moved from Land of Young Bulls (Italy) because Walks with a Limp (Claudius), the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), had ordered the removal of all Tribal Members from that territory.

³Small Man (Paul) found out they were both tentmakers, as he was, so he lodged with them and joined them in their work. ⁴Then on every Day of Resting in the gathering houses he debated with his local Tribal Members and the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks), trying to convince them about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

⁵After Woods Man (Silas) and He Gives Honor (Timothy) came from Land of Tall People (Macedonia), Small Man (Paul) became like a man on fire—trying to convince his Tribal Members that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was the Chosen One. ⁶But when they stood against him and spoke evil of him, he shook the dust from his clothes.

“You have decided your own fate!” he told them. “I have done all I can do. From now on I will go to the Outside Nations.”

⁷So he left them and went to the house of Stands Upright with Fire (Titius Justus), a man with deep respect for Creator and whose house was next door to the tribal gathering house. ⁸A man named Curly Hair (Crispus), who was headman of the gathering house, put his trust in our Honored Chief, and both he and his family participated in the purification ceremony.53 When others who lived in Village of Pleasure (Corinth) heard about this, they also believed and participated in the purification ceremony.^a

⁹During the night Creator spoke to Small Man (Paul) in a sacred vision.

“Do not fear!” he said to him. “Keep speaking and do not be silent, ¹⁰for I am standing with you. No one will harm you, for I have many people in this village.”

¹¹So Small Man (Paul) stayed there for one year and six moons, teaching Creator’s message to the people.

¹²During the days when Rooster (Gallio) was the governor of Land of Sorrow (Achaia), the Tribal Members joined together in an attack on Small Man (Paul) and took him before the governor to accuse him of wrongdoing.

¹³“This man is convincing people to serve the Great Spirit in ways that go against our tribal law,” they accused.

¹⁴But before Small Man (Paul) could open his mouth to defend himself, the governor spoke to the Tribal Members.

“If a wrong had been done or some kind of evil had been committed, then I would hear your accusations,” he said to them, ¹⁵“but if this is simply a question about words and names and how to interpret your own laws, then you must decide for yourselves. I want nothing to do with deciding these things.”

¹⁶So he sent them away from his council house. ¹⁷The Tribal Members then took Strong Protector (Sosthenes), the headman of the gathering house, and began to beat him right in front of the governor. But he turned his head the other way.

¹⁸After staying there for a number of days, Small Man (Paul) said farewell to the sacred family. Then he, along with Lives Long (Priscilla) and Strong Eagle (Aquila), set off by water to Bright Sun (Syria). At Small Seed Village (Cenchreae) Small Man (Paul) ceremonially shaved his head because he had made a solemn promise.

¹⁹From there they traveled to Village of Desire (Ephesus). Small Man (Paul) left his traveling friends in the village, but he went to the local tribal gathering house to speak with the Tribal Members there. ²⁰They asked him to stay, but he turned them down and said his farewells.

²¹“If Creator permits it,” he told them, “I will return.”

He then set out from the village by water. ²²He came to land at Chief Village (Caesarea), greeted the sacred family there, and then made his way to Stands Against (Antioch).

²³He stayed there a number of days, then left and walked here and there, strengthening the hearts of the sacred family members throughout the territory of Land of Pale Skinned People (Galatia) and Dry Wood (Phrygia).

²⁴There was a Tribal Member named He Tears Down (Apollos) from Village of Defense (Alexandria) who came to Village of Desire (Ephesus). He was a powerful wisdom speaker who had a deep understanding of the Sacred Teachings. ²⁵Even though he had only participated in the purification ceremony54 of Gift of Goodwill (John), he was well instructed in the Way of our Honored Chief, and a fire burned in his spirit as he spoke clearly about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²⁶At the local tribal gathering house he began to speak openly. But when Lives Long (Priscilla) and Strong Eagle (Aquila) heard him speak, they took him with them and helped him see Creator’s Way more clearly. ²⁷Then, when he desired to go to Land of Sorrow (Achaia), the sacred family sent along a message to instruct the followers there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to the ones who had trusted in the gift of Creator’s great kindness, ²⁸for he spoke powerfully to his Tribal Members, proving to them from the Sacred Teachings that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was the Chosen One.

¹While He Tears Down (Apollos) was at Village of Pleasure (Corinth), Small Man (Paul) journeyed through the inland territories and arrived at Village of Desire (Ephesus), where he found some followers.

²“When you put your trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus),” Small Man (Paul) asked them, “did you receive the Holy Spirit?”

“What do you mean?” they replied. “We have not even heard about this ‘Holy Spirit.’”

³“What kind of purification ceremony^a did you participate in?” he asked.

“It was the purification ceremony^a performed by Gift of Goodwill (John),” they answered.

⁴“Gift of Goodwill (John) performed a purification ceremony^a for the ones who turned to Creator’s right ways of thinking and doing,” Small Man (Paul) said to them. “In this way they would be ready to put their trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one he was preparing the way for.”

⁵When they heard this, they participated in the purification ceremony^a done in the name of our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus). ^6-7Small Man (Paul) then laid his hands on the men, about twelve in all, and they spoke in languages they had not learned and prophesied when the Holy Spirit came down upon them.

⁸Then for three moons Small Man (Paul) went to their tribal gathering house and spoke out boldly to convince the people living there about Creator’s good road. ⁹But some, who were stubborn, with hearts like stone, refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way to all who gathered there.

So Small Man (Paul) left there, taking with him the new followers. He went to the teaching lodge of Harsh Ruler (Tyrannus) to teach there. ¹⁰He continued this for two winters, until all the Tribal Members and Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) who lived in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) had heard the message about our Honored One.

¹¹Through the hands of Small Man (Paul), Creator was doing some unusually powerful signs. ¹²Face cloths and sashes that had touched his body were taken to heal the sick and force out evil spirits.

¹³Then some Tribal Members who traveled about forcing out evil spirits tried to use the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) over those with evil spirits, saying, “I force you out by the sacred power of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the one whom Small Man (Paul) proclaims.”

¹⁴These men were the seven sons of Weak Hand (Sceva), a Tribal Member who was representing himself as a chief holy man.

¹⁵But the evil spirit spoke back to them, “I know of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and I have heard of Small Man (Paul), but who are you?”

¹⁶Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and so overpowered them that they ran from the house naked, bruised, and bleeding.

¹⁷Word spread to all the Tribal Members and the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) who lived in Village of Desire (Ephesus). Great awe and respect came upon all, and the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was spoken of with respect.

¹⁸Many who had chosen to follow Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came forward and admitted to their evil practices. ¹⁹A number of them who had practiced bad medicine gathered their mystic writings and burned them in the sight of all. These books were found to be worth about fifty thousand silver coins.55 ²⁰In this way Creator’s message grew strong and spread like wildfire.

²¹After this, Small Man (Paul) decided in his spirit that he should travel through Land of Tall People (Macedonia) and Land of Sorrow (Achaia) and then on to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). “After that,” he said, “I must also go to Village of Iron (Rome).” ²²So he sent his two helpers, He Gives Honor (Timothy) and Much Desired (Erastus), ahead of him to Land of Tall People (Macedonia), while he remained for a time in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

²³Now during that time there was a great uprising at Village of Desire (Ephesus) about the Way. ²⁴There was a man there named Corn Spirit (Demetrius), who worked with silver and made little silver lodges for the spirit-image of Hunting Woman (Artemis). His work helped support many of the artists who traded there. ²⁵He gathered them together, along with the others who also worked with silver.

“Fellow workers,” he said to them, “you all know that this work we do provides for us. ²⁶You have all seen and heard what this Small Man (Paul) has done, not only in our village but also in most of Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). He has convinced many people to turn away from our spirit-images, saying that spirit-images made by hands are not powerful spirits.”

The crowd began to grumble and grow restless as he continued to speak.

²⁷“We are in danger that the work we do will be looked down on, and that the sacred lodge of the spirit-image of Hunting Woman (Artemis), the one whom all in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) and the world bows down to, will be seen as worthless, and her great beauty and power will fall to the ground.”

²⁸When the crowd heard this, a great anger filled their hearts, and they shouted, “Great is Hunting Woman (Artemis) of Village of Desire (Ephesus)!”

²⁹The whole village was thrown into confusion. With one purpose they ran into the teaching lodge, dragging with them Glad Heart (Gaius) and Good Chief (Aristarchus) from Land of Tall People (Macedonia), who were traveling with Small Man (Paul).

³⁰Small Man (Paul) wanted to go into the crowd, but the other followers would not let him. ³¹Also, some of the village leaders who were friendly toward him sent word for him not to come into the teaching lodge.

³²The gathering became one of turmoil and confusion. Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most did not even know why they had gathered!

³³Some of the Tribal Members in the crowd pushed Man Fighter (Alexander) to the front, instructing him what to say. He motioned with his hand that he wanted to speak, ³⁴but when they saw that he was a man of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel), they cried out with one voice, “Great is Hunting Woman (Artemis) of Village of Desire (Ephesus)!”

Over and over again they kept shouting as the day wore on,56 ³⁵until the village scroll keeper finally quieted them down.

“People of Village of Desire (Ephesus),” he said to all, “who among us does not know that the people of Village of Desire (Ephesus) are the sacred lodge keepers of the great Hunting Woman (Artemis) and of her spirit-image that fell from the spirit-world above? ³⁶Since these things cannot be denied, you should lower your voices and do nothing without thinking clearly first.

³⁷“The men you have brought here did not come to steal from your sacred lodge and they do not speak against Hunting Woman (Artemis). ³⁸If Corn Spirit (Demetrius) and the other artists with him want to accuse anyone, let them bring these accusations to the village council or the local officials. ³⁹Anything else should also be brought to the village council meeting. ⁴⁰For we are in danger today of being charged with causing an uprising, with no good reason for it.”

⁴¹After saying this, he sent the crowd away.

¹After the uprising had calmed down, Small Man (Paul) gathered the local sacred family members together to strengthen their hearts and say his farewell to them. He then left for Land of Tall People (Macedonia).

²As he traveled through that territory, with many words he lifted the hearts of the members of the sacred family who lived there. He then came to Land of Wisdom Seekers (Greece) ³and stayed there for three moons. Just as he was about to set out by water to Bright Sun (Syria), the Tribal Members there hatched a plot against him, so he decided to return through Land of Tall People (Macedonia).

⁴The men who went with him are Defends His Father (Sopater) the son of Red Fire (Pyrrhus) from Much Water (Berea), Good Chief (Aristarchus) and Second Blessing (Secundus) from False Victory (Thessalonica), also Glad Heart (Gaius) from Hide Tanner (Derbe), He Gives Honor (Timothy), and He Is at Ease (Tychicus) and He Eats Well (Trophimus) from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

⁵These men traveled ahead of us and were waiting for us at Cut Through (Troas). ⁶They had to wait five days because we stayed for the Festival of Bread Without Yeast. Then we set out by water from Village of Horses (Philippi) and joined with them at Cut Through (Troas) and stayed there for seven days.

⁷It was the first day of the week, when we gather to eat our sacred meal together.57 Small Man (Paul) was doing the talking because he planned to leave the next day. He was long-winded and kept talking until the middle of the night. ⁸There were many torches burning in the upper room of the house where we had all gathered.

The number of people and the torches in this room, using up the air, may have made some people sleepy or lightheaded.

⁹As Small Man (Paul) spoke on and on, a young man named Greatly Blessed (Eutychus), who was sitting on the window ledge, began to sink into a deep sleep. When the sleep overcame him, he fell from the third-floor window and was found dead. ¹⁰Small Man (Paul) went down, bent over the young man, and put his arms around him.

“Do not fear!” he said to all. “His life has returned to him.”

¹¹Small Man (Paul) went back to the upper room, ate the ceremonial meal with them, and continued speaking until sunrise. He then went on his way, ¹²and with glad hearts they took the young man home alive!

¹³We all climbed into our canoes and headed to Move Toward (Assos), where we would take Small Man (Paul) aboard, for he had decided to travel there on land. ¹⁴So he met us there and joined us as we went on to Bent Horn (Mitylene). ¹⁵We set off from there, and on the following day we came to shore across from Snow Island (Chios). The next day we touched shore at Sand Cliff (Samos), and the day after that we came to White Sheep Wool (Miletus).

¹⁶We did not stop at Village of Desire (Ephesus), because Small Man (Paul) was in a hurry to get to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), if possible, for the Festival of Weeks,58 and did not want to take the time to go to Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

¹⁷From White Sheep Wool (Miletus), Small Man (Paul) sent a messenger to Village of Desire (Ephesus) to ask the elders of the sacred family to come to him.

¹⁸He said to them, “You all know how I lived among you the whole time I was with you, from the first day that I set foot in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). ¹⁹I did all Creator asked of me with a humble heart, as I walked a trail of tears when the Tribal Members schemed against me. ²⁰You also know that I held back nothing that would help you, as I taught openly and from house to house. ²¹I spoke truth in a sacred manner to both the Tribal Members and the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks), as I told them about turning their thoughts and hearts to the Great Spirit by trusting their lives to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), our Honored Chief.

²²“And now, a captive of the Spirit, I am on my way to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). I do not know what will happen to me there. ²³I only know the Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that in every village I will be hunted down and taken captive. ²⁴But my life means nothing to me. I only want to finish walking the road the Maker of Life has set before me, telling the good story of the gift of his great kindness as I follow Creator Sets Free (Jesus), my Honored Chief.

²⁵“I now know that none of you will see my face again. You are the ones I have taught clearly about the good road. ²⁶Hear me this day! I speak from my heart, I am no longer responsible for the fate of any of you, ²⁷for I held back nothing from you. All that Creator has made known to me, I have given to you.

²⁸“Stay alert and care for one another. The Holy Spirit has given you elders the task of watching over his people. Like shepherds that guard the sheep, you will watch over his sacred family, the ones he paid the highest price for with his own lifeblood.

²⁹“I know that after I am gone savage wolves will sneak in who care nothing for the sheep. ³⁰Even some of your own elders will rise up and lead people down a false path, just to have their own followers. ³¹So I tell you again, stay alert! Do not forget that night and day, for three winters, I kept giving you wise counsel and warning each of you with many tears.

³²“I now give you over to the Great Spirit’s care and to the message of the gift of his great kindness. A message that will make you stand strong and give you his promised blessings, together with all the ones he has made holy.

³³“I never asked anyone for their silver, gold, or fine clothes. ³⁴You all have seen that I worked hard with my own hands to provide for myself and for the ones who traveled with me. ³⁵In this way, I have walked a path for you to follow, working hard to give help to the weak. We must never forget the words of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) when he said, ‘Giving to others is a greater blessing than getting from others.’”

³⁶When Small Man (Paul) had finished speaking, he knelt down beside the elders of the sacred family and sent his voice to the Great Spirit. ³⁷With many tears they put their arms around his neck and kissed him. ³⁸Their greatest sorrow was from his words, “You will not see my face again.”

Then they walked with him to our canoe to see us on our way.

¹After we had torn ourselves away from them we set out in our canoe and followed the shortest distance to the island of High Point (Kos). On the next day we went to Rose Island (Rhodes), and then to Walked Over (Patara). ²From there we found a large canoe that was headed for Land of Palm Trees (Phoenicia) and traveled with them. ³We could see Island of Flowers (Cyprus) to our left as we traveled on toward Bright Sun (Syria), and then went to shore at Rock Land (Tyre) to unload trading goods from the canoe.

⁴We looked for members of the sacred family who lived there and, after finding them, we stayed with them for seven days. Guided by the Spirit, they kept telling Small Man (Paul) not to go to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵At the end of our time with them, as we were on our way to leave, the men of the sacred family, along with their wives and children, followed us outside the village. We all knelt down at the shoreline, sent our voice to the Great Spirit, ⁶and said our farewells. We then climbed into the canoe as they went back to their homes.

⁷From Rock Land (Tyre) we continued on to Village of War (Ptolemais). We were welcomed by the sacred family and stayed the rest of the day with them. ⁸The next day we left and went to Chief Village (Caesarea) and lodged there at the home of Lover of Horses (Philip), a teller of the good story and one of the seven. ⁹Lover of Horses (Philip) had four unmarried daughters who spoke words of prophecy from the Holy Spirit.

Lover of Horses (Philip) was one of the seven who had been chosen by the message bearers in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to be in charge of serving the meals. He also went about telling the good story in High Place (Samaria).59

¹⁰We stayed there a number of days. During our stay a prophet named Grasshopper (Agabus) came to us from Land of Promise (Judea). ¹¹He took the sash from Small Man’s (Paul’s) waist and tied it around his own feet and hands.

“This is what the Holy Spirit is saying,” he prophesied. “‘The tribal leaders in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) will do the same to the owner of this sash. They will tie him up and turn him over to the People of Iron (Romans).’”60

¹²When we, along with the sacred family there, heard this, we all urged Small Man (Paul) not to go to Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

¹³“Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?” he said to them. “I am representing our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus). I am ready not only to be bound but even to die for him in Village of Peace (Jerusalem).”

¹⁴Nothing we could say would change his mind. “Let Creator’s will be done,” we said and then remained silent.

¹⁵We then prepared to leave on our journey to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ¹⁶Some of the sacred family members from Chief Village (Caesarea) traveled with us, along with a longtime follower named He Will Remember (Mnason), from Island of Flowers (Cyprus), in whose house we would stay. ¹⁷When we arrived at Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the sacred family welcomed us with glad hearts.

¹⁸The next day Small Man (Paul) went with us to meet with He Leads the Way (James) and the elders who were with him. ¹⁹After giving them a respectful greeting, he told them about all the things Creator had done as he had worked among the Outside Nations. ²⁰When they heard this, they gave praise to the Great Spirit.

“Our brother,” they said to him, “you can see how many thousands of our Tribal Members have become followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and how our tribal law given by Drawn from the Water (Moses) burns like a fire in them!”

But then their manner changed, and their voices lowered as they looked around and then back to Small Man (Paul).

²¹“They have heard that you are teaching our Tribal Members who live among the Outside Nations to turn away from Drawn from the Water (Moses). They have also heard that they should not perform the cutting of the flesh ceremony for their children or follow our tribal traditions. ²²What will happen when they find out you are here? What can be done?”

But it seemed that they already had made plans about what to do.

²³“Listen, and do what we say,” they said to him. “We have four men who have taken a solemn vow of dedication. ²⁴Go and join with them in this vow and provide for the shaving of their heads. In this way you will show everyone that these rumors are false and that you still walk in our traditional tribal law.61”

This was the Law of Dedication (Nazarite). The men and women who make this solemn vow to the Great Spirit must drink no wine, vinegar, or strong drink, and eat no grapes or the juice of grapes. Among other things, they also must not touch a dead person, or cut their hair or beard during all the days of this vow. The vow must be kept for at least thirty days. After the days of the vow are complete, they must shave their heads in a holy ceremony at the sacred lodge in Village of Peace (Jerusalem).

He Leads the Way (James) continued giving instructions to Small Man (Paul).

²⁵“As for the ones from the Outside Nations who have trusted in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), we sent them a message with our decision that they should stay away from things offered to evil spirits,62 from drinking blood, from the meat of a strangled animal, and from sexual impurity.”

²⁶So the next day Small Man (Paul) went with the men to the sacred lodge. He purified himself with them and told them the number of days before the vow would be complete and the sacrifice that would be offered for them.

²⁷Seven days later, when the time was complete, Small Man (Paul) returned to the sacred lodge. Some Tribal Members were there from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). When they saw him in the sacred lodge, they took hold of him and began to stir up the crowd against him.

²⁸“Fellow Tribal Members!” they shouted out to the crowd. “Help us! This is the man who teaches everywhere against our people, our tribal law, and this holy place! Even worse, he has brought Wisdom Seekers (Greeks) into the lodge and has defiled this holy place.”

²⁹They said this because they had seen He Eats Well (Trophimus) from Village of Desire (Ephesus) with Small Man (Paul) in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and thought he had brought him into the sacred lodge.

³⁰The village was in an uproar! A group of people came together, took hold of Small Man (Paul), dragged him outside the lodge, closed the gates behind him, and tried to kill him.

³¹A messenger went from them and told the local head soldier of the People of Iron (Romans) that there was an uprising in the Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ³²At once he took some soldiers and their officers with him and ran to where they were attacking Small Man (Paul). When the crowd saw the head soldier and his men, they stopped beating Small Man (Paul).

³³The head soldier arrested him and had him bound with two chains of iron. He then asked the crowd who this man was and what he had done. ³⁴Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another. Since the head soldier could not figure out what happened, he decided to take Small Man (Paul) back to the soldiers’ lodge. ³⁵The crowd became so violent that Small Man (Paul) had to be carried up the stairs.

³⁶“Take him away!” they shouted over and over again as they pressed close, following behind the soldiers.

³⁷Just before they got to the soldiers’ lodge, Small Man (Paul) turned to the head soldier.

“Is it permitted for me to speak to you?” he asked in the soldier’s language.

³⁸“You speak the language of the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks),” he replied. “Then you are not the man from Black Land (Egypt) who some time ago caused an uprising and took four thousand assassins out into the desert wilderness.”

³⁹“I am a Tribal Man of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel),” Small Man (Paul) answered, “from Tree Village (Tarsus) in the territory of Turns Over (Cilicia), a citizen of a well-known village.”

He now had the full attention of the head soldier, so he made a request.

“I beg you,” he said to the head soldier, “let me speak to my people!”

⁴⁰The head soldier gave him permission, so Small Man (Paul) stood on the steps overlooking the crowd and motioned his hand to the people. A great hush settled over them, so Small Man (Paul), speaking in the language of his own people, took a deep breath and with respect began to speak to them.

¹“My fellow Tribal Members, my fathers,” he said, “hear me now as I explain myself to you.”

²When the people heard him speak in their native language, they quieted down even more.

³“I am a fellow Tribal Man, born in Tree Village (Tarsus) in the territory of Turns Over (Cilicia), but I was raised in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and was taught at the feet of Creator Has Honored (Gamaliel). I learned to closely follow all of our traditional tribal laws, and a fire for the Great Spirit burned in my belly, just as it does in yours today.

⁴“I hunted down and even killed the followers of this Way. I put both men and women in iron chains and took them to prison. ⁵Our chief holy man and the whole council of elders are witnesses to the truth of what I say. I asked for and received written authority to give to the local Tribal Council in Silent Weaver (Damascus), with instructions to capture any followers of the Way and take them to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to be punished.

⁶“It was midday on the journey to Silent Weaver (Damascus). As I came near the village, suddenly a bright light from the spirit-world above was shining all around me. ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to me and twice calling out my name.

“‘Man Who Questions (Saul), Man Who Questions (Saul),’ the voice said, ‘why are you pursuing and mistreating me?’

⁸“‘Honored One,’ I asked, ‘who are you?’

“‘I am Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from Seed Planter Village (Nazareth),’ the voice answered, ‘the one you are pursuing and mistreating.’

⁹“The men who were traveling with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me.

¹⁰“‘Honored One,’ I asked, ‘what is it you want me to do?’

“‘Stand to your feet and go into the village,’ he said to me, ‘and there you will be told all that I want you to do.’

¹¹“Since I was still unable to see because of the bright light, the men with me led me by the hand to Silent Weaver (Damascus).

¹²“A man named Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias), who had deep respect for our tribal law and had a good reputation among our Tribal Members who lived there, ¹³came and stood beside me.

“‘Man Who Questions (Saul), my brother,’ he said to me, ‘look up and see again!’

“I looked up, and right then sight returned to my eyes!

¹⁴“Then he said to me, ‘The Great Spirit of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Upright One and hear his voice, spoken from his own mouth. ¹⁵You will tell all people the truth of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶What are you waiting for? Rise up and participate in the purification ceremony,63 washing you clean from your broken ways, as you call out to him, trusting in all that his name represents.’

¹⁷“Sometime later, after I had returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), I was in the sacred lodge sending my voice to the Great Spirit. I fell into a sacred vision ¹⁸and saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

“‘You must hurry and leave Village of Peace (Jerusalem) right away,’ he said to me, ‘for they will not believe what you tell them about me.’

¹⁹“‘Honored One,’ I said to him, ‘they know that I used to go from one gathering house to another, capturing and whipping the ones who trusted in you. ²⁰When the blood of Many Feathers (Stephen) your truth teller was being shed, they saw that I was standing in agreement and guarding their garments while they killed him.’

²¹“‘Go!’ he said to me. ‘I am sending you far away to the Outside Nations.’”

²²The Tribal Members listened to him, up until this last word.

“Away with this one!” they shouted, “He has no right to even live on this earth!”

²³The crowd was wailing out loud! They tore off their outer garments and threw dust into the air. ²⁴The head soldier ordered his men to take Small Man (Paul) back to their lodge with instructions to beat him with whips until he told them the reason the crowd was so angry with him.

²⁵But as they stretched him out and prepared to whip him, Small Man (Paul) turned to the head soldier standing there.

“Does your law permit you to whip a citizen of Village of Iron (Rome),” he asked, “without a fair trial?”

²⁶Hearing this, the head soldier reported to his head officer.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “This man is a citizen of the People of Iron (Romans).”

²⁷The head officer went to Small Man (Paul).

“Tell me,” he asked, “Are you a citizen of Village of Iron (Romans)?”

“Yes, I am,” Small Man (Paul) replied.

²⁸“I paid a high price to become a citizen,” the officer said to him.

“But I was born a citizen of Village of Iron (Rome),” Small Man (Paul) replied.

²⁹Right away the soldiers who were about to question him backed away. Fear came upon the head officer as he realized that he had bound a citizen of Village of Iron (Rome) in chains.

³⁰But the head officer wanted to know what Small Man (Paul) was being accused of by the Tribal Members, so, before releasing him, he instructed the head holy men and the Grand Council to meet. He then brought in Small Man (Paul) and stood him before them.

¹Small Man (Paul) looked deeply into the eyes of the members of the Grand Council.

“My fellow Tribal Members,” he said to the council, “All my life I have walked in a good way, with a pure heart before the Great Spirit.”

²Hearing this, Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) the chief holy man ordered the ones standing near Small Man (Paul) to strike his mouth.

³“Creator will strike you, you false-faced pretender!” Small Man (Paul) said back to him. “Do you sit there using our own tribal law to decide my fate, and then break the same law by ordering me struck?”

⁴The ones standing near him said, “How dare you speak in a disrespectful manner to Creator’s chief holy man?”

⁵“Fellow Tribal Members,” he replied, “I did not recognize that he was the chief holy man, for it is written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘You must not speak against a leader of your people.’64”

⁶Small Man (Paul), knowing that both the Upright Ones (Sadducees) and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) sat on the Grand Council, said to them, “My fellow Tribal Members, I am a Separated One (Pharisee). It is because of my hope that the dead will rise to life again that I am on trial here today.”

⁷When he said this, an argument broke out between the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the Upright Ones (Sadducees). This created a division in the council, ⁸for the Upright Ones (Sadducees) say the dead will not rise and that there are no spirits or spirit-messengers, but the Separated Ones (Pharisees) believe in them all.

⁹The arguments grew louder and louder. Then some scroll keepers who were among the Separated Ones (Pharisees) stood up and voiced their argument forcefully.

“We find no reason to condemn this man,” they cried out. “It could be that a spirit or spirit-messenger has spoken to him!”

¹⁰The division broke out into violence. The head officer, afraid that Small Man (Paul) would be torn apart by them, ordered his soldiers to take him by force and bring him back to their lodge.

¹¹That night Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came and stood near him in a sacred vision.

“Be strong of heart,” he said to him, “for in the same manner you have represented me in Village of Peace (Jerusalem), you must also represent me in Village of Iron (Rome).”

¹²Early the next day, some of the Tribal Members schemed together against Small Man (Paul). They bound themselves in a solemn promise that they would not eat or drink until they had killed him. ¹³There were more than forty men who bound themselves to each other in this twisted plan.

¹⁴They went to the head holy men and elders and said to them, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn promise to neither eat nor drink until we have killed Small Man (Paul). ¹⁵So we want you and the council to ask the head officer to bring him to you. Tell him that you plan to ask Small Man (Paul) some more questions. We will then be ready to ambush him on the way and kill him.”

¹⁶But when Small Man’s (Paul’s) nephew heard about the ambush, he snuck into the place where Small Man (Paul) was being held and warned him.

¹⁷Small Man (Paul) then called out to one of the head soldiers, “This young man has something important to report, so take him to your head officer.”

¹⁸Hearing this, the head soldier took him to the head officer, and said, “The prisoner Small Man (Paul) asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something important to tell you.”

¹⁹So the head officer took the young man aside, and asked, “What is it you want to report to me?”

²⁰“Some Tribal Members from the council have agreed to ask you to bring Small Man (Paul) before them, as if they want to question him some more,” he told the head officer. ²¹“But do not let them fool you, for there are more than forty men waiting to ambush him on the way. They have bound themselves by a solemn promise to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. They are ready now and waiting for you to agree to bring him.”

²²The head officer told the young man to say nothing, sent him away, ²³and then called two head soldiers to himself.

“I want you to be ready by the third hour of the night,” he instructed them. “Gather seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen and take them as far as Chief Village (Caesarea).”

²⁴The head officer also provided a horse and horsemen for Small Man (Paul), to bring him safely to Happy Man (Felix), the governor for the People of Iron (Romans).

²⁵Then he wrote a letter for them to give to the governor:

²⁶“Greetings from Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) to the most noble Happy Man (Felix), governor representing the People of Iron (Romans).

²⁷“This man, who has been brought before you, was taken captive by the Tribal People, who were about to kill him. But when I learned that he was also a citizen of the People of Iron (Romans), I had my soldiers rescue him. ²⁸To find out what he was accused of, I took him before their Grand Council. ²⁹I learned that he was being accused of matters relating to their own tribal laws, but nothing deserving death or imprisonment. ³⁰When I was told of a plot against this man, I had him sent to you at once, and told his accusers to bring their accusations to you.”

³¹So the soldiers, following their instructions, took Small Man (Paul) by night to First Ancestor Village (Antipatris). ³²The next day the soldiers let the horsemen take him further, while they returned to their lodge. ³³When the horsemen came to Chief Village (Caesarea), they gave the letter to the governor and turned Small Man (Paul) over to him. ³⁴After reading the letter, the governor asked which territory he was from. Learning that Small Man (Paul) was from Turns Over (Cilicia), he agreed to hear his case.

³⁵“I will make my decision,” he said to Small Man (Paul), “after your accusers arrive.”

He then ordered that Small Man (Paul) should be kept under guard in their lodge, which used to be the lodge of Looks Brave (Herod), the bad-hearted chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

¹Five days later Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) the chief holy man, along with some of the elders and a legal expert named Third (Tertullus), came before Happy Man (Felix), and with many words they brought to him their accusations against Small Man (Paul). ²When they brought Small Man (Paul) before them, the legal expert began to accuse him.

“O Most Honored Happy Man (Felix),” he began his speech, “our hearts are glad that under your guidance we have had many winters of peace. Because of your wisdom, many good changes have come to the people, ³changes that we fully welcome with glad and open hearts. ⁴So we beg you, in your kindness, to hear our short complaint.

⁵“We have found this man to be a troublemaker who, all over the world, stirs up our Tribal People in a bad way. He is a headman of the wayward band called Seed Planters (Nazarenes). ⁶When he tried to defile our sacred lodge, we arrested him65and would have judged him by our own tribal law. ⁷But the head officer Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) came and forcefully took him out of our hands. He then ordered his accusers to come to you. ⁸When you question him for yourself, you will learn from him that we speak the truth.”

⁹The Tribal Members who were there also joined in the accusations, saying it was all true.

¹⁰The governor then motioned for Small Man (Paul) to speak.

“I know that for many winters you have been a judge over this nation,” Small Man (Paul) said. “My heart is glad that I can clear the air regarding these things. ¹¹As you will find out from others, it has not been more than twelve days since I went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) to offer my prayers and participate in traditional ceremonies at the sacred lodge.

¹²“No one there found me making trouble or stirring up a crowd. Not at the sacred lodge, the gathering house, or in the village. ¹³No one here can prove the accusations they now bring against me.

¹⁴“I speak from my heart. I am only guilty of following the Way, which they say is false. But this is the way I follow the Great Spirit of my ancestors. This Way is in agreement with the law of my people and what has been foretold by our prophets. ¹⁵This gives me the same hope in Creator that my accusers have. That all who have died, both those who do good and those who do bad, will rise to life again. ¹⁶Knowing this, my aim is to walk with a clear heart toward the Great Spirit and my fellow human beings.

¹⁷“After being away for a number of winters, I returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). I brought gifts for the poor of my nation, as well as ceremonial offerings. ¹⁸When they found me, I was in the sacred lodge participating in a ceremony. There was no crowd or disturbance. ¹⁹Some Tribal Members from Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) were there at that time. If they have any accusation against me, they are the ones who should make it.

²⁰“Let these men who are here tell you what I did wrong when I stood before the council. ²¹The only thing they can say against me is what I said to them: ‘I am on trial today because I believe in the rising of the dead!’”

²²But Happy Man (Felix), who knew more about the Way, delayed his decision.

“I will make my decision,” he said, “when Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) arrives.”

²³He then ordered the head soldier to keep Small Man (Paul) under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to care for his needs.

²⁴A number of days later Happy Man (Felix) returned with Tender Woman (Drusilla), his wife, who was a member of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). He had Small Man (Paul) brought to him, and he and his wife listened to him tell about his trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One. ²⁵They talked back and forth about Creator’s right ways, about self-control, and about the judgment that was to come. But Happy Man (Felix) became afraid.

“Leave me for now,” he said. “I will send for you when I have more time to talk.”

²⁶He was hoping that Small Man (Paul) would offer him a bribe, so from time to time he would send for him and talk with him, but Small Man (Paul) remained under guard. ²⁷Two winters later Happy Man (Felix) was replaced as governor by Pig Festival (Porcius Festus). Then to gain favor with the Tribal Members, he left Small Man (Paul) in prison.

¹Three days after Festival (Festus) arrived, he went from Chief Village (Caesarea) to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ²So the head holy men and other tribal leaders wasted no time and brought to him their accusations against Small Man (Paul). They begged him, ³as a favor to their nation, to have Small Man (Paul) returned to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). They were hatching a plot to have him killed along the way.

⁴“Small Man (Paul) is being guarded in Chief Village (Caesarea),” Festival (Festus) said to them, “and I am returning there soon. ⁵Have your tribal leaders travel with me. If this man has done wrong, I will hear your accusations against him there.”

⁶So after eight or ten more days he left for Chief Village (Caesarea). The next day he sat down in his council chair, where he would decide this case, and ordered Small Man (Paul) to be brought before him. ⁷As soon as he arrived, the Tribal Members who had come from Village of Peace (Jerusalem) circled around him and began to make accusations against him that they could not prove.

⁸Small Man (Paul) stood up and said, “I have not spoken against our tribal law, our sacred lodge, or against the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).”

⁹But then Festival (Festus), wishing to gain the favor of the tribal leaders, responded to Small Man (Paul) and asked, “Do you wish to stand trial before me in Village of Peace (Jerusalem)?”

Small Man (Paul) could see right through him.

¹⁰“I am making my stand here, before you, at the council chair of the People of Iron (Romans). This is where the decision about me should be made. By now, it should be clear to you that I have done nothing wrong against my own people.”

Small Man (Paul) paused to draw strength from deep within. He made up his mind to do what was right and follow the path Creator had set before him.

¹¹“If I have done anything to deserve death,” he continued, “I will not try to escape. But if their accusations are false, you have no power to turn me over to them. I appeal to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).”

¹²Festival (Festus), after speaking to his council, said to him, “You have made your appeal to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), and to him you will go.”

Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) was a Tribal Member who ruled over some of the territory near Circle of Nations (Galilee) under the power of the People of Iron (Romans). He was the son of Looks Brave (Herod) also named Wild Horse (Agrippa) and the great grandson of Looks Brave (Herod) called the Great.

¹³A number of days later Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa), along with his sister Bringer of Victory (Bernice), came to pay their respects to the new governor Festival (Festus). ¹⁴Since they were lodging with him for a number of days, he explained to the chief about the accusations made against Small Man (Paul) by the tribal leaders.

“There is a man here who was left by Happy Man (Felix) as a prisoner. ¹⁵When I went to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), the head holy men and the tribal elders told me about him. They wanted me to find him guilty. ¹⁶I informed them that the laws of the People of Iron (Romans) would not permit me to hand over anyone until they could stand face to face with their accusers and make a defense for themselves.

¹⁷“So when they came here, I wasted no time. The next day I sat as head of the council and sent for him to stand trial. ¹⁸I expected to hear from his accusers about some great evil, ¹⁹but instead their accusations were about their own spiritual ways and about a man named Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who was dead but who Small Man (Paul) said was alive.

²⁰“Since I knew nothing about these things, I asked if he wished to go to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and face his accusers there. ²¹But he appealed his case to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar) and to be kept under guard until I could send him to our Ruler for his decision.”

²²Wild Horse (Agrippa) then said to Festival (Festus), “I would like to hear from this man for myself.”

“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festival (Festus) replied.

²³The next day Wild Horse (Agrippa) and Bringer of Victory (Bernice), making a big show of it, came into the council room along with the head officers and leaders of the village. Festival (Festus) gave the order, and Small Man (Paul) was brought in.

²⁴“Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) and all who are here,” the governor said, “standing before you is the man whom the whole tribal nation has asked me to condemn to death. ²⁵But I have not found him guilty of anything deserving death. Since he has appealed to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), I will send him to Village of Iron (Rome).

²⁶“But, since I am not sure what message to send to my Ruler about him, I have decided to bring him to you all, and above all to you, Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa), so you can give me counsel in this matter. ²⁷For it seems unwise to me to send a prisoner there without a clear report of the accusations made against him.”

¹Then Wild Horse (Agrippa) said to Small Man (Paul), “You are permitted to speak and tell your side of this story.”

So Small Man (Paul) stretched out his hand and began to tell his side of the story.

²“Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa),” he began, “Since my accusers are all Tribal Members, like yourself, it seems good to me that I can defend myself before you today, ³mainly because you know so well how we disagree about many of our tribal traditions. So I humbly ask that you listen to me with patience.

⁴“All of our Tribal People know the manner I have walked, even from the days of my youth, when I lived among our people in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). ⁵They have known from the first, if they will admit to it, that I walked in the way of a Separated One (Pharisee), the most demanding of all our spiritual paths.

⁶“The reason I stand here on trial before you today is my hope in the promise made by the Great Spirit to our ancestors. ⁷It is a promise our twelve tribes solemnly strive for as they serve him night and day with prayers and ceremonies. It is for this hope, O honored chief, that I stand here accused by our tribal leaders! ⁸Why would any of our people find it impossible to believe that the Great Spirit raises the dead?

⁹“At first, I myself was convinced that I should do as much harm as I could to destroy the reputation of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) of Seed Planter Village (Nazareth). ¹⁰In Village of Peace (Jerusalem), I obtained permission from the head holy men to capture and put many of Creator’s holy ones into prison. Not only that, but I voted against them when they were being killed. ¹¹In all our gathering houses I violently punished them, trying to force them to speak against Creator Sets Free (Jesus). Like a threatening storm I took out my anger on them, even pursuing them to faraway places.

¹²“On one of these journeys I was on my way to Silent Weaver (Damascus) with the full approval and authority of the head holy men. ¹³Then at midday, O honored chief, I saw a light from the spirit-world above shining down on me and my fellow travelers. ¹⁴We all had fallen to the ground when I heard a voice speaking to me in our tribal language.

“‘Man Who Questions (Saul), Man Who Questions (Saul),’ the voice called my name twice, and asked, ‘why are you pursuing and mistreating me? It is a hard and painful thing to fight against me, like a horse pushing back against the spurs.’

¹⁵“‘Honored One,’ I said back to the voice, ‘who are you?’

“‘I am Creator Sets Free (Jesus),’ the voice answered, ‘the one you are pursuing and mistreating. ¹⁶Now rise up! Stand to your feet! I have chosen you to be my servant, a witness who will tell others what you have seen with your own eyes and what I will reveal to you.

¹⁷“‘I will rescue you from your own people and from the Outside Nations, the ones to whom I am sending you. ¹⁸My message will open their eyes so they may turn from the path of darkness to walk the road of life, and turn away from the power of the Accuser (Satan) to the power of the Great Spirit, so they may be released and set free from their bad hearts and wrongdoings. In this way, they will find their place among all who are made holy by trusting in me.’

¹⁹“So then, Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa), I was true to this sacred vision. ²⁰First I told those in Silent Weaver (Damascus). Then I told the people in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and all in the territory of the Land of Promise (Judea), and to the Outside Nations. I told them all that they should change their thinking, return to Creator’s ways, and walk in a manner worthy of this change of heart.

²¹“This was the reason that these Tribal Members took hold of me at the sacred lodge and tried to kill me. ²²Up to this day, with the help of the Great Spirit, I have told the truth to both small and great. I have said only what was foretold by the ancient prophets and by Drawn from the Water (Moses). ²³I said that the Chosen One must suffer, and then, being the first to rise from the dead, he would be the light bearer, shining both on our people and on the Outside Nations.”

²⁴Right then, as Small Man (Paul) was still speaking, Festival (Festus) interrupted. “Small Man (Paul),” he shouted, “you are sick in the head! Your much learning is twisting your mind!”

²⁵“O most noble Festival (Festus),” Small Man (Paul) replied, “what I am saying is clear and understandable. ²⁶Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) understands these things, so I am speaking boldly to him and holding nothing back. I am convinced that he is aware of all that I speak of, for none of these things happened in a cave.”

Small Man (Paul) then turned and faced Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa).

²⁷“Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa),” he boldly asked, “do you believe in what the prophets have spoken? I know that you do!”

²⁸“Do you think that in such a short time I could be talked into becoming a follower of the Chosen One?” he replied.

²⁹“I pray to the Great Spirit that, whether in a short time or long, all who hear me today would become as I am—except for these chains.”

³⁰After hearing these words Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) stood to his feet. The governor and Bringer of Victory (Bernice) and all the others stood up with him.

³¹They left the room, and after talking together they said, “This man has done nothing that deserves prison or death.”

³²Then Chief Wild Horse (Agrippa) said to the governor, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).”

¹They decided to send Small Man (Paul) by a great canoe to Land of Young Bulls (Italy).

Village of Iron (Rome) was the head village of the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar) in the territory of Land of Young Bulls (Italy).

So Small Man (Paul), along with some other prisoners, was turned over to a head soldier of the Royal Guard, named Soft Haired Man (Julius). ²At Harbor of Death (Adramyttium) we climbed aboard a canoe that was going our way, making stops at harbors along the shoreline of Land of the Rising Sun (Asia). So we launched out into the great waters. A man named Good Chief (Aristarchus) from False Victory (Thessalonica), in the territory of the Land of Tall People (Macedonia), also journeyed with us.

³On the following day we came ashore at Hunting Grounds (Sidon). There Soft Haired Man (Julius) was kind to Small Man (Paul) and permitted him to go to his friends so they could care for him.

⁴From there we launched out again into the great waters but remained close to the shoreline of the Island of Flowers (Cyprus), for the winds were strong against us. ⁵From there we crossed the open waters near Turns Over (Cilicia) and Many Tribes (Pamphylia), and then came to land at Weeping Waters (Myra) in the territory of Land of Wolves (Lycia).

⁶At Weeping Waters (Myra) the head soldier found a great wooden sea canoe on its way from Man Fighter (Alexandria) to Land of Young Bulls (Italy) that would give us passage, so we climbed aboard. ⁷For a number of days we traveled along slowly until with difficulty we came near Old Village (Cnidus). The wind was against us and began to force us off course, so we remained close to the shoreline of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) near Village of Garments (Salmone). ⁸From there we struggled along the shoreline until we came to a place called Good Harbor, near Shaggy Village (Lasea).

⁹The journey was no longer safe. Too much time had passed, for the Festival of Release from Wrongdoings66 had already passed. So Small Man (Paul) gave them his advice.

¹⁰“Fellow travelers,” he said to them, “I can see that this journey ahead of us will end in injury and loss, not only of the canoe and its goods, but also of our lives.”

¹¹But the head soldier was more convinced by the headman of the canoe than by the words of Small Man (Paul). ¹²And because the harbor was not a good place to stay the winter, a greater number of people decided it was best to launch out into the great waters and try to reach Palm Tree (Phoenix). This was a harbor on the shore of Flesh Eater Island (Crete), facing both to the southwest and to the northwest.

¹³But then, when a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they could reach their journey’s end. So they prepared their canoe and launched out into the great waters again. They stayed close to the shoreline of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) for safety, ¹⁴but it was not long before a violent wind roared down from the island—a wind they call the Northeaster.

¹⁵The canoe was caught in the wind, and when we could make no headway against it, we gave up trying and let it force us along. ¹⁶Then, when we came under some cliffs, we were finally able to get the canoe under control. ¹⁷We roped the life raft we were towing behind us to the side of the canoe, and then tied the ropes around the canoe to hold it together. Then, fearing we would be caught in the shallow sandbars, we lowered our anchor rock and let the canoe be dragged along by the fierce winds.

¹⁸But the next day, after being pounded by the storm, they began to throw the goods overboard. ¹⁹Then, on the third day, with their bare hands they threw the benches and whatever else they could find into the water. ²⁰For many days the storm continued to rage, the sun did not shine, nor could the stars be seen at night. All hope of being rescued was gone.

²¹After they had gone for many days without food, Small Man (Paul) stood up among them.

“Fellow travelers,” he said to them, “if you would have listened to me and not set out from Flesh Eater Island (Crete), you would not have suffered this injury and loss. ²²But I say to you now, do not lose your courage. For even though our canoe will be lost, not one of us will lose our lives. ²³Last night a spirit-messenger from the Great Spirit, the one I belong to and serve, stood by my side.

²⁴“‘Do not fear,’ he said to me, ‘for you must stand before the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar). Behold! The Giver of Life has gifted you with the lives of all who journey with you!’”

The men just stared at Small Man (Paul) with wondering eyes and said nothing. So he once again spoke courage into their hearts.

²⁵“Be strong of heart,” Small Man (Paul) said to them, “for I have faith that the Great Spirit will do everything he told me. ²⁶But we will have to find an island to land on.”

²⁷It had now been fourteen nights that we had been driven about by the wind and waves of the Sea with No Wood (Adriatic Sea). In the middle of the night, the men who guided the canoe could feel that we were near land. ²⁸They began to test the depth of the water and found it was as deep as a tall tree.67 Then a short distance later they tested it again and found that it was not as deep.68

²⁹Since they knew the shoreline was rocky, they were afraid we might run into a large rock under the water, so they dropped four anchor rocks from the back of the canoe and prayed for the sun to rise.

³⁰But then, some of the men, trying to escape, untied the life raft and lowered it into the water, pretending they were putting out more anchor rocks.

Small Man (Paul) saw what they were doing and went to the head soldier.

³¹“If these men leave the canoe,” he said to him and the other soldiers, “you will not be saved and all will be lost.”

³²So the soldiers cut the leather straps from the life raft and let it drift away.

³³Just before the sun began to rise, Small Man (Paul) urged everyone to eat something.

“For fourteen days now you have been constantly worrying and have not eaten any food,” he said to them. ³⁴“Please eat something now. You will need it to survive. Do not fear! No one will die or be harmed. Not even one hair from your heads will be lost.”

³⁵After he said this, he took a piece of frybread and, giving thanks to the Great Spirit in front of them all, he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶This gave the men courage, so they also began to eat.

³⁷All in all there were two hundred seventy-six persons in this great wooden canoe. ³⁸When they finished eating, they tossed the rest of the grain over the side to lighten the canoe.

³⁹When daylight came, they did not recognize the shoreline, but they could see a bay with a beach. They decided to try to run the canoe up into the sandy beach, if possible. ⁴⁰So they cut the ropes to the anchor rocks and left them in the water. At the same time they untied the ropes holding the rudders in place. Then they set the men to the paddles, and they paddled with all their might69 heading toward the beach.

⁴¹But on the way the canoe struck a sandbar and stayed there, stuck in the sand. The front of the canoe began to break from the force of the waves. ⁴²The soldiers made a plan to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming away. ⁴³But the head soldier, wanting to spare the life of Small Man (Paul), stopped them. He ordered the ones who could swim to jump overboard and swim to land. ⁴⁴The rest he sent floating on wooden poles and pieces of the canoe. In this way all who were aboard made it safely to the land.

¹After everyone was safe on the shore, we found out that this land was called Island of Honey (Malta). ²The indigenous people there showed great kindness to us. It was raining and cold, so they built us a warm fire and welcomed us all.

³Small Man (Paul) gathered a bundle of sticks and threw them on the fire, but the heat forced out a poisonous snake that bit into his hand and would not let go.

⁴When the local natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said, “This man must be a murderer. Even though he escaped from the great waters, the spirit who rights wrongs will not let him live.”

⁵Then Small Man (Paul) shook the snake from his hand into the fire, and nothing bad happened to him. ⁶The local people were sure that he would swell up or fall down dead. They waited a long time, but when they saw that nothing bad had come to him, they changed their minds and said he must be a powerful spirit.

⁷There was a piece of land belonging to From the People (Publius), the chief of the island. He welcomed us into his home for three days and took care of all our needs. ⁸At that time the father of From the People (Publius) was sick in bed with a high fever and a bloody stool. Small Man (Paul) went to see him and, after praying, laid his hands on the man and healed him.

⁹After that, the rest of the island natives who were sick came to Small Man (Paul), and they were also healed. ¹⁰The people honored us with many gifts, and when we were leaving, they loaded our canoe with all that we needed.

¹¹Three months later we again launched out into the great waters in another very large wooden canoe. This canoe was made by the people from Man Fighter (Alexandria). The front of the canoe was carved into the images of two powerful lookalike spirits, Bright Star (Castor) and Much Sweet (Pollux).

¹²We came to land at Smelly Swamp (Syracuse) and lodged there for three days. ¹³From there we launched out and came to Royal Place (Rhegium). The next day, with the help of a south wind, we arrived at Deep Water Hole (Puteoli). ¹⁴It was there that we found some sacred family members, who welcomed us to stay with them for seven days.

After that we left again toward Village of Iron (Rome). ¹⁵The sacred family members who lived there, when they heard we were coming, came to greet us from as far away as the Great Trading Post (Appius Market) and the Three Lodging Houses along the Great Trail (Appian Way). When Small Man (Paul) saw them, he gave thanks to the Great Spirit, and his heart was strengthened. ¹⁶Then, upon our arrival to Village of Iron (Rome), Small Man (Paul) was permitted to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.

¹⁷Three days later Small Man (Paul) asked to meet with the local tribal leaders. When they had gathered together, he told them the story of what had happened to him.

He stood there in chains under the guard of a soldier of the People of Iron (Romans). Yet he spoke with dignity as he faced the leaders of his own people.

“Fellow Tribal Members,” he said to them, “I have done nothing against our people or the traditions of our ancestors, but even so I was arrested in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) and handed over to the People of Iron (Romans). ¹⁸They questioned me and were about to release me, since I had done nothing deserving death. ¹⁹But when our tribal leaders refused to agree, I had no choice but to appeal to the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar), not that I have any accusation to bring against my own people.

²⁰“It is for this very reason that I have asked to see and speak with you, for I wear these chains because I have the same hope held by all the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).”

Small Man (Paul) then stopped speaking, looked calmly into their faces, and waited for them to reply.

²¹“No one from the Land of Promise (Judea) has come with a bad report,” they said to him, “nor have we received any written message about you from them. ²²But we want to hear how you see this new Way that some are following. We know that people everywhere speak against this Way.”

²³They made plans to meet again with Small Man (Paul) on another day. When that day came, they arrived in large numbers at the place where he was lodging. From sunrise to sunset, using the law of Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the teachings of the prophets, he spoke many words to clearly show them the truth about Creator’s good road and about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

²⁴Some were convinced by his words, but others refused to believe. ²⁵So they disagreed with each other and began to leave after Small Man (Paul) said these last words to them, “The Holy Spirit was right when he spoke these words through the prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah):

²⁶“‘Go and tell this people, “You will hear but not understand, you will see but not know what you are seeing, ²⁷because the heart of this people has become like stone. Their ears have grown dull and they have closed their eyes. If only they would open their ears and eyes, then their hearts would understand, and they would return to me and be healed.70”’”

A look of sorrow came over the face of Small Man (Paul) as he watched his own people turn and walk away.

²⁸“So let it be known to you,” he said to them, “that this message about the Great Spirit’s plan to rescue and make whole has been sent to the Outside Nations. And they will listen!”

²⁹Hearing this, the Tribal Members argued fiercely with one another as they walked away.71

³⁰Small Man (Paul) continued to live in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to him. ³¹With great boldness he spoke openly about Creator’s good road and kept teaching others about our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One.

Aho! May it be so!