But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ¹  and when the commanding officer ²  was unable ³  to find out the truth ⁴  because of the disturbance, ⁵  he ordered Paul ⁶  to be brought into the barracks. ⁷ 

Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ¹  has already chosen ²  you to know his will, to see ³  the Righteous One, ⁴  and to hear a command ⁵  from his mouth,

For we have found ¹  this man to be a troublemaker, ²  one who stirs up riots ³  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ⁴  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁵ 

When the local people ¹  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ²  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ³  has not allowed him to live!” ⁴ 

and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women ¹  and were inflamed in their passions ²  for one another. Men ³  committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart ¹  by the Spirit ²  and not by the written code. ³  This person’s ⁴  praise is not from people but from God.

This was ¹  also to demonstrate ²  his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just ³  and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness. ⁴ 

Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type ¹  of the coming one) transgressed. ² 

Do you not know that if you present yourselves ¹  as obedient slaves, ²  you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? ³ 

So, my brothers and sisters, ¹  you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. ² 

just as it is written, “Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, ¹  yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ² 

But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, ¹  that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds.

Nevertheless, ¹  as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches.

With regard to the question about people who have never married, ¹  I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy.

For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them ¹  to sin.

Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest.

To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) ¹  to gain those under the law.

To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law.