1367 verses about Persecution

They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

Devout men buried Stephen, and lamented greatly over him.

But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison.

Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.

In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” Isaiah 53:7,8

But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem.

Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

All who heard him were amazed, and said, “Isn’t this he who in Jerusalem made havoc of those who called on this name? And he had come here intending to bring them bound before the chief priests!”

When many days were fulfilled, the Jews conspired together to kill him,

but their plot became known to Saul. They watched the gates both day and night that they might kill him,

but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

preaching boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him.

When the brothers knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him,

They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.

Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.

When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.

The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.

When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed.

But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James, and to the brothers.” Then he departed, and went to another place.

Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.

But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders.

But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.

But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers.

But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,

they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.

But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.

When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.

men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.

But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city,

and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”

The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely,

who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.”

But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!”

and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.

They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace, and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people.

When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!”

The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things.

When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.

But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.

Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them,

When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,

saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

Then all the Greeks laid hold on Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.

But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.

The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater.

They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defense to the people.

But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning today’s riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn’t be able to give an account of this commotion.”

When he had spent three months there, and a plot was made against him by Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.

serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears, and with trials which happened to me by the plots of the Jews;

except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.

Coming to us, and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs.

When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him,

crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!”

For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

All the city was moved, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.

As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done.

Some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd. When he couldn’t find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.

When he came to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;

for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, “May I speak to you?” He said, “Do you know Greek?

Aren’t you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”

But Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”

When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.