Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
Parallel translations
- WEB The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent;
- BSB One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
- NKJV Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;
- NASB And the Lord said to Paul by a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent;
- NLT One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Lord appeared to Paul in a vision, urging him not to fear but to keep speaking boldly.
Overview
Facing opposition and likely weariness, Paul received a personal word of assurance from the risen Christ. The command not to be silent shows that even apostles needed encouragement to persevere. Christ's nearness to His servant in a hostile city displays His faithful care for those who proclaim His name.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Acts 23:11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
- Eph 6:19–20And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
- Ezek 2:6–8And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
- Acts 27:23–25For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
- Acts 16:9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
- Jer 1:17Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
- 2 Cor 12:1–3It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
- Mic 3:8But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
- Ezek 3:9–11As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
- 1 Th 2:2But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.
- Jonah 3:2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
- Isa 58:1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
- Acts 22:18And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 18:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.