"Parthiansand Medesand Elamites,and residentsof Mesopotamia,Judeaand Cappadocia,Pontusand Asia,
The sonsof Shem[were] Elamand Asshurand Arpachshadand Ludand Aram.
And it cameabout in the daysof Amraphelkingof Shinar,Ariochkingof Ellasar,Chedorlaomerkingof Elam,and Tidalkingof Goiim,
Then the servanttooktencamelsfrom the camelsof his master,and setout with a varietyof goodthingsof his master'sin his hand;and he aroseand wentto Mesopotamia,to the cityof Nahor.
In the ninthyearof Hoshea,the kingof AssyriacapturedSamariaand carriedIsraelawayinto exileto Assyria,and settledthem in Halahand Habor,[on] the riverof Gozan,and in the citiesof the Medes.
When the sonsof Ammonsawthat they had madethemselves odiousto David,Hanunand the sonsof Ammonsent1000talentsof silverto hirefor themselves chariotsand horsemenfrom Mesopotamia,from Aram-maacahand from Zobah.
In Ecbatanain the fortress,whichis in the provinceof Media,a scrollwas foundand there was writtenin it as follows:"Memorandum--
Then it will happenon that daythat the LordWill againrecoverthe secondtimewith His handThe remnantof His people,whowill remain,From Assyria,Egypt,Pathros,Cush,Elam,Shinar,Hamath,And from the islandsof the sea.
A harshvisionhas been shownto me; The treacherousone [still] dealstreacherously,and the destroyer[still] destroys.Goup, Elam,laysiege,Media;I have madean endof allthe groaningshe has caused.
"'PERES--your kingdomhas beendividedand givenover to the Medesand Persians."
I lookedin the vision,and while I was lookingI was in the citadelof Susa,whichis in the provinceof Elam;and I lookedin the visionand I myselfwas besidethe UlaiCanal.
"The ramwhichyou sawwith the two hornsrepresents the kingsof Mediaand Persia.
They passed throughthe Phrygianand Galatianregion,having been forbiddenby the HolySpiritto speakthe wordin Asia;
And he founda JewnamedAquila,a nativeof Pontus,having recentlycomefrom Italywith his wifePriscilla,becauseClaudiushad commandedallthe Jewsto leaveRome.He cameto them,
Thistook placefor twoyears,sothat allwho livedin Asiaheardthe wordof the Lord,bothJewsand Greeks.
"Not onlyis there dangerthat thistradeof oursfallinto disrepute,but alsothat the templeof the greatgoddessArtemisbe regardedas worthlessand that she whomallof Asiaand the worldworshipwill evenbe dethronedfrom her magnificence."
Alsosomeof the Asiarchswho were friendsof his sentto him and repeatedly urgedhim not to ventureinto the theater.
"And howis it that we eachhear[them] in our ownlanguageto whichwe were born?
For Paulhad decidedto sail pastEphesussothat he wouldnot have to spend timein Asia;for he was hurryingto be in Jerusalem,ifpossible,on the dayof Pentecost.
And whenthey had cometo him, he saidto them, "You yourselvesknow,from the firstdaythat I set footin Asia,howI was with you the wholetime,
And he was accompaniedby Sopaterof Berea,[the son] of Pyrrhus,and by Aristarchusand Secundusof the Thessalonians,and Gaiusof Derbe,and Timothy,and Tychicusand Trophimusof Asia.
Whenthe sevendayswere almostover,the Jewsfrom Asia,upon seeinghim in the temple,[began] to stirup allthe crowdand laidhandson him,
in whichthey foundme [occupied] in the temple,having been purified,without[any] crowdoruproar.But [there were] someJewsfrom Asia--
And embarkingin an Adramyttianship,which was aboutto sailto the regionsalong the coastof Asia,we put out to seaaccompaniedby Aristarchus,a Macedonianof Thessalonica.
But some menfrom what was calledthe Synagogueof the Freedmen,[including] bothCyreniansand Alexandrians,and somefrom Ciliciaand Asia,roseup and arguedwith Stephen.
And he said,"Hearme, brethrenand fathers!The Godof gloryappearedto our fatherAbrahamwhen he was in Mesopotamia,beforehe livedin Haran,
also[greet] the churchthat is in their house.GreetEpaenetus,my beloved,whois the first convertto Christfrom Asia.
The churchesof Asiagreetyou. Aquilaand Priscagreetyou heartilyin the Lord,with the churchthat is in their house.
For we do not wantyou to be unaware,brethren,of our afflictionwhich came[to us] in Asia,that we were burdenedexcessively,beyondour strength,sothat we despairedevenof life;
becausethey did not meetyou with foodand wateron the waywhen you cameout of Egypt,and becausethey hiredagainstyou Balaamthe sonof Beorfrom Pethorof Mesopotamia,to curseyou.
You are awareof the factthat allwho are in Asiaturned awayfrom me, among whomare Phygelusand Hermogenes.
Peter,an apostleof JesusChrist,To those who reside as aliens,scattered throughoutPontus,Galatia,Cappadocia,Asia,and Bithynia,who are chosen
saying,"Writein a bookwhatyou see,and send[it] to the sevenchurches:to Ephesusand to Smyrnaand to Pergamumand to Thyatiraand to Sardisand to Philadelphiaand to Laodicea."
Johnto the sevenchurchesthat are in Asia:Graceto you and peace,from Him who is and who was and who is to come,and from the sevenSpiritswhoare beforeHis throne,
Then the angerof the LORDwas kindledagainst Israel,so that He soldthem into the handsof Cushan-rishathaimkingof Mesopotamia;and the sonsof IsraelservedCushan-rishathaimeightyears.
