Paul Sails from Miletus

21 Now when ^(A)we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran ^(B)a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; ² and having found a ship crossing over to ^(C)Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we came in sight of ^(D)Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to ^(E)Syria and landed at ^(F)Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there. ⁴ After looking up ^(G)the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, ^[a](H)through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem. ⁵ When ^[b]our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, ^(I)escorted us until we were out of the city. After ^(J)kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. ⁶ Then we boarded the ship, and they returned ^(K)home.

⁷ When we had finished the voyage from ^(L)Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting ^(M)the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day. ⁸ On the next day we left and came to ^(N)Caesarea, and we entered the house of ^(O)Philip the ^(P)evangelist, who was ^(Q)one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ Now this man had four virgin daughters who were ^(R)prophetesses. ¹⁰ As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named ^(S)Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And he came to us and ^(T)took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This ^(U)is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will ^(V)bind the man who owns this belt and ^(W)hand him over to the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him ^(X)not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For ^(Y)I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for ^(Z)the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “^(AA)The will of the Lord be done!”

Paul in Jerusalem

¹⁵ After these days we got ready and ^(AB)started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of ^(AC)the disciples from ^(AD)Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of ^(AE)Cyprus, a ^(AF)disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

¹⁷ After we arrived in Jerusalem, ^(AG)the brothers and sisters received us gladly. ¹⁸ And the following day Paul went in with us to ^[c](AH)James, and all ^(AI)the elders were present. ¹⁹ After he had greeted them, he ^(AJ)began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ^(AK)ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard about them, they began ^(AL)glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many ^[d]thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all ^(AM)zealous for the Law; ²¹ and they have been told about you, that you are ^(AN)teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them ^(AO)not to circumcise their children nor to ^[e]walk according to ^(AP)the customs. ²² So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore, do ^[f]as we tell you: we have four men who ^(AQ)have a ^[g]vow upon themselves; ²⁴ take them along and ^(AR)purify yourself together with them, and ^[h]pay their expenses so that they may ^(AS)shave their ^[i]heads; and then everyone will know that there is nothing to what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also conform, keeping the Law. ²⁵ But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, ^(AT)having decided that they should abstain from ^[j]meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is ^[k]strangled, and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶ Then Paul ^[l]took along the men, and the next day, after ^(AU)purifying himself together with them, he ^(AV)went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Seized in the Temple

²⁷ When ^(AW)the seven days were almost over, ^(AX)the Jews from ^[m](AY)Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! ^(AZ)This is the man who instructs everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has ^(BA)defiled this holy place!” ²⁹ For they had previously seen ^(BB)Trophimus the ^(BC)Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then the whole city was provoked and ^[n]the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they ^(BD)dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the ^(BE)Roman ^[o]cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² He immediately ^(BF)took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to ^[p]the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be ^(BG)bound with ^(BH)two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ But among the crowd, ^(BI)some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the ^[q]facts because of the uproar, he ordered that ^[r]Paul be brought into ^(BJ)the barracks. ³⁵ When Paul got to ^(BK)the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the ^[s]mob; ³⁶ for the multitude of people kept following them, shouting, “^(BL)Away with him!”

³⁷ As Paul was about to be brought into ^(BM)the barracks, he *said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not ^(BN)the Egyptian who some ^[t]time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(BO)into the wilderness?” ³⁹ But Paul said, “^(BP)I am a Jew of Tarsus in ^(BQ)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on ^(BR)the stairs, ^(BS)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there ^[u]was a great silence, he spoke to them in the ^[v](BT)Hebrew dialect, saying,

Paul’s Defense before the Jews

22 “^(BU)[w]Brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

² And when they heard that he was addressing them in the ^[x](BV)Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

³ “^(BW)I am ^(BX)a Jew, born in ^(BY)Tarsus of ^(BZ)Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated ^[y]under ^(CA)Gamaliel, ^[z](CB)strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as ^(CC)you all are today. ^4 (CD)I persecuted this ^(CE)Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, ⁵ as also ^(CF)the high priest and all ^(CG)the Council of the elders ^[aa]can testify. From them I also ^(CH)received letters to ^(CI)the brothers, and started off for ^(CJ)Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem ^[ab]as prisoners to be punished.

⁶ “^(CK)But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, ⁷ and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am ^(CL)Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ And those who were with me ^(CM)saw the light, but ^(CN)did not ^[ac]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, ‘^(CO)What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ But since I ^(CP)could not see because of the ^[ad]brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.

¹² “Now a certain ^(CQ)Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and ^(CR)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing nearby he said to me, ‘^(CS)Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And ^[ae](CT)at that very moment I looked up at him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘^(CU)The God of our fathers has ^(CV)appointed you to know His will and to ^(CW)see the ^(CX)Righteous One and to hear a ^[af]message from His mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be ^(CY)a witness for Him to all people of ^(CZ)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now why do you delay? ^(DA)Get up and be baptized, and ^(DB)wash away your sins by ^(DC)calling on His name.’

¹⁷ “It happened when I ^(DD)returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I ^(DE)fell into a trance, ¹⁸ and I saw Him saying to me, ‘^(DF)Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another ^(DG)I used to imprison and ^(DH)beat those who believed in You. ²⁰ And ^(DI)when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away ^(DJ)to the Gentiles.’”

²² They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “^(DK)Away with such a man from the earth, for ^(DL)he should not be allowed to live!” ²³ And as they were shouting and ^(DM)throwing off their cloaks and ^(DN)tossing dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered that he be brought into ^(DO)the barracks, saying that he was to be ^(DP)interrogated by flogging so that he would find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. ²⁵ But when they stretched him out ^[ag]with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it ^[ah]lawful for you to flog ^(DQ)a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” ²⁷ The commander came and said to ^[ai]Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” ²⁹ Therefore, those who were about to ^(DR)interrogate him immediately backed away from him; and the commander also ^(DS)was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had ^[aj](DT)put him in chains.

³⁰ Now on the next day, ^(DU)wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he ^(DV)released him and ordered the chief priests and all ^(DW)the ^[ak]Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.