²⁴ Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you but that you yourself observe and guard the law.^(A)

¹⁸ While I was doing this, they found me in the temple completing the rite of purification, without any crowd or disturbance.^(A)

²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having purified himself, he entered the temple with them, making public the completion of the days of purification when the sacrifice would be made for each of them.^(A)

Paul’s Return to Antioch

¹⁸ After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow.^(A)

¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes.

¹⁰ but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right.^(A)

¹¹ But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come,^[a] then through the greater and more perfect tent^[b] (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation),^{(B) 12} he entered once for all into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.^{(C) 13} For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,^{(D) 14} how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit^[c] offered himself without blemish to God, purify our^[d] conscience from dead works to worship the living God!^(E)

¹² for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.^(A)

²⁰ To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those under the law.

⁵⁵ Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.^(A)

²⁵ Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.^[a]