From Jerusalem to Rome^[a]

Chapter 21

Last Journey to Jerusalem^[b]

Arrival at Tyre. ¹ When we^[c] had finally torn ourselves away from them and set sail, we traveled directly to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² There, we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, so we went on board and set sail. ³ After sighting Cyprus, we passed by it on our left and sailed to Syria, landing at Tyre where the ship was to unload her cargo.

⁴ We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them for seven days. Through the Spirit, they advised Paul to abandon his plans to move on to Jerusalem. ⁵ However, when our time with them was ended, we left and continued on our journey. All of them, including women and children, escorted us outside the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed ⁶ and then bid farewell to one another. Afterward, we boarded the ship and they returned home.

Arrival at Ptolemais and Caesarea. ⁷ We finished our voyage from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brethren and stayed with them for one day. ⁸ On the next day, we left and came to Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven,^[d] and stayed with him. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters who possessed the gift of prophecy.

¹⁰ After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. ¹¹ He came up to us, took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

¹² When we heard this, we joined with the people who lived there in begging Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ Since he would not be dissuaded, we finally gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Various Events and Paul’s Defenses at Jerusalem

¹⁵ Paul Is Welcomed by the Elders.^[e] At the end of our stay, we made preparations and went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, one of the early disciples, with whom we were to stay.

¹⁷ When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren gave us a warm welcome. ¹⁸ On the next day, Paul paid a visit to James. We accompanied him, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰ When they heard this, they gave praise to God. Then they said to Paul, “You can see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are zealous upholders of the Law. ²¹ They have been informed in your regard that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake Moses and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or to observe their custom. ²² What then is to be done? They are sure to hear that you have arrived.

²³ “This is what we suggest that you do. We have four men here who are under a vow. ²⁴ Take these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay the expenses involved with the shaving of their heads. In this way, all will know that there is nothing in these reports they have been given about you and that you observe the Law. ²⁵ As for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have informed them of our decision that they must abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from anything that has been strangled, and from unchastity.”

²⁶ Therefore, on the next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. He then entered the temple to give notice of the date when the period of purification would end and the offerings would be made for each of them.

²⁷ Paul’s Arrest in the Temple.^[f] When the seven days were nearly over, the Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple. Stirring up the whole crowd, they seized him, ²⁸ shouting, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, the Law, and this place. What is more, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰ Thus, the entire city was in turmoil, and people came running from all directions. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and the gates were then shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² Immediately, he took soldiers and centurions with him and charged down on them.

When the Jews saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came forward, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Next he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another; and since the commander could not arrive at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. ³⁵ When he came to the steps, the violence of the crowd was so intense that he had to be carried by the soldiers. ³⁶ The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Away with him!”

³⁷ Just as he was about to be taken into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” The commander replied, “So you speak Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not the Egyptian^[g] who recently started a revolt and led the four thousand assassins into the desert.” ³⁹ Paul asserted, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. May I have your permission to speak to the people?” ⁴⁰ When the permission was granted, Paul stood on the steps and raised his hand to the people for silence. As soon as quiet was restored, he started speaking to them in Aramaic.^[h]