^31 (A)that I may be delivered from those in Judea who ^[a]do not believe, and that ^(B)my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

² and ^(A)that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; ^(B)for not all have faith.

⁴ imploring us with much urgency ^[a]that we would receive the gift and ^(A)the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

Administering the Gift

9 Now concerning ^(A)the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you;

²⁵ But now ^(A)I am going to Jerusalem to ^[a]minister to the saints.

^17 (A)And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. ¹⁸ On the following day Paul went in with us to ^(B)James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ When he had greeted them, ^(C)he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles ^(D)through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all ^(E)zealous for the law; ²¹ but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. ^22 [a]What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. ²⁴ Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may ^(F)shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. ²⁵ But concerning the Gentiles who believe, ^(G)we have written and decided ^[b]that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from ^[c]sexual immorality.”

Arrested in the Temple

²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, ^(H)entered the temple ^(I)to announce the ^[d]expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

²⁷ Now when the seven days were almost ended, ^(J)the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and ^(K)laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man ^(L)who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ (For they had ^[e]previously seen ^(M)Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

³⁰ And ^(N)all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ Now as they were ^(O)seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the ^[f]garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

The Lord Is Faithful

^17 (A)But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, ^(B)so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered ^(C)out of the mouth of the lion.

¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me ^(A)at Antioch, ^(B)at Iconium, ^(C)at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And ^(D)out of them all the Lord delivered me.

^15 (A)who killed both the Lord Jesus and ^(B)their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God ^(C)and are ^[a]contrary to all men,