Chronological
4 And Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, and Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, and Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia, were accompanying him. 5 And these had gone on ahead and[a] were waiting for us in Troas. 6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread and came to them at Troas within five days, where we stayed seven days.
Eutychus Falls from a Window
7 And on the first day of the week, when[b] we had assembled to break bread, Paul began conversing[c] with them, because he[d] was going to leave on the next day, and he extended his[e] message until midnight. 8 Now there were quite a few lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered. 9 And a certain young man named[f] Eutychus who was sitting in the window was sinking into a deep sleep while[g] Paul was conversing at length. Being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down and[h] threw himself on him, and putting his arms around him,[i] said, “Do not be distressed, for his life is in him.” 11 So he went up and broke bread,[j] and when he[k] had eaten and talked for a long time, until dawn, then he departed. 12 And they led the youth away alive, and were greatly[l] comforted.
The Voyage to Miletus
13 But we went on ahead to the ship and[m] put out to sea for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. For having made arrangements in this way, he himself was intending to travel by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and[n] went to Mitylene. 15 And we sailed from there on the next day, and[o] arrived opposite Chios. And on the next day we approached Samos, and on the following day we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not be having to spend time in Asia.[p] For he was hurrying if it could be possible for him to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
17 And from Miletus he sent word[q] to Ephesus and[r] summoned the elders of the church. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them, “You know from the first day on which I set foot in Asia[s] how I was the whole time with you— 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews— 20 how I did not shrink from proclaiming to you anything that would be profitable, and from teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks with respect to repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now behold, bound by the Spirit I am traveling to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,[t] 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in town after town, saying that bonds and persecutions await me. 24 But I consider my[u] life as worth nothing[v] to myself, in order to finish my mission and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 “And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more. 26 Therefore I testify to you on this very day that I am guiltless of the blood of all of you,[w] 27 for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he obtained through the blood of his own Son.[x] 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 And from among you yourselves men will arise, speaking perversions of the truth[y] in order to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you[z] with tears.
32 “And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you[aa] up and to give you[ab] the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing! 34 You yourselves know that these hands served to meet[ac] my needs and the needs of[ad] those who were with me. 35 I have shown you with respect to all things that by[ae] working hard in this way it is necessary to help those who are in need, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”[af]
36 And when he[ag] had said these things, he fell to his knees and[ah] prayed with them all. 37 And there was considerable weeping by all, and hugging[ai] Paul, they kissed him, 38 especially distressed at the statement that he had said, that they were going to see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Paul Travels on to Jerusalem
21 And it happened that after we tore ourselves away[aj] from them, we put out to sea, and[ak] running a straight course we came to Cos and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 And finding a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and[al] put out to sea. 3 And after we[am] sighted Cyprus and left it behind on the port side,[an] we sailed to Syria and arrived at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its[ao] cargo there. 4 And we stayed there seven days after we[ap] found the disciples, who kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 And it happened that when our days were over, we departed and[aq] went on our way, while[ar] all of them accompanied us, together with their[as] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And after[at] falling to our knees on the beach and[au] praying, 6 we said farewell to one another and embarked in the ship, and they returned to their own homes.
7 And when[av] we had completed the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. And after we[aw] greeted the brothers, we stayed one day with them. 8 And on the next day we departed and[ax] came to Caesarea, and entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and[ay] stayed with him. 9 (Now this man had[az] four virgin daughters who prophesied.)
10 And while we[ba] were staying there[bb] many days, a certain prophet named[bc] Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And he came to us and took Paul’s belt. Tying up his own feet and hands, he said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will deliver him[bd] into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 And when we heard these things, both we and the local residents urged him 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 tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus!” 14 And because[be] he would not be persuaded, we remained silent, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
15 So after these days we got ready and[bf] went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea also traveled together with us, bringing us[bg] to a certain Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing,[bh] with whom we were to be entertained as guests.
Paul Visits the Leaders of the Jerusalem Church
17 And when[bi] we came to Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. 18 And on the next day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 And after[bj] greeting them, he began to relate[bk] one after the other[bl] the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when[bm] they heard this,[bn] they began to glorify[bo] God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many ten thousands there are among the Jews who have believed, and they are all zealous adherents of the law. 21 And they have been informed about you that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles the abandonment of Moses, telling them not to circumcise their[bp] children or to live according to our[bq] customs. 22 What then is to be done?[br] Doubtless they will all hear that you have come! 23 Therefore do this that we tell you: we have[bs] four men who have taken a vow upon themselves.[bt] 24 Take these men and[bu] purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses[bv] so that they can shave their[bw] heads, and everyone will know that the things which they had been informed about you are nothing, but you yourself also agree with observing the law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter after[bx] deciding they should avoid food sacrificed to idols and blood and what has been strangled and sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took along the men on the next day, and[by] after he[bz] had purified himself together with them, he entered into the temple courts,[ca] announcing the completion of the days of purification until the time[cb] the offering would be presented on behalf of each one of them.
Paul Arrested in the Temple Courts
27 But when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia[cc] who had seen him in the temple courts[cd] stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 shouting, “Israelite men, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place! And furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!” 29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, whom they thought that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And the whole city was stirred up, and the people came running together, and they seized Paul and[ce] dragged him outside of the temple courts,[cf] and immediately the doors were shut.
31 And as they[cg] were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the military tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He[ch] immediately took along soldiers and centurions and[ci] ran down to them. And when[cj] they saw the military tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the military tribune came up and[ck] arrested him and ordered him[cl] to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what it was that he had done. 34 But some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others another, and because[cm] he was not able to find out the truth on account of the commotion, he gave orders to bring him into the barracks.[cn] 35 And when he came to the steps, it happened that he had to be carried by the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the crowd of people was following them,[co] shouting, “Away with him!”
Paul Permitted to Address the Crowd
37 And as he[cp] was about to be brought into the barracks,[cq] Paul said to the military tribune, “Is it permitted for me to say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who before these days raised a revolt and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”[cr] 39 But Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city. Now I ask you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 So when[cs] he permitted him,[ct] Paul, standing there on the steps, motioned with his[cu] hand to the people. And when there[cv] was a great silence, he addressed them[cw] in the Aramaic language, saying,
22 “Men—brothers and fathers—listen to my defense to you now!” 2 And when they[cx] heard that he was addressing them in the Aramaic language, they became even more silent.[cy] And he said, 3 “I am a Jewish man born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the exactness of the law received from our fathers, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I[cz] persecuted this Way to the death, tying up and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and[da] was traveling there[db] to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished.
Paul Tells of His Conversion on the Damascus Road
6 “And it happened that as[dc] I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed 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 Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.’ 9 (Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.) 10 So I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and[dd] proceed to Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all the things that have been appointed for you to do.’ 11 And as I could not see as a result of the brightness of that light, I arrived in Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me. 12 And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, 13 came to me and stood by me[de] and[df] said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And at that same time I looked up at him and saw him.[dg] 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth, 15 because you will be a witness for him[dh] to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name!’
17 “And it happened that when[di] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts,[dj] I was in a trance, 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and depart quickly[dk] from Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue to synagogue I was imprisoning and beating those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself also was standing near and was approving, and was guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
Paul Questioned by the Military Tribune
22 Now they were listening to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, “Away with such a man from the earth! For it is not fitting for him to live!” 23 And while[dl] they were screaming and throwing off their[dm] cloaks and throwing dust into the air, 24 the military tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks,[dn] saying he was to be examined with a lash so that he could find out for what reason they were crying out against him in this way. 25 But when they had stretched him out for the lash,[do] Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it permitted for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26 And when[dp] the centurion heard this,[dq] he went to the military tribune and[dr] reported it,[ds] saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen!” 27 So the military tribune came and[dt] said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 And the military tribune replied, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I indeed was born a citizen.[du] 29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him kept away from him, and the military tribune also was afraid when he[dv] realized that he was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.[dw] 30 But on the next day, because he[dx] wanted to know the true reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to assemble, and he brought down Paul and[dy] had him[dz] stand before them.
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
23 And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, “Men and brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day.” 2 So the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike his mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! And are you sitting there judging me according to the law, and acting contrary to the law do you order me to be struck?” 4 And those who stood nearby said, “Are you reviling the high priest of God?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”[ea]
6 Now when[eb] Paul realized that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he shouted out in the Sanhedrin, “Men and brothers! I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees! I am being judged concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead!” 7 And when[ec] he said this, a dispute developed between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 And there was loud shouting, and some of the scribes from the party of the Pharisees stood up and[ed] contended sharply, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man! But what if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 And when[ee] the dispute became severe, the military tribune, fearing lest Paul be torn apart by them, ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from their midst, and bring him[ef] into the barracks.[eg] 11 And the next night the Lord stood by him and[eh] said, “Have courage, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
A Conspiracy to Kill Paul
12 And when it[ei] was day, the Jews made a conspiracy and[ej] bound themselves under a curse, saying they would[ek] neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had made this conspiracy, 14 who went to the chief priests and the elders and[el] said, “We have bound ourselves under a curse to partake of nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Therefore, now you along with the Sanhedrin explain to the military tribune that he should bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine more accurately the things concerning him. And we are ready to do away with him before he comes near.”
16 But when[em] the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, he came and entered into the barracks[en] and[eo] reported it[ep] to Paul. 17 So Paul called one of the centurions and[eq] said, “Bring this young man to the military tribune, because he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and[er] brought him[es] to the military tribune and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and[et] asked me[eu] to bring this young man to you because he[ev] has something to tell you.” 19 And the military tribune, taking hold of his hand and withdrawing privately, asked, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you that you bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him. 21 You therefore do not be persuaded by them, because more than forty men of their number[ew] are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have done away with him. And now they are ready, waiting for you to agree.”[ex] 22 So the military tribune sent the young man away, directing him,[ey] “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”
23 And he summoned two of the centurions and[ez] said, “Make ready from the third hour of the night two hundred soldiers and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen,[fa] in order that they may proceed as far as Caesarea. 24 And provide mounts so that they can put Paul on them and[fb] bring him[fc] safely to Felix the governor.” 25 He wrote[fd] a letter that had this form:[fe]
26 Claudius Lysias.
To his excellency Governor Felix.
Greetings!
27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I[ff] came upon them[fg] with the detachment and[fh] rescued him,[fi] because I[fj] learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 And because I[fk] wanted to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him[fl] down to their Sanhedrin.[fm] 29 I found he[fn] was accused concerning controversial questions of their law, but having no charge deserving death or imprisonment. 30 And when it[fo] was made known to me there would be a plot against the man, I sent him[fp] to you immediately, also ordering his[fq] accusers to speak against him[fr] before you.
31 Therefore the soldiers, in accordance with their orders,[fs] took Paul and[ft] brought him[fu] to Antipatris during the night. 32 And on the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and[fv] they returned to the barracks.[fw] 33 The horsemen,[fx] when they[fy] came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, also presented Paul to him. 34 So after[fz] reading the letter[ga] and asking what province he was from, and learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be guarded in the praetorium[gb] of Herod.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software