Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Riot in the Temple

²⁷ When the seven days were completed, some Jews from Asia spotted Paul in the Temple. They gathered a crowd and grabbed him.

²⁸ “Men of Israel,” they yelled, “come and help us! This is the man who’s been teaching everybody everywhere against our people, our law, and this place! And now, what’s more, he’s brought some Greeks into the Temple, and he’s defiled this holy place!” ²⁹ (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with Paul in the city, and they thought Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

³⁰ The whole city was stirred up, and people rushed together from all around. They seized Paul and dragged him outside the Temple, and the gates were shut at once. ³¹ As they were trying to kill him, word reached the tribune of the guard that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² At once he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. When the crowd saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the tribune came up, arrested him, ordered him to be bound with two chains, and asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd said one thing, some said another. Since he couldn’t find out what was really going on because of the uproar, he gave orders for Paul to be brought into the barracks. ³⁵ When they got to the steps, the pressure of the crowd was so strong that the soldiers had to carry Paul. ³⁶ The great mob of people was following, and shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”

Why not hear my story?

³⁷ As they were about to go into the barracks, Paul turned to the tribune.

“Am I allowed to say something to you?” he asked.

“Well!” replied the tribune. “So you know some Greek, do you? ³⁸ Aren’t you the Egyptian who raised a revolt some while back and led those four thousand ‘assassins’ into the desert?”

³⁹ “Actually,” replied Paul, “I’m a Jew! I’m from Tarsus in Cilicia. That’s not such a bad place to be a citizen. Please, please, let me speak to the people.”