Acts 21

¹And it happened that after having drawn away from them, having run directly in our sailing, we came to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

²And having found a boat passing over into Phoenicia, having gone aboard, we set sail.

³And having sighted Cyprus and having left it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre, for the ship was unloading the cargo there.

⁴And we remained there seven days, having sought out the disciples, who kept saying to Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.

⁵And it happened that when we had completed the days, having gone out, we journeyed, all accompanying us, with wives and children, as far as outside the city. And having bowed the knees on the shore, having prayed,

⁶having said farewell to one another, we then went up into the boat, and they returned to their own.

⁷And having completed the voyage from Tyre, we came down to Ptolemais; and having greeted the brothers, we stayed one day with them.

⁸And having gone out on the next day, we came to Caesarea; and having entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, being of the Seven, we stayed with him.

⁹And with this man there were four daughters, virgins, prophesying.

¹⁰And in our remaining many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹And having come to us and having taken Paul’s belt, having bound his feet and hands, he said, “Thus the Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man whose belt this is, and they will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

¹²And when we had heard these things, both we and those of that place were begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I have readiness not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

¹⁴And he not being persuaded, we were silent, having said, “The will of the Lord be done.”

¹⁵And after these days, having packed the baggage, we were going up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶And some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing a certain Mnason, a Cypriot, an early disciple with whom we would lodge.

¹⁷Now of us having arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.

¹⁸And on the following day, Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders arrived.

¹⁹And having greeted them, he began to relate, one by one, each of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰And those having heard were glorifying God, and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads there are among the Jews having believed, and they are all zealous ones of the law.

²¹Now they have been informed about you that you teach all Jews among the Gentiles apostasy from Moses, telling them not to circumcise the children nor to walk in the customs.

²²What then is it? Certainly they will hear that you have come.

²³Therefore do this that we say to you. With us there are four men having a vow on themselves.

²⁴Having taken these, be purified with them and bear expense for them, so that they will shave the head. And all will know that what they have been informed about you is nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the law.

²⁵Now concerning those of the Gentiles having believed, we wrote, having adjudged, to keep themselves from both the things sacrificed to idols and blood, and from what is strangled and sexual immorality.”

²⁶Then Paul, having taken the men on the following day, having been purified with them, entered into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of the purification until the offering was offered for each one of them.

²⁷Now when the seven days were about to be completed, the Jews from Asia, having seen him in the temple, began stirring up all the crowd, and they laid the hands upon him,

²⁸crying out, “Men, Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching all those everywhere against the people and the law and this place. And besides, he has also brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”

²⁹For it was they having previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, whom they were supposing that Paul had brought into the temple.

³⁰And the whole city was provoked, and there was a rushing together of the people. And having laid hold of Paul, they dragged him outside the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

³¹And in their seeking to kill him, a report came to the commander of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar,

³²who at once, having taken with him soldiers and centurions, ran down upon them. And having seen the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

³³Then having drawn near, the commander laid hold of him and commanded him to be bound with two chains, and he began inquiring who he might be and what it is he has been doing.

³⁴They were crying out in the crowd one thing, but others another. And he, not being able to know the facts on account of the uproar, ordered him to be brought into the barracks.

³⁵And when he came to the stairs, it happened that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd.

³⁶For the multitude of the people were following, crying out, “Away with him!”

³⁷And being about to be brought into the barracks, Paul says to the commander, “Is it permitted to me to say something to you?” And he was saying, “Do you know Greek?

³⁸Are you not, then, the Egyptian, the one before these days having led a revolt and having led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”

³⁹But Paul said, “I am indeed a Jew, a man of Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. Now I implore you, allow me to speak to the people.”

⁴⁰And he having allowed him, Paul, having stood on the stairs, made a sign with the hand to the people. And a great silence having taken place, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying: