Resource icon

BibleStudyIt Acts 21

  • Acts Chapter 21

Acts 21's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Read Chapter

Your Private Notes

Proxy widget

Submit Art

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Submit Notes

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Paul goes to Jerusalem

21 We said ‘goodbye’ to the leaders of the believers from Ephesus. Then we went on a ship straight across the sea, and we arrived at Cos. The next day, we continued on our journey to Rhodes. From there we went to the town of Patara. [ a ]

2 At Patara, we found a ship that was going to Phoenicia. So we got onto the ship and we sailed across the sea.

3 After travelling for some time, we could see the island called Cyprus. We went south of Cyprus, and we continued as far as Syria. We arrived on the coast at the city of Tyre and we got off the ship. The ship would remain in Tyre for some days, because people had to remove the things off the ship. 4 We found some believers in the city. So we stayed with them for a week. The Holy Spirit showed these believers that trouble would come to Paul in Jerusalem. So they said to him, ‘Paul, you should not to go to Jerusalem.’

5 After a week with the believers in Tyre, it was time for us to leave them. All the believers, together with their wives and their children, went with us out of the city. At the beach, we all went down on our knees and we prayed together. 6 Then we said ‘goodbye’ to each other and the believers returned to their homes in the city. We went and we got on the ship again, together with Paul.

7 We continued our journey across the sea. We sailed from Tyre to Ptolemais. There, we met some believers and we stayed with them for one day. 8 The next day, we left Ptolemais and we sailed to Caesarea. We stayed there with Philip. He was someone who taught people the good news about Jesus. He was one of the seven men that the believers had chosen in Jerusalem. [ b ] 9 He had four daughters who were not married. They spoke messages from God.

10 We stayed with Philip in Caesarea for a few days. Then a man called Agabus arrived in the city from Judea. He was a prophet and he spoke messages from God. 11 Agabus came to where we were. He took Paul's belt and he tied it around his own feet and hands. He said, ‘Listen to this message from the Holy Spirit. “The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will take hold of the man who has this belt. They will tie his hands and his feet. Then they will give him to the Gentiles to be their prisoner.” ’

12 When we heard Agabus's message, we all said many times to Paul, ‘Please do not go to Jerusalem.’ 13 But Paul answered, ‘Stop crying like this! You are making me very sad! I am ready for men in Jerusalem to take hold of me. They may tie me up, and I may even die there. I am ready for all this because I believe in the Lord Jesus.’

14 We could not cause Paul to think in a different way. So we stopped saying to him, ‘You should not go to Jerusalem.’ Instead we said to him, ‘We want the Lord God to do what he wants.’

15 We stayed in Caesarea for a few days. Then we prepared ourselves to travel across land. We left there to go to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the believers from Caesarea also went with us. They took us to the house of a man called Mnason. We had decided to stay with him. His home town was on the island called Cyprus. He had been a believer for a long time.

Paul visits James in Jerusalem

17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers there were very happy to welcome us. 18 The next day, we went with Paul to see James. The leaders of the believers were also there. 19 Paul said, ‘hello’ to them and then he told them everything about his work. God had helped him to do many good things for the Gentiles.

20 After the leaders had listened to Paul, they praised God. Then they said, ‘Brother Paul, you can see the problem. There are now many thousands of Jews who have believed in Jesus. But they also really want to obey the Law of Moses. [ c ] 21 These Jews here have heard about what you teach Jewish people in other countries. They think that you say to them, “You do not need to obey the Law of Moses any longer. You do not need to circumcise your children. You do not need to live in the way that Jewish people usually live.”

22 We need to do something about this problem. These Jewish believers will certainly hear that you are in Jerusalem. 23 We will tell you what you must do. There are four Jewish men in our group who have made a promise to God. 24 You must go with these men to the temple. There, they will wash to make themselves clean in front of God. Join with them when they do that. Then pay the priest the money for their sacrifices. After that, the men can cut the hair off their heads. When you do that, everyone will understand about you. They will see what you have done. They will know that you yourself obey the Law of Moses. They will know that what they have heard about you is not true. 25 But it is different for the Gentiles who believe in Jesus. We have already sent a letter to them. We wrote, “Do not eat any food that people have given to their idols. Do not eat anything that still has blood in it. If people have strangled an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to.” ’

26 So the next day, Paul went with the four men. He joined with them when they washed to make themselves clean in front of God. Then he went into the yard of the temple. He told the priest there when the four men would finish their promise to God. This would be after seven days. After that, each man would give an animal as a sacrifice to God. [ d ]

27 At the end of those seven days, some Jews from Asia region saw Paul in the temple. They said some bad things against Paul to the crowd. So the people became angry and they took hold of Paul. 28 The Jews from Asia shouted, ‘People of Israel, come and help us! This is the man who goes everywhere and he teaches everyone bad things. He speaks against us, the people of Israel. He also speaks against the Law of Moses and against this temple. Now he has even brought some Gentiles into this temple. So now this special place is not clean in front of God any longer.’

29 (These men had earlier seen Paul in the city with a man called Trophimus. Trophimus was a Gentile who came from Ephesus. They thought that Paul had brought Trophimus into the temple. That is why they shouted bad things against Paul.) [ e ]

30 Many other people in the city heard about the trouble and they also became angry. They all ran from their homes to the temple and they took hold of Paul. Then they pulled him out of the temple and they closed the doors immediately. [ f ]

31 The angry crowd was trying to kill Paul. But someone sent a message to the leader of the Roman soldiers. The message was, ‘People are fighting everywhere in the city.’

32 So the soldiers' leader quickly took some other officers and a large group of soldiers and they ran down to the crowd. The angry crowd of people saw the leader with his soldiers. So then they stopped hitting Paul.

33 The Roman soldiers' leader went to Paul and he took hold of him. He said to his men, ‘Tie two chains round the arms of this man.’ Then he asked the people in the crowd, ‘Who is this man and what has he done?’

34 Some people in the crowd shouted one thing and other people shouted something different. There was so much noise that the leader of the soldiers was not sure about the true facts. He did not know what had really happened. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Take this man up into our strong building!’ 35 The soldiers then led Paul as far as the steps of their building. Then they had to carry him because the crowd was so angry. 36 The crowd followed behind Paul and the soldiers. They were shouting, ‘Kill him!’

37 While the soldiers were leading Paul into their building, he asked their leader, ‘Please may I say something to you?’

The soldiers' leader replied, ‘Oh! Do you speak the Greek language? 38 I thought that you must be that bad man who came from Egypt. He was the one who fought against our Roman government. Some time ago, he led 4,000 of his own men out into the wilderness, with their weapons.’

39 Paul answered, ‘I am a Jew and I was born in Tarsus in the region called Cilicia. So you see, I am a man from an important city. Please, let me speak to this crowd.’

40 The leader of the soldiers said to Paul, ‘Yes, you may speak to the people.’ So Paul stood still on the steps of the soldiers' building. He raised his hands towards them so that the people became quiet. Then he spoke to them in Aramaic, the Jewish people's own language.

Footnotes

  1. 21:1 Cos and Rhodes are islands. Patara is a town on the coast.
  2. 21:8 We can read about this in Acts 6:1-6 .
  3. 21:20 Brother is a name that a Christian may call another Christian.
  4. 21:26 These men had promised something to God. It was time now to cut their hair. This showed that they had finished the time of their promise to God. The men had to wait for seven days, before they went to the temple. The priests there killed the animal that each man brought as a gift to God.
  5. 21:29 Trophimus was a not a Jew so he could not go into the temple.
  6. 21:30 The crowd wanted to kill Paul, but they could not kill him in the temple. That would have caused the House of God not to be clean in front of God.

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

21 After we said goodbye to the elders, we sailed away straight to Cos island. The next day we went to the island of Rhodes, and from there we went to Patara. 2 There we found a ship that was going to the area of Phoenicia. We got on the ship and sailed away.

3 We sailed near the island of Cyprus. We could see it on the north side, but we did not stop. We sailed to the country of Syria. We stopped at Tyre because the ship needed to unload its cargo there. 4 We found the Lord’s followers there and stayed with them for seven days. They warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem because of what the Spirit had told them. 5 But when our time there was up, we returned to the ship to continue our trip. All the followers, even the women and children, came with us to the seashore. We all knelt down on the beach, prayed, 6 and said goodbye. Then we got on the ship, and the followers went home.

7 We continued our trip from Tyre and went to the city of Ptolemais. We greeted the believers there and stayed with them one day. 8 The next day we left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. We went into the home of Philip and stayed with him. He had the work of telling the Good News. He was one of the seven helpers. [ a ] 9 He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophesying.

10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came from Judea. 11 He came to us and borrowed Paul’s belt. He used it to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit tells me, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt. [ b ] Then they will hand him over to people who don’t know God.’”

12 When we heard this, we and the other followers there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 13 But he said, “Why are you crying and making me feel so sad? I am willing to be put in jail in Jerusalem. I am even ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus!”

14 We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, “We pray that what the Lord wants will be done.”

15 After this, we got ready and left for Jerusalem. 16 Some of the followers of Jesus from Caesarea went with us. These followers took us to the home of Mnason, a man from Cyprus, who was one of the first people to be a follower of Jesus. They took us to his home so that we could stay with him.

Paul Visits James

17 The brothers and sisters in Jerusalem were very happy to see us. 18 The next day Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were there. 19 After greeting them, Paul told them point by point all that God had used him to do among the non-Jewish people.

20 When the leaders heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, “Brother, you can see that thousands of Jews have become believers, but they think it is very important to obey the Law of Moses. 21 They have been told that you teach the Jews who live in non-Jewish regions to stop following the Law of Moses. They have heard that you tell them not to circumcise their sons or follow our other customs.

22 “What should we do? The Jewish believers here will learn that you have come. 23 So we will tell you what to do: Four of our men have made a vow [ c ] to God. 24 Take these men with you and share in their cleansing ceremony. [ d ] Pay their expenses so that they can shave their heads. [ e ] This will prove to everyone that the things they have heard about you are not true. They will see that you obey the Law of Moses in your own life.

25 “In regard to the non-Jewish believers, we have already sent a letter to them saying what we think they should do:

‘Don’t eat food that has been given to idols.

Don’t eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still has the blood in it.

Don’t be involved in sexual sin.’”

Paul Is Arrested

26 So Paul took the four men with him. The next day he shared in their cleansing ceremony. Then he went to the Temple area and announced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day an offering would be given for each of the men.

27 When the seven-day period was almost finished, some Jews from Asia saw Paul in the Temple area. They stirred up everyone into an angry mob. They grabbed Paul 28 and shouted, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who is teaching things that are against the Law of Moses, against our people, and against this Temple of ours. This is what he teaches people everywhere. And now he has brought some Greeks into the Temple area and has made this holy place unclean!” 29 (The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus with Paul in Jerusalem. Trophimus was a man from Ephesus. The Jews thought that Paul had taken him into the holy area of the Temple.)

30 An angry reaction spread throughout the city, and everyone came running to the Temple. They grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the holy area, and the gates were closed immediately. 31 While they were trying to kill Paul, the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem got word that the whole city was in a state of riot. 32 Immediately the commander ran to where the crowd had gathered, taking with him some army officers and soldiers. When the people saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 The commander went over to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to tie him up with two chains. Then he asked, “Who is this man? What has he done wrong?” 34 Some people there were shouting one thing, and others were shouting something else. Because of all this confusion and shouting, the commander could not learn the truth about what had happened. So he told the soldiers to take Paul to the army building. 35-36 The whole crowd was following them. When the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry Paul. They did this to protect him, because the people were ready to hurt him. The people were shouting, “Kill him!”

37 When the soldiers were ready to take Paul into the army building, he asked the commander, “Can I say something to you?”

The commander said, “Oh, you speak Greek? 38 Then you are not the man I thought you were. I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble against the government not long ago and led four thousand terrorists out to the desert.”

39 Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people.”

40 The commander told Paul he could speak. So he stood on the steps and waved his hand so that the people would be quiet. The people became quiet and Paul spoke to them in Aramaic.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 21:8 seven helpers Men chosen for a special work. See Acts 6:1-6.
  2. Acts 21:11 belt Paul’s belt; so Agabus means that the Jews in Jerusalem will tie Paul up (arrest him).
  3. Acts 21:23 vow Probably a Nazirite vow, a time of special dedication and service promised to God. See “ Nazirite ” in the Word List.
  4. Acts 21:24 cleansing ceremony The special things Jews did to end the Nazirite vow. Also in verse 26.
  5. Acts 21:24 shave their heads To show that their vow was finished.

21 And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:

2 And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth.

3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.

6 And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again.

7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.

8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.

11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

15 And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.

16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.

17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.

19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.

20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.

23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;

24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,

28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.

31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.

34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.

35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.

36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.

37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?

39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.

40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

Paul Sails from Miletus

21 Now when ( A ) we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran ( B ) a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to ( C ) Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we came in sight of ( D ) Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to ( E ) Syria and landed at ( F ) Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4 After looking up ( G ) the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, [ a ] ( H ) through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 When [ b ] our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, ( I ) escorted us until we were out of the city. After ( J ) kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6 Then we boarded the ship, and they returned ( K ) home.

7 When we had finished the voyage from ( L ) Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting ( M ) the brothers and sisters , we stayed with them for a day. 8 On the next day we left and came to ( N ) Caesarea, and we entered the house of ( O ) Philip the ( P ) evangelist, who was ( Q ) one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were ( R ) prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named ( S ) Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And he came to us and ( T ) took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This ( U ) is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will ( V ) bind the man who owns this belt and ( W ) hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him ( X ) not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For ( Y ) I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for ( Z ) the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “ ( AA ) The will of the Lord be done!”

Paul in Jerusalem

15 After these days we got ready and ( AB ) started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of ( AC ) the disciples from ( AD ) Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of ( AE ) Cyprus, a ( AF ) disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, ( AG ) the brothers and sisters received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to [ c ] ( AH ) James, and all ( AI ) the elders were present. 19 After he had greeted them, he ( AJ ) began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ( AK ) ministry. 20 And when they heard about them , they began ( AL ) glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many [ d ] thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all ( AM ) zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are ( AN ) teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them ( AO ) not to circumcise their children nor to [ e ] walk according to ( AP ) the customs. 22 So what is to be done ? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore, do [ f ] as we tell you: we have four men who ( AQ ) have a [ g ] vow upon themselves; 24 take them along and ( AR ) purify yourself together with them, and [ h ] pay their expenses so that they may ( AS ) shave their [ i ] heads; and then everyone will know that there is nothing to what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also conform, keeping the Law. 25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, ( AT ) having decided that they should abstain from [ j ] meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is [ k ] strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul [ l ] took along the men, and the next day, after ( AU ) purifying himself together with them, he ( AV ) went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Seized in the Temple

27 When ( AW ) the seven days were almost over, ( AX ) the Jews from [ m ] ( AY ) Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! ( AZ ) This is the man who instructs everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has ( BA ) defiled this holy place!” 29 For they had previously seen ( BB ) Trophimus the ( BC ) Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then the whole city was provoked and [ n ] the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they ( BD ) dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the ( BE ) Roman [ o ] cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He immediately ( BF ) took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to [ p ] the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be ( BG ) bound with ( BH ) two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd, ( BI ) some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the [ q ] facts because of the uproar, he ordered that [ r ] Paul be brought into ( BJ ) the barracks. 35 When Paul got to ( BK ) the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the [ s ] mob; 36 for the multitude of people kept following them , shouting, “ ( BL ) Away with him!”

37 As Paul was about to be brought into ( BM ) the barracks, he *said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not ( BN ) the Egyptian who some [ t ] time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ( BO ) into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “ ( BP ) I am a Jew of Tarsus in ( BQ ) Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on ( BR ) the stairs, ( BS ) motioned to the people with his hand; and when there [ u ] was a great silence, he spoke to them in the [ v ] ( BT ) Hebrew dialect, saying,

Footnotes

  1. Acts 21:4 I.e., because of impressions made by the Spirit
  2. Acts 21:5 Lit we had completed the days
  3. Acts 21:18 Or Jacob
  4. Acts 21:20 Lit ten thousands
  5. Acts 21:21 I.e., observe or live by
  6. Acts 21:23 Lit this which we
  7. Acts 21:23 I.e., a sacred duty to fulfill
  8. Acts 21:24 Lit spend on them
  9. Acts 21:24 Lit head (a requirement of the vow)
  10. Acts 21:25 Lit the thing
  11. Acts 21:25 I.e., to retain the blood
  12. Acts 21:26 Or took along the men the next day, and after purifying himself
  13. Acts 21:27 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  14. Acts 21:30 Lit a running together of the people occurred
  15. Acts 21:31 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  16. Acts 21:32 Lit them
  17. Acts 21:34 Lit certainty
  18. Acts 21:34 Lit he
  19. Acts 21:35 Lit crowd
  20. Acts 21:38 Lit days
  21. Acts 21:40 Lit occurred
  22. Acts 21:40 I.e., Jewish Aramaic

On to Jerusalem

21 After we ( A ) had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ( B ) went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. ( C ) We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples ( D ) there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit ( E ) they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. ( F ) 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

7 We continued our voyage from Tyre ( G ) and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters ( H ) and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea ( I ) and stayed at the house of Philip ( J ) the evangelist, ( K ) one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. ( L )

10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus ( M ) came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ( N ) ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind ( O ) the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” ( P )

12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die ( Q ) in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ( R ) 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up ( S ) and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” ( T )

15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. ( U ) 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ( V ) accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus ( W ) and one of the early disciples.

Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem

17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters ( X ) received us warmly. ( Y ) 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, ( Z ) and all the elders ( AA ) were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles ( AB ) through his ministry. ( AC )

20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous ( AD ) for the law. ( AE ) 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, ( AF ) telling them not to circumcise their children ( AG ) or live according to our customs. ( AH ) 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. ( AI ) 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites ( AJ ) and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. ( AK ) Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.” ( AL )

26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. ( AM )

Paul Arrested

27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, ( AN ) 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” ( AO ) 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus ( AP ) the Ephesian ( AQ ) in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, ( AR ) they dragged him ( AS ) from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ( AT )

33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound ( AU ) with two ( AV ) chains. ( AW ) Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, ( AX ) and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. ( AY ) 35 When Paul reached the steps, ( AZ ) the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!” ( BA )

Paul Speaks to the Crowd ( BB )

37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, ( BC ) he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness ( BD ) some time ago?” ( BE )

39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus ( BF ) in Cilicia, ( BG ) a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned ( BH ) to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic [ a ] : ( BI )

Footnotes

  1. Acts 21:40 Or possibly Hebrew ; also in 22:2
Next Chapter
Book Manager
BSI_Poster
View Chapter Tabs Leave Good Review

Share this page

Day/Night Mode: Day or Night Theme
Your Bookmarks: View your bookmarks.
Table of Contents: Button above scripture.
Private Notes: Add private notes per chapter.