Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Paul Goes to Jerusalem
1 We said good-bye to them
and left. After sailing straight
across, we came to Cos; the next day
we reached Rhodes, and from there
we went on to Patara.
2 There we
found a ship that was going to Phoenicia,
so we went aboard and sailed
away.
3 We came to where we could
see Cyprus, and then sailed south of
it on to Syria. We went ashore at
Tyre, where the ship was going to
unload its cargo.
4 There we found
some believers and stayed with
them a week. By the power of the
Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
5 But when our time with
them was over, we left and went on
our way. All of them, together with
their wives and children, went with
us out of the city to the beach, where
we all knelt and prayed.
6 Then we
said good-bye to one another, and
we went on board the ship while
they went back home.
7 We continued our voyage, sailing
from Tyre to Ptolemais, where
we greeted the believers and stayed
with them for a day.
8 On the following
day we left and arrived in Caesarea.
There we stayed at the house of
Philip the evangelist, one of the
seven men who had been chosen as
helpers in Jerusalem. note
9 He had four
unmarried daughters who proclaimed
God's message.
10 We had
been there for several days when a
prophet named Agabus arrived from
Judea. note
11 He came to us, took Paul's
belt, tied up his own feet and hands
with it, and said, “This is what the
Holy Spirit says: The owner of this
belt will be tied up in this way by the
Jews in Jerusalem, and they will
hand him over to the Gentiles.”
12 When we heard this, we and the
others there begged Paul not to go to
Jerusalem.
13 But he answered,
“What are you doing, crying like this
and breaking my heart? I am ready
not only to be tied up in Jerusalem
but even to die there for the sake of
the Lord Jesus.”
14 We could not convince him, so
we gave up and said, “May the
Lord's will be done.”
15 After spending some time there,
we got our things ready and left for
Jerusalem.
16 Some of the disciples
from Caesarea also went with us
and took us to the house of the man
we were going to stay with note—Mnason,
-- --
from Cyprus, who had been a
believer since the early days.
Paul Visits James
17 When we arrived in Jerusalem,
the believers welcomed us warmly.
18 The next day Paul went with us to
see James; and all the church elders
were present.
19 Paul greeted them
and gave a complete report of everything
that God had done among the
Gentiles through his work.
20 After
hearing him, they all praised God.
Then they said, “Brother Paul, you
can see how many thousands of
Jews have become believers, and
how devoted they all are to the Law.
21 They have been told that you have
been teaching all the Jews who live
in Gentile countries to abandon the
Law of Moses, telling them not to
circumcise their children or follow
the Jewish customs.
22 They are sure
to hear that you have arrived. What
should be done, then?
23 This is what
we want you to do. There are four
men here who have taken a vow.
24 Go along with them and join them
in the ceremony of purification and
pay their expenses; then they will be
able to shave their heads. noteIn this
way everyone will know that there is
no truth in any of the things that
they have been told about you, but
that you yourself live in accordance
with the Law of Moses. note
25 But as for
the Gentiles who have become believers,
we have sent them a letter
telling them we decided that they
must not eat any food that has been
offered to idols, or any blood, or any
animal that has been strangled, and
that they must keep themselves
from sexual immorality.” note
26 So Paul took the men and the
next day performed the ceremony of
purification with them. Then he
went into the Temple and gave notice
of how many days it would be
until the end of the period of purification,
when a sacrifice would be offered
for each one of them.
Paul Is Arrested in the Temple
27 But just when the seven days
were about to come to an end, some
Jews from the province of Asia saw
Paul in the Temple. They stirred up
the whole crowd and grabbed Paul.
28 “Men of Israel!” they shouted.
“Help! This is the man who goes
everywhere teaching everyone
against the people of Israel, the Law
of Moses, and this Temple. And now
he has even brought some Gentiles
into the Temple and defiled this holy
place!”
29 (They said this because
they had seen Trophimus from Ephesus
with Paul in the city, and they
thought that Paul had taken him into
the Temple.) note
30 Confusion spread through the
whole city, and the people all ran together,
grabbed Paul, and dragged
him out of the Temple. At once the
Temple doors were closed.
31 The
mob was trying to kill Paul, when a
report was sent up to the commander
of the Roman troops that all
of Jerusalem was rioting.
32 At once
the commander took some officers
and soldiers and rushed down to the
crowd. When the people saw him
with the soldiers, they stopped beating
Paul.
33 The commander went
over to Paul, arrested him, and ordered
him to be bound with two
chains. Then he asked, “Who is this
man, and what has he done?”
34 Some in the crowd shouted one
thing, others something else. There
was such confusion that the commander
could not find out exactly
what had happened, so he ordered
his men to take Paul up into the fort.
35 They got as far as the steps with
him, and then the soldiers had to
carry him because the mob was so
wild.
36 They were all coming after
him and screaming, “Kill him!”
Paul Defends Himself
37 As the soldiers were about to
take Paul into the fort, he spoke to
-- --
the commander: “May I say something
to you?”
37 “You speak Greek, do you?” the
commander asked.
38 “Then you are
not that Egyptian fellow who some
time ago started a revolution and led
four thousand armed terrorists out
into the desert?”
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew,
born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of
an important city. Please let me
speak to the people.”
40 The commander gave him permission,
so Paul stood on the steps
and motioned with his hand for the
people to be silent. When they were
quiet, Paul spoke to them in Hebrew:
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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