Acts 21
1 When we had departed from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
[After] we said goodbye to the elders [from Ephesus], we [got on the ship and] sailed to Cos [Island, where the ship stopped for the night]. The next day we sailed from Cos to Rhodes [Island, where the ship stopped again. The day after] that we sailed to Patara [town, where the ship stopped. This was on Patara Island].
2 Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.
[At Patara we left that ship, and someone told us that] there was a ship that would be going to Phoenicia [region. So] we got on that ship, and it left.
3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for the ship was there to unload her cargo.
[We sailed until] we could see Cyprus [Island]. We passed to the south of the island and continued sailing until we arrived at [Phoenicia region, in] Syria [province]. We arrived at Tyre [city. The ship was going to stay there several days, because its workers] had to unload the cargo.
4 Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
[Someone told us] where the believers in Tyre lived, so we [(exc) went and] stayed with them for seven days. Because [God’s] Spirit revealed to them ([that people would cause Paul to suffer/Paul would suffer]) [in Jerusalem], they told Paul that he should not go there.
5 When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed.
But when it was time [for the ship to leave again], we [prepared to] continue going [to Jerusalem]. When we left [Tyre], all the believers, including their wives and children, went with us [to the edge of the sea]. We all knelt down there on the sand/shore and prayed.
6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.
After we all said goodbye, Paul and we [his companions] got on the ship, and the [other] believers returned to their own homes.
7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers and stayed with them one day.
After we [(exc)] left Tyre, we continued on [that ship] to Ptolemais [city]. There were believers there, and we greeted them and stayed with them that night.
8 On the next day, we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
The next day we left [Ptolemais] and sailed to Caesarea [city], where we stayed in the home of Philip, who [spent his days] telling others how to become disciples of Jesus. He was one of the seven [men whom the believers in Jerusalem had chosen to care for the widows].
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
He had four daughters who were not married. Each of them [frequently] spoke messages that the Holy Spirit had revealed to them.
10 As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
After [we(exc) had been in Philip’s house for] several days, a believer whose name was Agabus came down from Judea [district] and arrived [in Caesarea]. He [frequently] spoke messages that the Holy Spirit had told him.
11 Coming to us and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘So the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
Coming over to where we were, he took off Paul’s belt. Then he tied his own feet and hands with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘The Jewish [leaders] [SYN] in Jerusalem will tie up [the hands and feet of] the owner of this belt, like this, and they will hand him over to non-Jewish people [as a prisoner].’”
12 When we heard these things, both we and the people of that place begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
When [the rest of] us heard that, we and [other] believers there repeatedly pled with Paul, “Please do not go up to Jerusalem!”
13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
But Paul replied, “(Please stop crying and trying to discourage me [IDM] [from going!]/Why are you crying and trying to discourage me [IDM] [from going]?) [RHQ] I am willing to be put {[for people] to put me} in prison and also to be killed {[for them] to kill me} in Jerusalem because I [serve] [MTY] the Lord Jesus.”
14 When he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The Lord’s will be done.”
When [we(exc) realized that] he was determined [to go to Jerusalem], we did not try [any longer] to persuade him [not to go]. We said, “May (the Lord [God] do what he wants/the Lord’s will be done)!”
15 After these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.
After those days [in Caesarea], we [(exc)] prepared [our things] and [left to] go [by land] up to Jerusalem.
16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.
Some of the believers from Caesarea also went with us. [On the way to Jerusalem], we stayed [one night] in the house of [a man whose name was] Mnason. He was from Cyprus [Island], and he had believed [in Jesus] when people were first beginning to hear the message [about him].
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.
When we arrived in Jerusalem, [a group of] the believers greeted us happily.
18 The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.
The next day Paul and the rest of us went to speak with James, [who was the leader of the congregation there]. All of the [other] leaders/elders [of the congregation in Jerusalem] were also there.
19 When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Paul greeted them, and then he reported all of the things that God had enabled him to do among the non-Jewish people.
20 They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.
When they heard that, James and the other elders said, “Praise the Lord!” Then [one of] them said to Paul, “Brother/Friend, you [(sg)] know that there are very many thousands of us [(inc)] Jewish people [here] who have believed [in the Lord Jesus]. Also, you know that we [(inc)] all continue very carefully to obey the laws [that Moses gave us].
21 They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and not to walk after the customs.
[But our fellow Jewish believers] have been told {have heard [people say]} that when you are among non-Jews, you tell the Jewish believers who live there that they should stop obeying [the laws] [MTY] ([of] Moses/[that] Moses [received from God]). [People say that] you tell [those Jewish believers] not to circumcise their sons and not to practice our [other] customs. [We(exc) do not believe that this is true].
22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
But our fellow [Jewish] believers will certainly hear that you have arrived, [and they will be angry with you]. So [you] need to do something [RHQ] [to show them that what they heard about you is not true].
23 Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow.
So you should do what we suggest to you. There are four men among us who have strongly promised [to God] about [something].
24 Take them and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law.
Go with these men [to the Temple] and [ritually] purify yourself along with them. Then, [when it is time for them to offer the sacrifices for that ritual], pay for what they offer [as sacrifices]. After that, they can shave their heads [to show that they have done what they promised to do. And when people see you in the courts of the Temple with those men], they will know that what they have been told {what people have told them} about you is not true. Instead, all of them will know that you obey all our Jewish laws [and rituals].
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality.”
As for the non-Jewish believers, [we elders here in Jerusalem have talked] about [which of our laws] they [should obey, and] we [(exc)] wrote them [a letter, telling them] what we decided. [We wrote] that they should not eat meat that people have offered as a sacrifice to any idol, [that they should not eat] blood [from animals], and that [they should not eat] meat from animals [that people have killed by] strangling [them. We also told them that] they should not have sex with someone to whom they are not married.”
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.
So Paul [agreed to do what they asked], and the next day he took the [four] men, and together they ritually purified themselves. After that, Paul went to the Temple [courts and] told [the priest] what day they would [finish] purifying themselves [ritually] and when [they] would offer [the animals as sacrifices] for each of them.
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him,
When the seven days [for purifying themselves] were nearly finished, Paul [returned] to the Temple [courtyard]. Some Jews from Asia [province] saw him there, [and they were very angry at him]. On another day they had seen Paul [walking around] in Jerusalem with Trophimus, who was a non-Jew. Their laws did not permit non-Jews to be in the Temple, and they thought that Paul had brought Trophimus into the Temple [courtyard that day. So] they called out to many other Jews [who were in the Temple courtyard] to [help them] seize [MTY] Paul. They shouted, “Fellow Israelites, come and help [us punish this] man! This is the one who is [constantly] teaching people wherever [he goes that they] should despise the [Jewish] people. [He teaches people that they should no longer obey] the laws [of Moses] nor respect this holy [Temple]. He has even brought non-Jews here into [the court of] our Temple, causing God to consider it no longer holy!”
28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place!”
29 For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 All the city was moved and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.
[People] throughout [MTY] the city heard that there was trouble [at the Temple courtyard], and they came running there. They grabbed Paul and dragged him outside of the Temple [area]. The gates [to the Temple courtyard were shut] {[The Temple guards] shut the doors [to the Temple courts]} immediately, [so that the people would not riot inside the Temple area].
31 As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
While they were trying to kill Paul, someone [ran to the fort near the Temple] and told the Roman commander that many [HYP] people [MTY] in Jerusalem were rioting [at the Temple].
32 Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul.
The commander quickly took some officers and [a large group of] soldiers and ran to [the Temple area where] the crowd was. When the crowd of people [who were yelling and beating Paul] saw the commander and the soldiers [coming], they stopped beating him.
33 Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done.
The commander came to [where Paul was and] seized him. He [commanded soldiers] to fasten a chain to [each of] Paul’s [arms]. Then he asked [the people in the crowd], “Who is this man, and what has he done?”
34 Some shouted one thing and some another, among the crowd. When he couldn’t find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.
Some of the many people there were shouting one thing, [and] some were shouting something else. Because they continued shouting so loudly, the commander could not understand [what they were shouting. So] he [commanded] that Paul be taken {[the soldiers] to take Paul} into the barracks [so that he could question him there].
35 When he came to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;
[The soldiers] led Paul to the steps [of the barracks], but many people continued to follow them, trying to kill [Paul. So the commander told] the soldiers to carry Paul [up the steps into the barracks].
36 for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, “May I speak to you?” He said, “Do you know Greek?
As Paul was about to be taken {[the soldiers] were about to take Paul} into the barracks, he said [in Greek] to the commander, “May I speak to you?” The commander said, “(I am surprised that you can speak the Greek [language]!/Can you [(sg)] speak the Greek [language]?)” [RHQ]
38 Aren’t you then the Egyptian who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”
“(I [thought] that you [(sg)] were that fellow/Are you not that fellow) from Egypt [RHQ] who wanted to rebel [against the government not long ago], and who took 4,000 violent terrorists [with him] out into the desert, [so that we could not catch him]?”
39 But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”
Paul answered, “[No, I am not!] I am a Jew. I [was born] in Tarsus, which is an important [LIT] city in Cilicia [province]. I ask that you [(sg)] let me speak to the people.”
40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
Then the commander permitted Paul [to speak. So] Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand [for the crowd to be quiet. And after] the people in the crowd became quiet, Paul spoke to them in [their own] Hebrew language [MTY].
