Chapter 21

¹And when, having got away from them, we at last sailed away, we came by a direct course to Cos, and on the morrow to Rhodes, and thence to Patara. ²And having found a ship passing over into Phoenicia, we went on board and sailed; ³and having sighted Cyprus, and left it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and made the land at Tyre, for there the ship was to discharge her cargo. ⁴And having found out the disciples, we remained there seven days; who said to Paul by the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. ⁵But when we had completed the days, we set out and took our journey, all of them accompanying us, with wives and children, till [we were] out of the city. And kneeling down upon the shore we prayed. ⁶And having embraced one another, we went on board ship, and they returned home. ⁷And we, having completed the voyage, arrived from Tyre at Ptolemais, and having saluted the brethren, we remained one day with them. ⁸And leaving on the morrow, we came to Caesarea; and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was of the seven, we abode with him. ⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. ¹⁰And as we stayed there many days, a certain man, by name Agabus, a prophet, came down from Judaea, ¹¹and coming to us and taking the girdle of Paul, and having bound his own hands and feet, said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, The man whose this girdle is shall the Jews thus bind in Jerusalem, and deliver him up into the hands of [the] Gentiles. ¹²And when we heard these things, both we and those of the place besought [him] not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³But Paul answered, What do ye, 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. ¹⁴And when he would not be persuaded, we were silent, saying, The will of the Lord be done. ¹⁵And after these days, having got our effects ready, we went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶And [some] of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing [with them] a certain Mnason, a Cyprian, an old disciple, with whom we were to lodge. ¹⁷And when we arrived at Jerusalem the brethren gladly received us. ¹⁸And on the morrow Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders came there. ¹⁹And having saluted them, he related one by one the things which God had wrought among the nations by his ministry. ²⁰And they having heard [it] glorified God, and said to him, Thou seest, brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed, and all are zealous of the law. ²¹And they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all the Jews among the nations apostasy from Moses, saying that they should not circumcise their children, nor walk in the customs. ²²What is it then? a multitude must necessarily come together, for they will hear that thou art come. ²³This do therefore that we say to thee: We have four men who have a vow on them; ²⁴take these and be purified with them, and pay their expenses, that they may have their heads shaved; and all will know that [of those things] of which they have been informed about thee nothing is [true]; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law. ²⁵But concerning [those of] the nations who have believed, we have written, deciding that they should [observe no such thing, only to] keep themselves both from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. ²⁶Then Paul, taking the men, on the next day, having been purified, entered with them into the temple, signifying the time the days of the purification would be fulfilled, until the offering was offered for every one of them. ²⁷And when the seven days were nearly completed, the Jews from Asia, having seen him in the temple, set all the crowd in a tumult, and laid hands upon him, ²⁸crying, Israelites, help! this is the man who teaches all everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place, and has brought Greeks too into the temple, and profaned this holy place. ²⁹For they had before seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. ³⁰And the whole city was moved, and there was a concourse of the people; and having laid hold on Paul they drew him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹And as they were seeking to kill him, a representation came to the chiliarch of the band that the whole of Jerusalem was in a tumult; ³²who, taking with him immediately soldiers and centurions, ran down upon them. But they, seeing the chiliarch and the soldiers, ceased beating Paul. ³³Then the chiliarch came up and laid hold upon him, and commanded [him] to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he might be, and what he had done. ³⁴And different persons cried some different thing in the crowd. But he, not being able to know the certainty on account of the uproar, commanded him to be brought into the fortress. ³⁵But when he got upon the stairs it was so that he was borne by the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd. ³⁶For the multitude of the people followed, crying, Away with him. ³⁷But as he was about to be led into the fortress, Paul says to the chiliarch, Is it allowed me to say something to thee? And he said, Dost thou know Greek? ³⁸Thou art not then that Egyptian who before these days raised a sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the assassins? ³⁹But Paul said, I am a Jew of Tarsus, citizen of no insignificant city of Cilicia, and I beseech of thee, allow me to speak to the people. ⁴⁰And when he had allowed him, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people; and a great silence having been made, he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,