1 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 Cæsarea: 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 Judæa 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 Cæsarea, 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,

1And it came to passe, that after wee were gotten frō them, and had lanched, wee came with a straight course vnto Choos, and the day following vnto Rhodes, and from thence vnto Patara.

2And finding a ship sailing ouer vnto Phenicea, wee went abroad, and set foorth.

3Now when wee had discouered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the shippe was to vnlade her burden.

4And finding disciples, wee taried there seuen dayes: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that hee should not goe vp to Hierusalem.

5And when we had accomplished those dayes, we departed, and went our way, and they all brought vs on our way, with wiues and children, till wee were out of the citie: and wee kneeled downe on the shore, and prayed.

6And when we had taken our leaue one of another, we tooke ship, and they returned home againe.

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

8And the next day we that were of Pauls company, departed, and came vnto Cesarea, and wee entred into the house of Philip the Euangelist (which was one of the seuen) & abode with him.

9And þe same man had foure daughters, virgins, which did prophesie.

10And as wee taried there many dayes, there came downe from Iudea a certaine Prophet, named Agabus.

11And when he was come vnto vs, he tooke Pauls girdle, and bound his owne hands and feete, and said, Thus sayth the holy Ghost, So shall the Iewes at Hierusalem binde the man that oweth this girdle, and shall deliuer him into the hands of the Gentiles.

12And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place, besought him not to goe vp to Hierusalem.

13Then Paul answered, What meane ye to weepe and to breake mine heart? for I am ready, not to bee bound onely, but also to die at Hierusalem for the Name of the Lord Iesus.

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

15And after those dayes we tooke vp our cariages, & went vp to Hierusalem.

16There went with vs also certaine of the disciples of Cesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whō we should lodge.

17And when we were come to Hierusalem, the brethren receiued vs gladly

18And the day following Paul went in with vs vnto Iames, and all the Elders were present.

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

20And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, & said vnto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Iewes there are which beleeue, and they are all zealous of the Law.

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

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

23Doe therefore this that we say to thee: Wee haue foure men which haue a vow on them,

24Then take, and purifie thy selfe with them, & bee at charges with them, that they may shaue their heads: and all may know that those things wherof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing, but that thou thy selfe also walkest orderly, and keepest the Law.

25As touching the Gentiles which beleeue, wee haue written and concluded, that they obserue no such thing, saue onely that they keepe themselues from things offered to idoles, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

26Then Paul tooke the men, and the next day purifying himselfe with them, entred into the Temple, to signifie the accomplishment of the dayes of purification, vntill that an offering should be offered for euery one of them:

27And when the seuen dayes were almost ended, the Iewes which were of Asia, when they saw him in the Temple, stirred vp all the people, and laide hands on him,

28Crying out, Men of Israel, helpe: this is þe man that teacheth al men euery where against the people, and the law, and this place: and farther brought Greeks also into the Temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

29(For they had seene before with him in the citie, Trophimus an Ephesian, whome they supposed that Paul had brought into the Temple.)

30And all the citie was moued, and the people ran together: and they tooke Paul, and drew him out of the Temple: and forthwith the doores were shut.

31And as they went about to kil him, tidings came vnto the chiefe captaine of the band, that all Hierusalem was in an vprore.

32Who immediatly tooke souldiers, and Centurions, and ran downe vnto them: and when they saw the chiefe captaine and the souldiers, they left beating of Paul.

33Then the chiefe captain came neere, and tooke him, & commanded him to be bound with two chains, and demanded who he was, and what hee had done.

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

35And when he came vpon þe staires, so it was that he was borne of the souldiers, for the violence of the people.

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

37And as Paul was to bee led into the castle, hee saide vnto the chiefe captaine, May I speake vnto thee? Who saide, Canst thou speake Greeke?

38Art not thou that Egyptian which before these daies madest an vprore, and leddest out into the wildernesse foure thousand men that were murtherers?

39But Paul said, I am a man which am a Iew of Tarsus, a citie in Cilicia, a citizen of no meane citie: & I beseech thee suffer me to speake vnto the people.

40And when he had giuen him licence, Paul stood on the staires, and beckened with the hand vnto the people: and when there was made a great silence, he spake vnto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying.

 

1 When we had taken leave of them we set sail, made a straight run for Cos, and on the next day for Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 Finding a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went on board and put out to sea. 3 We caught sight of Cyprus but passed by it on our left and sailed on toward Syria and put in at Tyre where the ship was to unload cargo. 4 There we sought out the disciples and stayed for a week. They kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to embark for Jerusalem. 5 At the end of our stay we left and resumed our journey. All of them, women and children included, escorted us out of the city, and after kneeling on the beach to pray, 6 we bade farewell to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home. 7 We continued the voyage and came from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed a day with them. 8 On the next day we resumed the trip and came to Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four virgin daughters gifted with prophecy. 10 We had been there several days when a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came up to us, took Paul's belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, "Thus says the holy Spirit: This is the way the Jews will bind the owner of this belt in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles." 12 When we heard this, we and the local residents begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul replied, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? I am prepared not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 Since he would not be dissuaded we let the matter rest, saying, "The Lord's will be done." 15 After these days we made preparations for our journey, then went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea came along to lead us to the house of Mnason, a Cypriot, a disciple of long standing, with whom we were to stay. 17 When we reached Jerusalem the brothers welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day, Paul accompanied us on a visit to James, and all the presbyters were present. 19 He greeted them, then proceeded to tell them in detail what God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 They praised God when they heard it but said to him, "Brother, you see how many thousands of believers there are from among the Jews, and they are all zealous observers of the law. 21 They have been informed that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses and that you are telling them not to circumcise their children or to observe their customary practices. 22 What is to be done? They will surely hear that you have arrived. 23 So do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take these men and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses that they may have their heads shaved. In this way everyone will know that there is nothing to the reports they have been given about you but that you yourself live in observance of the law. 25 As for the Gentiles who have come to believe, we sent them our decision that they abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage." 26 So Paul took the men, and on the next day after purifying himself together with them entered the temple to give notice of the day when the purification would be completed and the offering made for each of them. 27 When the seven days were nearly completed, the Jews from the province of Asia noticed him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and laid hands on him, 28 shouting, "Fellow Israelites, help us. This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place, and what is more, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this sacred place." 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him and supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 The whole city was in turmoil with people rushing together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were closed. 31 While they were trying to kill him, a report reached the cohort commander that all Jerusalem was rioting. 32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions and charged down on them. When they saw the commander and the soldiers they stopped beating Paul. 33 The cohort commander came forward, arrested him, and ordered him to be secured with two chains; he tried to find out who he might be and what he had done. 34 Some in the mob shouted one thing, others something else; so, since he was unable to ascertain the truth because of the uproar, he ordered Paul to be brought into the compound. 35 When he reached the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob, 36 for a crowd of people followed and shouted, "Away with him!" 37 Just as Paul was about to be taken into the compound, he said to the cohort commander, "May I say something to you?" He replied, "Do you speak Greek? 38 So then you are not the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led the four thousand assassins into the desert?" 39 Paul answered, "I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; I request you to permit me to speak to the people." 40 When he had given his permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people; and when all was quiet he addressed them in Hebrew.  

v1-3. The route home described. Travelers just rode along on cargo ships, so they were dependent on when a ship had enough cargo to sail. This ship had been making stops each day, so Paul was happy to find (an express) one taking a direct route. A cargo ship with prevailing wind did not have to follow the coastline.
v4. More warnings from the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem.
v5,6. Such great love and concern that the entire families came to see him off. It is a great experience to pray with missionaries at the airport before they departed,but he is heading home to sure trouble.
v7-9. The route further outlined, Tyre to Ptolemais to Caesarea. Philip, one of the Seven, had gone to Samaria, thence toward Gaza to meet the Ethiopian eunuch, and finally back to his home in Caesarea. He obviously had trained his family properly to have four daughters who prophesied. This may have meant they could occasionally foretell, it may have meant they simply taught in the church, but more likely, they did as in Ex 15:20, where Miriam led the women with timbrels and dances, or 1 Ch 25:1 where David separated some to prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals.
10-12. With the Spirit’s warning and demonstration from the prophet Agabus that Paul would be bound, Luke and all the people tried to persuade Paul not to continue on. We tend to wonder if maybe he should have heeded their advice, but the warning was not that he should stay away, but that he would have trouble there. God used this bondage as a time for Paul to witness and write books in Rome.
v13. Their pleadings were a burden to Paul, but his zeal was not diminished.
v14. When decisions are made that we feel are wrong, we must commit it to God.
v15,16. At least Luke was with Paul, but other believers came along on the 65 mile walk to Jerusalem. Mnason may have been one of the charter members of the infant church. This is probably 8-10 years after the Judean Council of things to avoid.
v17-19. After a warm welcome Paul met with the church leaders and gave a full missionary report. It was probably at this time that he turned over the offering that he had carried from the churches.
v20,21. Though they rejoiced, the old issue of keeping the ceremonial law 28 years later is still hanging heavy. These thousands of Jewish believers are legalistic and believed the false accusation of some that Paul was teaching the Gentiles to ignore the Jewish teachings. He had simply taught them what the church had already decreed in what to do and not to do, he was not teaching against the Jewish customs.
v22-24. The leaders had already decided ahead of time that having Paul identified with those having a vow would show the people that he still kept the law. He could follow the custom of the rich paying for the sacrifice for the poorer brethren.
v25. They confirm that the position of the church on this has not changed.
v26. The topic of vows is a study in itself. These four, at the close of the Nazarite vow, were to bring gifts beyond their ability to pay. It had become common for wealthy to pay for the sacrifice offering of the poor. This included three sheep for every man. By purifying himself with them and paying it for them, Paul was showing his sympathy for those zealous of keeping the law.  Whether or not he succeeded, 23:1 says that he did not violate his own conscience. He would become a Jew to win the Jews, 1 Cor. 9:20.
v27-30. This might have been successful, but  the zealous unbelieving Jews from Asia were probably the same ones who had tried to kill Paul there. They kept up the accusation (1) He was against our people - he had gone to Gentiles (2) He was against the law - didn’t require circumcision (3) He was against the temple - he didn’t require Gentiles to do temple worship, and added another that he had brought Greeks into the temple contrary to their laws. (It was posted at the entry that Gentiles would be killed if they went beyond the Court of the Gentiles. The limitations were: Gentiles to the Court of the Gentiles, Jewish women to the Court of the women, Jewish males to the Court of Israel, Priests to the Priest’s Court, and only the high priest to the inner sanctuary.)Theirs was an untrue supposition, but mob rule took over and Paul was dragged out of the temple.
v31-33. They were beating him and would have killed him had not the Roman soldiers heard the uproar and rescued him. Romans in Tower of Antionio closely watched for trouble during feasts. After Paul was bound, the chief captain, who would have had at least 200 soldiers with him (1000 under his command), tried to get to the bottom of the problem.
v34-36. The enraged witnesses disagreed and were following like wolves with the taste of blood, so that the soldiers had to carry Paul to keep them away from him.
37,38. The captain was surprised to hear Paul speak Greek, supposing him to have been the Egyptian that had led 4000 men in an uprising in AD 54. (Josephus says 30,000 but he was totally wrong.) He escaped, but many Jews had been killed so the captain assumes they are seeking revenge on the troublemaker.
v39. Paul clarifies that he is a Jew with right to be in the temple, and had learned Greek in Tarsus, a city with a good reputation. With credential established he asks to speak to the people.
v40. When permission was granted, he stood on the stairs overlooking the crowd. They couldn’t get to him, so they decided to listen to what he had to say.