HANDELINGE 21

Paulus reis oor Tirus en Sesarea Jerusalem toe

1 Nadat ons van die Efese-ouderlinge afskeid geneem het, het ons reguit na die eiland Kos gevaar. Die volgende dag is ons na Rodos en daarvandaan na Patara.2 Toe het ons 'n skip gekry na Fenisië.3 Ons het die eiland Siprus in sig gekry en is Sirië toe terwyl ons Siprus aan ons linkerkant verbygevaar het. In Tirus het ons afgeklim, want die skip moes sy vrag daar aflaai.4 Ons het die gelowiges daar opgesoek en sewe dae gebly. Deur die Gees gedring het hulle vir Paulus gesê om nie Jerusalem toe te gaan nie.5 Ná 'n week moes ons vertrek en verder reis. Die hele gemeente, vroue en kinders ingesluit, is saam met ons strand toe, buitekant die stad. Daar het ons gekniel en gebid

6 en mekaar gegroet. Ons het toe aan boord gegaan, en hulle is terug huis toe.
7 Ons het van Tirus af die seereis voortgesit na Ptolemaïs. Daar het ons die gelowiges gegroet en 'n dag by hulle gebly.8 Die volgende dag het ons vertrek en in Sesarea aangekom. Ons het by die evangelis Filippus, een van die sewe, tuisgegaan.

9 Hy het vier ongetroude dogters gehad met die gawe om te profeteer.
10 Ons was reeds 'n hele paar dae daar toe 'n profeet met die naam Agabus van Judea af daar aankom.11 Toe hy ons kom opsoek, het hy Paulus se belt gevat en sy eie voete en hande daarmee vasgebind. Toe sê hy: "Só sê die Heilige Gees: 'Die man wie se belt dit is hierdie - die Jode in Jerusalem sal hom net so vasbind en hom in die hande van nie-Jode uitlewer.'"

12 Toe ons dit hoor, het ons en die plaaslike gelowiges Paulus gesmeek om nie Jerusalem toe te gaan nie.
13 Sy reaksie was egter: "Waarom wil julle my hart sag maak met julle huilery? Julle weet mos ek is bereid om ter wille van die Naam van die Here Jesus nie net in Jerusalem gevange geneem te word nie, maar selfs ook te sterf."

14 Toe hy nie tot ander insigte gebring kon word nie, het ons met dié woorde berus: "Laat dan die wil van die Here geskied."

Paulus kom in Jerusalem aan

15 Hierna het ons opgepak en Jerusalem toe vertrek.16 Party van die gelowiges het van Sesarea af saam met ons gegaan. Hulle het ons na Mnason toe gevat, wat oorspronklik van Siprus afkomstig was, en wat reeds van vroeg af 'n gelowige was. By hom sou ons tuisgaan.

17 Die gelowiges in Jerusalem het ons hartlik ontvang.

Paulus besoek Jakobus in Jerusalem

18 Die volgende dag is Paulus saam met ons na Jakobus toe. Al die ouderlinge was by.

19 Ná Paulus hulle gegroet het, het hy in besonderhede vertel wat God onder die nie-Jode deur sy bediening gedoen het.
20 Toe hulle dit hoor, het hulle God geprys. Hulle het egter vir Paulus gesê: "Jy sien, broer, daar is hoeveel duisende van dié wat gelowiges geword het wat Jode is, en hulle is almal ywerige toepassers van die wet.21 Die gelowiges hier in Jerusalem het gehoor dat jy al die Jode wat onder die nie-Jode woon, leer om die wet van Moses te ignoreer. Hulle beweer jy leer hulle om nie meer hulle kinders te laat besny nie en om nie die ander Joodse gebruike te onderhou nie.

22 Wat nou? Hulle sal beslis te hore kom dat jy nou hier is.
23 "Ons het 'n voorstel. Ons het vier mans hier wat 'n gelofte afgelê het en nou die nodige by die tempel moet gaan doen.

24 Vat hulle tempel toe en gaan saam met hulle deur die reinigings-handeling en betaal vir hulle haarsny. Dan sal almal weet dat die stories wat oor jou versprei word, nie waar is nie, maar dat jy self die Joodse wet nakom en onderhou.

25 "Wat betref die gelowiges wat vroeër nie-Jode was - ons het laat weet dat ons besluit het hulle moet hulle onthou van afgodsoffers, bloed, van iets wat verwurg is, en van seksuele sondes."

Paulus word by die tempel gearresteer

26 Paulus het toe die voorstel opgevolg en die volgende dag saam met die mans die reinigingshandeling verrig. Hy het tempel toe gegaan en kennis gegee van die datum waarop die reinigingstydperk verby sou wees, en die offer vir elkeen van hulle gebring sou word.
27 Die sewe dae reinigingstyd was amper om toe Jode van die provinsie Asië vir Paulus by die tempel sien en 'n hele skare teen hom aanhits. Hulle het Paulus gegryp28 en geskreeu: "Al julle Israeliete, kom help! Hier is die man wat deur sy onderrig almal oral teen ons volk en teen ons wet en teen die tempel beïnvloed. Nou het hy boonop nog Grieke hier ingebring en hierdie tempel wat aan God gewy is, ontheilig!"

29 (Hulle het kort tevore Trofimus, 'n nie-Jood van Efese, saam met Paulus in die stad gesien en verkeerdelik die afleiding gemaak dat Paulus hom in die tempel ingebring het.)
30 Die hele stad het in beroering gekom en 'n betoging het begin. Hulle het Paulus by die tempel uitgesleep, en die deure is dadelik toegesluit.31 Hulle het hom probeer vermoor toe die offisier oor duisend man van die Romeinse garnisoen hoor dat die hele Jerusalem in oproer is.32 Hy het onmiddellik met soldate en offisiere op hulle afgestorm. Toe die betogers die offisier oor duisend man en sy soldate sien kom, het hulle opgehou om Paulus aan te rand.33 Die offisier het Paulus toe gearresteer en hom met twee kettings laat boei. Hy vra toe die betogers wie die man is en wat hy gedoen het.34 Sommige het dít en ander weer dát geskreeu. Daar was só 'n rumoer dat hy nie kon uitvind wat presies aan die gang is nie. Gevolglik het hy beveel dat Paulus kaserne toe gevat moes word.35 Toe Paulus by die trappe kom, moes die soldate hom dra, só gewelddadig het die skare geword.

36 'n Klomp is agterna en het geskreeu: "Weg met hom!"

Paulus spreek 'n Joodse skare toe

37 Net voor Paulus die barakke ingebring is, sê hy vir die offisier: "Verskoon my, kan ek u iets vra?"
"Ken jy tog nie Grieks nie!" reageer die offisier.

38 "Dan is jý nie die Egiptenaar wat onlangs 'n opstand gelei en met 4 000 ekstremiste die woestyn in getrek het nie?"
39 "Ek," het Paulus geantwoord, "is 'n Jood van Tarsus in Silisië, 'n burger van 'n belangrike stad. Ek versoek u: Laat my toe om die mense toe te spreek."

40 Die offisier het ingewillig, en Paulus het op die trappe gaan staan en met sy hand vir die mense beduie om stil te bly. Dit het doodstil geword, en hy het hulle in Aramees, hulle moedertaal, toegespreek.

ACTS 21

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

1 After saying goodbye, we sailed straight to Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and from there sailed on to Patara.

2 We found a ship going to Phoenicia, so we got on board and sailed off.
3 We came within sight of Cyprus and then sailed south of it on to the port of Tyre in Syria, where the ship was going to unload its cargo. 4 We found the Lord's followers and stayed with them for a week. The Holy Spirit had told them to warn Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 But when the week was over, we started on our way again. All the men, together with their wives and children, walked with us from the town to the seashore. We knelt on the beach and prayed.

6 Then after saying goodbye to each other, we got into the ship, and they went back home.
7 We sailed from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the followers and stayed with them for a day. 8 t The next day we went to Caesarea and stayed with Philip, the preacher. He was one of the seven men who helped the apostles,

9 and he had four unmarriedt daughters who prophesied.
10  t We had been in Caesarea for several days, when the prophet Agabus came to us from Judea. 11 He took Paul's belt, and with it he tied up his own hands and feet. Then he told us, “The Holy Spirit says that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt. They will also hand him over to the Gentiles.”

12 After Agabus said this, we and the followers living there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

13 But Paul answered, “Why are you crying and breaking my heart? I am not only willing to be put in jail for the Lord Jesus, but I am even willing to die for him in Jerusalem!”

14 Since we could not get Paul to change his mind, we gave up and prayed, “Lord, please make us willing to do what you want.”
15 Then we got ready to go to Jerusalem.

16 Some of the followers from Caesarea went with us and took us to stay in the home of Mnason. He was from Cyprus and had been a follower from the beginning.

Paul Visits James

20 Everyone who heard this praised God and said to Paul:
My friend, you can see how many tens of thousands of our people have become followers! And all of them are eager to obey the Law of Moses.

21 But they have been told that you are teaching those who live among the Gentiles to disobey this Law. They claim that you are telling them not to circumcise their sons or to follow our customs.
22 What should we do now that our people have heard you are here? 23 t Please do what we ask, because four of our men have made special promises to God.

24 Join with them and prepare yourself for the ceremony that goes with the promises. Pay the cost for their heads to be shaved. Then everyone will learn that the reports about you are not true. They will know you do obey the Law of Moses.

25  t Some while ago we told the Gentile followers what we think they should do. We instructed them not to eat anything offered to idols. They were told not to eat any meat with blood still in it or the meat of an animal that has been strangled. They were also told not to commit any terrible sexual sins.t

26 The next day Paul took the four men with him and got himself ready at the same time they did. Then he went into the temple and told when the final ceremony would take place and when an offering would be made for each of them.

Paul Is Arrested

29 t Some of them thought that Paul had brought Trophimus from Ephesus into the temple, because they had seen them together in the city.
30 The whole city was in an uproar, and the people turned into a mob. They grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Then suddenly the doors were shut. 31 The people were about to kill Paul when the Roman army commander heard that all Jerusalem was starting to riot.

32 So he quickly took some soldiers and officers and ran to where the crowd had gathered.
As soon as the mob saw the commander and soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 The army commander went over and arrested him and had him bound with two chains. Then he tried to find out who Paul was and what he had done. 34 Part of the crowd shouted one thing, and part of them shouted something else. But they were making so much noise that the commander could not find out a thing. Then he ordered Paul to be taken into the fortress. 35 As they reached the steps, the crowd became so wild that the soldiers had to lift Paul up and carry him.

36 The crowd followed and kept shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”

Paul Speaks to the Crowd

37 When Paul was about to be taken into the fortress, he asked the commander, “Can I say something to you?”
“How do you know Greek?” the commander asked.

38 “Aren't you that Egyptian who started a riot not long ago and led 4,000 terrorists into the desert?”

39 “No!” Paul replied. “I am a Jew from Tarsus, an important city in Cilicia. Please let me speak to the crowd.”
40 The commander told him he could speak, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people. When they were quiet, he spoke to them in Aramaic:t