使徒行傳 21

保羅上耶路撒冷

1 我們離別了眾人，就開船直航到哥士，第二天到了羅底，又從那裏到帕大喇。 2 我們遇見一隻船要往腓尼基去，就上船起航。 3 我們望見塞浦路斯，就從南邊行過，往敘利亞去，在推羅上岸，因為船要在那裏卸貨。 4 我們在那裏找到了一些門徒，就住了七天。他們藉著聖靈的感動，告訴保羅不要上耶路撒冷去。 5 幾天之後，我們又出發前行。他們眾人同妻子兒女都送我們到城外，我們都跪在灘上禱告，彼此辭別。 6 我們上了船，他們就回家去了。

7 我們從推羅行完航程，來到了多利買，問候那裏的弟兄，和他們同住了一天。 8 第二天，我們離開那裏，來到凱撒利亞，就進了傳福音的腓利家裏，和他同住；他是那七個執事裏的一個。 9 他有四個女兒，都是未出嫁的，都會說預言。 10 我們在那裏多住了好幾天，有一個先知，名叫亞迦布，從猶太下來。 11 他到了我們這裏，就拿保羅的腰帶，捆上自己的手腳，說：「聖靈這樣說：『猶太人在耶路撒冷要如此捆綁這腰帶的主人，把他交在外邦人手裏。』」 12 我們聽見這些話，就跟當地的人苦勸保羅不要上耶路撒冷去。 13 於是保羅回答：「你們為甚麼這樣痛哭，使我心碎呢？我為主耶穌的名，不但被人捆綁，就是死在耶路撒冷也是願意的。」 14 既然保羅不聽勸，我們就住了口，只說：「願主的旨意成就。」

15 過了這幾天，我們收拾行李上耶路撒冷去。 16 有凱撒利亞的幾個門徒和我們同去，帶我們到一個早期的門徒塞浦路斯人拿孫的家裏，請我們與他同住。

保羅訪問雅各

17 我們到了耶路撒冷，弟兄們歡歡喜喜地接待我們。 18 第二天，保羅同我們去見雅各；所有的長老也都在場。 19 保羅向他們問安，然後將上帝用他在外邦人中所做的事奉，一一述說了。 20 他們聽見了，就歸榮耀給上帝，對保羅說：「弟兄，你看猶太人中有數以萬計的信徒，而他們都是熱心於律法的人。 21 他們曾聽見人說，你教導所有在外邦的猶太人離棄摩西，對他們說，不要給孩子行割禮，也不要遵守規矩。 22 眾人必聽見你來了，這可怎麼辦呢？ 23 你就照著我們的話做吧！我們這裏有四個人，都有願在身。 24 你帶他們去，與他們一同行潔淨的禮，替他們繳納規費，讓他們得以剃頭。這樣，眾人就會知道，先前所聽見關於你的事都是假的；而且也知道，你自己為人循規蹈矩，遵行律法。 25 至於信主的外邦人，t我們已經根據我們的決議寫信，叫他們要禁戒偶像所玷污的東西、血和勒死的牲畜，禁戒淫亂。」 26 於是保羅帶著那四個人，第二天與他們一同行了潔淨禮，進了聖殿，報告潔淨期滿的日子，等候祭司為他們各人獻上祭物。

保羅在聖殿裏被捕

27 那七日將完，從亞細亞來的猶太人看見保羅在聖殿裏，就煽動所有的群眾，下手拿住他， 28 喊著：「以色列人哪，來幫忙！這就是在各處教導眾人糟蹋我們百姓、律法和這地方的人。不但如此，他還帶了希臘人進聖殿，污穢了這聖地。」 29 這話是因他們曾看見以弗所人特羅非摩跟保羅一起在城裏，以為保羅帶他進了聖殿。 30 於是全城都騷動，百姓一齊跑來，拿住保羅，拉他出聖殿，殿門立刻都關了。 31 他們正想要殺他，有人報信給營裏的千夫長，說耶路撒冷全城都亂了。 32 千夫長立刻帶著士兵和幾個百夫長，跑下去到他們那裏。他們見了千夫長和士兵，就停下來不打保羅。 33 於是千夫長上前拿住他，吩咐用兩條鐵鏈捆鎖，又問他是甚麼人，做了甚麼事。 34 群眾中有的喊這個，有的喊那個；因為這樣亂嚷，千夫長無法知道實情，就下令將保羅帶進營樓去。 35 保羅一走上臺階，群眾擠得兇猛，士兵只得將保羅抬起來。 36 一群人跟在後面，喊著：「除掉他！」

保羅為自己辯護

37  保羅快要被帶進營樓時，對千夫長說：「我可以對你說句話嗎？」千夫長說：「你懂得希臘話嗎？ 38 那你就不是從前作亂、帶領四千兇徒往曠野去的那埃及人了。」 39 保羅說：「我本是猶太人，生在基利家的大數，並不是無名小城的公民。求你准我對百姓說話。」 40 千夫長准了。保羅就站在臺階上，向百姓做了個手勢，要他們靜下來，保羅就用希伯來話對他們說：

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

17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the Lord's followers gladly welcomed us. 18 Paul went with us to see Jamest the next day, and all the church leaders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and told how God had used him to help the Gentiles.

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

27 When the period of seven days for the ceremony was almost over, some of the Jewish people from Asia saw Paul in the temple. They got a large crowd together and started attacking him. 28 They were shouting, “Friends, help us! This man goes around everywhere, saying bad things about our nation and about the Law of Moses and about this temple. He has even brought shame to this holy temple by bringing in Gentiles.”

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