使徒行传 21

保罗上耶路撒冷

1 我们离别了众人，就开船直航到哥士，第二天到了罗底，又从那里到帕大喇。 2 我们遇见一只船要往腓尼基去，就上船起航。 3 我们望见塞浦路斯，就从南边行过，往叙利亚去，在推罗上岸，因为船要在那里卸货。 4 我们在那里找到了一些门徒，就住了七天。他们藉着圣灵的感动，告诉保罗不要上耶路撒冷去。 5 几天之后，我们又出发前行。他们众人同妻子儿女都送我们到城外，我们都跪在滩上祷告，彼此辞别。 6 我们上了船，他们就回家去了。

7 我们从推罗行完航程，来到了多利买，问候那里的弟兄，和他们同住了一天。 8 第二天，我们离开那里，来到凯撒利亚，就进了传福音的腓利家里，和他同住；他是那七个执事里的一个。 9 他有四个女儿，都是未出嫁的，都会说预言。 10 我们在那里多住了好几天，有一个先知，名叫亚迦布，从犹太下来。 11 他到了我们这里，就拿保罗的腰带，捆上自己的手脚，说：“圣灵这样说：‘犹太人在耶路撒冷要如此捆绑这腰带的主人，把他交在外邦人手里。’” 12 我们听见这些话，就跟当地的人苦劝保罗不要上耶路撒冷去。 13 于是保罗回答：“你们为什么这样痛哭，使我心碎呢？我为主耶稣的名，不但被人捆绑，就是死在耶路撒冷也是愿意的。” 14 既然保罗不听劝，我们就住了口，只说：“愿主的旨意成就。”

15 过了这几天，我们收拾行李上耶路撒冷去。 16 有凯撒利亚的几个门徒和我们同去，带我们到一个早期的门徒塞浦路斯人拿孙的家里，请我们与他同住。

保罗访问雅各

17 我们到了耶路撒冷，弟兄们欢欢喜喜地接待我们。 18 第二天，保罗同我们去见雅各；所有的长老也都在场。 19 保罗向他们问安，然后将上帝用他在外邦人中所做的事奉，一一述说了。 20 他们听见了，就归荣耀给上帝，对保罗说：“弟兄，你看犹太人中有数以万计的信徒，而他们都是热心于律法的人。 21 他们曾听见人说，你教导所有在外邦的犹太人离弃摩西，对他们说，不要给孩子行割礼，也不要遵守规矩。 22 众人必听见你来了，这可怎么办呢？ 23 你就照着我们的话做吧！我们这里有四个人，都有愿在身。 24 你带他们去，与他们一同行洁净的礼，替他们缴纳规费，让他们得以剃头。这样，众人就会知道，先前所听见关于你的事都是假的；而且也知道，你自己为人循规蹈矩，遵行律法。 25 至于信主的外邦人，t我们已经根据我们的决议写信，叫他们要禁戒偶像所玷污的东西、血和勒死的牲畜，禁戒淫乱。” 26 于是保罗带着那四个人，第二天与他们一同行了洁净礼，进了圣殿，报告洁净期满的日子，等候祭司为他们各人献上祭物。

保罗在圣殿里被捕

27 那七日将完，从亚细亚来的犹太人看见保罗在圣殿里，就煽动所有的群众，下手拿住他， 28 喊着：“以色列人哪，来帮忙！这就是在各处教导众人糟蹋我们百姓、律法和这地方的人。不但如此，他还带了希腊人进圣殿，污秽了这圣地。” 29 这话是因他们曾看见以弗所人特罗非摩跟保罗一起在城里，以为保罗带他进了圣殿。 30 于是全城都骚动，百姓一齐跑来，拿住保罗，拉他出圣殿，殿门立刻都关了。 31 他们正想要杀他，有人报信给营里的千夫长，说耶路撒冷全城都乱了。 32 千夫长立刻带着士兵和几个百夫长，跑下去到他们那里。他们见了千夫长和士兵，就停下来不打保罗。 33 于是千夫长上前拿住他，吩咐用两条铁链捆锁，又问他是什么人，做了什么事。 34 群众中有的喊这个，有的喊那个；因为这样乱嚷，千夫长无法知道实情，就下令将保罗带进营楼去。 35 保罗一走上台阶，群众挤得凶猛，士兵只得将保罗抬起来。 36 一群人跟在后面，喊着：“除掉他！”

保罗为自己辩护

37  保罗快要被带进营楼时，对千夫长说：“我可以对你说句话吗？”千夫长说：“你懂得希腊话吗？ 38 那你就不是从前作乱、带领四千凶徒往旷野去的那埃及人了。” 39 保罗说：“我本是犹太人，生在基利家的大数，并不是无名小城的公民。求你准我对百姓说话。” 40 千夫长准了。保罗就站在台阶上，向百姓做了个手势，要他们静下来，保罗就用希伯来话对他们说：

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