Actes (NAB) 15
15 1 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved." 2 Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and presbyters about this question.3 They were sent on their journey by the church, and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, as well as by the apostles and the presbyters, and they reported what God had done with them.5 But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law."
6 The apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter. 7 After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them, "My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us.9 He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts.10 Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they." 12 The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them.13 After they had fallen silent, James responded, "My brothers, listen to me. 14 Symeon has described how God first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:
16 'After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again,
17 so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord, even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked. Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
18 known from of old.'
19 It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,20 but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.21 For Moses, for generations now, has had those who proclaim him in every town, as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath."
22 Then the apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers.23 This is the letter delivered by them: "The apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings.24 Since we have heard that some of our number (who went out) without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind,25 we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,26 who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.27 So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:28 'It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,29 namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.'"30 And so they were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.31 When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.32 Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, exhorted and strengthened the brothers with many words.33 After they had spent some time there, they were sent off with greetings of peace from the brothers to those who had commissioned them.34
35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming with many others the word of the Lord.
36 After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, "Come, let us make a return visit to see how the brothers are getting on in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord." 37 Barnabas wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark,38 but Paul insisted that they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia and who had not continued with them in their work.39 So sharp was their disagreement that they separated. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus.40 But Paul chose Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.41 He traveled through Syria and Cilicia bringing strength to the churches.
16 1 He reached (also) Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,3 and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.5 Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.
6 They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia.7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, 8 so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
9 During (the) night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."10 When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
11 We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city.13 On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.14 One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us.
16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl with an oracular spirit, who used to bring a large profit to her owners through her fortune-telling. 17 She began to follow Paul and us, shouting, "These people are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation."18 She did this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned, and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." Then it came out at that moment.19 When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square before the local authorities.20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These people are Jews and are disturbing our city 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us Romans to adopt or practice."22 The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods.23 After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.24 When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake.25 About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,26 there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew (his) sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.28 But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, "Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."29 He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.30 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved."32 So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.33 He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once.34 He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the lictors with the order, "Release those men." 36 The jailer reported the (se) words to Paul, "The magistrates have sent orders that you be released. Now, then, come out and go in peace."37 But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, even though we are Roman citizens and have not been tried, and have thrown us into prison. And now, are they going to release us secretly? By no means. Let them come themselves and lead us out." 38 The lictors reported these words to the magistrates, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens.39 So they came and placated them, and led them out and asked that they leave the city.40 When they had come out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and then they left.
17 1 When they took the road through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they reached Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.2 Following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three sabbaths he entered into discussions with them from the scriptures,3 expounding and demonstrating that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that "This is the Messiah, Jesus, whom I proclaim to you."4 Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so, too, a great number of Greeks who were worshipers, and not a few of the prominent women.5 But the Jews became jealous and recruited some worthless men loitering in the public square, formed a mob, and set the city in turmoil. They marched on the house of Jason, intending to bring them before the people's assembly.6 When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city magistrates, shouting, "These people who have been creating a disturbance all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them. They all act in opposition to the decrees of Caesar and claim instead that there is another king, Jesus." 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city magistrates who, upon hearing these charges,9 took a surety payment from Jason and the others before releasing them.
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas to Beroea during the night. Upon arrival they went to the synagogue of the Jews.11 These Jews were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all willingness and examined the scriptures daily to determine whether these things were so.12 Many of them became believers, as did not a few of the influential Greek women and men.13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had now been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea also, they came there too to cause a commotion and stir up the crowds.14 So the brothers at once sent Paul on his way to the seacoast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.15 After Paul's escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he grew exasperated at the sight of the city full of idols. 17 So he debated in the synagogue with the Jews and with the worshipers, and daily in the public square with whoever happened to be there.18 Even some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers engaged him in discussion. Some asked, "What is this scavenger trying to say?" Others said, "He sounds like a promoter of foreign deities," because he was preaching about 'Jesus' and 'Resurrection.' 19 They took him and led him to the Areopagus and said, "May we learn what this new teaching is that you speak of? 20 For you bring some strange notions to our ears; we should like to know what these things mean."21 Now all the Athenians as well as the foreigners residing there used their time for nothing else but telling or hearing something new.22 Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said: "You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.' What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,25 nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.26 He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, 27 so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us.28 For 'In him we live and move and have our being,' as even some of your poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.' 29 Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.30 God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent31 because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world with justice' through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead."32 When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We should like to hear you on this some other time."33 And so Paul left them.34 But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
18 1 After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them 3 and, because he practiced the same trade, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.4 Every sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks.5 When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus.6 When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." 7 So he left there and went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next to a synagogue. 8 Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized. 9 One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent,10 for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city."11 He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him to the tribunal, 13 saying, "This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law." 14 When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews, "If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;15 but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters."16 And he drove them away from the tribunal.17 They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official, and beat him in full view of the tribunal. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
18 Paul remained for quite some time, and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow.
19 When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, while he entered the synagogue and held discussions with the Jews.20 Although they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent,21 but as he said farewell he promised, "I shall come back to you again, God willing." Then he set sail from Ephesus.22 Upon landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
23 After staying there some time, he left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country and Phrygia, bringing strength to all the disciples.
24 A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way (of God) more accurately. 27 And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace.28 He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.
19 1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came (down) to Ephesus where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, "Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?" They answered him, "We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit."3 He said, "How were you baptized?" They replied, "With the baptism of John."4 Paul then said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus."5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.6 And when Paul laid (his) hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.7 Altogether there were about twelve men.8 He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the kingdom of God.9 But when some in their obstinacy and disbelief disparaged the Way before the assembly, he withdrew and took his disciples with him and began to hold daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.10 This continued for two years with the result that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, Jews and Greeks alike.
11 So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul12 that when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.13 Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."14 When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, tried to do this,15 the evil spirit said to them in reply, "Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?"16 The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house.17 When this became known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in great esteem.18 Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices.19 Moreover, a large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces.20 Thus did the word of the Lord continue to spread with influence and power.
21 When this was concluded, Paul made up his mind to travel through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to go on to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must visit Rome also."22 Then he sent to Macedonia two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for a while in the province of Asia.
23 About that time a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way.24 There was a silversmith named Demetrius who made miniature silver shrines of Artemis and provided no little work for the craftsmen. 25 He called a meeting of these and other workers in related crafts and said, "Men, you know well that our prosperity derives from this work.26 As you can now see and hear, not only in Ephesus but throughout most of the province of Asia this Paul has persuaded and misled a great number of people by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.27 The danger grows, not only that our business will be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be of no account, and that she whom the whole province of Asia and all the world worship will be stripped of her magnificence."28 When they heard this, they were filled with fury and began to shout, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"29 The city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed with one accord into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians, Paul's traveling companions.30 Paul wanted to go before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him,31 and even some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him advising him not to venture into the theater. 32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, others something else; the assembly was in chaos, and most of the people had no idea why they had come together.33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, as the Jews pushed him forward, and Alexander signaled with his hand that he wished to explain something to the gathering.34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"35 Finally the town clerk restrained the crowd and said, "You Ephesians, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from the sky? 36 Since these things are undeniable, you must calm yourselves and not do anything rash.37 The men you brought here are not temple robbers, nor have they insulted our goddess.38 If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.39 If you have anything further to investigate, let the matter be settled in the lawful assembly,40 for, as it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's conduct. There is no cause for it. We shall (not) be able to give a reason for this demonstration." With these words he dismissed the assembly.
20 1 When the disturbance was over, Paul had the disciples summoned and, after encouraging them, he bade them farewell and set out on his journey to Macedonia.2 As he traveled throughout those regions, he provided many words of encouragement for them. Then he arrived in Greece,3 where he stayed for three months. But when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return by way of Macedonia.4 Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus, from Beroea, accompanied him, as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia5 who went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 We sailed from Philippi after the feast of Unleavened Bread, and rejoined them five days later in Troas, where we spent a week.
7 On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread, Paul spoke to them because he was going to leave on the next day, and he kept on speaking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered,9 and a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the window sill was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. Once overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and when he was picked up, he was dead.10 Paul went down, threw himself upon him, and said as he embraced him, "Don't be alarmed; there is life in him." 11 Then he returned upstairs, broke the bread, and ate; after a long conversation that lasted until daybreak, he departed.12 And they took the boy away alive and were immeasurably comforted.
13 We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos where we were to take Paul on board, as he had arranged, since he was going overland.14 When he met us in Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.15 We sailed away from there on the next day and reached a point off Chios, and a day later we reached Samos, and on the following day we arrived at Miletus.16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus in order not to lose time in the province of Asia, for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if at all possible, for the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus he had the presbyters of the church at Ephesus summoned.18 When they came to him, he addressed them, "You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.19 I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews,20 and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes.21 I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.22 But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know,23 except that in one city after another the holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me.24 Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God's grace.25 "But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again.26 And so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,27 for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.28 Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.30 And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them.31 So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.32 And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.33 I have never wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.34 You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions.35 In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"36 When he had finished speaking he knelt down and prayed with them all.37 They were all weeping loudly as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,38 for they were deeply distressed that he had said that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.
21 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.
Actes (NAB) 15