The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (140 page)

Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece

20
  
After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and having exhorted them took leave of them and
departed for Macedonia
.
²
When he had gone through these parts and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece.
³
There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.
⁴
Sop'ater of Beroe'a, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalo' nians, Aristar'chus and Secun'dus; and Ga'ius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tych'icus and Troph'imus.
⁵
These went on and were
waiting for us
at Troas,
⁶
but we sailed away from Philip'pi after the days of
Unleavened Bread
, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

Paul Preaches and Heals Eutychusin Troas [
Map
]

7
 On the
first day of the week
, when we were gathered together to break bread, 
*
Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day; and he prolonged his speech until midnight.
⁸
There were many lights in the upper chamber where we were gathered.
⁹
And a young man named Eu'tychus was sitting in the window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer; and being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
¹⁰
But Paul went down and
bent over him
, and embracing him said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him."
¹¹
And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed.
¹²
And they took the lad away alive, and were not a little comforted.

13
 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos,
intending to take Paul
aboard there; for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land.
¹⁴
And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mityle'ne.
¹⁵
And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chi'os; the next day we touched at Sa'mos; and
^u
the day after that we came to Mile'tus.
¹⁶
For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of
Pentecost
.

Paul Speaks to the Elders of Ephesus

17
 And from Mile'tus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the Church.
¹⁸
And when they came to him,
he said to them
:

"You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,
¹⁹
serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews;
²⁰
how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
²¹
testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
²²
And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there;
²³
except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.
²⁴
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
²⁵
And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.
²⁶
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you,
²⁷
for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
²⁸
Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you
guardians
, to feed the Church of the Lord
^v
which he obtained with his own blood.
^w
29
I know that after my departure
fierce wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
³⁰
and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
³¹
Therefore be alert, remembering that for
three years
I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
³²
And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
³³
I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.
³⁴
You yourselves know that
these hands ministered
to my necessities, and to those who were with me. 
*
³⁵
In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, '
It is more blessed
to give than to receive.'
 
"

36
 And when he had spoken thus, he
knelt down
and prayed with them all.
³⁷
And they all wept and embraced Paul and kissed him,
³⁸
sorrowing most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they should see his face no more. And they brought him to the ship.

Paul's Journey to Jerusalem

21
 
And when we
had parted from them
and set sail
, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Pat'ara.
^x
2
And having found a ship crossing to Phoeni'cia, we went aboard, and set sail.
³
When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo.
⁴
And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go 
*
on to Jerusalem.
⁵
And when our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way till we were outside the city; and kneeling down on the beach we prayed and bade one another farewell.
⁶
Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

7
 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at
Ptolema'is
; and we greeted the brethren and stayed with them for one day.
⁸
The next day we departed and came to
Caesare'a
; and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
⁹
And he had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.
¹⁰
While we were staying for some days, a prophet named
Ag'abus
came down from Judea.
¹¹
And coming to us he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.' "
¹²
When we heard this, we and the people there begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
¹³
Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but
even to die
at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
¹⁴
And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "The will of the Lord be done."

15
 After these days we made ready and went up to Jerusalem.
¹⁶
And some of the disciples from Caesare'a went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Paul Visits James at Jerusalem

17
 When we had come to
Jerusalem
, the brethren received us gladly.
¹⁸
On the following day Paul went in with us to
James
; and all the elders were present.
¹⁹
After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
²⁰
And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how
many thousands
there are among the Jews of those who have believed; they are all zealous for the law,
²¹
and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to
forsake Moses
, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs.
²²
What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
²³
Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are
under a vow
;
²⁴
take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you but that you yourself live in observance of the law.
²⁵
But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have
sent a letter
with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled
^y
and from unchastity."
²⁶
Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself with them and went into the temple, to give notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for every one of them.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

27
 When the seven days were almost completed, the
Jews from Asia
, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up all the crowd, and laid hands on him,
²⁸
crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching men everywhere
against the people and the law and this place
; moreover he also brought Greeks into the temple, and he has defiled this holy place."
²⁹
For they had previously seen Troph'imus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
³⁰
Then all the city was aroused, and the people ran together; they seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
³¹
And as they were trying to kill him, word came to the
tribune of the cohort
that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
³²
He at once took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them; and when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
³³
Then the tribune came up and
arrested him
, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.
³⁴
Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
³⁵
And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;
³⁶
for the mob of the people followed, crying, "
Away with him
!"

Paul Defends Himself

37
 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do
you know Greek
?
³⁸
Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of
the Assassins
out into the wilderness?"
³⁹
Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cili'cia, a citizen of no mean city; I beg you, let me speak to the people."
⁴⁰
And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in
the Hebrew language
, saying:

22
  
"Brethren and fathers,
hear the defense
which I now make before you."

2
 And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet. And he said:

3
 "
I am a Jew
, born at Tarsus in Cili'cia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gama'li-el, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as you all are this day.
⁴
I persecuted
this Way
to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,
⁵
as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brethren, and I journeyed to Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.