And, when they were come to him, he said unto them - Ye yourselves, well know, from the first day when I set foot in Asia, in what manner came to be with you all the time,

Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

how I did not shrink from proclaiming to you anything that would be profitable, and [from] teaching you in public and from house [to house],

And now, compelled by the Spirit and obligated by my convictions, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life].

Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood.

[Because] I know that after I am gone [from here] there will be vicious wolves [i.e., ravaging false teachers] who will come in among you, and they will not spare the flock [i.e., the congregation].

even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse and distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers].

Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

but ye yourselves know that these hands have by labour furnished necessaries for my own wants, and for those who were with me.

all things I did shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth us to partake with the ailing, to be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

And there was considerable weeping by all, and {hugging} Paul, they kissed him,

specially pained by the word which he had said, that they would no more see his face. And they went down with him to the ship.

And when, having got away from them, we at last sailed away, we came by a direct course to Cos, and on the morrow to Rhodes, and thence to Patara.

And when we had come in view of Cyprus, going past it on our left, we went on to Syria, and came to land at Tyre: for there the goods which were in the ship had to be taken out.

And having found out the disciples, we remained there seven days; who said to Paul by the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.

And when these days came to an end, we went on our journey; and they all, with their wives and children, came with us on our way till we were out of the town: and after going on our knees in prayer by the sea,

we said good-bye to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

And journeying by ship from Tyre we came to Ptolemais; and there we had talk with the brothers and were with them for one day.

The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip, the evangelist, who had been one of the seven ["deacons" chosen by the Jerusalem church to minister to widows, See Acts 6]. We stayed with him [while there].

This man had four virgin [i.e., unmarried] daughters, who were female prophets [i.e., they spoke by inspiration].

And as we stayed there many days, a certain man, by name Agabus, a prophet, came down from Judaea,

When he met with us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet [with it], and said, "The Holy Spirit has revealed [to me] that the man who owns this belt will be tied up like this by the Jews in Jerusalem and will be turned over to the Gentiles."

Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

And [some] of the disciples from Caesarea also traveled together with us, bringing [us] to a certain Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing, with whom we were to be entertained as guests.

And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.

And, when they had heard it, they began praising God, and said to Paul: "You see, Brother, that the Jews who have become believers in Christ may be numbered by tens of thousands, and they are all naturally earnest in upholding the Jewish Law.

Now they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are living among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or to live according to the [Mosaic] customs.

What then should be done? They will certainly hear that you have arrived.

Do this therefore, which we advise thee. Here are four men with us, that have a vow upon them: take these and be purified with them,

Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

But, concerning them of the nations who have believed, we ourselves, sent, deciding that they should be guarding themselves, both as to idol sacrifice, and blood, and what is strangled, and fornication.

Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

And, as the seven days were about to be fully ended, the Jews from Asia having beheld him in the temple, were stirring up all the multitude, and they laid hands upon him,

crying out - Israelites! be giving help! This, is the man who, against the people, and the law, and this place, is teaching, all men everywhere; furthermore, even Greeks, hath he brought into the temple, and hath profaned this holy place.

Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.

And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.

But when he got upon the stairs it was so that he was borne by the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd.

And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

Are you by chance the Egyptian who, before this, got the people worked up against the government and took four thousand men of the Assassins out into the waste land?

So with his permission Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people to be quiet; and when there was perfect silence he addressed them in Hebrew.

I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia by birth, but I had my education in this town at the feet of Gamaliel, being trained in the keeping of every detail of the law of our fathers; given up to the cause of God with all my heart, as you are today.

As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews that dwelt there,

came unto me, and standing by me said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And in that very hour I looked up on him.

And he said, You have been marked out by the God of our fathers to have knowledge of his purpose, and to see the Upright One and to give ear to the words of his mouth.

For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

And it came to pass, when had returned unto Jerusalem, and was praying in the temple, that I came to be in a trance,

said I, they know it is I that imprison'd those who believed on thee, and caus'd them to be scourg'd in the assemblies:

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

And he said unto me - -Be taking thy journey; because, I, unto nations afar off, will send thee.

Until they heard this last statement the people listened to Paul, but now with a roar of disapproval they cried out, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He ought not to be allowed to live."

The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

And the chief captain said, I got Roman rights for myself at a great price. And Paul said, But I had them by birth.

immediately those who were going to put him to the question, withdrew: the commander himself being under some apprehension for having order'd him to be bound.

and on the morrow, intending to know the certainty wherefore he is accused by the Jews, he did loose him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their sanhedrim to come, and having brought down Paul, he set him before them.

And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?

But when Paul saw that half of them were Sadducees and the rest Pharisees, he said in the Sanhedrin, Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and the son of Pharisees: I am here to be judged on the question of the hope of the coming back from the dead.

For the Sadducees believe there is no resurrection, angels or spirits, but the Pharisees accept all of them [to be true].

And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

Now when day came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath (curse), saying that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,

They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to taste anything [neither food nor drink] until we have killed Paul.

So now, will you and the Sanhedrin make a request to the military authorities to have him sent down to you, as if you were desiring to go into the business in greater detail; and we, before ever he gets to you, will be waiting to put him to death.

But Paul's sister's son hearing of the lying-in-wait, happening to be near, and coming into the castle, - reported it unto Paul.

Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

And he said, The Jews are in agreement together to make a request to you for Paul to be taken, on the day after this, into the Sanhedrin, to be questioned in greater detail.

Do not thou then be persuaded by them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they kill him; and now they are ready waiting the promise from thee.

Then summoning two of the centurions, he said, “Have two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night (9:00 p.m.) to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen;

and provide mounts for Paul to ride so that he may be brought safely to Felix the governor."

Claudius Lysias, to the most noble ruler, Felix, peace be with you.

This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be slain of them, when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.

And desiring to know the crime of which they accused him, I brought him before their council: Whom I found to be accused concerning questions of their law,

Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

And when it was shown to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith, charging his accusers also to speak against him before thee.

Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

And when he had read the letter, he inquired to what province he belonged. And learning that he was from Cilicia, he said: I will hear you when your accusers also have come. And he ordered him to be kept under guard in Herod's palace.

I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.

And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,

Since we enjoy great quietness by you, and very worthy deeds are done to this nation due to your forethought, in everything and everywhere, most noble Felix, we accept with all thankfulness.

Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.

For we have found this man [to be] a public menace and one who causes riots among all the Jews throughout the Roman Empire and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

He even tried to desecrate the temple, but we took him into custody [and we intended to judge him by our Law,

but the commanding officer, Lysias, came by and with great violence took him out of our hands,

Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.

and the Jews also agreed, professing these things to be so.

And Paul answered, when the governor had motioned him to be speaking, - Well knowing thee to have been, for many years, judge unto his nation, cheerfully, as to the things concerning myself, do I make defence;

as thou mayest be ascertained, that it is not more than twelve days ago since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.

But, I declare to you, I am serving the God of our forefathers according to the 'Way,' called [by my detractors] a sect, and I believe everything that is in harmony with the law of Moses and what is written in [the writings of] the prophets.

And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

and it was in presenting these that I was found within the temple. I was ceremonially pure, I was not mixed up in any mob or riot; no, the trouble was caused by some Jews from Asia,