Acts 21:17-38

¹⁷And when we were come to Hierusalem, the brethren receiued vs gladly.

¹⁸And the next day Paul went in with vs vnto Iames: and all the Elders were there assembled.

¹⁹And when he had embraced them, hee tolde by order all things, that God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministration.

²⁰So when they heard it, they glorified God, and sayd vnto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousand Iewes there are which beleeue, and they are all zealous of the Law:

²¹Now they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Iewes, which are among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, and sayest that they ought not to circumcise their sonnes, neither to liue after the customes.

²²What is then to be done? the multitude must needes come together: for they shall heare that thou art come.

²³Doe therefore this that we say to thee. We haue foure men, which haue made a vowe,

²⁴Them take, and purifie thy selfe with them, and contribute with them, that they may shaue their heads: and all shall knowe, that those things, whereof they haue bene informed concerning thee, are nothing, but that thou thy selfe also walkest and keepest the Lawe.

²⁵For as touching ye Gentiles, which beleeue, we haue written, and determined that they obserue no such thing, but that they keepe themselues from things offred to idoles, and from blood, and from that that is strangled, and from fornication.

²⁶Then Paul tooke the men, and the next day was purified with them, and entred into the Temple, declaring the accomplishment of the dayes of the purification, vntill that an offering should be offered for euery one of them.

²⁷And when the seuen dayes were almost ended, the Iewes which were of Asia (when they sawe him in the Temple) moued all the people, and laide hands on him,

²⁸Crying, Men of Israel, helpe: this is the man that teacheth all men euery where against the people, and the Lawe, and this place: moreouer, he hath brought Grecians into the Temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

²⁹For they had seene before Trophimus an Ephesian with him in the citie, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the Temple.

³⁰Then all the citie was moued, and the people ran together: and they tooke Paul and drewe him out of the Temple, and forth with the doores were shut.

³¹But as they went about to kill him, tydings came vnto the chiefe captaine of the band, that all Hierusalem was on an vproare.

³²Who immediately tooke souldiers and Centurions, and ran downe vnto them: and when they sawe the chiefe Captaine and the souldiers, they left beating of Paul.

³³Then the chiefe Captaine came neere and tooke him, and commanded him to be bound with two chaines, and demaunded who he was, and what he had done.

³⁴And one cryed this, another that, among the people. So when he could not know the certeintie for the tumult, he commanded him to be led into the castell.

³⁵And when hee came vnto the grieces, it was so that he was borne of the souldiers, for the violence of the people.

³⁶For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.

³⁷And as Paul should haue bene led into the castell, he sayd vnto the chiefe Captaine, May I speake vnto thee? Who sayd, Canst thou speake Greeke?

³⁸Art not thou the Egyptian who before these dayes raised a sedition, and led out into the wildernesse foure thousande men that were murtherers?