Pauls Last Journey To Jerusalem

After we had said good-by to the elders of Ephesus we sailed to Syria

and landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload her cargo. There we

found certain Christian disciples and stayed a week with them. Speaking

under the influence of the Spirit, they told Paul not to set foot in

Jerusalem; but when it was time for us to go, we went on our way, and

they all, with their wives and children, came with us until we were out

f the city. Then kneeling on the beach, we prayed and said good-by to

one another; we went on board and they returned home.



Sailing from Tyre to Ptolemais, we completed our voyage. After greeting

the Christian brothers who lived there, we spent a day with them. The

next morning we set out and reached Caesarea, where we went to the house

of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.

He had four daughters who had the gift of prophecy.



During our stay there, which lasted a number of days, a prophet named

Agabus came down from Judea. Coming up to us, he took Paul's belt, bound

his own feet and hands with it, and said: "This is what the Holy Spirit

says, 'In the same way the Jews will bind the owner of this belt at

Jerusalem and will turn him over to the Romans.'" When we and the

brothers who lived there heard this, we begged Paul not to go up to

Jerusalem, but Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking

my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but to die in Jerusalem

for the cause of the Lord Jesus." So when he could not be kept from

going, we stopped pleading and said: "The Lord's will be done."



After some days we started for Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from

Caesarea went with us and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus,

one of the early disciples, with whom we were to stay. When we reached

Jerusalem the brothers welcomed us gladly.



The next day Paul went with us to see James, and all the elders of the

church were present. After Paul had greeted them, he told, one by one,

all the things that God had done among the foreign peoples through his

ministry. When they heard it they praised God and said to him, "Brother,

you see how many thousands of Christian believers there are among the

Jews and that they are all eager to have men keep the law. They have

been told that you teach all Jews living in foreign lands not to keep

the law of Moses. Now what is to be done? They will certainly hear that

you have come; therefore do this: we have here four men who have

solemnly promised to make certain offerings at the Temple. Join with

them, pay their expenses, and all will know that there is no truth in

the stories told about you, but that you live as the law of Moses

commands."



So Paul joined the men the next day and went with them into the Temple

to give notice of the time when sacrifice was to be offered for every

one of them.