Written by Yahusha's Student: LUKE (the Doctor) ...
1 After we said goodbye and tore ourselves away from them, we sailed a straight course to Cos island. The next day we went to the island of Rhodes, and from there we went to Patara. 2 There we found a ship that was going to the area of Phoenicia. We got on the ship and sailed away. 3 We sailed near the island of Cyprus. We could see it on the north side, but we did not stop. We sailed to the country of Syria. We stopped at Tyre because the ship needed to unload its cargo there. WE SEE JUST HOW WIDESPREAD THE JEWS WERE - THERE WAS HARDLY A PLACE IN ALL OF THE KNOWN WORLD WHERE YOU WOULDN’T FIND AT LEAST A FEW JEWISH FAMILIES.
4 We found YAHUSHA’S followers there and stayed with them for seven days, and they warned Paul (through the Spirit) not to go to Jerusalem. 5 But when our time there was up, we returned to the ship to continue our trip. All the followers, even the women and children, came with us to the seashore. We all knelt down on the beach, prayed, embraced 6 and said goodbye. Then we got on the ship, and the followers went home.
7 We continued our trip from Tyre and went to the city of Ptolemais. We greeted the believers there and stayed with them one day. 8 The next day we left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. We went into the home of Philip and stayed with him. He had the work of telling the Good News. He was one of the seven helpers. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophesying.
10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came from Judea. 11 He came to us and took Paul’s belt, then used it to tie his own hands and feet together. Then he said, “YAHUSHA’S Spirit tells me, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt. Then they will hand him over to the unbelieving nations.’”
12 When we heard this, we and the other followers there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 13 But he said, “Why are you weeping and trying to break my heart with your sadness? I’m willing to be put in jail in Jerusalem. I am even ready to die for the name of my Master YAHUSHA!” 14 We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, “We pray that the desire of YAHUSHA will be done.” After this this we got ready and left for Jerusalem.
16 Some of the followers of YAHUSHA from Caesarea went with us. These followers took us to the home of Mnason, a man from Cyprus, who was one of the first people to be a follower of YAHUSHA. They took us to his home so that we could stay with him.
17 The brothers and sisters in Jerusalem were very happy to see us. 18 The next day Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were there too. 19 After greeting them, Paul told them point by point all that YAHUSHA had used him to do among the nations. PAUL HAD GREAT RESPECT FOR JAMES AS ONE OF THE LEADER OF 'THE WAY' IN JERUSALEM. 20 When the leaders heard this, they all praised YAHUSHA, saying to Paul, “Brother, you can see that thousands of Jews have become believers, and are still passionate about YAHUAH’S Divine Instruction. 21 Words been getting around that you teach the Jews who live out in the Nations to ignore Moses’ Laws, and not to circumcise their sons or follow the practices. 22 What should we do then? These Jewish believers here will learn that you’ve come here and there'll be a riot! 23 So we’ll tell you what to do: Four of our men have made a vow (NAZIRITE VOW?) to YAHUSHA. 24 So go with these guys when they get cleansed and pay their expenses so that they can all shave their heads (SIGNIFYING THE END OF A VOW WHERE HAIR WAS TO BE GROWN). This will prove to everyone that the things they have heard about you are not true. They will see that you obey the Law of Moses in your own life. 25 Now in regard to the non-Jewish believers, we have already sent a letter to them saying what they should do:
* Don’t eat food that has been offered to idols.
* Don’t eat meat from animals that have been strangled
* Don’t eat meat that still has the blood in it.
* Don’t be involved in whoring/sexual sin.’”
26 So Paul took the four men with him. The next day he shared in their cleansing ceremony and went to the Temple area, announcing that their time of separation had finished, giving an offering for each of the men with him.
27 When the seven-day period was almost finished, some Jews from Asia saw Paul in the Temple area. They stirred up everyone into an angry mob. They grabbed Paul 28 and shouted, “Men of Yisharal, help us! This is the man who is teaching things that are against the Law of Moses, against our people, and against this Temple of ours. This is what he teaches people everywhere. And now he has brought some Greeks into the Temple area and has made this set-apart place unclean!” 29 (The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus with Paul in Jerusalem, and Trophimus was a man from Ephesus. So the Jews thought that Paul had taken him into the set-apart area of the Temple which was forbidden for Gentiles.)
30 An angry reaction spread throughout the city, and everyone came running to the Temple. They grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the set-apart area, and the gates were closed immediately. 31 While they were trying to kill Paul, the commander of the Roman Army in Jerusalem got word that the whole city was in a state of riot. 32 Immediately the commander ran to where the crowd had gathered, taking with him some army officers and soldiers. When the people saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 The commander went over to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to tie him up with two chains. Then he asked, “Who’s this man? What’s he done wrong?” 34 Some people there were shouting one thing, and others were shouting something else, so because of all this confusion and shouting, the commander couldn't understand the truth of what was going on. So he told the soldiers to take Paul to the army building. 35-36 The whole crowd was following them, and when the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry Paul. They did this to protect him, because the people were ready to bash him, and were all shouting,
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM!“
37 When the soldiers were ready to take Paul into the army building, he asked the commander, “Can I say something to you?” The commander said, “Oh, you speak Greek? 38 Then you are not the man I thought you were. I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble against the government not long ago and led four thousand terrorists out to the desert.” 39 Paul said, “Nah mate, I’m a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia . . . . and a Roman citizen! Please, let me speak to the people.”
40 The commander told Paul he could speak, so he stood on the steps and waved his hand so that the people would be quiet. The people became quiet and Paul spoke to them in the Hebrew language . . .
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