Pavlovo putovanje u Jeruzalem
1Pošto smo se od njih oprostili, otplovili smo jedrenjakom do otoka Kosa, a sutradan do Roa, pa u Pataru. 2Ondje smo se ukrcali na lađu za sirijsku pokrajinu Feniciju. 3Kad smo ugledali Cipar, prošli smo pokraj njega s desne strane jedreći prema Siriji. Pristali smo u Tiru da lađa iskrca teret. 4Sišli smo na kopno te ondje našli vjernike.21:4 U grčkome: učenike. Isto i u 21:16. Kako im je Sveti Duh otkrio21:4 U grčkome: rekli su Pavlu kroz Svetoga Duha. Vidjeti stihove: 20:22-24 i 22:10-12. da će Pavao u Jeruzalemu imati nevolja, rekli su mu da ne ide onamo. 5Ali kad je prošlo tjedan dana, ipak smo otputovali. Oni su nas svi ispratili do izvan grada, skupa sa ženama i djecom. Na obali smo kleknuli i pomolili se. 6Pozdravili smo se i ukrcali na lađu, a oni su se vratili doma.
7Otplovili smo tako iz Tira u Ptolemaidu. Pozdravili smo ondje braću i ostali s njima jedan dan. 8Zatim smo otišli u Cezareju i boravili u domu Filipa evanđelista, jednoga od sedmorice koji su dijelili hranu. 9On je imao četiri neudane kćeri koje su imale dar prorokovanja.
10Kad smo ondje bili već nekoliko dana, dođe neki Agab koji je također imao dar prorokovanja, 11uzme Pavlov pojas te njime sebi zaveže noge i ruke. “Ovo govori Sveti Duh”, reče. “Vlasnika ovog pojasa ovako će svezati židovski vođe u Jeruzalemu i predati ga Rimljanima.” 12Kad smo to čuli, i mi koji smo s njime putovali i mještani počnemo preklinjati Pavla da ne ide u Jeruzalem.
13Ali on reče: “Što plačete? Slamate mi srce! Spreman sam ne samo da me svežu nego i umrijeti za Gospodina Isusa.” 14Kad je bilo jasno da se ne daje nagovoriti, odustali smo i rekli: “Neka bude volja Gospodnja!”
Pavao stiže u Jeruzalem
15Ubrzo nakon toga spremili smo se i otišli u Jeruzalem. 16Neki vjernici iz Cezareje koji su pošli s nama odvedu nas nekome Mnasonu s Cipra, jednomu od prvih učenika, da ondje odsjednemo. 17Svi su nas vjernici u Jeruzalemu srdačno dočekali.
18Sutradan Pavao pođe s nama k Jakovu. Ondje su bili i svi starješine jeruzalemske Crkve. 19On ih pozdravi te im podrobno izloži što je Bog učinio među poganima kroz njegovu službu.
20Kad su to čuli, dadu slavu Bogu. Zatim mu rekoše: “Dragi brate, deseci tisuća Židova također su povjerovali. Oni se revno drže Mojsijeva zakona, 21a za tebe su im rekli da Židove koje žive među poganima učiš da ne poštuju Mojsijev zakon. Kažu da ih poučavaš da ne obrezuju djecu i da se ne drže židovskih običaja. 22Što da učinimo? Sigurno će čuti da si došao.
23Učini zato kako ti kažemo. Među nama su četvorica koji su se zavjetovali i sad se spremaju obrijati glavu. 24Idi s njima u Hram i pridruži im se u obredu posvećenja te plati da im obriju glave. Tako će svi znati da su te glasine lažne, da si na pravome putu i da poštuješ židovski Zakon.
25A glede pogana koji su povjerovali, od njih tražimo što smo im napisali u pismu: da ne jedu meso žrtvovano idolima, krv ni meso udavljenih životinja te da se klone bluda.”
Pavlovo uhićenje
26Pavao dakle pristane na njihov zahtjev te sljedećeg dana obavi s njima obred očišćenja te ode u Hram. Ondje oglasi da je njihov zavjet istekao i da će za svakoga od njih prinijeti žrtvu.
27Upravo se navršavalo sedam dana kad neki Židovi iz Male Azije opaze Pavla u Hramu i podjare narod protiv njega. Ščepaju ga 28vičući: “Izraelci! U pomoć! Evo čovjeka koji poučava protiv naroda, protiv našega Zakona i protiv Hrama! Čak ga je oskvrnuo dovodeći Grke u njega!” 29Prije su, naime, u gradu s njime vidjeli Trofima iz Efeza pa su mislili da je Pavao njega doveo u Hram.
30Sav se grad uzbuni te nastane metež. Ščepaju Pavla i odvuku ga iz Hrama te odmah zatvore za njim vrata. 31Dok su ga nastojali ubiti, zapovjedniku rimske čete dojave da je u Jeruzalemu pobuna. 32On odmah s vojnicima i stotnicima potrči prema pobunjenicima. Kad je svjetina vidjela zapovjednika s vojnicima, prestanu udarati Pavla. 33Zapovjednik priđe, uhiti ga i zapovjedi da ga okuju dvostrukim lancima. Onda počne ispitivati tko je on i što je učinio. 34Iz svjetine su jedni vikali jedno, a drugi drugo. Zbog graje nije mogao pouzdano saznati razlog pa zato Pavla povede u vojarnu. 35Kad su došli do stuba, svjetina se tako razjarila da su ga vojnici morali nositi kako bi ga zaštitili. 36Mnoštvo je išlo za njima i vikalo: “Smakni ga!”
Pavao propovijeda mnoštvu
37Na ulazu u vojarnu Pavao reče zapovjedniku: “Smijem li što reći?”
“Zar ti znaš grčki?” upita ga ovaj iznenađeno. 38“Ti dakle nisi onaj Egipćanin koji je nedavno digao pobunu i poveo u pustinju četiri tisuće prevratnika?”
39“Nisam”, odgovori Pavao. “Ja sam Židov iz Tarza, znamenitoga grada u Ciliciji. Molim te, dopusti mi da se obratim narodu.” 40Zapovjednik mu dopusti. Pavao stane na stube i mahne rukom narodu. Nastane velika tišina. Prozbori im na hebrejskome.
On to Jerusalem
1After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
7We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says, “In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.” ’
12When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ 14When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’
15After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
Paul’s arrival at Jerusalem
17When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: ‘You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.’
26The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
Paul arrested
27When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28shouting, ‘Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.’ 29(They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)
30The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36The crowd that followed kept shouting, ‘Get rid of him!’
Paul speaks to the crowd
37As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, ‘May I say something to you?’
‘Do you speak Greek?’ he replied. 38‘Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?’
39Paul answered, ‘I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.’
40After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic21:40 Or possibly Hebrew; also in 22:2:
