Study Desk

where he stayed for three months. He was ready to sail for Syria, but some evil people were planning something against him. So Paul decided to go back through Macedonia to Syria.

On the first day of the week, we all met together to break bread, and Paul spoke to the group. Because he was planning to leave the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.

A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead.

Paul went down to Eutychus, knelt down, and put his arms around him. He said, "Don't worry. He is alive now."

Then Paul went upstairs again, broke bread, and ate. He spoke to them a long time, until it was early morning, and then he left.

We went on ahead of Paul and sailed for the city of Assos, where he wanted to join us on the ship. Paul planned it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land.

Paul had already decided not to stop at Ephesus, because he did not want to stay too long in Asia. He was hurrying to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, if that were possible.

Now from Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.

When Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.

And they all cried because Paul had said they would never see him again. They put their arms around him and kissed him. Then they went with him to the ship.

We found some followers in Tyre and stayed with them for seven days. Through the Holy Spirit they warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

When we all heard this, we and the people there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

The next day Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were there.

Paul greeted them and told them everything God had done among the other nations through him.

When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, "Brother, you can see that many thousands of our people have become believers. And they think it is very important to obey the law of Moses.

The next day Paul took the four men and shared in the cleansing ceremony with them. Then he went to the Temple and announced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day an offering would be given for each of the men.

When the seven days were almost over, some of his people from Asia saw Paul at the Temple. They caused all the people to be upset and grabbed Paul.

(They said this because they had seen Trophimus, a man from Ephesus, with Paul in Jerusalem. They thought that Paul had brought him into the Temple.)

All the people in Jerusalem became upset. Together they ran, took Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. The Temple doors were closed immediately.

While they were trying to kill Paul, the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem learned that there was trouble in the whole city.