Study Desk

"Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

Now when we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara;

and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.

When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day.

As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

"Therefore, do as we tell you: we have four men who have a vow upon themselves;

"But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is strangled, and from sexual immorality."

While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

"Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"

But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

"But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,

and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

"Now a certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

"And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from His mouth.

'For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.

"It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!"