Study Desk

When ^(C1)the seven days were almost over, ^(C2)the Jews from ^(F1)(C3)Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,

crying out, "Men of Israel, help! ^(C1)This is the man who instructs everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has ^(C2)defiled this holy place!"

For they had previously seen ^(C1)Trophimus the ^(C2)Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple.

Then the whole city was provoked and ^(F1)the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they ^(C1)dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the ^(C1)Roman ^(F1)cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

He immediately ^(C1)took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to ^(F1)the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be ^(C1)bound with ^(C2)two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done.

But among the crowd, ^(C1)some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the ^(F1)facts because of the uproar, he ordered that ^(F2)Paul be brought into ^(C2)the barracks.

When Paul got to ^(C1)the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the ^(F1)mob;

for the multitude of people kept following them, shouting, "^(C1)Away with him!"

As Paul was about to be brought into ^(C1)the barracks, he ^(*)said to the commander, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek?

"Then you are not ^(C1)the Egyptian who some ^(F1)time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(C2)into the wilderness?"

But Paul said, "^(C1)I am a Jew of Tarsus in ^(C2)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 ^(C1)the stairs, ^(C2)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there ^(F1)was a great silence, he spoke to them in the ^(F2)(C3)Hebrew dialect, saying,