Orthodox Jewish Bible

Gevurot 21:9-21 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)

9. And Philippos was the abba of arbah banot, betulot, who were gifted in giving a dvar nevuah. [Ex 15:20; Judg 4:4; Neh 6:14]

10. And remaining there many yamim, a certain one came down from Yehudah, a navi, Agav by name.

11. And when he came to us, he took Rav Sha'ul's gartel and, having bound his own feet and hands with it, Agav said, "So says the Ruach Hakodesh: this is the way the Yehudim in Yerushalayim will bind the man who owns this gartel, and they will hand him over to the Goyim." [MELACHIM ALEF 22:11; Isa 20:2- 4; Jer 13:1-11]

12. And when we heard these things, we were begging Rav Sha'ul, both we and the locals, not to make any aliyah (ascent) to Yerushalayim.

13. Then Rav Sha'ul answered, "What are you doing weeping and breaking my lev (heart)? For I am prepared not only to be bound but to die al kiddush ha-Shem in Yerushalayim, for haShem of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua."

14. And not persuading him, we remained silent, having said, "Let the ratzon Hashem be done."

15. And after these yamim, having made preparations, we were making an aliyah to Yerushalayim.

16. And also some of Moshiach's talmidim from Caesarea traveled with us, bringing us for hachnosas orchim to the bais of the Cyprian Mnason, one of Moshiach's talmidim of long standing [an early disciple].

17. And when we arrived in Yerushalayim, the Achim b'Moshiach there gave us a kabbalat panim welcome with lev same'ach.

18. And on the following day Rav Sha'ul was going in with us to Ya'akov [see p.848], and all the Ziknei HaKehillah came.

19. And having given them a "Shalom" greeting, Rav Sha'ul was explaining one by one the things Hashem did through his avodas kodesh as Moshiach's Shliach to the Goyim.

20. And the ones who heard were saying, "Baruch Hashem!" And they said to him, "You see, Ach b'Moshiach, how many thousands there are among the Yehudim who have emunah [in our Moshiach] and they all have kanous (zealousness), are shomer mitzvot for the Torah [Sinai Covenant and its mitzvot].

21. "And these Orthodox Jewish ma'aminim hameshichiyim have heard a rumor informing them about you, that you teach the Yehudim living among the Goyim in the Golus to be shmad and to commit apostasy from Moshe [Rabbeinu, i.e., Orthodox Judaism], telling them to abandon bris milah for Bnei Yisroel and not to be shomer regarding the darkhei haTorah ["ways of the Torah," i.e. the Sinai Covenant and its mitzvot]. [BAMIDBAR 6:2,5]