Acts 24-26
Paul before Felix
After afive days the high priest bAnanias came down with some elders, with an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought charges to cthe governor against Paul. 2 After Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying to the governor,
“Since we have through you attained much peace, and since by your providence reforms are being carried out for this nation, 3 we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, amost excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. 4 But, that I may not weary you any further, I beg you to grant us, by your kindness, a brief hearing. 5 For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the asect of the Nazarenes. 6 And he even tried to adesecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. [We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. 7 But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, 8 ordering his accusers to come before you.] By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him.” 9 aThe Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.
10 When athe governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded:
“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, 11 since you can take note of the fact that no more than atwelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 aNeither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or bcausing a riot. 13 aNor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me. 14 But this I admit to you, that according to athe Way which they call a bsect I do serve cthe God of our fathers, dbelieving everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which athese men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 In view of this, aI also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17 Now aafter several years I bcame to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18 in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been apurified, without any bcrowd or uproar. But there were some cJews from Asia— 19 who ought to have been present before you and to amake accusation, if they should have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they found when I stood before athe Council, 21 other than for this one statement which aI shouted out while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’”
22 But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about athe Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be akept in custody and yet bhave some freedom, and not to prevent any of chis friends from ministering to him.
24 But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about afaith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he was discussing arighteousness, bself-control and cthe judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.” 26 At the same time too, he was hoping that amoney would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him. 27 But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius aFestus, and bwishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul cimprisoned.
Paul before Festus
Festus then, having arrived in athe province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from bCaesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews abrought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, 3 requesting a concession against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, asetting an ambush to kill him on the way). 4 Festus then aanswered that Paul bwas being kept in custody at cCaesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5 “Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you go there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them prosecute him.”
6 After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to aCaesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on bthe tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing amany and serious charges against him bwhich they could not prove, 8 while Paul said in his own defense, “aI have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus, awishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “bAre you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s atribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11 If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I aappeal to Caesar.” 12 Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”
13 Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at aCaesarea and paid their respects to Festus. 14 While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was aleft as a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews abrought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 I aanswered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before bthe accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. 17 So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on athe tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. 18 When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, 19 but they simply had some apoints of disagreement with him about their own breligion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 aBeing at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. 21 But when Paul aappealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” 22 Then aAgrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”
Paul before Agrippa
23 So, on the next day when aAgrippa came together with aBernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom aall the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that bhe ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that he had committed anothing worthy of death; and since he himself bappealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him.”
Paul’s Defense before Agrippa
aAgrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:
2 “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; 3 especially because you are an expert in all acustoms and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “So then, all Jews know amy manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; 5 since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a aPharisee baccording to the strictest csect of our religion. 6 And now I am standing trial afor the hope of bthe promise made by God to our fathers; 7 the promise ato which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this bhope, O King, I am being caccused by Jews. 8 Why is it considered incredible among you people aif God does raise the dead?
9 “So then, aI thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to bthe name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And this is just what I adid in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having breceived authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I ccast my vote against them. 11 And aas I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being bfuriously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ceven to foreign cities.
12 “While so engaged aas I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14 And when we had aall fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the bHebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and astand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to bappoint you a cminister and da witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 arescuing you bfrom the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to aopen their eyes so that they may turn from bdarkness to light and from the dominion of cSatan to God, that they may receive dforgiveness of sins and an einheritance among those who have been sanctified by ffaith in Me.’
19 “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but kept declaring both ato those of Damascus first, and also bat Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even cto the Gentiles, that they should drepent and turn to God, performing deeds eappropriate to repentance. 21 For this reason some Jews aseized me in the temple and tried bto put me to death. 22 So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day atestifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what bthe Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 athat the Christ was to suffer, and that bby reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim clight both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
24 While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great alearning is driving you mad.” 25 But Paul *said, “I am not out of my mind, amost excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. 26 For the king aknows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” 28 Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a aChristian.” 29 And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these achains.”
30 aThe king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “aThis man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been aset free if he had not bappealed to Caesar.”
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