Acts 24:1-27; Acts 25;
Acts 26
1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to
Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought
their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul
was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed
a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms
in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent
Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in
order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear
us briefly. 5 "We have found this man to be a
troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a
ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate
the temple; so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you
will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against
him." 9 The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that
these things were true. 10 When the governor motioned for him
to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a
judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You
can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to
worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at
the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the
city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now
making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God
of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe
everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and
I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of
both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to
keep my conscience clear before God and man. 17 "After an
absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the
poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean
when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me,
nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some
Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring
charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are
here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the
Sanhedrin-- 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I
stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I
am on trial before you today.' " 22 Then Felix, who was
well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. "When Lysias the
commander comes," he said, "I will decide your case." 23 He
ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and
permit his friends to take care of his needs. 24 Several days
later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and
listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As
Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix
was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it
convenient, I will send for you." 26 At the same time he
was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and
talked with him. 27 When two years had passed, Felix was
succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the
Jews, he left Paul in prison.
1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up
from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and
Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against
Paul. 3 They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to
have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill
him along the way. 4 Festus answered, "Paul is being held
at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of
your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has
done anything wrong." 6 After spending eight or ten days
with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and
ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul appeared,
the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many
serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8 Then
Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the
Jews or against the temple or against Caesar." 9 Festus,
wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to
Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?" 10 Paul
answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be
tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If,
however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die.
But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has
the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" 12 After
Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to
Caesar. To Caesar you will go!" 13 A few days later King
Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since
they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king.
He said: "There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When
I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges
against him and asked that he be condemned. 16 "I told
them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced
his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their
charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the
case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought
in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge
him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they
had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead
man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss
how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to
Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21When Paul made
his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until
I could send him to Caesar." 22 Then Agrippa said to
Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied,
"Tomorrow you will hear him." 23 The next day
Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the
high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of
Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: "King
Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish
community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea,
shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he
had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the
Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26But I have nothing
definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before
all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of
this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I
think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges
against him."
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to
speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his
defense: 2 "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to
stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the
Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with
all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me
patiently. 4 "The Jews all know the way I have lived ever
since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also
in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can
testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our
religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my
hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. 7 This
is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly
serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are
accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible
that God raises the dead? 9 "I too was convinced that I
ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the
authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when
they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.11 Many a time
I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to
force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign
cities to persecute them. 12"On one of these journeys I was
going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About
noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than
the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell
to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do
you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15"Then
I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' " 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,'
the Lord replied. 16 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I
have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you
have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you
from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to
open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among
those who are sanctified by faith in me.' 19 "So then,
King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First
to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the
Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove
their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why the Jews
seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But I
have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small
and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said
would happen-- 23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the
first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the
Gentiles." 24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul's
defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your
great learning is driving you insane." 25 "I am not
insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is
true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these
things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has
escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King
Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do." 28 Then
Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can
persuade me to be a Christian?" 29 Paul replied,
"Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are
listening to me today may become what I am, except for these
chains." 30 The king rose, and with him the governor and
Bernice and those sitting with them.31 They left the room, and
while talking with one another, they said, "This man is not doing anything
that deserves death or imprisonment." 32 Agrippa said to
Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to
Caesar."
