Acts 23-26

Young's Literal Translation

23 And Paul having earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, `Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have lived to God unto this day;'

² and the chief priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to smite him on the mouth,

³ then Paul said unto him, `God is about to smite thee, thou whitewashed wall, and thou -- thou dost sit judging me according to the law, and, violating law, dost order me to be smitten!'

⁴ And those who stood by said, `The chief priest of God dost thou revile?'

⁵ and Paul said, `I did not know, brethren, that he is chief priest: for it hath been written, Of the ruler of thy people thou shalt not speak evil;'

⁶ and Paul having known that the one part are Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, `Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee -- son of a Pharisee -- concerning hope and rising again of dead men I am judged.'

⁷ And he having spoken this, there came a dissension of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, and the crowd was divided,

⁸ for Sadducees, indeed, say there is no rising again, nor messenger, nor spirit, but Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there came a great cry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part having arisen, were striving, saying, `No evil do we find in this man; and if a spirit spake to him, or a messenger, we may not fight against God;'

¹⁰ and a great dissension having come, the chief captain having been afraid lest Paul may be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiery, having gone down, to take him by force out of the midst of them, and to bring [him] to the castle.

¹¹ And on the following night, the Lord having stood by him, said, `Take courage, Paul, for as thou didst fully testify the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so it behoveth thee also at Rome to testify.'

¹² And day having come, certain of the Jews having made a concourse, did anathematize themselves, saying neither to eat nor to drink till they may kill Paul;

¹³ and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,

¹⁴ who having come near to the chief priests and to the elders said, `With an anathema we did anathematize ourselves -- to taste nothing till we have killed Paul;

¹⁵ now, therefore, ye, signify ye to the chief captain, with the sanhedrim, that to-morrow he may bring him down unto you, as being about to know more exactly the things concerning him; and we, before his coming nigh, are ready to put him to death.'

¹⁶ And the son of Paul's sister having heard of the lying in wait, having gone and entered into the castle, told Paul,

¹⁷ and Paul having called near one of the centurions, said, `This young man lead unto the chief captain, for he hath something to tell him.'

¹⁸ He indeed, then, having taken him, brought him unto the chief captain, and saith, `The prisoner Paul, having called me near, asked [me] this young man to bring unto thee, having something to say to thee.'

¹⁹ And the chief captain having taken him by the hand, and having withdrawn by themselves, inquired, `What is that which thou hast to tell me?'

²⁰ and he said -- `The Jews agreed to request thee, that to-morrow to the sanhedrim thou mayest bring down Paul, as being about to enquire something more exactly concerning him;

²¹ thou, therefore, mayest thou not yield to them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who did anathematize themselves -- not to eat nor to drink till they kill him, and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from thee.'

²² The chief captain, then, indeed, let the young man go, having charged [him] to tell no one, `that these things thou didst shew unto me;'

²³ and having called near a certain two of the centurions, he said, `Make ready soldiers two hundred, that they may go on unto Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen two hundred, from the third hour of the night;

²⁴ beasts also provide, that, having set Paul on, they may bring him safe unto Felix the governor;'

²⁵ he having written a letter after this description:

²⁶ `Claudius Lysias, to the most noble governor Felix, hail:

²⁷ This man having been taken by the Jews, and being about to be killed by them -- having come with the soldiery, I rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman;

²⁸ and, intending to know the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their sanhedrim,

²⁹ whom I found accused concerning questions of their law, and having no accusation worthy of death or bonds;

³⁰ and a plot having been intimated to me against this man -- about to be of the Jews -- at once I sent unto thee, having given command also to the accusers to say the things against him before thee; be strong.'

³¹ Then, indeed, the soldiers according to that directed them, having taken up Paul, brought him through the night to Antipatris,

³² and on the morrow, having suffered the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the castle;

³³ those having entered into Caesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, did present also Paul to him.

³⁴ And the governor having read [it], and inquired of what province he is, and understood that [he is] from Cilicia;

³⁵ `I will hear thee -- said he -- when thine accusers also may have come;' he also commanded him to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.

24 And after five days came down the chief priest Ananias, with the elders, and a certain orator -- Tertullus, and they made manifest to the governor [the things] against Paul;

² and he having been called, Tertullus began to accuse [him], saying, `Much peace enjoying through thee, and worthy deeds being done to this nation through thy forethought,

³ always, also, and everywhere we receive it, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness;

⁴ and that I may not be further tedious to thee, I pray thee to hear us concisely in thy gentleness;

⁵ for having found this man a pestilence, and moving a dissension to all the Jews through the world -- a ringleader also of the sect of the Nazarenes --

⁶ who also the temple did try to profane, whom also we took, and according to our law did wish to judge,

⁷ and Lysias the chief captain having come near, with much violence, out of our hands did take away,

⁸ having commanded his accusers to come to thee, from whom thou mayest be able, thyself having examined, to know concerning all these things of which we accuse him;'

⁹ and the Jews also agreed, professing these things to be so.

¹⁰ And Paul answered -- the governor having beckoned to him to speak -- `Knowing [that] for many years thou hast been a judge to this nation, the more cheerfully the things concerning myself I do answer;

¹¹ thou being able to know that it is not more than twelve days to me since I went up to worship in Jerusalem,

¹² and neither in the temple did they find me reasoning with any one, or making a dissension of the multitude, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city;

¹³ nor are they able to prove against me the things concerning which they now accuse me.

¹⁴ `And I confess this to thee, that, according to the way that they call a sect, so serve I the God of the fathers, believing all things that in the law and the prophets have been written,

¹⁵ having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, [that] there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous;

¹⁶ and in this I do exercise myself, to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men always.

¹⁷ `And after many years I came, about to do kind acts to my nation, and offerings,

¹⁸ in which certain Jews from Asia did find me purified in the temple, not with multitude, nor with tumult,

¹⁹ whom it behoveth to be present before thee, and to accuse, if they had anything against me,

²⁰ or let these same say if they found any unrighteousness in me in my standing before the sanhedrim,

²¹ except concerning this one voice, in which I cried, standing among them -- Concerning a rising again of the dead I am judged to-day by you.'

²² And having heard these things, Felix delayed them -- having known more exactly of the things concerning the way -- saying, `When Lysias the chief captain may come down, I will know fully the things concerning you;'

²³ having given also a direction to the centurion to keep Paul, to let [him] also have liberty, and to forbid none of his own friends to minister or to come near to him.

²⁴ And after certain days, Felix having come with Drusilla his wife, being a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith toward Christ,

²⁵ and he reasoning concerning righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment that is about to be, Felix, having become afraid, answered, `For the present be going, and having got time, I will call for thee;'

²⁶ and at the same time also hoping that money shall be given to him by Paul, that he may release him, therefore, also sending for him the oftener, he was conversing with him;

²⁷ and two years having been fulfilled, Felix received a successor, Porcius Festus; Felix also willing to lay a favour on the Jews, left Paul bound.

25 Festus, therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea,

² and the chief priest and the principal men of the Jews made manifest to him [the things] against Paul, and were calling on him,

³ asking favour against him, that he may send for him to Jerusalem, making an ambush to put him to death in the way.

⁴ Then, indeed, Festus answered that Paul is kept in Caesarea, and himself is about speedily to go on thither,

⁵ `Therefore those able among you -- saith he -- having come down together, if there be anything in this man -- let them accuse him;'

⁶ and having tarried among them more than ten days, having gone down to Caesarea, on the morrow having sat upon the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought;

⁷ and he having come, there stood round about the Jews who have come down from Jerusalem -- many and weighty charges they are bringing against Paul, which they were not able to prove,

⁸ he making defence -- `Neither in regard to the law of the Jews, nor in regard to the temple, nor in regard to Caesar -- did I commit any sin.'

⁹ And Festus willing to lay on the Jews a favour, answering Paul, said, `Art thou willing, to Jerusalem having gone up, there concerning these things to be judged before me?'

¹⁰ and Paul said, `At the tribunal of Caesar I am standing, where it behoveth me to be judged; to Jews I did no unrighteousness, as thou dost also very well know;

¹¹ for if indeed I am unrighteous, and anything worthy of death have done, I deprecate not to die; and if there is none of the things of which these accuse me, no one is able to make a favour of me to them; to Caesar I appeal!'

¹² then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, `To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.'

¹³ And certain days having passed, Agrippa the king, and Bernice, came down to Caesarea saluting Festus,

¹⁴ and as they were continuing there more days, Festus submitted to the king the things concerning Paul, saying, `There is a certain man, left by Felix, a prisoner,

¹⁵ about whom, in my being at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid information, asking a decision against him,

¹⁶ unto whom I answered, that it is not a custom of Romans to make a favour of any man to die, before that he who is accused may have the accusers face to face, and may receive place of defence in regard to the charge laid against [him].

¹⁷ `They, therefore, having come together -- I, making no delay, on the succeeding [day] having sat upon the tribunal, did command the man to be brought,

¹⁸ concerning whom the accusers, having stood up, were bringing against [him] no accusation of the things I was thinking of,

¹⁹ but certain questions concerning their own religion they had against him, and concerning a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive;

²⁰ and I, doubting in regard to the question concerning this, said, If he would wish to go on to Jerusalem, and there to be judged concerning these things --

²¹ but Paul having appealed to be kept to the hearing of Sebastus, I did command him to be kept till I might send him unto Caesar.'

²² And Agrippa said unto Festus, `I was wishing also myself to hear the man;' and he said, `To-morrow thou shalt hear him;'

²³ on the morrow, therefore -- on the coming of Agrippa and Bernice with much display, and they having entered into the audience chamber, with the chief captains also, and the principal men of the city, and Festus having ordered -- Paul was brought forth.

²⁴ And Festus said, `King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, ye see this one, about whom all the multitude of the Jews did deal with me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out, He ought not to live any longer;

²⁵ and I, having found him to have done nothing worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Sebastus, I decided to send him,

²⁶ concerning whom I have no certain thing to write to [my] lord, wherefore I brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, king Agrippa, that the examination having been made, I may have something to write;

²⁷ for it doth seem to me irrational, sending a prisoner, not also to signify the charges against him.'

26 And Agrippa said unto Paul, `It is permitted to thee to speak for thyself;' then Paul having stretched forth the hand, was making a defence:

² `Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, king Agrippa, I have thought myself happy, being about to make a defence before thee to-day,

³ especially knowing thee to be acquainted with all things -- both customs and questions -- among Jews; wherefore, I beseech thee, patiently to hear me.

⁴ `The manner of my life then, indeed, from youth -- which from the beginning was among my nation, in Jerusalem -- know do all the Jews,

⁵ knowing me before from the first, (if they may be willing to testify,) that after the most exact sect of our worship, I lived a Pharisee;

⁶ and now for the hope of the promise made to the fathers by God, I have stood judged,

⁷ to which our twelve tribes, intently night and day serving, do hope to come, concerning which hope I am accused, king Agrippa, by the Jews;

⁸ why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead?

⁹ `I, indeed, therefore, thought with myself, that against the name of Jesus of Nazareth it behoved [me] many things to do,

¹⁰ which also I did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I in prison did shut up, from the chief priests having received the authority; they also being put to death, I gave my vote against them,

¹¹ and in every synagogue, often punishing them, I was constraining [them] to speak evil, being also exceedingly mad against them, I was also persecuting [them] even unto strange cities.

¹² `In which things, also, going on to Damascus -- with authority and commission from the chief priests --

¹³ at mid-day, I saw in the way, O king, out of heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me a light -- and those going on with me;

¹⁴ and we all having fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? hard for thee against pricks to kick!

¹⁵ `And I said, Who art thou, Lord? and he said, I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute;

¹⁶ but rise, and stand upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things [in which] I will appear to thee,

¹⁷ delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee,

¹⁸ to open their eyes, to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that [is] toward me.

¹⁹ `Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰ but to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem, to all the region also of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to reform, and to turn back unto God, doing works worthy of reformation;

²¹ because of these things the Jews -- having caught me in the temple -- were endeavouring to kill [me].

²² `Having obtained, therefore, help from God, till this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spake of as about to come,

²³ that the Christ is to suffer, whether first by a rising from the dead, he is about to proclaim light to the people and to the nations.'

²⁴ And, he thus making a defence, Festus with a loud voice said, `Thou art mad, Paul; much learning doth turn thee mad;'

²⁵ and he saith, `I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness the sayings I speak forth;

²⁶ for the king doth know concerning these things, before whom also I speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing hath not been done in a corner;

²⁷ thou dost believe, king Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that thou dost believe!'

²⁸ And Agrippa said unto Paul, `In a little thou dost persuade me to become a Christian!'

²⁹ and Paul said, `I would have wished to God, both in a little, and in much, not only thee, but also all those hearing me to-day, to become such as I also am -- except these bonds.'

³⁰ And, he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,

³¹ and having withdrawn, they were speaking unto one another, saying -- `This man doth nothing worthy of death or of bonds;'

³² and Agrippa said to Festus, `This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.'