Acts 21:18-26

New King James Version

¹⁸ On the following day Paul went in with us to ^(A)James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ When he had greeted them, ^(B)he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles ^(C)through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all ^(D)zealous for the law; ²¹ but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. ^22 [a]What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. ²⁴ Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may ^(E)shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. ²⁵ But concerning the Gentiles who believe, ^(F)we have written and decided ^[b]that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from ^[c]sexual immorality.”

Arrested in the Temple

²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, ^(G)entered the temple ^(H)to announce the ^[d]expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

²⁷ Now when the seven days were almost ended, ^(I)the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and ^(J)laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man ^(K)who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ (For they had ^[e]previously seen ^(L)Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

³⁰ And ^(M)all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ Now as they were ^(N)seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the ^[f]garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. ^32 (O)He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the ^(P)commander came near and took him, and ^(Q)commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another.

So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. ³⁵ When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. ³⁶ For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, ^(R)“Away with him!”

Addressing the Jerusalem Mob^(S)

³⁷ Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?”

He replied, “Can you speak Greek? ^38 (T)Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”

³⁹ But Paul said, ^(U)“I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no ^[g]mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.”

⁴⁰ So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and ^(V)motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the ^(W)Hebrew language, saying,

Paul’s Defense at Jerusalem

22 “Brethren^(X) and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” ² And when they heard that he spoke to them in the ^(Y)Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent.

Then he said: ^3 (Z)“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city ^(AA)at the feet of ^(AB)Gamaliel, taught ^(AC)according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and ^(AD)was zealous toward God ^(AE)as you all are today. ^4 (AF)I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, ⁵ as also the high priest bears me witness, and ^(AG)all the council of the elders, ^(AH)from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus ^(AI)to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “Now ^(AJ)it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹ “And ^(AK)those who were with me indeed saw the light ^[h]and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. ¹⁰ So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹² “Then ^(AL)a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, ^(AM)having a good testimony with all the ^(AN)Jews who dwelt there, ¹³ came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. ¹⁴ Then he said, ^(AO)‘The God of our fathers ^(AP)has chosen you that you should ^(AQ)know His will, and ^(AR)see the Just One, ^(AS)and hear the voice of His mouth. ^15 (AT)For you will be His witness to all men of ^(AU)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, ^(AV)and wash away your sins, ^(AW)calling on the name of the Lord.’

¹⁷ “Now ^(AX)it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance ¹⁸ and ^(AY)saw Him saying to me, ^(AZ)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ ¹⁹ So I said, ‘Lord, ^(BA)they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and ^(BB)beat those who believe on You. ^20 (BC)And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by ^(BD)consenting ^[i]to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, ^(BE)for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul’s Roman Citizenship

²² And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, ^(BF)“Away with such a fellow from the earth, for ^(BG)he is not fit to live!” ²³ Then, as they cried out and ^[j]tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. ²⁵ And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, ^(BH)“Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”

²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”

²⁷ Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”

He said, “Yes.”

²⁸ The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”

²⁹ Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

The Sanhedrin Divided

³⁰ The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul

23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, ^(BI)I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him ^(BJ)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and ^(BK)do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

⁵ Then Paul said, ^(BL)“I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ^(BM)‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

⁶ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, ^(BN)I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; ^(BO)concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

⁷ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. ^8 (BP)For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. ⁹ Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, ^(BQ)“We find no evil in this man; ^[k]but ^(BR)if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, ^(BS)let us not fight against God.”

¹⁰ Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

The Plot Against Paul

¹¹ But ^(BT)the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ^[l]“Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in ^(BU)Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at ^(BV)Rome.”

¹² And when it was day, ^(BW)some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had ^(BX)killed Paul. ¹³ Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and ^(BY)elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you ^[m]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”

¹⁹ Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ And he said, ^(BZ)“The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. ²¹ But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.”

²² So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

Sent to Felix

²³ And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to ^(CA)Caesarea at the third hour of the night; ²⁴ and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” ²⁵ He wrote a letter in the following manner:

³¹ Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks. ³³ When they came to ^(CH)Caesarea and had delivered the ^(CI)letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from ^(CJ)Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, ^(CK)“I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in ^(CL)Herod’s ^[o]Praetorium.

Accused of Sedition

24 Now after ^(CM)five days ^(CN)Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul.

² And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: “Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and ^[p]prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, ³ we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴ Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your ^[q]courtesy, a few words from us. ^5 (CO)For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. ^6 (CP)He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, ^[r]and wanted ^(CQ)to judge him according to our law. ^7 (CR)But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands, ^8 (CS)commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.” ⁹ And the Jews also ^[s]assented, maintaining that these things were so.

The Defense Before Felix

¹⁰ Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: “Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, ¹¹ because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem ^(CT)to worship. ^12 (CU)And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. ¹³ Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to ^(CV)the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the ^(CW)God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in ^(CX)the Law and in the Prophets. ^15 (CY)I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, ^(CZ)that there will be a resurrection ^[t]of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. ^16 (DA)This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

¹⁷ “Now after many years ^(DB)I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, ^18 (DC)in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me ^(DD)purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult. ^19 (DE)They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let those who are here themselves say ^[u]if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, ²¹ unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, ^(DF)‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.’ ”

Felix Procrastinates

²² But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the ^(DG)Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, “When ^(DH)Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.” ²³ So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and ^(DI)told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him.

²⁴ And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the ^(DJ)faith in Christ. ²⁵ Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” ²⁶ Meanwhile he also hoped that ^(DK)money would be given him by Paul, ^[v]that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.

²⁷ But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, ^(DL)wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25 Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from ^(DM)Caesarea to Jerusalem. ^2 (DN)Then the ^[w]high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him, ³ asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—^(DO)while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. ⁴ But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see ^(DP)if there is any fault in him.”

⁶ And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. ⁷ When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about ^(DQ)and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, ⁸ while he answered for himself, ^(DR)“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”

⁹ But Festus, ^(DS)wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ^(DT)“Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”

¹⁰ So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. ^11 (DU)For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. ^(DV)I appeal to Caesar.”

¹² Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

Paul Before Agrippa

¹³ And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. ¹⁴ When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: ^(DW)“There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, ^15 (DX)about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him. ^16 (DY)To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man ^[x]to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’ ¹⁷ Therefore when they had come together, ^(DZ)without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I ^[y]supposed, ^19 (EA)but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. ²⁰ And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. ²¹ But when Paul ^(EB)appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar.”

²² Then ^(EC)Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.”

“Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

²³ So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great ^[z]pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command ^(ED)Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom ^(EE)the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was ^(EF)not fit to live any longer. ²⁵ But when I found that ^(EG)he had committed nothing deserving of death, ^(EH)and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. ²⁶ I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.”

Paul’s Early Life

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: ² “I think myself ^(EI)happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer ^(EJ)for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am ^(EK)accused by the Jews, ³ especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. ⁵ They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to ^(EL)the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ^6 (EM)And now I stand and am judged for the hope of ^(EN)the promise made by God to our fathers. ⁷ To this promise ^(EO)our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God ^(EP)night and day, ^(EQ)hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

^9 (ER)“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things ^[aa]contrary to the name of ^(ES)Jesus of Nazareth. ^10 (ET)This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority ^(EU)from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ^11 (EV)And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Recounts His Conversion^(EW)

^12 (EX)“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^(EY)to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will ^[ab]deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, ^(EZ)to whom I ^[ac]now send you, ^18 (FA)to open their eyes, in order ^(FB)to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, ^(FC)that they may receive forgiveness of sins and ^(FD)an inheritance among those who are ^(FE)sanctified^[ad] by faith in Me.’