Acts 21:17-28:31

Legacy Standard Bible

In Jerusalem

¹⁷ And after we arrived in Jerusalem, ^(A)the brothers welcomed us gladly. ¹⁸ And the following day Paul went in with us to ^(B)James, and all ^(C)the elders were present. ¹⁹ And after he had greeted them, he ^(D)began to relate one by one the things which God did among the Gentiles through his ^(E)ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it they began ^(F)glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many ^[a]thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all ^(G)zealous for the Law; ²¹ and they have been told about you, that you are ^(H)teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them ^(I)not to circumcise their children nor to ^[b]walk according to ^(J)the customs. ²² What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who ^[c](K)are under a vow; ²⁴ take them and ^(L)purify yourself along with them, and ^[d]pay their expenses so that they may ^(M)shave their ^[e]heads. Then all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. ²⁵ But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, ^(N)having decided that they should keep from ^[f]meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶ Then Paul ^[g]took the men, and the next day, ^(O)purifying himself along with them, ^(P)went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Is Arrested

²⁷ Now when ^(Q)the seven days were almost over, ^(R)the Jews from ^[h](S)Asia, upon noticing him in the temple, began to throw all the crowd into confusion and laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! ^(T)This is the man who teaches to everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has ^(U)defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ For they had previously seen ^(V)Trophimus the ^(W)Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then all the city was stirred, and ^[i]the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they ^(X)dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the ^[j]commander of the ^(Y)Roman ^[k]cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² At once he ^(Z)took along soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be ^(AA)bound with ^(AB)two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ But among the crowd ^(AC)some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the ^[l]facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into ^(AD)the barracks. ³⁵ And when he got to ^(AE)the stairs, he actually was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd; ³⁶ for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “^(AF)Away with him!”

Paul’s Defense Before the Jews

³⁷ As Paul was about to be brought into ^(AG)the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he *said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not ^(AH)the Egyptian who some ^[m]time ago raised a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(AI)into the wilderness?” ³⁹ But Paul said, “^(AJ)I am a Jew of Tarsus in ^(AK)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on ^(AL)the stairs, ^(AM)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there ^[n]was a great hush, he spoke to them in the ^(AN)Hebrew language, saying,

22 “^(AO)Men, brothers, and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

² And when they heard that he was addressing them in the ^(AP)Hebrew language, they became even quieter; and he *said,

³ “^(AQ)I am ^(AR)a Jew, born in ^(AS)Tarsus of ^(AT)Cilicia, but having been brought up in this city, having been instructed at the feet of ^(AU)Gamaliel according to the ^(AV)strictness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as ^(AW)you all are today, ^4 (AX)I persecuted this ^(AY)Way to the death, binding and delivering both men and women into prisons, ⁵ as also ^(AZ)the high priest and all ^(BA)the Council of the elders ^[o]can testify. From them I also ^(BB)received letters to ^(BC)the brothers, and started off for ^(BD)Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem ^[p]as prisoners to be punished.

⁶ “^(BE)But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, ⁷ and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am ^(BF)Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ And those who were with me ^(BG)beheld the light, to be sure, but ^(BH)did not ^[q]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, ‘^(BI)What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been determined for you to do.’ ¹¹ But since I ^(BJ)could not see because of the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹² “Now a certain ^(BK)Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and ^(BL)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing near, said to me, ‘^(BM)Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And ^[r](BN)at that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘^(BO)The God of our fathers has ^(BP)appointed you to know His will and to ^(BQ)see the ^(BR)Righteous One and to hear a ^[s]voice from His mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be ^(BS)a witness for Him to all men of ^(BT)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now why do you delay? ^(BU)Rise up and be baptized, and ^(BV)wash away your sins, ^(BW)calling on His name.’

¹⁷ “Now it happened when I ^(BX)returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I ^(BY)fell into a trance, ¹⁸ and I saw Him saying to me, ‘^(BZ)Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness about Me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another ^(CA)I used to imprison and ^(CB)beat those who believed in You. ²⁰ And ^(CC)when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and guarding the garments of those who were slaying him.’ ²¹ And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away ^(CD)to the Gentiles.’”

Paul, a Citizen of Rome

²² And they were listening to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “^(CE)Away with such a fellow from the earth, for ^(CF)he should not be allowed to live!” ²³ And as they were crying out and ^(CG)throwing off their garments and ^(CH)tossing dust into the air, ²⁴ the ^[t]commander ordered him to be brought into ^(CI)the barracks, stating that he should be ^(CJ)examined by flogging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. ²⁵ But when they stretched him out ^[u]with leather straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it ^[v]lawful for you to flog ^(CK)a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” ²⁶ And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported to him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” ²⁷ And the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ And the commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I have been born a citizen.” ²⁹ Therefore those who were about to ^(CL)examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the commander also ^(CM)was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman, and because he had ^(CN)bound him.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

³⁰ But on the next day, ^(CO)wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he ^(CP)released him and ordered the chief priests and all ^(CQ)the Sanhedrin to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

23 Now Paul, looking intently at ^(CR)the Sanhedrin, said, “^(CS)Brothers, ^(CT)I have ^[w]lived my life in all good conscience before God up to this day.” ² And the high priest ^(CU)Ananias commanded those standing beside him ^(CV)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, ^(CW)you whitewashed wall! Do you ^(CX)sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” ⁴ But those standing nearby said, “Do you revile the high priest of God?” ⁵ And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘^(CY)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ But knowing that one group were ^(CZ)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in ^(DA)the Sanhedrin, “^(DB)Brothers, ^(DC)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ^(DD)the hope and resurrection of the dead!” ⁷ As he said this, there was dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For ^(DE)the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ And there occurred a great outcry; and some of ^(DF)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “^(DG)We find nothing wrong with this man. ^(DH)Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ And as a great dissension was developing, because the ^[x]commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them, he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into ^(DI)the barracks.

¹¹ But on ^(DJ)that very night, the Lord stood at his side and said, “^(DK)Take courage; for ^(DL)as you have ^(DM)solemnly borne witness to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness at Rome also.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

¹² Now when it was day, ^(DN)the Jews formed a ^[y]conspiracy and ^(DO)bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ And there were more than forty who formed this scheme. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have ^(DP)bound ourselves under a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ So now you, along with ^(DQ)the Sanhedrin, notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more carefully; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, ^[z]he came and entered ^(DR)the barracks and reported it to Paul. ¹⁷ And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and led him to the ^[aa]commander and *said, “Paul ^(DS)the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.” ¹⁹ And the ^[ab]commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” ²⁰ And he said, “^(DT)The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to ^(DU)the Sanhedrin, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more carefully about him. ²¹ So do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of them—who have ^(DV)bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him—are ^(DW)lying in wait for him and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.” ²² So the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”

Paul Is Brought to Caesarea

²³ And when he called to him two of the centurions, he said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers, ^[ac]seventy horsemen, and two hundred ^[ad]spearmen to proceed to ^(DX)Caesarea by the ^[ae]third hour of the night, ²⁴ and provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to ^(DY)Felix the governor.” ²⁵ And he wrote a letter having this form:

³¹ So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² But the next day, leaving ^(EL)the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to ^(EM)the barracks. ³³ When these had come to ^(EN)Caesarea and delivered the letter to ^(EO)the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ And when he had read it, he asked from what ^(EP)province he was, and when he learned that ^(EQ)he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing after your ^(ER)accusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be ^(ES)kept in Herod’s ^[ah]Praetorium.

Paul’s Trial Before Felix the Governor

24 Now after ^(ET)five days the high priest ^(EU)Ananias came down with some elders, ^[ai]with an ^[aj]attorney named Tertullus, and they ^[ak]brought charges to ^(EV)the governor against Paul. ² And after Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying,

“As we have attained much peace through you—and because by your provision reforms are being carried out for this nation— ³ we welcome this in every way and everywhere, ^(EW)most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴ But, that I may not weary you any further, I plead with you by your forbearance to hear us briefly. ⁵ For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout ^[al]the world, and a ringleader of the ^(EX)sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶ And he even tried to ^(EY)desecrate the temple; and ^[am]then we arrested him. ^[an][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 (EZ)And the Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.

¹⁰ And when ^(FA)the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul answered:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, ¹¹ since you are able to ascertain the fact that no more than ^(FB)twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ^12 (FC)And neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor across the city did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or ^(FD)causing ^[ao]a riot. ^13 (FE)Nor are they able to prove to you of what they are now accusing me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to ^(FF)the Way, which they call a ^(FG)sect, I do serve ^[ap](FH)the God of our fathers, ^(FI)believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; ¹⁵ having a hope in God, for which ^(FJ)these men are waiting, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹⁶ In view of this, ^(FK)I also ^[aq]do my best to maintain always a conscience without fault both before God and before men. ¹⁷ Now ^(FL)after several years I ^(FM)came to bring ^[ar]alms to my nation and offerings; ¹⁸ in which they found me, having been ^(FN)purified in the temple, without any ^(FO)crowd or uproar. But there were some ^(FP)Jews from ^[as]Asia— ¹⁹ who ought to have been present before you and to ^(FQ)make accusation, if they should have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let these men themselves tell what wrongdoing they found when I stood before ^(FR)the Sanhedrin, ²¹ other than for this one statement which ^(FS)I 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 accurate knowledge about ^(FT)the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the ^[at]commander comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be ^(FU)kept in custody and yet ^(FV)have some rest, and not to prevent any of ^(FW)his friends from ministering to him.

²⁴ But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his ^[au]wife who was a Jewess, and summoned Paul and heard him speak about ^(FX)faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ But as he was discussing ^(FY)righteousness, ^(FZ)self-control, and ^(GA)the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and answered, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will call for you.” ²⁶ At the same time, he was also hoping that ^(GB)money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to summon for him quite often and converse with him. ²⁷ But after two years had passed, Felix ^[av]was succeeded by Porcius ^(GC)Festus, and ^(GD)wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul ^(GE)imprisoned.

Paul Before Festus

25 Festus then, having arrived in ^(GF)the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from ^(GG)Caesarea. ² And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews ^(GH)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with him, ³ requesting a favor against ^[aw]Paul, that he might ^[ax]have him brought to Jerusalem (while they ^(GI)set an ambush to kill him on the way). ⁴ Festus then ^(GJ)answered that Paul ^(GK)was being kept in custody at ^(GL)Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you go down there with me, and if there is anything wrong ^[ay]about the man, let them accuse him.”

⁶ And after he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to ^(GM)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on ^(GN)the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ And after Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing ^(GO)many and serious charges against him ^(GP)which they could not prove, ⁸ while Paul said in his own defense, “^(GQ)I have committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁹ But Festus, ^(GR)wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “^(GS)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and to be tried before me on these matters?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s ^(GT)judgment seat, 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 ^(GU)appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then when Festus had conferred with ^[az]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”

Festus and Agrippa Discuss Paul’s Trial

¹³ Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at ^(GV)Caesarea ^[ba]and greeted Festus. ¹⁴ And while they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was ^(GW)left as a prisoner by Felix; ¹⁵ and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews ^(GX)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I ^(GY)answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before ^(GZ)the 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 ^(HA)the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought before me. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they were not bringing any charges against him for the evil deeds I was expecting, ¹⁹ but they had some ^(HB)points of disagreement with him about their own ^[bb](HC)religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man whom Paul asserted to be alive. ^20 (HD)And being perplexed about how to investigate ^[bc]such matters, I was asking whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there to be tried on these matters. ²¹ But when Paul ^(HE)appealed to be held in custody for ^[bd]the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” ²² Then ^(HF)Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”

Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice

²³ So, on the next day when ^(HG)Agrippa came ^[be]together with ^(HH)Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the hall ^[bf]accompanied by the ^[bg]commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the order of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom ^(HI)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that ^(HJ)he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had committed ^(HK)nothing worthy of death, and since he himself ^(HL)appealed to ^[bh]the Emperor, I decided to send him. ^26 [bi]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.”

26 ^(HM)Now Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul, stretching out his hand, began to make his defense:

² “Concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I regard myself blessed, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; ^3 [bj]especially because you are an expert in all ^(HN)customs and ^[bk]questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “So then, all Jews know ^(HO)my manner of life from my youth, 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 ^(HP)Pharisee ^(HQ)according to the strictest ^(HR)sect of our religion. ⁶ And now I am standing here being tried ^(HS)for the hope of ^(HT)the promise made by God to our fathers; ⁷ the promise ^(HU)to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this ^(HV)hope, O King, I am being ^(HW)accused by Jews. ⁸ Why is it considered unbelievable among all of you ^(HX)if God does raise the dead?

⁹ “So then, ^(HY)I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to ^(HZ)the name of Jesus the Nazarene. ¹⁰ And this is ^[bl]just what I ^(IA)did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the ^[bm]saints in prisons, having ^(IB)received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I ^(IC)cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And ^(ID)as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being ^(IE)furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ^(IF)even to ^[bn]foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

¹² “^[bo]While so engaged ^(IG)as 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, ^[bp]brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ And when we had ^(IH)all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the ^[bq](II)Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ^[br]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 rise up and ^(IJ)stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to ^(IK)appoint you a ^(IL)servant and ^(IM)a witness not only to the things which you have ^[bs]seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; ^17 (IN)rescuing you ^(IO)from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to ^(IP)open their eyes so that they may turn from ^(IQ)darkness to light and from the authority of ^(IR)Satan to God, that they may receive ^(IS)forgiveness of sins and an ^(IT)inheritance among those who have been sanctified by ^(IU)faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but kept declaring both ^(IV)to those of Damascus first, and also ^(IW)at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even ^(IX)to the Gentiles, that they should ^(IY)repent and turn to God, practicing deeds ^(IZ)appropriate to repentance. ²¹ For this reason some Jews ^(JA)seized me in the temple and were trying ^(JB)to put me to death. ²² Therefore, having obtained help from God to this day, I stand here ^(JC)bearing witness both to small and great, stating nothing but what ^(JD)the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; ^23 [bt](JE)that the ^[bu]Christ was ^[bv]to suffer, and ^[bw]that ^(JF)as first of the resurrection from the dead, He was going to proclaim ^(JG)light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ Now while ^[bx]Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! ^[by]Great ^(JH)learning is driving you out of your mind.” ²⁵ But Paul *said, “I am not out of my mind, ^(JI)most excellent Festus, but I utter words ^[bz]of sober truth. ²⁶ For the king ^[ca](JJ)knows 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 ^[cb]corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” ²⁸ But Agrippa replied to Paul, “^[cc]In such short time ^[cd]are you persuading me to become a ^(JK)Christian?” ²⁹ And Paul said, “I would pray to God, that whether ^[ce]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 ^(JL)chains.”

^30 (JM)And the 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, “^(JN)This man is not doing anything worthy of death or ^[cf]imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been ^(JO)set free if he had not ^(JP)appealed to Caesar.”

Paul Is Sent to Rome

27 Now when it was decided that ^(JQ)we ^(JR)would sail for ^(JS)Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan ^[cg](JT)cohort named Julius. ² And getting aboard an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of ^[ch](JU)Asia, we set sail accompanied by ^(JV)Aristarchus, a ^(JW)Macedonian of ^(JX)Thessalonica. ³ The next day we put in at ^(JY)Sidon, and Julius ^(JZ)treated Paul with consideration and ^(KA)allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. ⁴ And from there we set sail and sailed under the shelter of ^(KB)Cyprus because ^(KC)the winds were against us. ⁵ And when we had sailed through the sea along the coast of ^(KD)Cilicia and ^(KE)Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. ⁶ There the centurion found an ^(KF)Alexandrian ship sailing for ^(KG)Italy, and he put us aboard it. ⁷ And when we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, ^(KH)since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of ^(KI)Crete, off Salmone; ⁸ and with difficulty, we ^(KJ)sailed past it and came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

⁹ And when considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even ^(KK)the ^[ci]Fast was already over, Paul began to advise them, ¹⁰ and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with ^(KL)damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ But the centurion was being more persuaded by the ^(KM)pilot and the ^[cj]captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. ¹² And because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to set sail from there, if somehow they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of ^(KN)Crete facing southwest and northwest, to spend the winter there.

¹³ And when a moderate ^[ck]south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began ^(KO)sailing along ^[cl]the shore of ^(KP)Crete.

The Storm at Sea

¹⁴ But before very long there ^(KQ)rushed down from ^[cm]the land a violent wind, called ^[cn]Euraquilo; ¹⁵ and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be carried along. ¹⁶ And running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship’s ^[co]boat under control. ¹⁷ After they had hoisted it up, they used ^[cp]supporting cables in undergirding the ship. Fearing that they might ^(KR)run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the ^[cq]sea anchor and in this way let themselves be carried along. ¹⁸ And the next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, ^[cr]they began to ^(KS)jettison the cargo; ¹⁹ and on the third day they cast the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ And since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.

²¹ And ^[cs]when they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, “^(KT)Men, you ought to have ^[ct]followed my advice to not set sail from ^(KU)Crete and to ^[cu]avoid this ^(KV)damage and loss. ²² And now I advise you to ^(KW)be cheerful, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For this very night ^(KX)an angel of the God to whom I belong and ^(KY)whom I serve ^(KZ)stood before me, ²⁴ saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; ^(LA)you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you ^(LB)all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ Therefore, ^(LC)be cheerful, men, for I believe God that ^[cv]it will turn out exactly as I have been told. ²⁶ But we must ^(LD)run aground on some ^(LE)island.”

²⁷ But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being carried about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that some land was approaching them. ²⁸ And when they took soundings, they found it to be ^[cw]twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be ^[cx]fifteen fathoms. ²⁹ And fearing that we might ^(LF)run aground somewhere on the ^[cy]rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and were praying for daybreak. ³⁰ But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down ^(LG)the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot ^[cz]be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut away the ^(LH)ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

³³ Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. ³⁴ Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your ^[da]salvation, for ^(LI)not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” ³⁵ And having said these things, he took bread and ^(LJ)gave thanks to God in the presence of all. And he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ And all ^(LK)of them became cheerful and they themselves also took food. ³⁷ And all of us in the ship were 276 ^[db](LL)persons. ³⁸ And when they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by ^(LM)throwing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

³⁹ Now when day came, ^(LN)they ^[dc]could not recognize the land; but they were noticing a bay with a beach, and they were resolving to drive the ship onto it if they could. ⁴⁰ And casting off ^(LO)the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders. And hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach. ⁴¹ But striking a ^[dd]reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. ⁴² Now the soldiers’ plan was to ^(LP)kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; ⁴³ but the centurion, ^(LQ)wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should ^[de]jump overboard first and get to land, ⁴⁴ and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that ^(LR)they all were brought safely to land.

On the Island of Malta

28 And when ^(LS)they had been brought safely through to shore, ^(LT)then we learned that ^(LU)the island was called ^[df]Malta. ^2 (LV)And the ^[dg]natives showed us extraordinary affection; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and ^(LW)received us all. ³ But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out ^[dh]because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. ⁴ And when ^(LX)the ^[di]natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “^(LY)Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, ^[dj]Justice has not allowed him to live.” ⁵ However ^(LZ)he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ But they were waiting for him to soon swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, changing their minds, they ^(MA)began to say that he was a god.

⁷ Now in the areas around that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. ⁸ And it happened that the father of Publius was lying afflicted with fever and dysentery; and Paul, going to see him and having ^(MB)prayed, ^(MC)laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹ And after this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed. ¹⁰ They also bestowed on us many honors of respect; and when we were setting sail, they ^[dk]supplied us with ^[dl]all we needed.

Paul Arrives in Rome

¹¹ Now at the end of three months we set sail on ^(MD)an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had ^[dm]the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. ¹² After we put into Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. ¹³ From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and after a day when a south wind sprang up, on the second day we came to Puteoli. ^14 [dn]There we found some ^(ME)brothers, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome. ¹⁵ And the ^(MF)brothers, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the ^[do]Market of Appius and ^[dp]Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

¹⁶ And when we entered Rome, Paul was ^(MG)allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul’s Ministry in Rome

¹⁷ And it happened that after three days ^[dq]Paul called together those who were ^(MH)the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “^(MI)Brothers, ^(MJ)though I had done nothing against our people or ^(MK)the customs of our ^[dr]fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. ¹⁸ And when they had ^(ML)examined me, they ^(MM)were willing to release me because there was ^(MN)no ground ^[ds]for putting me to death. ¹⁹ But when the Jews ^[dt]objected, I was forced to ^(MO)appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. ²⁰ For this reason, therefore, I ^[du]requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing ^(MP)this chain for ^(MQ)the sake of the hope of Israel.” ²¹ And they said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of ^(MR)the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. ²² But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this ^(MS)sect, it is known to us that ^(MT)it is spoken against everywhere.”

²³ And when they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at ^(MU)his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly ^(MV)bearing witness about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, ^(MW)from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. ^24 (MX)And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others were not believing. ²⁵ And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, ²⁶ saying,

²⁸ Therefore let it be known to you that ^(NB)this salvation of God was sent ^(NC)to the Gentiles—they will also hear.” ^29 [dy][When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]

³⁰ And he stayed two full years ^[dz]in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, ^31 [ea](ND)preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ ^(NE)with all confidence, unhindered.