Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, ^(A)“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For ^(B)he should not be allowed to live.” ²³ And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the tribune ordered him to be brought into ^(C)the barracks, saying that he should be ^(D)examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. ²⁵ But when they had stretched him out for the whips,^[a] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog ^(E)a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁷ So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” ²⁹ So those who were about ^(F)to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also ^(G)was afraid, ^(H)for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that ^(I)he had bound him.

Paul Before the Council

³⁰ But on the next day, ^(J)desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

² And the high priest ^(A)Ananias commanded those who stood by him ^(B)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you ^(C)whitewashed ^(D)wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet ^(E)contrary to the law you ^(F)order me to be struck?” ⁴ Those who stood by said, “Would you revile ^(G)God's high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, ^(H)“I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ^(I)‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ Now when Paul perceived that one part were ^(J)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, ^(K)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is ^(L)with respect to the ^(M)hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” ⁷ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees ^(N)say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ Then a great clamor arose, and some of ^(O)the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, ^(P)“We find nothing wrong in this man. What ^(Q)if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” ¹⁰ And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into ^(R)the barracks.

^11 (S)The following night ^(T)the Lord stood by him and said, ^(U)“Take courage, for ^(V)as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must ^(W)testify also in Rome.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, ^(X)the Jews made a plot and ^(Y)bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered ^(Z)the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.”

²² So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Kept in Custody

²² But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of ^(A)the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he gave orders to the centurion that he ^(B)should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that ^(C)none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

²⁴ After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ^(D)faith ^(E)in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And as he reasoned ^(F)about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. ^(G)When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” ²⁶ At the same time he hoped ^(H)that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. ²⁷ When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius ^(I)Festus. And ^(J)desiring to do the Jews a favor, ^(K)Felix left Paul in prison.

¹⁹ “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to ^(A)the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but declared first ^(B)to those in Damascus, ^(C)then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also ^(D)to the Gentiles, that they should ^(E)repent and ^(F)turn to God, performing deeds ^(G)in keeping with their repentance. ²¹ For this reason ^(H)the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ^22 (I)To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so ^(J)I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what ^(K)the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ^23 (L)that the Christ ^(M)must suffer and that, ^(N)by being the first ^(O)to rise from the dead, ^(P)he would proclaim ^(Q)light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, ^(R)you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” ²⁵ But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, ^(S)most excellent Festus, but I am speaking ^(T)true and ^(U)rational words. ²⁶ For ^(V)the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” ²⁸ And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be ^(W)a Christian?”^{[a] 29} And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day ^(X)might become such as I am—except for ^(Y)these chains.”

³⁰ Then the king rose, and ^(Z)the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. ³¹ And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, ^(AA)“This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, ^(AB)“This man could have been set ^(AC)free if he had not appealed ^(AD)to Caesar.”