Acts 24:10-23

Evangelical Heritage Version

¹⁰ When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense. ¹¹ You can verify for yourself that it was no more than twelve days ago when I went up to worship at Jerusalem. ¹² They did not find me arguing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³ And they cannot prove to you the accusations they are now making against me.

¹⁴ “But I do confess to you that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything written throughout the Law and in the Prophets; ¹⁵ and I have the same hope in God that these men have, that there is going to be a resurrection^[a] of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹⁶ This is the reason I continue to do my best to have a clear conscience toward both God and people.

¹⁷ “After several years, I came to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. ¹⁸ While I was doing these things, they found me ceremonially purified in the temple, without a crowd or 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 let these men here state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, ²¹ unless this is about the one thing I shouted while standing in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

²² Then Felix,^[b] because he was rather well informed about the Way, adjourned the proceedings. He said, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ He ordered the centurion to guard Paul, but to let him have some freedom and not to prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.