Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

¹⁷ Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders.^(A) When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers,^(B) although I have done nothing against our people^(C) or against the customs of our ancestors,^(D) I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.

¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^(A) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”^(B)

¹⁰ Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,^(A) as you yourself know very well.

⁸ Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple^(A) or against Caesar.”

¹⁰ When the governor^(A) motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. ¹¹ You can easily verify that no more than twelve days^(B) ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,^(C) or stirring up a crowd^(D) in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³ And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.^{(E) 14} However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors^(F) as a follower of the Way,^(G) which they call a sect.^(H) I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,^{(I) 15} and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection^(J) of both the righteous and the wicked.^{(K) 16} So I strive always to keep my conscience clear^(L) before God and man.

⁵ as the high priest and all the Council^(A) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(B) in Damascus,^(C) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

³³ The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound^(A) with two^(B) chains.^(C) Then he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another,^(D) and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.^{(E) 35} When Paul reached the steps,^(F) the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. ³⁶ The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”^(G)

Paul Speaks to the Crowd^(H)

³⁷ As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks,^(I) he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. ³⁸ “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness^(J) some time ago?”^(K)

³⁹ Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus^(L) in Cilicia,^(M) a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

⁴⁰ After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned^(N) to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic^[a]:^(O)

² where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.^(A)

23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin^(A) and said, “My brothers,^(B) I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience^(C) to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias^(D) ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.^{(E) 3} Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!^(F) You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”^(G)

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’^[a]”^(H)

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees^(I) and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers,^(J) I am a Pharisee,^(K) descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.”^{(L) 7} When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,^(M) and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees^(N) stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,”^(O) they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”^{(P) 10} The dispute became so violent that the 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 the barracks.^(Q)

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage!^(R) As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”^(S)