Tell of All His Wondrous Works

Elijah Confronts Ahab

18 ^(A)After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” ² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ³ And Ahab called Obadiah, who was ^(B)over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, ⁴ and ^(C)when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) ⁵ And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” ⁶ So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

⁷ And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” ⁸ And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” ⁹ And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? ^10 (D)As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. ¹¹ And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ ¹² And as soon as I have gone from you, ^(E)the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. ¹³ Has it not been told my lord what I did ^(F)when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? ¹⁴ And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; and he will kill me.” ¹⁵ And Elijah said, ^(G)“As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” ¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ^(H)“Is it you, you ^(I)troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸ And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have ^(J)abandoned the commandments of the Lord and ^(K)followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount ^(L)Carmel, and the ^(M)450 prophets of Baal and ^(N)the 400 prophets of Asherah, ^(O)who eat at Jezebel's table.”

The Prophets of Baal Defeated

²⁰ So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long ^(P)will you go limping between two different opinions? ^(Q)If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, ^(R)“I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are ^(S)450 men. ²³ Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. ²⁴ And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who ^(T)answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” ²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” ²⁶ And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. ²⁷ And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” ²⁸ And they cried aloud and ^(U)cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. ²⁹ And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of ^(V)the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been ^(W)thrown down. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, ^(X)“Israel shall be your name,” ³² and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs^[a] of seed. ^33 (Y)And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and ^(Z)pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” ³⁴ And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. ³⁵ And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

³⁶ And at the time of ^(AA)the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, ^(AB)God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that ^(AC)you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that ^(AD)I have done all these things at your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” ^38 (AE)Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ^(AF)“The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” ⁴⁰ And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to ^(AG)the brook Kishon and ^(AH)slaughtered them there.

The Lord Sends Rain

⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. ^(AI)And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. ⁴⁴ And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, ^(AJ)a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” ⁴⁵ And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to ^(AK)Jezreel. ^46 (AL)And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, ^(AM)and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of ^(AN)Jezreel.

Herod Is Perplexed by Jesus

^7 (A)Now ^(B)Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that ^(C)John had been raised from the dead, ^8 (D)by some that Elijah had appeared, and ^(E)by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. ⁹ Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And ^(F)he sought to see him.

Jesus Before the Council

^66 (A)When day came, ^(B)the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their ^(C)council, and they ^(D)said, ^67 (E)“If you are ^(F)the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, ⁶⁸ and if I ask you, you will not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated ^(G)at the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰ So they all said, “Are you ^(H)the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, ^(I)“You say that I am.” ⁷¹ Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

Jesus Before Pilate

23 ^(J)Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. ² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man ^(K)misleading our nation and ^(L)forbidding us to give tribute to ^(M)Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, ^(N)a king.” ^3 (O)And Pilate asked him, ^(P)“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, ^(Q)“You have said so.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ^(R)“I find no guilt in this man.” ⁵ But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, ^(S)from Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus Before Herod

⁶ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that he belonged to ^(T)Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, ^(U)for he had long desired to see him, ^(V)because he had heard about him, and he was hoping ^(W)to see some sign done by him. ⁹ So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers ^(X)treated him with contempt and ^(Y)mocked him. Then, ^(Z)arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. ¹² And ^(AA)Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

¹³ Pilate then called together the chief priests and ^(AB)the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought me this man ^(AC)as one who was misleading the people. And ^(AD)after examining him before you, behold, I ^(AE)did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. ¹⁵ Neither did Herod, for ^(AF)he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. ^16 (AG)I will therefore punish and release him.”^[a]

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

^18 (AH)But they all cried out together, ^(AI)“Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— ¹⁹ a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and ^(AJ)for murder. ²⁰ Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, ²¹ but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” ²² A third time he said to them, “Why? ^(AK)What evil has he done? ^(AL)I have found in him no guilt deserving death. ^(AM)I will therefore punish and release him.” ²³ But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. ²⁵ He released the man who had been thrown into prison ^(AN)for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, ^(AO)but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ² He killed ^(A)James the brother of John ^(B)with the sword, ³ and when he saw ^(C)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during ^(D)the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him ^(E)in prison, delivering him over to four ^(F)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest ^(G)prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Peter Is Rescued

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(H)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(I)an angel of the Lord ^(J)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. ^(K)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(L)the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and ^(M)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but ^(N)thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. ^(O)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(P)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that ^(Q)the Lord has sent his angel and ^(R)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(S)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(T)were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, ^(U)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter's voice, ^(V)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is ^(W)his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(X)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to ^(Y)James and to ^(Z)the brothers.”^[a] Then he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ^(AA)ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

The Death of Herod

²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and ^(AB)having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain,^[b] they asked for peace, because ^(AC)their country depended on the king's country for food. ²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. ²² And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” ²³ Immediately ^(AD)an angel of the Lord struck him down, because ^(AE)he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

²⁴ But ^(AF)the word of God increased and multiplied.

^25 (AG)And Barnabas and Saul returned from^[c] Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them ^(AH)John, whose other name was Mark.

²² What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men ^(A)who are under a vow; ²⁴ take these men and ^(B)purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ^(C)so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. ²⁵ But as for the Gentiles who have believed, ^(D)we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled,^[a] and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day ^(E)he purified himself along with them and ^(F)went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and ^(G)the offering presented for each one of them.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

²⁷ When ^(H)the seven days were almost completed, ^(I)the Jews from Asia, ^(J)seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who ^(K)is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and ^(L)the law and ^(M)this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and ^(N)has defiled ^(O)this holy place.” ²⁹ For they had previously seen ^(P)Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and ^(Q)dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. ^31 (R)And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of ^(S)the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ^32 (T)He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him ^(U)to be bound ^(V)with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. ^34 (W)Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into ^(X)the barracks. ³⁵ And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, ³⁶ for the mob of the people followed, crying out, ^(Y)“Away with him!”

Paul Speaks to the People

³⁷ As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Are you not ^(Z)the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(AA)into the wilderness?” ³⁹ Paul replied, ^(AB)“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, ^(AC)motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in ^(AD)the Hebrew language,^[b] saying:

22 ^(AE)“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

² And when they heard that he was addressing them in ^(AF)the Hebrew language,^[c] they became even more quiet. And he said:

^3 (AG)“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated ^(AH)at the feet of ^(AI)Gamaliel^{[d] (AJ)}according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, ^(AK)being zealous for God ^(AL)as all of you are this day. ^4 (AM)I persecuted ^(AN)this Way ^(AO)to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, ⁵ as ^(AP)the high priest and ^(AQ)the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to ^(AR)the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

^6 (AS)“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly 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 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am ^(AT)Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ^9 (AU)Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand^[e] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, ^(AV)‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

¹² “And ^(AW)one Ananias, a devout man ^(AX)according to the law, ^(AY)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ^13 (AZ)came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And ^(BA)at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ And he said, ^(BB)‘The God of our fathers ^(BC)appointed you to know his will, ^(BD)to see ^(BE)the Righteous One and ^(BF)to hear a voice from his mouth; ¹⁵ for ^(BG)you will be a witness for him to everyone of what ^(BH)you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why do you wait? ^(BI)Rise and be baptized and ^(BJ)wash away your sins, ^(BK)calling on his name.’

^17 (BL)“When I had returned to Jerusalem and ^(BM)was praying in the temple, I fell into ^(BN)a trance ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, ^(BO)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another ^(BP)I imprisoned and ^(BQ)beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen ^(BR)your witness was being shed, ^(BS)I myself was standing by and ^(BT)approving and ^(BU)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ ²¹ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you ^(BV)far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, ^(BW)“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For ^(BX)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 ^(BY)the barracks, saying that he should be ^(BZ)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,^[f] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog ^(CA)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 ^(CB)to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also ^(CC)was afraid, ^(CD)for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that ^(CE)he had bound him.

Paul Before the Council

³⁰ But on the next day, ^(CF)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.

23 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, ^(CG)I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” ² And the high priest ^(CH)Ananias commanded those who stood by him ^(CI)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you ^(CJ)whitewashed ^(CK)wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet ^(CL)contrary to the law you ^(CM)order me to be struck?” ⁴ Those who stood by said, “Would you revile ^(CN)God's high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, ^(CO)“I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ^(CP)‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ Now when Paul perceived that one part were ^(CQ)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, ^(CR)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is ^(CS)with respect to the ^(CT)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 ^(CU)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 ^(CV)the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, ^(CW)“We find nothing wrong in this man. What ^(CX)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 ^(CY)the barracks.

^11 (CZ)The following night ^(DA)the Lord stood by him and said, ^(DB)“Take courage, for ^(DC)as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must ^(DD)testify also in Rome.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, ^(DE)the Jews made a plot and ^(DF)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 ^(DG)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.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul ^(DH)the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” ¹⁹ The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” ²⁰ And he said, ^(DI)“The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. ²¹ But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who ^(DJ)have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” ²² So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

²³ Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.^{[g] 24} Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to ^(DK)Felix ^(DL)the governor.” ²⁵ And he wrote a letter to this effect:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias, to ^(DM)his Excellency the governor Felix, ^(DN)greetings. ^27 (DO)This man was seized by the Jews and ^(DP)was about to be killed by them ^(DQ)when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, ^(DR)having learned that he was a Roman citizen. ²⁸ And ^(DS)desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. ²⁹ I found that he was being accused ^(DT)about questions of their law, but ^(DU)charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. ^30 (DV)And when it was disclosed to me ^(DW)that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ^(DX)ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

³¹ So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² And on the next day they returned to ^(DY)the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. ³³ When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. ³⁴ On reading the letter, he asked what ^(DZ)province he was from. And when he learned ^(EA)that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing ^(EB)when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's ^(EC)praetorium.

Paul Before Felix at Caesarea

24 And ^(ED)after five days the high priest ^(EE)Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before ^(EF)the governor their case against Paul. ² And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, ^(EG)most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, ³ in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. ⁴ But, to detain^[h] you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. ⁵ For we have found this man a plague, ^(EH)one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of ^(EI)the sect of the Nazarenes. ^6 (EJ)He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.^{[i] 8} By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

⁹ The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

¹⁰ And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. ¹¹ You can verify that ^(EK)it is not more than twelve days since I ^(EL)went up ^(EM)to worship in Jerusalem, ¹² and ^(EN)they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. ^13 (EO)Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to ^(EP)the Way, which they call ^(EQ)a sect, ^(ER)I worship ^(ES)the God of our fathers, believing everything ^(ET)laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, ^15 (EU)having ^(EV)a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be ^(EW)a resurrection ^(EX)of both the just and the unjust. ¹⁶ So I always ^(EY)take pains to have a ^(EZ)clear conscience toward both God and man. ¹⁷ Now ^(FA)after several years ^(FB)I came to bring alms to ^(FC)my nation and to present ^(FD)offerings. ¹⁸ While I was doing this, they found me ^(FE)purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But ^(FF)some Jews from Asia—