Beginning

Paul Stands in Front of Felix

24 Five days later Ananias came to the city of Caesarea. He was the head religious leader. Some other religious leaders and a man whose name was Tertullus came also. This man worked in courts and knew all about the laws. He told Felix what the Jews had against Paul. ² They brought in Paul. Then Tertullus started to tell what the Jews had against him, saying,

“Most respected Felix, because of you, we are living in peace. Wrong-doings have been made right in this nation. ³ In every way and in every place, we thank you for all of this. ⁴ We do not want to keep you here too long. I ask you to listen to our few words. You are known to be kind in this way. ⁵ We have found this man to be a trouble-maker among all the Jews in the world. He is a leader of a religious group called the Nazarenes. ⁶ He even tried to make the house of God unclean by taking people into it who were not Jews. But we took hold of him. (*We could have said he was guilty by our Law. ⁷ But Lysias, the captain, came and took him out of our hands. ⁸ He told those who wanted to kill him to tell you what they had against him.) When you ask him about these things, you will be able to learn everything we have against him.” ⁹ The Jews agreed to what he said against Paul.

Paul Speaks for Himself the First Time

¹⁰ Then Felix, the leader of the people, told Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know that you have been a leader of this nation for many years. I am happy to be able to speak for myself. ¹¹ Not more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. You can find out about this yourself. ¹² I did not argue with anyone in the house of God or in the Jewish places of worship or in the city. I was not making trouble. ¹³ They cannot prove any of these things they say against me.

¹⁴ “I will say this, I worship the God of our fathers in the new Way. They say it is a false way. But I believe everything that has been written in the Law and by the early preachers. ¹⁵ I trust God for the same things they are looking for. I am looking for the dead to rise, both those right with God and the sinful. ¹⁶ I always try to live so my own heart tells me I am not guilty before God or man.

¹⁷ “After a few years I came to bring gifts of money to the people of my country (Jerusalem). ¹⁸ Some Jews from the countries of Asia found me in the house of God after I had gone through the worship of washing. There were no people around me and there was no noise or fighting. ¹⁹ They should be here if they have anything against me. ²⁰ Or let these men tell what wrong they found in me as I stood in front of their court, ²¹ unless it was the words I cried out as I stood in front of them. I said, ‘I have been brought in front of this court because of the hope of being raised from the dead.’”

Felix Waits for Lysias to Come

²² Felix knew about the Christian religion. He stopped the court, saying, “When Lysias the captain comes down, I will decide about this.” ²³ He told the soldier to watch Paul, but to let him come and go as much as he wanted to. Paul’s friends were to be able to come and care for him.

Paul Speaks for Himself the Second Time

²⁴ Some days later Felix came again. His Jewish wife Drusilla was with him. He sent for Paul and heard him talk about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ Paul spoke about being right with God. He spoke about being the boss over our own desires. He spoke about standing before One Who will tell us if we are guilty. When Felix heard this, he became afraid and said, “Go now. I will send for you when it is a better time.” ²⁶ He was hoping that Paul would give him money so he could go free. For that reason he kept sending for Paul and talking to him.

²⁷ After two years Porcius Festus became leader of the people instead of Felix. Felix wanted to please the Jews so he kept Paul in prison.

Paul Stands in Front of Festus

25 Three days after Festus had become leader in the country, he went from the city of Caesarea to Jerusalem. ² The head religious leaders and the leaders of the Jews told Festus what they had against Paul. ³ They asked Festus for a favor. They wanted Paul to be brought to Jerusalem because they had plans to kill him on the way. ⁴ Festus told them that Paul was to be kept in Caesarea and that he would be going there soon. ⁵ Festus said, “If Paul has done anything wrong, let your leaders go along with me and say what they have against him.”

⁶ After staying with them about ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat in the courtroom and asked for Paul to be brought in. ⁷ Paul came into the courtroom. The Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They said many bad things against him. But they could not prove any of the things they said. ⁸ Paul spoke for himself, saying, “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the house of God or against Caesar.”

⁹ Festus was hoping to get the respect of the Jews. He asked Paul, “Will you go to the court in Jerusalem and let me say if you are guilty or not about these things?” ¹⁰ Paul said, “I am standing in front of Caesar’s court where I should be told I am right or wrong. I have done no wrong to the Jews. You know that. ¹¹ If I have done wrong and should die, I am not trying to keep from dying. But if these things they say against me are not true, no one can give me over to them. I ask to be taken to Caesar.” ¹² Festus talked to the leaders of the court. Then he said to Paul, “You have asked to be taken to Caesar. You will go to him.”

Festus Tells King Agrippa about Paul

¹³ After a few days, King Agrippa and his wife, Bernice, came down to Caesarea. They went to Festus to greet him. ¹⁴ They stayed there a few days. Festus told them about Paul. He said, “There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix. ¹⁵ When I was at Jerusalem, the head religious leaders and the leaders of the people told me about him and asked me to say that he is guilty. ¹⁶ I told them it was against the Roman law to hand over a man to be put to death before he stood face to face with those who had something against him and could speak for himself. ¹⁷ When they came here, I took my seat in the courtroom at once. I had the man brought in. ¹⁸ When the others spoke, they had nothing against him that I thought they had. ¹⁹ They did not agree with him about their own religion, and they argued about someone called Jesus. He had died but Paul kept saying He was alive. ²⁰ I did not know what to do. Then I asked him if he would go on trial about these things at Jerusalem. ²¹ But Paul asked to go on trial in front of Caesar. I said that he should be kept in prison until he could be sent to Caesar.” ²² Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man.” Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

Paul Stands in Front of King Agrippa

²³ The next day Agrippa and Bernice came into the courtroom. They were dressed to show their greatness as king and queen. Army leaders and leading men of the city came in with them. Festus had Paul brought in.

²⁴ Festus said, “King Agrippa and all of you who are here with us, you see this man. All of the Jews both here and at Jerusalem are saying that Paul should be put to death. ²⁵ I have heard nothing against him that would be reason to put him to death. But he asked for a trial in front of Caesar. I have agreed to send Paul to him. ²⁶ When I write to Caesar, I have nothing to say against him. For this reason, I brought him in front of you all and in front of you, King Agrippa. After we ask him questions, I may have something to write about. ²⁷ It is foolish for me to send a man up for trial without writing what is against him.”

Paul Speaks to King Agrippa

26 Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak for yourself.” Paul lifted his hand and started to talk, ² “King Agrippa, the Jews have said many things against me. I am happy to be able to tell you my side of the story. ³ You know all about the Jewish ways and problems. So I ask you to listen to me until I have finished.

⁴ “All the Jews know about my life from the time I was a boy until now. I lived among my own people in Jerusalem. ⁵ If they would tell what they know, they would say that I lived the life of a proud religious law-keeper. I was in the group of proud religious law-keepers who tried to obey every law.

⁶ “And now I am on trial here because I trust the promise God made to our fathers. ⁷ This promise is what our twelve family groups of the Jewish nation hope to see happen. They worship God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that they are saying things against me. ⁸ Why do you think it is hard to believe that God raises people from the dead?

⁹ “I used to think I should work hard against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ I did that in Jerusalem. I put many of the followers in prison. The head religious leaders gave me the right and the power to do it. Then when the followers were killed, I said it was all right. ¹¹ I beat them and tried to make them speak against God in all the Jewish places of worship. In my fight against them, I kept going after them even into cities in other countries.

¹² “When I was going to Damascus to do this, I had the right and the power from the head religious leaders to make it hard for the followers. ¹³ I was on the road at noon. King Agrippa, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun. It was shining around me and the men with me. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking to me in the Jewish language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you working so hard against Me? You hurt yourself by trying to hurt Me.’ ¹⁵ I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, the One you are working against. ¹⁶ Get up. Stand on your feet. I have chosen you to work for Me. You will tell what you have seen and you will say what I want you to say. This is the reason I have allowed you to see Me. ¹⁷ I will keep you safe from the Jews and from the people who are not Jews. I am sending you to these people. ¹⁸ You are to open their eyes. You are to turn them from darkness to light. You are to turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God. In this way, they may have their sins forgiven. They may have what is given to them, along with all those who are set apart for God by having faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “King Agrippa, I obeyed what I saw from heaven. ²⁰ First I told what I saw to those in Damascus and then in Jerusalem. I told it through all the country of Judea. I even preached to the people who are not Jews that they should be sorry for their sins and turn from them to God. I told them they should do things to show they are sorry for their sins.

²¹ “That is why the Jews took hold of me in the house of God and tried to kill me. ²² God has helped me. To this day I have told these things to the people who are well-known and to those not known. I have told only what the early preachers and Moses said would happen. ²³ It was that Christ must suffer and be the first to rise from the dead. He would give light to the Jews and to the other nations.”

²⁴ As Paul was speaking for himself, Festus cried out in a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! All your learning keeps you from thinking right!” ²⁵ Paul said, “Most respected Festus, I am not crazy. I am speaking the truth! ²⁶ The king knows about all this. I am free to speak to him in plain words. Nothing I have said is new to him. These things happened where everyone saw them. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the writings of the early preachers? I know that you believe them.”

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “In this short time you have almost proven to me that I should become a Christian!” ²⁹ Paul said, “My prayer to God is that you and all who hear me today would be a Christian as I am, only not have these chains!” ³⁰ King Agrippa and Festus and Bernice and those who sat with them got up. ³¹ As they left the courtroom, they said to each other, “This man has done nothing for which he should be kept in prison or be put to death.” ³² Agrippa told Festus, “This man could go free if he had not asked to be sent to Caesar.”