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24 Now after five days, Ananias the High Priest came down with the elders and Tertullus (a certain orator), who appeared against Paul before the Governor.
2 And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Seeing that we have obtained great peace through you, and that many worthy things are being done in this nation through your foresight,
3 “we acknowledge it wholly, and in all places, with all thanks, most noble Felix.
4 “But so as not to detain you, I beg you to hear a few words from us out of your fairness.
5 “We have found this man to be a pest, an inciter of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,
6 “who has tried to pollute the Temple. Therefore, we took him, and would have judged him according to our Law.
7 “But the chief captain, Lysias, came upon us and (with great violence) took him out of our hands,
8 “commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may learn all these things of which we accuse him.”
9 And the Jews also agreed, saying that it was so.
10 Then Paul, after the Governor had beckoned to him that he should speak, answered, “Because I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I do the more gladly answer for myself,
11 “seeing that you may know that it has only been twelve days since I came up to worship in Jerusalem.
12 “And they neither found me in the Temple (disputing with any man or inciting uproar among the people), nor in the synagogues, nor in the city.
13 “Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me.
14 “But this I confess to you: that I worship the God of my Fathers as does the Way (which they call heresy), believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets.
15 “And I have hope in God that the resurrection of the dead, (which they themselves also look for) shall be of both just and unjust.
16 “And in this I myself always endeavor to have a clear conscience toward God and toward man.
17 “Now after many years, I came and brought alms and offerings to my nation.
18 “At which time, some Asian Jews found me (with neither multitude nor tumult) purified in the Temple.
19 “They ought to have been present to accuse me before you, if they have anything against me.
20 “Or else let these themselves say if they have found any unjust thing in me while I stood in the Council,
21 “except for this one statement which I cried out while standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead am I accused by you this day.’”
22 Now when Felix heard these things, he deferred them, and said, “When I shall better understand the things which concern this Way (by the coming of Lysias the chief Captain), I will decide your matter.”
23 Then he commanded a Centurion to keep Paul, and that he should have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his friends to minister to him, or to come to him.
24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla (who was Jewish), he sent for Paul and heard from him about faith in Christ.
25 And as he reasoned of righteousness and temperance, and of the judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, “Go your way for now. And when it is convenient, I will call for you.”
26 He also hoped that money would have been given to him by Paul, so that he might release him. Therefore, he sent for him more often and communed with him.
27 After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix. And wanting to curry favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul bound.
25 Three days after Festus had come into the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2 Then the High Priest and the chief of the Jews appeared before him against Paul. And they pleaded with him,
3 and asked (as a favor) if he would summon him to Jerusalem, so they could make an ambush and kill him along the way.
4 But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea. And that he himself would go there shortly.
5 “Therefore, let those among you who are able come down,” he said, “And if there is any fault in the man, let them accuse him."
6 Now, after he had stayed among them no more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day sat in the judgment seat, and commanded Paul to be brought.
7 And when he had come, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem, stood around him and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul (of which they could present no plain proof),
8 to which he answered that he had not offended in anything - either against the Law of the Jews, or against the Temple, or against Caesar.
9 Yet Festus, wanting to curry favor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Will you go up to Jerusalem and be judged of these things before me there?”
10 Then Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know.
11 “For if I have done wrong, or committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is nothing in these things of which they accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
12 Then, when Festus had spoken with the Council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go.”
13 And after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to greet Festus.
14 And when they had stayed there many days, Festus stated Paul’s cause to the king, saying, “There is a certain man left in prison by Felix.
15 “When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews informed me of him and asked for a judgment against him.
16 “To whom I answered that it is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to the death before the accused has faced his accusers and has a place to defend himself concerning the crime.
17 “Therefore, when they had come here, I sat on the judgment seat the following day (without delay) and commanded the man to be brought forth.
18 “When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such crimes as I suspected.
19 “But they had certain questions against him about their own religion, and about a certain Jesus (Who was dead, but Whom Paul affirmed to be alive).
20 “And because I was perplexed by such questions, I asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be judged there about these things.
21 “But because Paul had appealed to be put under guard until the examination of Augustus, I commanded that he be jailed until I could send him to Caesar.”
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”
23 And the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come (with great pomp) and had entered into the Common Hall with the chief captains and chief men of the city, Paul was brought forth at Festus’ commandment.
24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have petitioned me (both at Jerusalem and here) crying that he ought not to live any longer.
25 “But, I have found nothing he has done to be worthy of death. And seeing that he has appealed to Augustus, I have decided to send him.
26 “I have no certain thing to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him forth to you, and especially to you, King Agrippa, so that after examination, I might have something to write.
27 “For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not signify the charges against him.”
26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So, Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself.
2 “I consider myself happy, King Agrippa. Because today I shall answer before you all the things of which I am accused by the Jews;
3 “especially because you have knowledge of all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently.
4 “Regarding my life from childhood, all the Jews know that from the beginning it was among my own nation at Jerusalem,
5 “They knew me from the beginning and could testify (if they wished) that according to the straightest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.
6 “And now I stand accused of hope in the promise made by God to our Fathers;
7 “to which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God day and night, hope to come. For this hope’s sake, O King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.
8 “Why should it be thought an incredible thing by you that God should raise the dead again?
9 “Truly, I also thought to myself that I ought to do many things against the Name of Jesus of Nazareth;
10 “which I also did in Jerusalem. For I shut up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I gave sentence.
11 “And I punished them throughout all the synagogues and compelled them to blaspheme. And being extremely enraged against them, I persecuted them, even to strange cities.
12 “At which time, even as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 (at midday, O King) I saw on the way a light from Heaven, surpassing the brightness of the Sun. It shined all around me and those who went with me.
14 “So, when we had all fallen to the Earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against goads.’
15 “Then I said, ‘Who are You, Lord? And he said, ‘I am Jesus, Whom you persecute.
16 ‘But rise and stand up on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you as a minister and a witness, both of the things which you have seen and of the things in which I will appear to you;
17 ‘I will deliver you from this people, and from the Gentiles to whom now I send you,
18 ‘to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
19 “So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
20 “But I declared first to those of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea; and then to the Gentiles, so that they would repent and turn to God, and do the works of repentance.
21 “For this reason the Jews arrested me in the Temple and planned to kill me.
22 “Nevertheless, I obtained the help of God, and continue to this day, witnessing to both small and great, saying no other things than those which the Prophets and Moses said would come.
23 “That is, that Christ should suffer. And that He would be the first Who would rise from the dead, and would show light to this people, and to the Gentiles.”
24 And as he answered for himself this way, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul! You are beside yourself! Great learning has made you mad!”
25 But he said, “I am not mad, O noble Festus. Rather, I speak the words of truth and soberness.
26 “For the King knows of these things, before whom I also speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done in a corner.
27 “O King Agrippa! Do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe.”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
29 Then Paul said, “I pray to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains!”
30 And when he had said this, the King rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
31 And when they had gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death, nor of chains.
32 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
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