Historical

23 Paul looked at the members of the court and said, `My brothers, I have done what I thought God wanted me to do, right up to this day.'

² Ananias, the high priest, said to those who were standing near Paul, `Hit his mouth!'

³ Paul said, `God will hit you down, you dirty wall painted white! You sit there to judge me by the law and you break the law by telling them to hit me.'

⁴ The people who stood near Paul said, `Do you say a wrong thing like that to God's high priest?'

⁵ Paul said, `I did not know that he is a high priest. The holy writings say, "You shall not say anything wrong about a ruler of your people." '

⁶ Paul knew that some of the men were from the Sadducee group and some of them were from the Pharisee group. So he called out in the court, `My brothers, I am a Pharisee. My fathers were Pharisees. I am being judged because I believe that the dead will be raised to life again.'

⁷ When he had said that, the Pharisees and the Sadducees began to talk back and forth. The men in the court were divided.

⁸ The Sadducees say the dead will not be raised again. They say there is no angel or spirit. But the Pharisees believe in all these three things.

⁹ There was much shouting. Some of the clever men who were Pharisees got up. They said, `We do not think this man has done wrong. Perhaps some angel or spirit really did speak to him.'

¹⁰ The people started fighting. The commanding officer was afraid they would tear Paul into pieces. So he told the soldiers to take Paul and bring him into the army house.

¹¹ The next night the Lord stood beside Paul. He said, `Be glad, Paul. You have told people about me in Jerusalem. You must also talk about me in Rome.'

¹² In the morning, some of the Jewish leaders planned together. They made a promise that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty Jews who made this secret plan together.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and leaders and said, `We have made a promise for ourselves. We will not eat anything until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ So now, you and the members of the court send word to the commanding officer. Tell him to bring Paul down to you. Make him think you want to find out more about Paul. We will be ready to kill him before he gets there.'

¹⁶ The son of Paul's sister heard about their secret plan. So he went into the army house and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul called one of the officers and said to him, `Take this young man to the commanding officer. He has something to tell him!'

¹⁸ So the officer took him to the commanding officer. He said, `Paul, the prisoner, called me. He asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.'

¹⁹ The officer took the young man by the arm. He went to one side so they could be alone. He asked, `What do you want to tell me?'

²⁰ The young man said, `The leaders of the Jews have made a plan. They will ask you to bring Paul down to court tomorrow. They will say that they wish to find out more about him.

²¹ But you must not do this. More than forty Jews are waiting for him. They have made a promise to themselves. They will not eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now and waiting for your agreement.'

²² So the commanding officer sent the young man away. He said, `You must not tell anyone that you have told me about these things.'

²³ The commanding officer called two officers to him. He said, `Get two hundred soldiers ready by nine o'clock tonight to go to Caesarea. Send seventy men with them who will ride on horses and two hundred men who will carry spears.

²⁴ Also have horses ready for Paul to ride. Take him safely to Felix, the ruler.'

²⁵ The officer wrote a letter to Felix like this:

²⁶ `Claudius Lysias sends greetings to you, great ruler Felix.

²⁷ This man was caught by the Jews. They were ready to kill him. But I came with my soldiers and took him away, because I found out that he is a Roman.

²⁸ I wanted to find out what complaint they had against him, so I brought him into their court.

²⁹ I found out that their complaints were to do with their law. But he had not done anything wrong enough to die or to be put into prison.

³⁰ When I heard that the Jewish leaders were planning to catch him, I sent him to you at once. I told those who are making complaints against him that they must bring the matter to you.'

³¹ So the soldiers took Paul as they had been told to do. They went with him that night as far as the town of Antipatris.

³² The next day the soldiers went back to the barracks. Only the men who were riding horses went with Paul.

³³ When they reached Caesarea, they gave the letter to the ruler and brought Paul to him.

^34-35 e read the letter. Then he asked Paul what country he came from. He heard that Paul was from Cilicia. Then he said, `I will hear all you have to say when the men who have made the complaint come here.' He ordered Paul to be kept in the house which is called Herod's palace.

24 Five days later, Ananias the high priest came from Jerusalem. He brought with him some of the leaders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They told the ruler their complaint against Paul.

² Paul was called in. Tertullus began to bring the complaints. `Great ruler Felix,' he said, `we have peace because of what you have done. These people have a better life because of you.

³ We are always very glad for this everywhere we go.

⁴ I do not want to take much of your time. But please be kind and listen to a few words from us.

⁵ We have found this man to be a real trouble-maker. He talks to the Jews all over the world and causes them to disobey the laws. He is the leading trouble-maker of the Nazarene group.

⁶ He even tried to make the temple unclean. But we caught him and were going to judge him by our law.

⁷ But Lysias the commanding officer came. He took Paul away from us by force.

⁸ He told those who have complaints against him to come to you. Ask him yourself and you will find out from him about all these complaints we have brought against him.'

⁹ The Jews agreed with what Tertullus the lawyer said. They said, `Yes, yes, he is telling the truth.'

¹⁰ The ruler made a sign for Paul to speak. So Paul said, `I know that for many years you have judged matters for this people.

¹¹ So I am happy to speak for myself. Not more than twelve days ago I went to Jerusalem to worship. If you ask the people, you will find this out.

¹² They did not find me quarrelling with anyone in the temple. I was not making trouble among the people in the meeting houses or in the city.

¹³ They cannot prove the things they have said against me here.

¹⁴ But I myself tell you this. I worship the God of my fathers in the Christian way. They say this is not the right way. I believe everything that the law teaches. I believe everything that the prophets have written.

¹⁵ I believe that God will raise from death both the good people and the bad people. These people here believe the same thing.

¹⁶ I always try to do what is right to God and to men.

¹⁷ `I was away for a few years and I had come to Jerusalem to bring gifts to my people, and to give offerings.

¹⁸ While I was doing this, they found me in the temple. I had made myself clean the way the law says to do. I did not have many people around me. I was not making trouble.

¹⁹ Some Jews were there from Asia Minor. They should be here before you and talk against me if they have anything to say.

²⁰ Or let these men here tell if they found anything wrong with me when I stood in their court.

²¹ I did this one thing. I shouted while I was standing among them, "I am being judged today because I believe that the dead will be raised again." '

²² Felix sent them away because he knew many things about the Christian way. He said, `When Lysias, the commanding officer, comes down, I will know everything about this matter.'

²³ He said to the officer, `Keep Paul in prison but let him have some freedom. Let his friends come to visit him and to do things for him.'

²⁴ Some days after that, Felix came with his wife Drusilla. She was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to what Paul said about believing in Christ Jesus.

²⁵ Paul talked about what is right, about living the right way, and about the time when all people will be judged. Felix was very much afraid when he heard these things. He said to Paul, `You may go now. When I have time, I will call you again.'

²⁶ He hoped that Paul would give him money to free him. And so he often sent for Paul and talked with him.

²⁷ After two years, a man named Porcius Festus came to rule in Felix's place. Felix had wanted to please the Jewish leaders, so he left Paul in prison.

25 Three days after Festus came to the country, he went to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

² Then the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews told him what they had against Paul.

³ `Please do something for us,' they begged. `Send for Paul to come to Jerusalem.' They had made a secret plan to kill him on the road.

⁴ Festus said, `Paul is being kept in prison in Caesarea. I myself am going there soon.

⁵ Let the men among you who are able come with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, then they can talk against him.'

⁶ Festus stayed only eight or ten days more among them. Then he went to Caesarea. The next day he sat on his chair in the court and had Paul brought in.

⁷ When Paul came in, the Jewish leaders who had come from Jerusalem stood around Paul. They talked much against him. But they could not prove that the things they said were true.

⁸ Paul spoke for himself. He said, `I have done no wrong to the law, or to the temple, or against Caesar the ruler of the Romans.'

⁹ Festus wanted to please the Jewish leaders, so he said to Paul, `Will you go to Jerusalem and let me judge you there about these things?'

¹⁰ Paul said, `I am standing in Caesar's court. That is where I should be judged. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews. You yourself know that well.

¹¹ If I have done wrong things, or any wrong thing for which I should die, then I do not ask to live. But if the things these people say are not true, then no one has power to give me up to the leaders of the Jews. I ask to go to Caesar.'

¹² So Festus talked the matter over with the court. Then he said to Paul, `You have asked to go to Caesar. All right, you will go to Caesar!'

¹³ Some time after that, king Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

¹⁴ They stayed for many days. Festus brought Paul's matter to the king. He said, `Felix left a man in prison here.

¹⁵ When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priest and leaders of the Jews came to me. They talked against him, and they asked me to punish him.

¹⁶ I told them that the Romans do not do it that way. They do not punish a man until he has met those who talk against him. Then he has a chance to speak for himself.

¹⁷ So they came here with me. I did not wait. The very next day I sat on my chair in the court and had the man brought in.

¹⁸ When they stood up, they did not say the wrong things against him that I thought they would.

¹⁹ But instead, they had a quarrel with him about the things they believe in. The quarrel is about a man named Jesus who died. Paul said he is alive.

²⁰ I did not know how to judge such things. So I asked if he would go to Jerusalem and be judged there about these matters.

²¹ But Paul asked to wait and let Caesar judge his case. So I had him put in prison to be kept there until I can send him to Caesar.'

²² Agrippa said to Festus, `I should like to hear the man myself.' Festus said, `Tomorrow you shall hear him.'

²³ So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came, making a big show of themselves. They went into the room to hear Paul talk. Officers and the leading men of the city also went in. When Festus called for Paul, he was brought in.

²⁴ Then Festus said, `King Agrippa and all you men here with us, you see this man. All the Jewish leaders, both in Jerusalem and here, came together and talked about him. They shouted, "He must die!"

²⁵ But I found out that he had not done anything wrong for which he should die. He himself asked to go to Caesar, so I decided to send him.

²⁶ But I have no real complaint about him to write to my ruler. So I have brought this man before you all, and most of all before you, king Agrippa. When you have heard him, I hope I will have something to write about him.

²⁷ I think that it does not make sense to send a prisoner and not say what wrong he has done.'