Historical
Paul Makes His Defense Before King Agrippa
26 So Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted for you to speak for yourself.” Then Paul extended his[a] hand and[b] began to defend himself:[c]
2 “Concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that before you I am about to defend myself today, 3 because[d] you are especially acquainted with both all the customs and controversial questions with respect to the Jews. Therefore I beg you[e] to listen to me with patience.
4 “Now all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth, that had taken place from the beginning among my own people[f] and in Jerusalem, 5 having known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that in accordance with the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial on the basis of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve him[g] night and day. Concerning this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by you people[h] that God raises the dead? 9 Indeed, I myself thought it was necessary to do many things opposed to the name of Jesus the Nazarene, 10 which I also did in Jerusalem, and not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when[i] they were being executed, I cast my vote[j] against them.[k] 11 And throughout all the synagogues I punished them often and[l] tried to force[m] them[n] to blaspheme, and because I[o] was enraged at them beyond measure, I was pursuing them[p] even as far as to foreign cities. 12 In this activity[q] I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. 13 In the middle of the day along the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven, more than the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those who were traveling with me. 14 And when[r] we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Aramaic language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads!’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet, because for this reason I have appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and witness both to the things in which you saw me and to the things in which I will appear to you, 17 rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem and all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. 21 On account of these things the Jews seized me in[s] the temple courts[t] and[u] were attempting to kill me.[v] 22 Therefore I have experienced help from God until this day, and[w] I stand here testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what both the prophets and Moses have said were going to happen, 23 that the Christ[x] was to suffer and that as the first of the resurrection from the dead, he was going to proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”
24 And as[y] he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Your[z] great learning is driving[aa] you insane!”[ab] 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but am speaking words of truth and rationality. 26 For the king knows about these things, to whom also I am speaking freely, for I am not convinced that these things in any way have escaped[ac] his notice, because this was[ad] not done[ae] in a corner. 27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” 28 But Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?”[af] 29 And Paul replied, “I pray to God, whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who are listening to me today may become such people as I also am, except for these bonds!”
30 Both the king and the governor got up, and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And as they[ag] were going out, they were talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Paul and His Associates Sail for Rome
27 And when it was decided that we would sail away to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named[ah] Julius of the Augustan[ai] Cohort. 2 And we went aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the places along the coast[aj] of Asia[ak] and[al] put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 And on the next day, we put in at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed him[am] to go to his[an] friends to be cared for.[ao] 4 And from there we put out to sea and[ap] sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.[aq] 5 And after we[ar] had sailed across the open sea along Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in at Myra in Lycia. 6 And there the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and[as] put us on board[at] it. 7 And sailing slowly, in many days and with difficulty we came[au] to Cnidus. Because[av] the wind did not permit us to go further, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 And sailing along its coast with difficulty, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was the town of Lasea.
9 And because[aw] considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast[ax] was already over, Paul strongly recommended, 10 saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage is going to end[ay] with disaster and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives!” 11 But the centurion was convinced even more by the shipmaster and the shipowner than by what was said by Paul. 12 And because[az] the harbor was unsuitable for spending the winter in, the majority decided on a plan to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing toward the southwest and toward the northwest, to spend the winter there.[ba]
A Violent Storm at Sea
13 And when[bb] a southwest wind began to blow gently, because they[bc] thought they could accomplish their purpose, they weighed anchor and[bd] sailed close along Crete. 14 But not long afterward a wind like a hurricane, called the northeaster,[be] rushed down from it.[bf] 15 And when[bg] the ship was caught and was not able to head into the wind, we gave way and[bh] were driven along. 16 And running under the lee of a certain small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control. 17 After[bi] hoisting it up,[bj] they made use of supports to undergird the ship. And because they[bk] were afraid lest they run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and[bl] thus were driven along. 18 And because[bm] we were violently battered by the storm, on the next day they began[bn] jettisoning the cargo,[bo] 19 and on the third day they threw overboard the gear of the ship with their own hands. 20 But when[bp] neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and with not a little bad weather confronting us,[bq] finally all hope was abandoned that we would be saved.
21 And because[br] many were experiencing lack of appetite, at that time Paul stood up in their midst and[bs] said, “Men, you ought to have followed my advice not to put out to sea from Crete, and thus avoided this damage and loss! 22 And now I urge you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life from among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar, and behold, God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will be like this—according to the[bt] way it was told to me. 26 But it is necessary that we run aground on some island.”
27 And when the fourteenth night had come, as[bu] we were being driven in the Adriatic Sea about the middle of the night, the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.[bv] 28 And taking soundings, they found twenty fathoms. So going on a little further and taking soundings again, they found fifteen fathoms. 29 And because they[bw] were afraid lest somewhere we run aground against rough places, they threw down four anchors from the stern and[bx] prayed for day to come. 30 And when[by] the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending as if they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved!” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.[bz]
33 And until the day was about to come, Paul was urging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited anxiously, and[ca] you have continued without eating, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is necessary for your preservation. For not a hair from your head will be lost.” 35 And after he[cb] said these things and took bread, he gave thanks to God in front of them all, and after[cc] breaking it,[cd] he began to eat. 36 So they all were[ce] encouraged and partook of food themselves. 37 (Now we were in all two hundred seventy six persons on the ship.) 38 And when they[cf] had eaten their fill of food, they lightened the ship by[cg] throwing the wheat[ch] into the sea.
The Shipwreck
39 Now when day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay having a beach, onto which they decided to run the ship ashore if they could. 40 And slipping the anchors, they left them[ci] in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes[cj] of the steering oars. And hoisting the foresail to the wind that was blowing, they held course for the beach. 41 But falling into a place of crosscurrents,[ck] they ran the ship aground. And the bow stuck fast and[cl] stayed immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence.[cm] 42 Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners lest any escape by[cn] swimming away, 43 but the centurion, because he[co] wanted to save Paul, prevented them from doing what they intended,[cp] and gave orders that those who were able to swim should jump in first to get to the land, 44 and then the rest, some of whom floated[cq] on planks and some of whom on anything that was from the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to the land.
Paul on Malta
28 And after we[cr] were brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 And the local inhabitants showed extraordinary[cs] kindness to us, for they lit a fire and[ct] welcomed us all, because of the rain that had begun and because of the cold. 3 And when[cu] Paul had gathered a large number of sticks and was placing them[cv] on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and[cw] fastened itself on his hand. 4 And when the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying[cx] to one another, “Doubtless this man is a murderer whom, although he[cy] was rescued from the sea, Justice[cz] has not permitted to live!” 5 He, in turn, shook off the creature into the fire and[da] suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up[db] or suddenly to fall down dead. So after[dc] they had waited for a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and[dd] began saying[de] that he was a god.
7 Now in the regions around that place were fields belonging to the chief official of the island, named[df] Publius, who welcomed us and[dg] entertained us[dh] hospitably for three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying down, afflicted with fever and dysentery. Paul went[di] to him[dj] and after[dk] praying, he placed his[dl] hands on him and[dm] healed him. 9 And after[dn] this had taken place, the rest of those on the island who had diseases were coming and being healed also. 10 They also honored us with many honors, and when we[do] were putting out to sea, they gave us[dp] the things we needed.[dq]
Paul Arrives in Rome at Last
11 Now after three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian one with the twin gods Castor and Pollux as its insignia.[dr] 12 And putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. 13 From there we got underway[ds] and[dt] arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind came up and[du] on the second day we came to Puteoli, 14 where we found brothers, and[dv] were implored to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. 15 And from there the brothers, when they[dw] heard the news about us, came to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns. When he[dx] saw them, Paul gave thanks to God and[dy] took courage. 16 And when we entered into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul and the Jewish Community in Rome
17 Now it happened that after three days, he called together those who were the most prominent of the Jews. And when[dz] they had assembled, he said to them, “Men and brothers, although[ea] I had done nothing against our[eb] people or the customs of our fathers, from Jerusalem I was delivered as a prisoner into the hands of the Romans, 18 who, when they[ec] had examined me, were wanting to release me,[ed] because there was no basis for an accusation worthy of death with me. 19 But because[ee] the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar (not as if I[ef] had any charge to bring against my own people).[eg] 20 Therefore for this reason I have requested to see you and to speak with you,[eh] for because of the hope of Israel I am wearing this chain!” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters about you from Judea, nor has any of the brothers come and[ei] reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for concerning this sect it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”
23 And when they[ej] had set a day with him, many more came to him at his lodging place, to whom he was explaining from early in the morning until evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and attempting to convince[ek] them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 24 And some were convinced by[el] what was said, but others refused to believe. 25 So being in disagreement with one another, they began to leave after[em] Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through the prophet Isaiah to your fathers, 26 saying,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing[en] and will never understand,
and you will keep on seeing[eo] and will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull,
and with their[ep] ears they hear with difficulty,
and they have shut their eyes,
lest they see with their[eq] eyes,
and hear with their[er] ears,
and understand with their[es] heart,
and turn, and I would heal them.”’[et]
28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They also will listen!”[eu]
30 So he stayed two whole years in his own rented house, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without hindrance.
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