Historical

King Agrippa hears Paul, who describes his calling from the beginning.

26 Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand and answered for himself:

² I think myself fortunate, King Agrippa, because I may answer this day before you to all the things I am accused of by the Jews, ³ especially because you are expert in all the customs and questions that are among the Jews. Therefore I beseech you to hear me patiently.

⁴ My life from my childhood, which was at first among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews ⁵ who knew me from the beginning know, if they would testify it. For in accordance with the most strict sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, ⁷ to which promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God day and night, hope to attain. For which hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why should it be thought a thing incredible to you, that God should raise the dead up again?

⁹ I also truly thought in myself that I ought to do many things to utterly oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth – ¹⁰ which things I also did in Jerusalem, where I shut up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the high priests. And when they were put to death, I joined in giving the sentence. ¹¹ And I punished them often in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and was even more mad upon them, and persecuted them even to distant cities.

¹² In going about these things, as I was going to Damascus with leave and authority from the high priests, ¹³ at midday, O King, I saw in the road a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round about me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ 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 the pricks. ¹⁵ And 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 make you a minister and a witness both of those things you have seen, and of those things in which I will appear to you, ¹⁷ delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, and may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

¹⁹ And so, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but preached first to those of Damascus, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do the right works of repentance. ²¹ Because of this, the Jews caught me in the temple and went about to kill me. ²² Nevertheless, I obtained help from God, and continue to this day witnessing both to small and to great, speaking of no other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say would come: ²³ that Christ would suffer, and that he would be the first to rise from death, and would show light to the people and to the Gentiles.

²⁴ As he thus answered for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning has made you mad.

²⁵ And Paul said, I am not mad, most dear Festus, but speak the words of truth and soberness. ²⁶ The king knows of these things, before whom I speak freely. I do not think any of these things are hidden from him. For this was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know well that you believe.

²⁸ Agrippa said to Paul, You bring me in mind somewhat to become a Christian.

²⁹ And Paul said, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, were not only somewhat, but altogether such as I am, except for these bonds.

³⁰ And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up with the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them. ³¹ And when they had gone apart, they talked between themselves, saying, This man does nothing worthy of death, nor of bonds. ³² Then Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been released, if he had not appealed to Caesar.

Paul begins the voyage toward Rome. The centurion Julius treats him graciously. They suffer shipwreck.

27 When it was concluded that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of Caesar’s soldiers. ² And we entered into a ship of Adramyttium and put out from land, appointed to sail by the coasts of Asia. One Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. ³ And the next day we came to Sidon. And Julius treated Paul graciously, and gave him liberty to go to his friends and to refresh himself. ⁴ And from there we put out to sea, and sailed hard by Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. ⁵ Then we sailed over the sea that is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, and came to Myra, a city in Lycia.

⁶ And there the centurion found a ship of Alexander ready to sail to Italy, and put us in it. ⁷ And when we had sailed slowly many days, and with difficulty arrived off Cnidus (because the wind was against us), we sailed hard by the coast of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ With much work we sailed beyond Salmone, and came to a Cretan port called Fair Havens, near which was a city called Lasea. ⁹ When much time had passed, and sailing was now risky, and also because we had fasted too long, Paul gave them warning ¹⁰ and said to them, Sirs, I can see that this voyage will be with injury and much loss, not of the cargo and ship only, but also of our lives.

¹¹ But the centurion believed the steersman and the shipmaster over those things that were spoken by Paul. ¹² And because the port was not good to winter in, many were minded to depart, if by any means they might reach Phoenix, a harbour of Crete that serves to the southwest and northwest wind, and winter there.

¹³ When the south wind blew, they, expecting to achieve their purpose, raised anchor and sailed past all Crete. ¹⁴ But soon after, there arose a contrary squall of wind out of the northeast. ¹⁵ And when the ship was caught and could not resist the wind, we let her go, and drove with the weather.

¹⁶ And we came to an isle named Clauda, and with much effort obtained a skiff, ¹⁷ which they hoisted up. And we had help undergirding the ship, fearing to fall into the Syrtis Sands.  And we floated an anchor, and so were carried.

¹⁸ The next day, when we were tossed with an exceeding tempest, they lightened the ship. ¹⁹ And the third day, we cast the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. ²⁰ When at the last neither sun nor star appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay upon us, all hope that we would be saved was then taken away.

²¹ Then, after long forbearance, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, Sirs, you should have listened to me, and not set out from Crete, and brought to us this harm and loss. ²² But now I exhort you to be of good cheer. For there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship only. ²³ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God whose I am, and whom I serve, ²⁴ saying, Fear not, Paul, for you must be brought before Caesar. And lo, God has given to you all those who sail with you.

²⁵ Therefore, Sirs, be of good cheer. For I believe God, that it will be just as it was told me. ²⁶ However, we must be cast onto a certain island.

²⁷ But when the fourteenth night came, as we were carried about in the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors suspected some land was near. ²⁸ And they took soundings, and found it twenty fathoms. And when they had gone a little further, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms. ²⁹ Then, fearing to hit some rock, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

³⁰ Then, as the sailors were about to escape out of the ship, and had let the skiff down into the sea under the pretence of casting anchors out of the foreship, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be safe.

³² Then the soldiers cut the rope off of the skiff, and let it fall away.

³³ And in the meantime, between that and day, Paul besought them all to take food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and continued without eating, taking nothing at all. ³⁴ So I urge you to take food for your health. For not a hair shall fall from the head of any of you.

³⁵ And when he had thus spoken, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ Then they were all of good cheer, and they also took food. ³⁷ We were altogether in the ship 276 souls. ³⁸ And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and cast out the wheat into the sea.

³⁹ When it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they spotted a certain inlet with a bank, into which they were minded (if it were possible) to thrust in the ship. ⁴⁰ And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, loosed the rudder bonds, hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and drew to land. ⁴¹ They chanced on a shallow sandbank and thrust in the ship. And the forepart stuck fast, and did not move, but the stern broke with the violence of the waves.

⁴² The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them, when he had swum out, should flee away. ⁴³ But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and escape to land. ⁴⁴ And the others he commanded to go, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they all came safe to land.

The viper does not hurt Paul’s hand. He heals Publius’ father, and preaches Christ at Rome.

28 And when they had escaped, then they learned that the island was called Malta. ² And the people of the island showed us no little kindness, for they kindled a fire, and took us in every one, because of the falling rain and because of the cold.

³ And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them into the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, which leapt upon his hand. ⁴ When the islanders saw the venomous snake hanging on his hand, they said among themselves, This man must be a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffers not to live. ⁵ But he shook the snake off into the fire and felt no ill effect. ⁶ However, they waited for him to swell up or fall down dead suddenly. But after they had waited a great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

⁷ In the same region, the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius, had a lordship. He received us and kindly lodged us for three days. ⁸ And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of dysentery. Paul entered in to him and prayed, and laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹ When this was done, others also who had diseases in the isle came and were healed. ¹⁰ And they honoured us greatly; and when we departed, they brought on board such things as were necessary.

¹¹ After three months, we departed in a ship of Alexandria that had wintered in the island, whose figurehead was Castor and Pollux. ¹² And when we came to Syracuse, we stayed there three days. ¹³ And from there we made a circuit and came to Rhegium.

And after one day, the south wind blew. And we came the next day to Puteoli, ¹⁴ where we found brethren and were invited to stay with them seven days; and so we went on toward Rome.

¹⁵ And from Rome, when the brethren heard of us, they came out as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and gained courage. ¹⁶ And when he reached Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the chief captain of the host. But Paul was allowed to dwell by himself, with one soldier to guard him.

¹⁷ And it came about after three days that Paul called the chief Jews together. And when they were assembled, he said to them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or laws of our fathers, yet I was delivered a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, ¹⁸ who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because they found no cause of death in me. ¹⁹ But when the Jews cried out against this, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar – not because I had anything to accuse my people of. ²⁰ So I have called for you in order to see you and to speak with you, because it is for the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.

²¹ And they said to him, We have not received any letters out of Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brethren who came here report or speak any ill of you. ²² But we will hear from you what you think. For we have heard of this sect, that everywhere it is spoken against.

²³ And when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging. To them he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, and preached to them of Jesus, both out of the law of Moses and also out of the prophets, even from morning to night.

²⁴ And some believed the things that were spoken, and some did not believe. ²⁵ So in disagreement among themselves they departed, after Paul had spoken one word: Well did the Holy Spirit speak by Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ²⁶ Go to this people and say, With your ears you will hear and will not understand, and with your eyes you will see and not perceive. ²⁷ For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing. And their eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and should be converted; and I would heal them. ²⁸ Let it be known to you, therefore, that this salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it.

²⁹ And when he had said that, the Jews departed, and had great disputations among themselves.

³⁰ And Paul dwelt two full years in his lodging, and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹ preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things that concerned the Lord Jesus with all confidence, unforbidden.

Here ends the Acts
of the apostles.