Historical
23 Gazing intently at the Council, Paul began:
“Brothers, I have always lived before God in all good conscience!”
2 Instantly Ananias the High Priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.
3 Paul said to him, “God shall slap you, you whitewashed pigpen.[a] What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”
4 Those standing near Paul said to him, “Is that the way to talk to God’s High Priest?”
5 “I didn’t realize he was the High Priest, brothers,” Paul replied, “for the Scriptures say, ‘Never speak evil of any of your rulers.’”
6 Then Paul thought of something! Part of the Council were Sadducees, and part were Pharisees! So he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were all my ancestors! And I am being tried here today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!”
7 This divided the Council right down the middle—the Pharisees against the Sadducees— 8 for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or even eternal spirit within us,[b] but the Pharisees believe in all of these.
9 So a great clamor arose. Some of the Jewish leaders[c] jumped up to argue that Paul was all right. “We see nothing wrong with him,” they shouted. “Perhaps a spirit or angel spoke to him there on the Damascus road.”
10 The shouting grew louder and louder, and the men were tugging at Paul from both sides, pulling him this way and that. Finally the commander, fearing they would tear him apart, ordered his soldiers to take him away from them by force and bring him back to the armory.
11 That night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, “Don’t worry, Paul; just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, so you must also in Rome.”
12-13 The next morning some forty or more of the Jews got together and bound themselves by a curse neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul! 14 Then they went to the chief priests and elders and told them what they had done. 15 “Ask the commander to bring Paul back to the Council again,” they requested. “Pretend you want to ask a few more questions. We will kill him on the way.”
16 But Paul’s nephew got wind of their plan and came to the armory and told Paul.
17 Paul called one of the officers and said, “Take this boy to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”
18 So the officer did, explaining, “Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you to tell you something.”
19 The commander took the boy by the hand, and leading him aside asked, “What is it you want to tell me, lad?”
20 “Tomorrow,” he told him, “the Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the Council again, pretending they want to get some more information. 21 But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the road ready to jump him and kill him. They have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink till he is dead. They are out there now, expecting you to agree to their request.”
22 “Don’t let a soul know you told me this,” the commander warned the boy as he left. 23-24 Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight! Take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted cavalry. Give Paul a horse to ride and get him safely to Governor Felix.”
25 Then he wrote this letter to the governor:
26 “From: Claudius Lysias
“To: His Excellency, Governor Felix.
“Greetings!
27 “This man was seized by the Jews, and they were killing him when I sent the soldiers to rescue him, for I learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 Then I took him to their Council to try to find out what he had done. 29 I soon discovered it was something about their Jewish beliefs, certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death. 30 But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I decided to send him on to you and will tell his accusers to bring their charges before you.”
31 So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul to Antipatris. 32 They returned to the armory the next morning, leaving him with the cavalry to take him on to Caesarea.
33 When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to the governor. 34 He read it and then asked Paul where he was from.
“Cilicia,” Paul answered.
35 “I will hear your case fully when your accusers arrive,” the governor told him, and ordered him kept in the prison at King Herod’s palace.
24 Five days later Ananias the High Priest arrived with some of the Jewish leaders[d] and the lawyer Tertullus, to make their accusations against Paul. 2 When Tertullus was called forward, he laid charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:
“Your Excellency, you have given quietness and peace to us Jews and have greatly reduced the discrimination against us. 3 And for this we are very, very grateful to you. 4 But lest I bore you, kindly give me your attention for only a moment as I briefly outline our case against this man. 5 For we have found him to be a troublemaker, a man who is constantly inciting the Jews throughout the entire world to riots and rebellions against the Roman government. He is a ringleader of the sect known as the Nazarenes. 6 Moreover, he was trying to defile the Temple when we arrested him.
“We would have given him what he justly deserves, 7 but Lysias, the commander of the garrison, came and took him violently away from us, 8 demanding that he be tried by Roman law. You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.”
9 Then all the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.
10 Now it was Paul’s turn. The governor motioned for him to rise and speak.
Paul began: “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, and this gives me confidence as I make my defense. 11 You can quickly discover that it was no more than twelve days ago that I arrived in Jerusalem to worship at the Temple, 12 and you will discover that I have never incited a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of any city; 13 and these men certainly cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.
14 “But one thing I do confess, that I believe in the way of salvation, which they refer to as a sect; I follow that system of serving the God of our ancestors; I firmly believe in the Jewish law and everything written in the books of prophecy; 15 and I believe, just as these men do, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and ungodly. 16 Because of this, I try with all my strength to always maintain a clear conscience before God and man.
17 “After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid the Jews and to offer a sacrifice to God. 18 My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was presenting my thank offering.[e] I had shaved my head as their laws required, and there was no crowd around me, and no rioting! But some Jews from Turkey were there 19 (who ought to be here if they have anything against me)— 20 but look! Ask these men right here what wrongdoing their Council found in me, 21 except that I said one thing I shouldn’t[f] when I shouted out, ‘I am here before the Council to defend myself for believing that the dead will rise again!’”
22 Felix, who knew Christians didn’t go around starting riots,[g] told the Jews to wait for the arrival of Lysias, the garrison commander, and then he would decide the case. 23 He ordered Paul to prison but instructed the guards to treat him gently and not to forbid any of his friends from visiting him or bringing him gifts to make his stay more comfortable.
24 A few days later Felix came with Drusilla, his legal wife,[h] a Jewess. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified.
“Go away for now,” he replied, “and when I have a more convenient time, I’ll call for you again.”
26 He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him from time to time and talked with him. 27 Two years went by in this way; then Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jews, he left Paul in chains.
25 Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and other Jewish leaders got hold of him and gave him their story about Paul. 3 They begged him to bring Paul to Jerusalem at once. (Their plan was to waylay and kill him.) 4 But Festus replied that since Paul was at Caesarea and he himself was returning there soon, 5 those with authority in this affair should return with him for the trial.
6 Eight or ten days later he returned to Caesarea and the following day opened Paul’s trial.
7 On Paul’s arrival in court the Jews from Jerusalem gathered around, hurling many serious accusations which they couldn’t prove. 8 Paul denied the charges: “I am not guilty,” he said. “I have not opposed the Jewish laws or desecrated the Temple or rebelled against the Roman government.”
9 Then Festus, anxious to please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me?”
10-11 But Paul replied, “No! I demand my privilege of a hearing before the emperor himself. You know very well I am not guilty. If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die! But if I am innocent, neither you nor anyone else has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar.”
12 Festus conferred with his advisors and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you shall go!”
13 A few days later King Agrippa arrived with Bernice[i] for a visit with Festus. 14 During their stay of several days Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. “There is a prisoner here,” he told him, “whose case was left for me by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders gave me their side of the story and asked me to have him killed. 16 Of course I quickly pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict a man before he is tried. He is given an opportunity to defend himself face-to-face with his accusers.
17 “When they came here for the trial, I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in. 18 But the accusations made against him weren’t at all what I supposed they would be. 19 It was something about their religion and about someone called Jesus who died, but Paul insists is alive! 20 I was perplexed as to how to decide a case of this kind and asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem. 21 But Paul appealed to Caesar! So I ordered him back to jail until I could arrange to get him to the emperor.”
22 “I’d like to hear the man myself,” Agrippa said.
And Festus replied, “You shall—tomorrow!”
23 So the next day, after the king and Bernice had arrived at the courtroom with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city, Festus ordered Paul brought in.
24 Then Festus addressed the audience: “King Agrippa and all present,” he said, “this is the man whose death is demanded both by the local Jews and by those in Jerusalem! 25 But in my opinion he has done nothing worthy of death. However, he appealed his case to Caesar, and I have no alternative but to send him. 26 But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no real charge against him! So I have brought him before you all, and especially you, King Agrippa, to examine him and then tell me what to write. 27 For it doesn’t seem reasonable to send a prisoner to the emperor without any charges against him!”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.