Historical
Paul Offers His Defense
26 So Agrippa[a] said to Paul, “You have permission[b] to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand[c] and began his defense:[d]
2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa,[e] I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 3 because you are especially[f] familiar with all the customs and controversial issues[g] of the Jews. Therefore I ask[h] you to listen to me patiently. 4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived[i] from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people[j] and in Jerusalem. 5 They know,[k] because they have known[l] me from time past,[m] if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party[n] of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.[o] 6 And now I stand here on trial[p] because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors,[q] 7 a promise[r] that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God[s] night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me,[t] Your Majesty![u] 8 Why do you people[v] think[w] it is unbelievable[x] that[y] God raises the dead? 9 Of course,[z] I myself was convinced[aa] that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received[ab] from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote[ac] against them when they were sentenced to death.[ad] 11 I punished[ae] them often in all the synagogues[af] and tried to force[ag] them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged[ah] at them, I went to persecute[ai] them even in foreign cities.
12 “While doing this very thing,[aj] as I was going[ak] to Damascus with authority and complete power[al] from the chief priests, 13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty,[am] I saw a light from heaven,[an] brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around[ao] me and those traveling with me. 14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[ap] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself[aq] by kicking against the goads.’[ar] 15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied,[as] ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance[at] as a servant and witness[au] to the things[av] you have seen[aw] and to the things in which I will appear to you. 17 I will rescue[ax] you from your own people[ay] and from the Gentiles, to whom[az] I am sending you 18 to open their eyes so that they turn[ba] from darkness to light and from the power[bb] of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share[bc] among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa,[bd] I was not disobedient[be] to the heavenly[bf] vision, 20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea,[bg] and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God,[bh] performing deeds consistent with[bi] repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews, after they seized me while I was in the temple courts,[bj] were trying to kill me. 22 I have experienced[bk] help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except[bl] what the prophets and Moses said[bm] was going to happen: 23 that[bn] the Christ[bo] was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people[bp] and to the Gentiles.”[bq]
24 As Paul[br] was saying these things in his defense, Festus[bs] exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind,[bt] Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 25 But Paul replied,[bu] “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus,[bv] but am speaking[bw] true and rational[bx] words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely[by] to him,[bz] because I cannot believe[ca] that any of these things has escaped his notice,[cb] for this was not done in a corner.[cc] 27 Do you believe the prophets,[cd] King Agrippa?[ce] I know that you believe.” 28 Agrippa[cf] said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?”[cg] 29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time[ch] not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.”[ci]
30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 31 and as they were leaving they said to one another,[cj] “This man is not doing anything deserving[ck] death or imprisonment.” 32 Agrippa[cl] said to Festus,[cm] “This man could have been released[cn] if he had not appealed to Caesar.”[co]
Paul and Company Sail for Rome
27 When it was decided we[cp] would sail to Italy,[cq] they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion[cr] of the Augustan Cohort[cs] named Julius. 2 We went on board[ct] a ship from Adramyttium[cu] that was about to sail to various ports[cv] along the coast of the province of Asia[cw] and put out to sea,[cx] accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian[cy] from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in[cz] at Sidon,[da] and Julius, treating Paul kindly,[db] allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed.[dc] 4 From there we put out to sea[dd] and sailed under the lee[de] of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 After we had sailed across the open sea[df] off Cilicia and Pamphylia,[dg] we put in[dh] at Myra[di] in Lycia.[dj] 6 There the centurion[dk] found[dl] a ship from Alexandria[dm] sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7 We sailed slowly[dn] for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus.[do] Because the wind prevented us from going any farther,[dp] we sailed under the lee[dq] of Crete off Salmone.[dr] 8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast[ds] of Crete[dt] and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea.[du]
Caught in a Violent Storm
9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous[dv] because the fast[dw] was already over,[dx] Paul advised them,[dy] 10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end[dz] in disaster[ea] and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”[eb] 11 But the centurion[ec] was more convinced[ed] by the captain[ee] and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said.[ef] 12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided[eg] to put out to sea[eh] from there. They hoped that[ei] somehow they could reach[ej] Phoenix,[ek] a harbor of Crete facing[el] southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought[em] they could carry out[en] their purpose, so they weighed anchor[eo] and sailed close along the coast[ep] of Crete. 14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force[eq] wind called the northeaster[er] blew down from the island.[es] 15 When the ship was caught in it[et] and could not head into[eu] the wind, we gave way to it and were driven[ev] along. 16 As we ran under the lee of[ew] a small island called Cauda,[ex] we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat[ey] under control. 17 After the crew[ez] had hoisted it aboard,[fa] they used supports[fb] to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground[fc] on the Syrtis,[fd] they lowered the sea anchor,[fe] thus letting themselves be driven along. 18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm,[ff] they began throwing the cargo overboard,[fg] 19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear[fh] overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent[fi] storm continued to batter us,[fj] we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.[fk]
21 Since many of them had no desire to eat,[fl] Paul[fm] stood up[fn] among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me[fo] and not put out to sea[fp] from Crete, thus avoiding[fq] this damage and loss. 22 And now I advise[fr] you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost.[fs] 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong[ft] and whom I serve[fu] came to me[fv] 24 and said,[fw] ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before[fx] Caesar,[fy] and God has graciously granted you the safety[fz] of all who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God[ga] that it will be just as I have been told. 26 But we must[gb] run aground on some island.”
27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven[gc] across the Adriatic Sea,[gd] about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.[ge] 28 They took soundings[gf] and found the water was twenty fathoms[gg] deep; when they had sailed a little farther[gh] they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms[gi] deep. 29 Because they were afraid[gj] that we would run aground on the rocky coast,[gk] they threw out[gl] four anchors from the stern and wished[gm] for day to appear.[gn] 30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending[go] that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion[gp] and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you[gq] cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes[gr] of the ship’s boat and let it drift away.[gs]
33 As day was about to dawn,[gt] Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense[gu] and have gone[gv] without food; you have eaten nothing.[gw] 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important[gx] for your survival.[gy] For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, Paul[gz] took bread[ha] and gave thanks to God in front of them all,[hb] broke[hc] it, and began to eat. 36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276[hd] persons on the ship.)[he] 38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied,[hf] they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat[hg] into the sea.
Paul is Shipwrecked
39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed[hh] a bay[hi] with a beach,[hj] where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 So they slipped[hk] the anchors[hl] and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage[hm] that bound the steering oars[hn] together. Then they hoisted[ho] the foresail[hp] to the wind and steered toward[hq] the beach. 41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents[hr] and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force[hs] of the waves. 42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners[ht] so that none of them would escape by swimming away.[hu] 43 But the centurion,[hv] wanting to save Paul’s life,[hw] prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,[hx] 44 and the rest were to follow,[hy] some on planks[hz] and some on pieces of the ship.[ia] And in this way[ib] all were brought safely to land.
Paul on Malta
28 After we had safely reached shore,[ic] we learned that the island was called Malta.[id] 2 The local inhabitants[ie] showed us extraordinary[if] kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain[ig] and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood[ih] and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the local people[ii] saw the creature hanging from Paul’s[ij] hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself[ik] has not allowed him to live!”[il] 5 However,[im] Paul[in] shook[io] the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up[ip] or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited[iq] a long time and had seen[ir] nothing unusual happen[is] to him, they changed their minds[it] and said he was a god.[iu]
7 Now in the region around that place[iv] were fields belonging to the chief official[iw] of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 8 The father[ix] of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him[iy] and after praying, placed[iz] his hands on him and healed[ja] him. 9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick[jb] also came and were healed.[jc] 10 They also bestowed many honors,[jd] and when we were preparing to sail,[je] they gave[jf] us all the supplies we needed.[jg]
Paul Finally Reaches Rome
11 After three months we put out to sea[jh] in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins”[ji] as its figurehead.[jj] 12 We put in[jk] at Syracuse[jl] and stayed there three days. 13 From there we cast off[jm] and arrived at Rhegium,[jn] and after one day a south wind sprang up[jo] and on the second day we came to Puteoli.[jp] 14 There[jq] we found[jr] some brothers[js] and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. 15 The brothers from there,[jt] when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius[ju] and Three Taverns[jv] to meet us. When he saw them,[jw] Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live[jx] by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome
17 After three days[jy] Paul[jz] called the local Jewish leaders[ka] together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers,[kb] although I had done[kc] nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors,[kd] from Jerusalem I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans.[ke] 18 When[kf] they had heard my case,[kg] they wanted to release me,[kh] because there was no basis for a death sentence[ki] against me. 19 But when the Jews objected,[kj] I was forced to appeal to Caesar[kk]—not that I had some charge to bring[kl] against my own people.[km] 20 So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.”[kn] 21 They replied,[ko] “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there[kp] and reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know[kq] that people[kr] everywhere speak against[ks] it.”
23 They set[kt] a day to meet with him,[ku] and they came to him where he was staying[kv] in even greater numbers.[kw] From morning until evening he explained things[kx] to them,[ky] testifying[kz] about the kingdom of God[la] and trying to convince[lb] them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 24 Some were convinced[lc] by what he said,[ld] but others refused[le] to believe. 25 So they began to leave,[lf] unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors[lg] through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing,[lh] but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking,[li] but will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull,[lj]
and their ears are hard of hearing,[lk]
and they have closed their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn,[ll] and I would heal them.”’[lm]
28 “Therefore be advised[ln] that this salvation from God[lo] has been sent to the Gentiles;[lp] they[lq] will listen!”[lr]
30 Paul[ls] lived[lt] there two whole years in his own rented quarters[lu] and welcomed[lv] all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God[lw] and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ[lx] with complete boldness[ly] and without restriction.[lz]
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