Paul’s Trial Before Felix

24 Five days later the high priest Ananiasu went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their chargesv against Paul before the governor.w 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellentx Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riotsy among the Jewsz all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarenea sectb 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple;c so we seized him. [7]a 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

9 The other Jews joined in the accusation,d asserting that these things were true.

10 When the governore motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve daysf ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,g or stirring up a crowdh in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.i 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestorsj as a follower of the Way,k which they call a sect.l I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,m 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrectionn of both the righteous and the wicked.o 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clearp before God and man.

17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poorq and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially cleanr when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.s 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia,t who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.u 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin—21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’ ”v

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way,w adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guardx but to give him some freedomy and permit his friends to take care of his needs.z

24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.a 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-controlb and the judgmentc to come, Felix was afraidd and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus,e but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews,f he left Paul in prison.g

Paul’s Trial Before Festus

25 Three days after arriving in the province, Festush went up from Caesareai to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.j 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.k 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being heldl at Caesarea,m and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the courtn and ordered that Paul be brought before him.o 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him,p but they could not prove them.q

8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the templer or against Caesar.”

9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,s said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”t

10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,u as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”v

12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus Consults King Agrippa

13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesareaw to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.x 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against himy and asked that he be condemned.

16 “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.z 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in.a 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of disputeb with him about their own religionc and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges.d 21 But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”e

22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”

He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”f

Paul Before Agrippa

26:12–18pp—Ac 9:3–8; 22:6–11

23 The next day Agrippa and Berniceg came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish communityh has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.i 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death,j but because he made his appeal to the Emperork I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”l

So Paul motioned with his handm and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before youn today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,o 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customsp and controversies.q Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child,r from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long times and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sectt of our religion, living as a Pharisee.u 6 And now it is because of my hopev in what God has promised our ancestorsw that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribesx are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night.y King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.z 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?a

9 “I too was convincedb that I ought to do all that was possible to opposec the name of Jesus of Nazareth.d 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s peoplee in prison,f and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.g 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished,h and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voicei saying to me in Aramaic,a j ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet.k I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.l 17 I will rescue youm from your own people and from the Gentiles.n I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyeso and turn them from darkness to light,p and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sinsq and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’r

19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedients to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus,t then to those in Jerusalemu and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles,v I preached that they should repentw and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.x 21 That is why some Jews seized mey in the temple courts and tried to kill me.z 22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happena—23 that the Messiah would sufferb and, as the first to rise from the dead,c would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”d

24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind,e Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learningf is driving you insane.”

25 “I am not insane, most excellentg Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things,h and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”i

29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”j

30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernicek and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”l

32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set freem if he had not appealed to Caesar.”n

Paul Sails for Rome

27 When it was decided that weo would sail for Italy,p Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.q 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia,r and we put out to sea. Aristarchus,s a Macedoniant from Thessalonica,u was with us.

3 The next day we landed at Sidon;v and Julius, in kindness to Paul,w allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.x 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.y 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Ciliciaz and Pamphylia,a we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian shipb sailing for Italyc and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course,d we sailed to the lee of Crete,e opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.a f So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”g 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete,h facing both southwest and northwest.

The Storm

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,i called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboatj secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run agroundk on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchorb and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.l 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advicem not to sail from Crete;n then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage,o because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angelp of the God to whom I belong and whom I serveq stood beside mer 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;s and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’t 25 So keep up your courage,u men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.v 26 Nevertheless, we must run agroundw on some island.”x

The Shipwreck

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriaticc Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feetd deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feete deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboaty down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”z 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”a 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke itb and began to eat. 36 They were all encouragedc and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.d

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach,e where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors,f they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.g

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s lifeh and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.i