Acts 24–26

Paul’s Trial Before Felix

24Five days later the high priest Ananias^u went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges^v 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. ³Everywhere and in every way, most excellent^x Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. ⁴But 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 riots^y among the Jews^z all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene^a sect^{b 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.”

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

¹⁰When the governor^e 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. ¹¹You can easily verify that no more than twelve days^f ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹²My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,^g or stirring up a crowd^h in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³And 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 ancestors^j 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 clear^p before God and man.

¹⁷“After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor^q and to present offerings. ¹⁸I was ceremonially clean^r 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—²¹unless 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

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

²⁴Several 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-control^b and the judgment^c to come, Felix was afraid^d and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” ²⁶At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

²⁷When 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

25Three days after arriving in the province, Festus^h went up from Caesareaⁱ to Jerusalem, ²where 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 held^l at Caesarea,^m and I myself am going there soon. ⁵Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

⁶After 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

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

⁹Festus, 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

¹⁰Paul 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. ¹¹If, 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

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

Festus Consults King Agrippa

¹³A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea^w to pay their respects to Festus. ¹⁴Since 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 him^y 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. ¹⁹Instead, they had some points of dispute^b with him about their own religion^c and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. ²⁰I 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

²²Then 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

²³The next day Agrippa and Bernice^g 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. ²⁴Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community^h 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 Emperor^k I decided to send him to Rome. ²⁶But 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. ²⁷For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

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

So Paul motioned with his hand^m 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 customs^p 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. ⁵They have known me for a long time^s and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect^t of our religion, living as a Pharisee.^{u 6}And now it is because of my hope^v in what God has promised our ancestors^w that I am on trial today. ⁷This is the promise our twelve tribes^x 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 convinced^b that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose^c 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 people^e 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. ¹³About 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. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voiceⁱ saying to me in Aramaic,^aj ‘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 you^m from your own people and from the Gentiles.ⁿ I am sending you to them ¹⁸to open their eyes^o and turn them from darkness to light,^p and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins^q and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^r

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