Acts 24:10–27

¹⁰And Paul answered—the governor having beckoned to him to speak—‘Knowing that for many years thou hast been a judge to this nation, the more cheerfully the things concerning myself I do answer; ¹¹thou being able to know that it is not more than twelve days to me since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, ¹²and neither in the temple did they find me reasoning with any one, or making a dissension of the multitude, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city; ¹³nor are they able to prove against me the things concerning which they now accuse me.

¹⁴‘And I confess this to thee, that, according to the way that they call a sect, so serve I the God of the fathers, believing all things that in the law and the prophets have been written, ¹⁵having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous; ¹⁶and in this I do exercise myself, to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men always.

¹⁷‘And after many years I came, about to do kind acts to my nation, and offerings, ¹⁸in which certain Jews from Asia did find me purified in the temple, not with multitude, nor with tumult, ¹⁹whom it behoveth to be present before thee, and to accuse, if they had anything against me, ²⁰or let these same say if they found any unrighteousness in me in my standing before the sanhedrim, ²¹except concerning this one voice, in which I cried, standing among them—Concerning a rising again of the dead I am judged to-day by you.’

²²And having heard these things, Felix delayed them—having known more exactly of the things concerning the way—saying, ‘When Lysias the chief captain may come down, I will know fully the things concerning you;’ ²³having given also a direction to the centurion to keep Paul, to let him also have liberty, and to forbid none of his own friends to minister or to come near to him. ²⁴And after certain days, Felix having come with Drusilla his wife, being a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith toward Christ, ²⁵and he reasoning concerning righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment that is about to be, Felix, having become afraid, answered, ‘For the present be going, and having got time, I will call for thee;’ ²⁶and at the same time also hoping that money shall be given to him by Paul, that he may release him, therefore, also sending for him the oftener, he was conversing with him; ²⁷and two years having been fulfilled, Felix received a successor, Porcius Festus; Felix also willing to lay a favour on the Jews, left Paul bound.

Chapter 25