Acts 24:1-21

Paul Before Felix at Caesarea

1 And ¹after five days the high priest ²Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before ³the governor their case against Paul.

2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: "Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, ⁴most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation,

3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.

4 But, to detain^[a] you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.

5 For we have found this man a plague, ⁵one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of ⁶the sect of the Nazarenes.

6 ⁷He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.^[b]

8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him."

9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.

11 You can verify that ⁸it is not more than twelve days since I ⁹went up ¹⁰to worship in Jerusalem,

12 and ¹¹they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city.

13 ¹²Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me.

14 But this I confess to you, that according to ¹³the Way, which they call ¹⁴a sect, ¹⁵I worship ¹⁶the God of our fathers, believing everything ¹⁷laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

15 ¹⁸having ¹⁹a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be ²⁰a resurrection ²¹of both the just and the unjust.

16 So I always ²²take pains to have a ²³clear conscience toward both God and man.

17 Now ²⁴after several years ²⁵I came to bring alms to ²⁶my nation and to present ²⁷offerings.

18 While I was doing this, they found me ²⁸purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But ²⁹some Jews from Asia--

19 ³⁰they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me.

20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council,

21 other than this one thing ³¹that I cried out while standing among them: 'It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.'"

Cross References

• 1. [Acts 21:18, 27, with ver. 11]
• 2. Acts 23:2
• 3. Acts 23:24
• 4. Acts 23:26; Luke 1:3
• 5. See Luke 23:2
• 6. ver. 14; Acts 5:17; Acts 15:5; Acts 26:5; Acts 28:22
• 7. Acts 21:27-29
• 8. See ver. 1
• 9. Acts 8:27; John 12:20
• 10. Acts 20:16
• 11. [Acts 25:8]
• 12. Acts 25:7
• 13. ver. 22; See Acts 9:2
• 14. ver. 5
• 15. 2 Timothy 1:3; [Acts 27:23; Luke 1:74; Romans 1:9; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 12:28]
• 16. See Acts 3:13; Acts 22:3
• 17. Acts 26:22; Acts 28:23; [Romans 3:21]
• 18. See Acts 23:6
• 19. Titus 2:13; [Galatians 5:5]
• 20. Luke 14:14
• 21. See Daniel 12:2
• 22. [1 Timothy 4:7, 15]
• 23. 1 Corinthians 10:32; Philippians 1:10; [Jude 24]; See Acts 23:1
• 24. [Acts 20:31]
• 25. Romans 15:25-28, 31; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 9:1, 2, 12; [Galatians 2:10]
• 26. Acts 26:4; Acts 28:19
• 27. [ver. 11; Acts 20:16]
• 28. Acts 21:26; Acts 26:21
• 29. Acts 21:27
• 30. See Acts 23:30
• 31. See Acts 23:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Or weary
• [b]. Some manuscripts add and we would have judged him according to our law. 7But the chief captain Lysias came and with great violence took him out of our hands, 8commanding his accusers to come before you.