Acts 23; Acts 24; Acts 25

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Acts 23

1 Paul stared at the council and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life with an altogether clear conscience right up to this very day."

2 The high priest Ananias ordered those standing beside Paul to strike him in the mouth.

3 Then Paul said to him, "God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit and judge me according to the Law, yet disobey the Law by ordering that I be struck."

4 Those standing near him asked, "You dare to insult God's high priest?"

5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I wasn't aware that he was the high priest. It is written, You will not speak evil about a ruler of your people."

6 Knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, Paul exclaimed in the council, "Brothers, I'm a Pharisee and a descendant of Pharisees. I am on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead!"

7 These words aroused a dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

8 This is because Sadducees say that there's no resurrection, angel, or spirit, but Pharisees affirm them all.

9 Council members were shouting loudly. Some Pharisees who were legal experts stood up and insisted forcefully, "We find nothing wrong with this man! What if a spirit or angel has spoken to him?"

10 The dispute became so heated that the commander feared they might tear Paul to pieces. He ordered soldiers to go down and remove him by force from their midst. Then they took him back to the military headquarters.

11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Be encouraged! Just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so too you must testify in Rome."

12 The next morning some Jewish leaders formulated a plot and solemnly promised that they wouldn't eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

13 More than forty people were involved in the conspiracy.

14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have solemnly promised to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

15 You and the council must explain to the commander that you need Paul brought down to you. Pretend that you want to examine his case more closely. We're prepared to kill him before he arrives."

16 Paul's sister had a son who heard about the ambush and he came to the military headquarters and reported it to Paul.

17 Paul called for one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander because he has something to report to him."

18 He took him to the commander and said, "The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you."

19 The commander took him by the hand and withdrew to a place where they could speak privately. He asked, "What do you have to report to me?"

20 He replied, "The Jewish leaders have conspired to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow. They will pretend that they want to investigate his case more closely.

21 Don't fall for it! More than forty of them are waiting to ambush him. They have solemnly promised not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, awaiting your consent."

22 The commander dismissed the young man, ordering him, "Don't tell anyone that you brought this to my attention."

23 The commander called two centurions and said, "Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to leave for Caesarea at nine o'clock tonight.

24 Have horses ready for Paul to ride, so they may take him safely to Governor Felix."

25 He wrote the following letter:

26 Claudius Lysias, to the most honorable Governor Felix: Greetings.

27 This man was seized by the Jews and was almost killed by them. I was nearby with a unit of soldiers, and I rescued him when I discovered that he was a Roman citizen.

28 I wanted to find out why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their council.

29 I discovered that they were accusing him about questions related to their Law. I found no charge deserving of death or imprisonment.

30 When I was informed of a conspiracy against his life, I sent him to you at once and ordered his accusers to bring their case against him before you.

31 Following their orders, the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris.

32 The following day they let the horsemen continue on with Paul while they returned to the military headquarters in Jerusalem.

33 The horsemen entered Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and brought Paul before him.

34 After he read the letter, he asked Paul about his home province. When he learned that he was from Cilicia,

35 the governor said, "I will hear your case when your accusers arrive." Then he ordered that Paul be kept in custody in Herod's palace.

Acts 24

1 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They pressed charges against Paul before the governor.

2 After the governor summoned Paul, Tertullus began to make his case against him. He declared, "Under your leadership, we have experienced substantial peace, and your administration has brought reforms to our nation.

3 Always and everywhere, most honorable Felix, we acknowledge this with deep gratitude.

4 I don't want to take too much of your time, so I ask that you listen with your usual courtesy to our brief statement of the facts.

5 We have found this man to be a troublemaker who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the empire. He's a ringleader of the Nazarene faction

6 and even tried to defile the temple. That's when we arrested him.

8 By examining him yourself, you will be able to verify the allegations we are bringing against him."

9 The Jews reinforced the action against Paul, affirming the truth of these accusations.

10 The governor nodded at Paul, giving him permission to speak. He responded, "I know that you have been judge over this nation for many years, so I gladly offer my own defense.

11 You can verify that I went up to worship in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago.

12 They didn't find me arguing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd, whether in the synagogue or anywhere else in the city.

13 Nor can they prove to you the allegations they are now bringing against me.

14 I do admit this to you, that I am a follower of the Way, which they call a faction. Accordingly, I worship the God of our ancestors and believe everything set out in the Law and written in the Prophets.

15 The hope I have in God I also share with my accusers, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

16 On account of this, I have committed myself to maintaining a clear conscience before God and with all people.

17 After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring gifts for the poor of my nation and to offer sacrifices.

18 When they found me in the temple, I was ritually pure. There was no crowd and no disturbance.

19 But there were some Jews from the province of Asia. They should be here making their accusations, if indeed they have something against me.

20 In their absence, have these people who are here declare what crime they found when I stood before the Jerusalem Council.

21 Perhaps it concerns this one statement that I blurted out when I was with them: ‘I am on trial before you today because of the resurrection of the dead.'"

22 Felix, who had an accurate understanding of the Way, adjourned the meeting. He said, "When Lysias the commander arrives from Jerusalem, I will decide this case."

23 He arranged for a centurion to guard Paul. He was to give Paul some freedom, and his friends were not to be hindered in their efforts to provide for him.

24 After several days, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and summoned Paul. He listened to him talk about faith in Christ Jesus.

25 When he spoke about upright behavior, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became fearful and said, "Go away for now! When I have time, I'll send for you."

26 At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him some money, so he often sent for him and talked with him.

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

Acts 25

1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

2 The chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul. Appealing to him,

3 they asked as a favor from Festus that he summon Paul to Jerusalem. They were planning to ambush and kill him along the way.

4 But Festus responded by keeping Paul in Caesarea, since he was to return there very soon himself.

5 "Some of your leaders can come down with me," he said. "If he's done anything wrong, they can bring charges against him."

6 He stayed with them for no more than eight or ten days, then went down to Caesarea. The following day he took his seat in the court and ordered that Paul be brought in.

7 When he arrived, many Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him. They brought serious charges against him, but they couldn't prove them.

8 In his own defense, Paul said, "I've done nothing wrong against the Jewish Law, against the temple, or against Caesar."

9 Festus, wanting to put the Jews in his debt, asked Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to stand trial before me concerning these things?"

10 Paul replied, "I'm standing before Caesar's court. I ought to be tried here. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you well know.

11 If I'm guilty and have done something that deserves death, then I won't try to avoid death. But if there is nothing to their accusations against me, no one has the authority to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"

12 After Festus conferred with his advisors, he responded, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go."

13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to welcome Festus.

14 Since they were staying there for many days, Festus discussed the case against Paul with the king. He said, "There is a man whom Felix left in prison.

15 When I was in Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders brought charges against him and requested a guilty verdict in his case.

16 I told them it is contrary to Roman practice to hand someone over before they have faced their accusers and had opportunity to offer a defense against the charges.

17 When they came here, I didn't put them off. The very next day I took my seat in the court and ordered that the man be brought before me.

18 When the accusers took the floor, they didn't charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.

19 Instead, they quibbled with him about their own religion and about some dead man named Jesus, who Paul claimed was alive.

20 Since I had no idea how to investigate these matters, I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there on these issues.

21 However, Paul appealed that he be held in custody pending a decision from His Majesty the emperor, so I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar."

22 Agrippa said to Festus, "I want to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," Festus replied, "you will hear him."

23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great fanfare. They entered the auditorium with the military commanders and the city's most prominent men. Festus then ordered that Paul be brought in.

24 Festus said, "King Agrippa and everyone present with us: You see this man! The entire Jewish community, both here and in Jerusalem, has appealed to me concerning him. They've been calling for his immediate death.

25 I've found that he has done nothing deserving death. When he appealed to His Majesty, I decided to send him to Rome.

26 I have nothing definite to write to our lord emperor. Therefore, I've brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this investigation, I might have something to write.

27 After all, it would be foolish to send a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."

Acts 23; Acts 24; Acts 25

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Acts 23

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