Acts 23:12-27:1

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Transfer to Caesarea. ¹² When day came, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ You, together with the Sanhedrin, must now make an official request to the commander to have him bring him down to you, as though you meant to investigate his case more thoroughly. We on our part are prepared to kill him before he arrives.” ¹⁶ The son of Paul’s sister, however, heard about the ambush; so he went and entered the compound and reported it to Paul. ¹⁷ Paul then called one of the centurions^[a] and requested, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commander and explained, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked that I bring this young man to you; he has something to say to you.” ¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, drew him aside, and asked him privately, “What is it you have to report to me?” ²⁰ He replied, “The Jews have conspired to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they meant to inquire about him more thoroughly, ²¹ but do not believe them. More than forty of them are lying in wait for him; they have bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are now ready and only wait for your consent.” ²² As the commander dismissed the young man he directed him, “Tell no one that you gave me this information.”

²³ Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight,^[b] along with seventy horsemen and two hundred auxiliaries. ²⁴ Provide mounts for Paul to ride and give him safe conduct to Felix the governor.” ²⁵ Then he wrote a letter with this content: ^26 [c]“Claudius Lysias to his excellency the governor Felix, greetings.^{[d] 27} This man, seized by the Jews and about to be murdered by them, I rescued after intervening with my troops when I learned that he was a Roman citizen.^{(A) 28} I wanted to learn the reason for their accusations against him so I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. ²⁹ I discovered that he was accused in matters of controversial questions of their law and not of any charge deserving death or imprisonment.^{(B) 30} Since it was brought to my attention that there will be a plot against the man, I am sending him to you at once, and have also notified his accusers to state [their case] against him before you.”

³¹ So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and escorted him by night to Antipatris. ³² The next day they returned to the compound, leaving the horsemen to complete the journey with him. ³³ When they arrived in Caesarea they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him. ³⁴ When he had read it and asked to what province he belonged, and learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I shall hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be held in custody in Herod’s praetorium.

Chapter 24

Trial Before Felix. ¹ Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an advocate, a certain Tertullus, and they presented formal charges against Paul to the governor. ² When he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Since we have attained much peace through you, and reforms have been accomplished in this nation through your provident care, ³ we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all gratitude. ⁴ But in order not to detain you further, I ask you to give us a brief hearing with your customary graciousness. ^5 (C)We found this man to be a pest; he creates dissension among Jews all over the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazoreans.^{[e] 6} He even tried to desecrate our temple, but we arrested him.^(D) [⁷ ]^{[f] 8} If you examine him you will be able to learn from him for yourself about everything of which we are accusing him.” ⁹ The Jews also joined in the attack and asserted that these things were so.

^10 [g]Then the governor motioned to him to speak and Paul replied, “I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years and so I am pleased to make my defense before you. ¹¹ As you can verify, not more than twelve days have passed since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor anywhere in the city did they find me arguing with anyone or instigating a riot among the people. ¹³ Nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me. ¹⁴ But this I do admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors and I believe everything that is in accordance with the law and written in the prophets.^{(E) 15} I have the same hope in God as they themselves have that there will be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.^{(F) 16} Because of this, I always strive to keep my conscience clear before God and man.^{(G) 17} After many years, I came to bring alms for my nation and offerings.^{(H) 18} While I was so engaged, they found me, after my purification, in the temple without a crowd or disturbance.^{(I) 19} But some Jews from the province of Asia, who should be here before you to make whatever accusation they might have against me— ²⁰ or let these men themselves state what crime they discovered when I stood before the Sanhedrin, ²¹ unless it was my one outcry as I stood among them, that ‘I am on trial before you today for the resurrection of the dead.’”^(J)

²² Then Felix, who was accurately informed about the Way, postponed the trial, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I shall decide your case.” ²³ He gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from caring for his needs.

Captivity in Caesarea. ^24 [h]Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He had Paul summoned and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ But as he spoke about righteousness and self-restraint and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now; when I find an opportunity I shall summon you again.” ²⁶ At the same time he hoped that a bribe would be offered him by Paul, and so he sent for him very often and conversed with him.

²⁷ Two years passed and Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison.^[i]

Chapter 25

Appeal to Caesar. ¹ Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem ² where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented him their formal charges against Paul.^[j] They asked him ³ as a favor to have him sent to Jerusalem, for they were plotting to kill him along the way. ⁴ Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea and that he himself would be returning there shortly. ⁵ He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, let them accuse him.”

⁶ After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the following day took his seat on the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought in. ⁷ When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and brought many serious charges against him, which they were unable to prove. ⁸ In defending himself Paul said, “I have committed no crime either against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” ^9 [k]Then Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, said to Paul in reply, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there stand trial before me on these charges?” ¹⁰ Paul answered, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar; this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you very well know. ¹¹ If I have committed a crime or done anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape the death penalty; but if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then Festus, after conferring with his council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.”

Paul Before King Agrippa. ¹³ When a few days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice^[l] arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. ¹⁴ Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man here left in custody by Felix.^{(K) 15} When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation. ¹⁶ I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge. ¹⁷ So when [they] came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. ^18 (L)His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. ¹⁹ Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. ²⁰ Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. ²¹ And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Agrippa said to Festus, “I too should like to hear this man.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

²³ The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great ceremony and entered the audience hall in the company of cohort commanders and the prominent men of the city and, by command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all you here present with us, look at this man about whom the whole Jewish populace petitioned me here and in Jerusalem, clamoring that he should live no longer. ²⁵ I found, however, that he had done nothing deserving death, and so when he appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write about him to our sovereign; therefore I have brought him before all of you, and particularly before you, King Agrippa, so that I may have something to write as a result of this investigation. ²⁷ For it seems senseless to me to send up a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”

Chapter 26

King Agrippa Hears Paul. ¹ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak on your own behalf.” So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. ^2 [m]“I count myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am to defend myself before you today against all the charges made against me by the Jews, ³ especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. And therefore I beg you to listen patiently. ⁴ My manner of living from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my people^[n] and in Jerusalem, all [the] Jews know. ^5 (M)They have known about me from the start, if they are willing to testify, that I have lived my life as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion. ^6 (N)But now I am standing trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors. ⁷ Our twelve tribes hope to attain to that promise as they fervently worship God day and night; and on account of this hope I am accused by Jews, O king. ⁸ Why is it thought unbelievable among you that God raises the dead? ^9 (O)I myself once thought that I had to do many things against the name of Jesus the Nazorean, ¹⁰ and I did so in Jerusalem. I imprisoned many of the holy ones with the authorization I received from the chief priests, and when they were to be put to death I cast my vote against them.^{(P) 11} Many times, in synagogue after synagogue, I punished them in an attempt to force them to blaspheme; I was so enraged against them that I pursued them even to foreign cities.

¹² “On one such occasion I was traveling to Damascus with the authorization and commission of the chief priests. ^13 (Q)At midday, along the way, O king, I saw a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my traveling companions.^{(R) 14} We all fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?^(S) It is hard for you to kick against the goad.’^{[o] 15} And I said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.^{(T) 16} Get up now, and stand on your feet.^(U) I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.^{[p] 17} I shall deliver you from this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you,^{(V) 18} to open their eyes^[q] that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in me.’^(W)

¹⁹ “And so, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. ²⁰ On the contrary, first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout the whole country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached the need to repent and turn to God, and to do works giving evidence of repentance. ^21 (X)That is why the Jews seized me [when I was] in the temple and tried to kill me. ^22 (Y)But I have enjoyed God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, saying nothing different from what the prophets and Moses foretold,^{[r] 23} that the Messiah must suffer^[s] and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”^(Z)

Reactions to Paul’s Speech. ²⁴ While Paul was so speaking in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul; much learning is driving you mad.” ²⁵ But Paul replied, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and reason. ²⁶ The king knows about these matters and to him I speak boldly, for I cannot believe that [any] of this has escaped his notice; this was not done in a corner.^{[t] 27} King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?^[u] I know you believe.” ²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You will soon persuade me to play the Christian.” ²⁹ Paul replied, “I would pray to God that sooner or later not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am except for these chains.”

³⁰ Then the king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and the others who sat with them. ^31 [v]And after they had withdrawn they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing [at all] that deserves death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”^(AA)

Chapter 27

Departure for Rome. ^1 [w]When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius of the Cohort Augusta.^[x]