24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ¹  came down with some elders and an attorney ²  named ³  Tertullus, and they ⁴  brought formal charges ⁵  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ⁶  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁷  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁸  of peace through your rule, ⁹  and reforms ¹⁰  are being made in this nation ¹¹  through your foresight. ¹²  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ¹³  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ¹⁴  with all gratitude. ¹⁵  24:4 But so that I may not delay ¹⁶  you any further, I beg ¹⁷  you to hear us briefly ¹⁸  with your customary graciousness. ¹⁹  24:5 For we have found ²⁰  this man to be a troublemaker, ²¹  one who stirs up riots ²²  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ²³  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ²⁴  24:6 He ²⁵  even tried to desecrate ²⁶  the temple, so we arrested ²⁷  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ²⁸  24:8 When you examine ²⁹  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ³⁰  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ³¹  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ³²  claiming ³³  that these things were true.

24:10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know ³⁴  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ³⁵  24:11 As you can verify ³⁶  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ³⁷  I went up to Jerusalem ³⁸  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ³⁹  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ⁴⁰  in the temple courts ⁴¹  or in the synagogues ⁴²  or throughout the city, ⁴³  24:13 nor can they prove ⁴⁴  to you the things ⁴⁵  they are accusing me of doing. ⁴⁶  24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ⁴⁷  the God of our ancestors ⁴⁸  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ⁴⁹  and that is written in the prophets. 24:15 I have ⁵⁰  a hope in God (a hope ⁵¹  that ⁵²  these men ⁵³  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁵⁴  24:16 This is the reason ⁵⁵  I do my best to always ⁵⁶  have a clear ⁵⁷  conscience toward God and toward people. ⁵⁸  24:17 After several years ⁵⁹  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ⁶⁰  and to present offerings, ⁶¹  24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ⁶²  without a crowd or a disturbance. ⁶³  24:19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia ⁶⁴  who should be here before you and bring charges, ⁶⁵  if they have anything against me. 24:20 Or these men here ⁶⁶  should tell what crime ⁶⁷  they found me guilty of ⁶⁸  when I stood before the council, ⁶⁹  24:21 other than ⁷⁰  this one thing ⁷¹  I shouted out while I stood before ⁷²  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ⁷³ 

24:22 Then Felix, ⁷⁴  who understood the facts ⁷⁵  concerning the Way ⁷⁶  more accurately, ⁷⁷  adjourned their hearing, ⁷⁸  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ⁷⁹  24:23 He ordered the centurion ⁸⁰  to guard Paul, ⁸¹  but to let him have some freedom, ⁸²  and not to prevent any of his friends ⁸³  from meeting his needs. ⁸⁴ 

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ⁸⁵  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ⁸⁶  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ⁸⁷  about faith in Christ Jesus. ⁸⁸  24:25 While Paul ⁸⁹  was discussing ⁹⁰  righteousness, self-control, ⁹¹  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁹²  became ⁹³  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁹⁴  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ⁹⁵  and for this reason he sent for Paul ⁹⁶  as often as possible ⁹⁷  and talked ⁹⁸  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁹⁹  had passed, Porcius Festus ¹⁰⁰  succeeded Felix, ¹⁰¹  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ¹⁰² 

25:1 Now ¹⁰³  three days after Festus ¹⁰⁴  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ¹⁰⁵  from Caesarea. ¹⁰⁶  25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ¹⁰⁷  of the Jews brought formal charges ¹⁰⁸  against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ¹⁰⁹  they urged Festus ¹¹⁰  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ¹¹¹  to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus ¹¹²  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ¹¹³  and he himself intended to go there ¹¹⁴  shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders ¹¹⁵  go down there ¹¹⁶  with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, ¹¹⁷  they may bring charges ¹¹⁸  against him.”

25:6 After Festus ¹¹⁹  had stayed ¹²⁰  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ¹²¹  and the next day he sat ¹²²  on the judgment seat ¹²³  and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, ¹²⁴  bringing many serious ¹²⁵  charges that they were not able to prove. ¹²⁶  25:8 Paul said in his defense, ¹²⁷  “I have committed no offense ¹²⁸  against the Jewish law ¹²⁹  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ¹³⁰  25:9 But Festus, ¹³¹  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ¹³²  before me there on these charges?” ¹³³  25:10 Paul replied, ¹³⁴  “I am standing before Caesar’s ¹³⁵  judgment seat, ¹³⁶  where I should be tried. ¹³⁷  I have done nothing wrong ¹³⁸  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ¹³⁹  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ¹⁴⁰  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ¹⁴¹  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ¹⁴²  no one can hand me over to them. ¹⁴³  I appeal to Caesar!” ¹⁴⁴  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ¹⁴⁵  Festus ¹⁴⁶  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ¹⁴⁷  to Caesar ¹⁴⁸  you will go!” ¹⁴⁹ 

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ¹⁵⁰  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ¹⁵¹  to pay their respects ¹⁵²  to Festus. ¹⁵³  25:14 While ¹⁵⁴  they were staying there many days, Festus ¹⁵⁵  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ¹⁵⁶  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, ¹⁵⁷  the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed ¹⁵⁸  me about him, ¹⁵⁹  asking for a sentence of condemnation ¹⁶⁰  against him. 25:16 I answered them ¹⁶¹  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ¹⁶²  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ¹⁶³  and had been given ¹⁶⁴  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ¹⁶⁵  25:17 So after they came back here with me, ¹⁶⁶  I did not postpone the case, ¹⁶⁷  but the next day I sat ¹⁶⁸  on the judgment seat ¹⁶⁹  and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ¹⁷⁰  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ¹⁷¹  25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ¹⁷²  with him about their own religion ¹⁷³  and about a man named Jesus ¹⁷⁴  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ¹⁷⁵  to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss ¹⁷⁶  how I could investigate these matters, ¹⁷⁷  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ¹⁷⁸  there on these charges. ¹⁷⁹  25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, ¹⁸⁰  I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” ¹⁸¹  25:22 Agrippa ¹⁸²  said to Festus, ¹⁸³  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ¹⁸⁴  “you will hear him.”

25:23 So the next day Agrippa ¹⁸⁵  and Bernice came with great pomp ¹⁸⁶  and entered the audience hall, ¹⁸⁷  along with the senior military officers ¹⁸⁸  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ¹⁸⁹  gave the order, ¹⁹⁰  Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus ¹⁹¹  said, “King Agrippa, ¹⁹²  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ¹⁹³  petitioned ¹⁹⁴  me both in Jerusalem ¹⁹⁵  and here, ¹⁹⁶  shouting loudly ¹⁹⁷  that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, ¹⁹⁸  and when he appealed ¹⁹⁹  to His Majesty the Emperor, ²⁰⁰  I decided to send him. ²⁰¹  25:26 But I have nothing definite ²⁰²  to write to my lord ²⁰³  about him. ²⁰⁴  Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, ²⁰⁵  so that after this preliminary hearing ²⁰⁶  I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ²⁰⁷  the charges against him.”

28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! ¹