not with a multitude nor with uproar, but certain Jews from 19 Asia caused it; who ought to be before thee and accuse, if they had ought against me. Or let these themselves 20 say what injustice they found, while I stood before the council, except it be for this single word that I cried stand- 21 ing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am judged before you this day. But Felix put them off, 22 since he knew the things concerning the way more accurately, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will adjudge your matter; and he commanded 23 the centurion to keep him, and to let him have liberty, and to forbid none of his own people to minister unto him. And after certain days, Felix came with his wife 24 Drusilla who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus. And as he dis- 25 coursed of righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and answered, Go thy way for this time, and when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee; hoping also at the same time that money 26 would be given him by Paul; wherefore he sent for him. the oftener, and conversed with him. But after two years 27 Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, desiring to gain favour with the Jews, left Paul bound.. CH. Now when Festus came into the province, he went up xxv. after three days from Caesarea to Jerusalem; and the chief 2 priests and the first men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, asking for themselves a favour 3 against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, while they made an ambush to kill him on the way. So Festus 4 answered, that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart shortly thither; let those 5 therefore, says he, who are powerful among you, go down with me, and if there be any thing amiss in the man, accuse him. And when he tarried among them not more than 6 eight or ten days, he went down unto Caesarea; and the next day sat on the judgment seat and commanded Paul to be brought. And when he arrived, the Jews who had come 7 down from Jerusalem stood round about, bringing many 8 and heavy charges, which they could not prove, while Paul said in defence, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, did I 9 commit any sin. But Festus, desiring to gain favour with the Jews, answered Paul and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and be judged there concerning these things 10 before me? And Paul said, I stand at Caesar's judgment : seat where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I did no 11 wrong, as thou also very well knowest. If now I be a wrong-doer, and have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die but if there is nothing in the things whereof these accuse me, no one can deliver me 12 unto them; I appeal into Caesar. Then Festus, having conferred with the council, answered, Thou hast appealed unto Caesar, unto Caesar shalt thou go. 13 And after certain days Agrippa the king and Bernice 14 arrived at Caesarea to salute Festus. And as they tarried there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix, 15 about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed, asking for themselves 16 judgment against him; to whom I answered, It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man, before the accused have the accusers face to face, and receive an 17 opportunity of defence concerning the charge. Therefore when they came together here, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the 18 man to be brought; and when the accusers stood up, they brought no evil accusation respecting him of such 19 things as I supposed; but had against him certain questions concerning their own superstition, and concerning one Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 20 Now as I doubted about the discussion of such things, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem, and be judged 21 there of these matters. But when Paul appealed that he should be kept under the decision of Augustus, I commanded 22 him to be kept till I should send him up to Caesar. And Agrippa said unto Festus, I myself also could have wished to hear the man. To-morrow, says he, thou shalt hear him. On the morrow, therefore, when Agrippa came and 23 Bernice, with great pomp, and entered into the place of hearing, both with the chief captains and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought. And Festus says, King Agrippa, and all men 24 who are present with us, ye behold this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews interceded with me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But I perceived that he had done 25 nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to Augustus, I determined to send him. Of whom I 26 have nothing certain to write unto my lord; wherefore I brought him forth before you, and especially before thee, king Agrippa, that, after examination, I might have somewhat to write. For it seems to me unreasonable in send- 27 ing a prisoner not to signify also the accusations against him. CH. AND Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to xxvI. speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand and made his defence: I think myself happy, king 2 Agrippa, that I am about to make my defence this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused by Jews, especially as thou knowest all the customs and 3 questions which are among Jews: wherefore I supplicate thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life, then, 4 from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation, and in Jerusalem, know all the Jews; who know 5 me from the beginning, if they be willing to bear witness, that after the strictest sect of our worship I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand judged for the hope of the 6 promise made by God unto our fathers; unto which 7 promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving day and night, hope to attain; for which hope's sake, O king, I am accused by Jews. Why is it judged incredible with you, if 8 God raises the dead? I indeed thought with myself, that I 9 ought to practise many things contrary to the name of Jesus 10 the Nazarene; which I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints did I shut up in prisons, having received the authority from the chief priests; and when they were put 11 to death, I gave my vote against them; and punishing them oft in all the synagogues, I was compelling them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I was 12 persecuting them even unto the foreign cities. Whereupon while journeying to Damascus with authority and the com13 mission of the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them journeying with 14 me; and when we all fell down to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick 15 against pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou art persecuting. 16 But rise up, and stand on thy feet; for I appeared unto thee for this purpose, to choose thee before for a minister and witness both of the things which thou sawest, and 17 of the things in which I will appear unto thee; deliver ing thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto 18 whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins, and a lot among them who are sanctified by faith that is in 19 me. Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I became not disobedient 20 unto the heavenly vision: but to those in Damascus first and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judaea, and to the Gentiles, I was telling that they should repent 21 and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. For these reasons Jews caught me in the temple, and attempted 22 to slay me. Having therefore obtained the help which is from God, I stand unto this day, bearing witness both to small and great, saying nothing except those things which both the prophets and Moses said were to come 23 to pass, whether the Christ should suffer, whether he, the first of the resurrection from the dead, was about to announce light both unto the people and to the Gentiles. And as he was thus making his defence, Festus says with 24 a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning is turning thee mad. But Paul says, I am not mad, most 25 excellent Festus, but am speaking forth words of truth and soberness. For the king knows of these things, to 26 whom also I am speaking openly: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the 27 prophets? I know that thou believest. And Agrippa unto 28 Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. And Paul, I would to God, that, whether 29 with little or with great, not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds. And the king rose up, and the governor, and 30 Bernice, and those sitting with them, and went aside, and 31 talked between themselves, saying, This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds. And Agrippa said unto 32 Festus, This man might have been released, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. CH. AND when it was determined that we should sail away xxvII. into Italy, they delivered up both Paul and certain other prisoners unto a centurion named Julius, of Augustus' band. And having embarked in a ship of Adramyttium 2 about to sail along the coasts of Asia, we put to sea; Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us; and the next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated 3 Paul kindly, and permitted him to go unto his friends and receive their care. And when we put to sea thence, 4 we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary, and having sailed over the sea which is along Cilicia and 5 Pamphylia, we came to Myrra of Lycia. And there the 6 centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and put us on board of it. And sailing slowly many 7 days, and having scarcely come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone; and, scarcely coasting along it, we came unto 8 a certain place called Fair Havens; near which was the |
