Acts 24:1-21 - Paul Before Felix At Caesarea Maritima

¹ Five days after the sovereign pontiff Ananias arriv'd and some of the senators, who with one Tertullus a pleader, appear'd before the governour as plaintiffs against Paul. ² so Paul was call'd, and Tertullus thus open'd the charge. ³ "The happiness our nation enjoys, most noble Felix, by the wisdom of your administration, affects us too sensibly not to be acknowledg'd every where, and upon all occasions, with the utmost gratitude. ⁴ but not to trespass upon you too far, be pleas'd to hear what I have to say in brief, with your usual indulgence. ⁵ this man is known to be a pernicious fellow that goes about the world to raise seditions among the Jews: he is the ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, ⁶ and has attempted to prophane the temple: we secur'd him, and would have try'd him by our law: ⁷ but general Lysias interpos'd, and with open force took him out of our hands, ⁸ ordering his accusers to appear before you. if you please to interrogate him yourself, you will find the whole charge to be truly laid." ⁹ this the Jews confirm'd by declaring it was all fact.

¹⁰ Then the governour sign'd to Paul to reply; who said, I enter upon my defence with the greater confidence, by considering you have govern'd this nation several years: ¹¹ possibly you are appriz'd, that it is not above twelve days since, that I went to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² they neither found me in conference with any one in the temple, nor working up the people either in the assemblies or in the streets: ¹³ so far are they from proving what they lay to my charge. ¹⁴ I do indeed own, that I serve the God of our nation according to the discipline they call sect: and believe whatever is written in the law and in the prophets. ¹⁵ I have the same expectations from the DEITY, which they themselves entertain, that of the resurrection both of the just and of the unjust. ¹⁶ and 'tis my endeavour to preserve a conscience free from reproach both with respect to God, and with respect to men. ¹⁷ after several years absence I came to Jerusalem, with contributions for my brethren, and oblations for the temple: ¹⁸ there religiously employ'd some Asiatic Jews found me, without crowd or tumult: ¹⁹ and here they ought to have appear'd, if they had any thing to object against me. ²⁰ or let these now declare, if they could convict me of any misdemeanor, when I was brought before the Sanhedrim: ²¹ unless it be, that I did indeed break out into this expression, it "is for the resurrection of the dead, that I am now call'd into question."