And I persecuted this 'Way' [even to the point of] putting people to death. [I had] both men and women bound [in chains] and locked up in prisons.

as the High Priest also and all the Elders can bear me witness. It was, too, from them that I received letters to the brethren in Damascus, and I was already on my way to Damascus, intending to bring those also who had fled there, in chains to Jerusalem, to be punished.

And it came to pass, that as I was passing on my journey, and had come nigh to Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light around me.

"And as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling, those who were with me had to lead me by the arm, and so I came to Damascus.

And one Ananias, a God-fearing man, who kept the law, and of whom all the Jews in that place had a high opinion,

And it came to pass, that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,

“But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in You imprisoned and beaten.

The people had listened to Paul speaking up to this point [i.e., until he said the word "Gentiles"], then they raised their voices and shouted, "Do away with such a person from the earth; it is not right for him to live."

And when they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

And the chief captain said, I got Roman rights for myself at a great price. And Paul said, But I had them by birth.

Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

But on the next day, [because he] wanted to know the true [reason] why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to assemble, and he brought down Paul [and] had [him] stand before them.

And Paul said, Brother, I had no idea that he was the high priest: for it has been said, You may not say evil about the ruler of your people.

And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

And there was a great outcry: and some of the scribes on the side of the Pharisees got up and took part in the discussion, saying, We see no evil in this man: what if he has had a revelation from an angel or a spirit?

And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

But Paul's sister's son had word of their design, and he came into the army building and gave news of it to Paul.

Paul called one of the Captains of the garrison and asked him to take the lad to the Commanding Officer, as he had something to tell him.

The Commanding Officer took the lad by the hand, and, stepping aside, asked what it was he had to tell him.

The tribune dismissed the young man and ordered him not to tell anyone that he had notified him.

{He wrote} a letter that had this form:

When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.

I wanted to know the exact charge they were making against him, so I had him brought before their Council.

and I discovered that the charge had to do with questions of their Law, but that he was accused of nothing for which he deserves death or imprisonment.

And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

Then indeed the soldiers, according to that which had been commanded them, taking Paul led him by night to Antipatris:

When these had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;

And [when] he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse [him], saying, "We have experienced much peace through you, and reforms are taking place in this nation through your foresight.

who also attempted to profane the temple; whom we also had seized, and would have judged according to our law;

Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:

After some years' absence I had come to bring charitable gifts to my nation, and to make offerings;

They found me in the Temple doing these things just as I had completed the purification ceremony. No crowd or noisy mob was present.

Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.

But Felix, who had a more detailed knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, When Lysias, the chief captain, comes down, I will give attention to your business.

And he gave orders to the captain to keep Paul under his control, and to let him have everything he had need of; and not to keep his friends from coming to see him.

Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was herself a Jewess, and, sending for Paul, listened to what he had to say about faith in Christ Jesus.

And while he was talking about righteousness and self-control and the judging which was to come, Felix had great fear and said, Go away for the present, and when the right time comes I will send for you.

For he was hoping that Paul would give him money: so he sent for him more frequently and had talk with him.

But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded [in office] by Porcius Festus; and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.

Now Festus arrived in the province, and three days later he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea [Maritima].

And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought.

And when he was come, the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem stood round about him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove;

as long as he answered for himself, that he had neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar offended anything at all.

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.

And when certain days had elapsed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to salute Festus.

And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix:

To whom I answered, that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man, before that the accused have the accusers face to face, and have had opportunity to make his defense concerning the matter laid against him.

When therefore they had come together here, without putting it off, I sat the next day on the judgment-seat and commanded the man to be brought:

But, when his accusers stood up, they did not charge him with the misdemeanours of which I had been suspecting him.

But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

And as I had not enough knowledge for the discussion of these things, I made the suggestion to him to go to Jerusalem and be judged there.

But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.

Agrippa said to Festus, "I had been wanting to hear this man's testimony myself." [Festus replied], "Tomorrow you will [have the opportunity to] hear him."

So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and they had entered into the place of hearing with the commanding officers and principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.

But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.

Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.

"Now all the Jews know my manner of life from [my] youth, that had taken place from the beginning among my [own] people and in Jerusalem,

They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee.

“So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

I often persecuted them in the synagogues, [even] trying to get them to blaspheme [i.e., speak against God]. I had extreme anger toward them and [even] traveled to foreign cities [in my effort] to persecute them.

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].’

But get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I shall yet appear to you,

But I have had help from God to this day, and I stand [before people] testifying to small and great alike, stating nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said would come to pass—

And when Paul had said these words, Festus said with a loud voice, You are mad, Paul; much learning has driven you to madness.

And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:

and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.

Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

But when it had been determined that we should sail to Italy, they delivered up Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion, by name Julius, of Augustus' company.

So when we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.

And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;

Now much time had been lost, and navigation was dangerous, because even [the time for] the fast (Day of Atonement) was already over, so Paul began to strongly warn them,

But the centurion had more confidence in the pilot, and in the owner of the ship, than in the things which were spoken by Paul.

And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

and when the ship was caught [by it], we were not able to face the wind, so had to give in and allow the ship to drift.

And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

As we were being terribly battered by the storm, they had to jettison the cargo next day,

And as we had not seen the sun or stars for a long time, and a great storm was on us, all hope of salvation was gone.

And when they had been long without food, then Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have set sail from Crete, and have gotten this injury and loss.

The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were approaching some land.

And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

Everyone was encouraged and had something to eat.

And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

And when it was day, they had no knowledge of the land, but they saw an inlet of the sea with a floor of sand, and they had the idea of driving the ship up on to it if possible.

And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

But they chanced on a place, which had the sea on both the sides, and thrust in the ship. And the fore part stuck fast, and moved not, but the hinder part brake with the violence of the waves.

[Meanwhile] the soldiers had decided to kill the prisoners so that none of them would swim away and escape.

But the captain, desiring to keep Paul safe, kept them from their purpose, and gave orders that those who had knowledge of swimming were to go off the ship and get first to land:

When we had escaped, then they learned that the island was called Malta.

And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold.

And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

In the same quarters, the chief man of the isle whose name was Publius, had a lordship: the same received us, and lodged us three days courteously.