came to see me, and standing by my side said to me, 'Saul, my brother, recover your sight!' Then instantly I did recover it and looked at him,

and he said, 'The God of our forefathers has appointed you to learn His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear Him speak,

for you shall be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

and saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste and at once get out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

and when the blood of your martyr Stephen was being shed, I stood by and approved it, and held the clothes of those who killed him.'

They listened to him until he said this, and then all at once they shouted, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He is certainly not fit to live!"

the colonel ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks, and told them to examine him by flogging, in order that he might find out why they were crying out against him in such a way.

But when they had tied him for the flogging, Paul asked the captain who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman, and one who is uncondemned at that?"

When the captain heard that, he went to the colonel and reported it. Then he asked him, "What are you going to do? This man is a Roman citizen."

Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

So the men who were going to examine him left him at once, and the colonel himself was frightened when he learned that he was a Roman citizen and that he had had him bound.

The next day, as he wished to learn the exact reason why the Jews accused him, he had him unbound, and ordered the high priest and the whole council to assemble, and took Paul down and brought him before them.

At this the high priest Ananias ordered the people standing near him to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him, "You white-washed wall, God will strike you! Do you sit as a judge to try me in accordance with the law and yet in violation of the law you order them to strike me?"

The people standing near him said, "Do you mean to insult God's high priest?"

So there was a vociferous yelling until some of the scribes, belonging to the party of the Pharisees, got up and fiercely contended, "We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or angel has really spoken to him!"

Since the dispute kept growing hotter and hotter, the colonel became alarmed that Paul might be torn in pieces by them, and so ordered the army to march down and take him out of their hands and bring him back to the barracks.

And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

So you and the council must now notify the colonel to bring him down to you, as though you were going to look into his case more carefully, but before he gets down we will be ready to kill him."

But Paul's sister's son heard of the intended attack upon him. So he came and went into the barracks and told Paul about it;

So Paul called one of the captains and said, "Take this young man to the colonel, for he has something to tell him."

So he took him and brought him to the colonel and said, "The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you."

So the colonel took him by the arm, stepped to one side so as to be alone, and asked him, "What is it you have to tell me?"

And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him; they have taken an oath not to eat or drink till they have killed him. They are all ready now, just waiting for your promise."

So the colonel sent the young man away, with strict directions not to tell anybody that he had notified him of this plot.

And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

He further told them to provide horses for Paul to ride, so as to bring him in safety to Felix, the governor, to whom

To him he wrote a letter, somewhat as follows--

This man had been seized by the Jews and they were on the point of killing him when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, because I had learned that he was a Roman citizen.

As I wanted to know the exact charge they were making against him, I brought him before their council,

and found him to be charged with questions about their law, but having no charge against him involving death or imprisonment.

Because a plot against the man has been reported to me as brewing, I at once am sending him on to you and have directed his accusers to present their charge against him before you."

So the soldiers took Paul, as they had been ordered to do, and brought him by night as far as Antipatris.

The next day they returned to the barracks, leaving the mounted men to go on with him;

they, on reaching Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor and turned Paul over to him, too.

And when he had read the letter, he inquired to what province he belonged. And learning that he was from Cilicia, he said: I will hear you when your accusers also have come. And he ordered him to be kept under guard in Herod's palace.

he said, "I will carefully hear your case as soon as your accusers arrive." Then he ordered him to be kept in custody in Herod's palace.

Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a prosecuting attorney, Tertullus, and through him they presented their case against Paul before the governor.

And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,

once he tried to desecrate the temple, but we arrested him,

But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,

and now, by examining him for yourself, you can find out exactly what charges we bring against him."

And the Jews united in accusing him, saying that these things were so.

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:

He ordered the captain to keep Paul in custody but to let him have freedom and not to prevent his friends from showing him kindness.

Some days later, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him talk about faith in Christ Jesus.

But, while Paul was speaking at length about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became terrified, and interrupted him--"Go for the present, but, when I find an opportunity, I will send for you again."

At the same time he was hoping to get money from Paul, and so he kept on sending for him and talking with him.

offer'd him mony in order to obtain his discharge. but two years after he was succeeded by Porcius Festus, who to oblige the Jews left Paul under confinement.

Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him,

and begged the governor as a favor to have Paul come to Jerusalem, because they were plotting an ambush to kill him on the way.

"So have your influential men go down with me," said he, "and present charges against the man, if there is anything wrong with him."

And when he had staid among them more than ten days, he went down to Cesarea, and the next day sitting on the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought before him.

When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him, and continued to bring a number of serious charges against him, none of which they could prove.

but Festus willing to oblige the Jews ask'd him, will you consent to go to Jerusalem, and take your trial before me there?

Now several days later, Agrippa [II] the king and Bernice [his sister] arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus [the new governor].

While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left as a prisoner by Felix.

and when I was in Jerusalem, the Jewish high priests and elders presented their case against him, and continued to ask for a judgment against him.

To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.

But when his accusers appeared before me, they did not charge him with the crimes of which I had been suspecting him.

They merely had a quarrel with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, but who Paul kept saying was still alive.

And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters.

But as Paul appealed to have his case kept for his Majesty's decision, I ordered him kept in custody until I could send him up to the emperor."

"I should like to hear the man myself," said Agrippa to Festus. "Tomorrow you shall hear him," said Festus.

And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all those who are present here with us, you see this man, about whom all the Jews have made protests to me, at Jerusalem and in this place, saying that it is not right for him to be living any longer.

But I found that he had not done anything for which he deserved to die; however, as he has himself appealed to his Majesty, I have decided to send him up.

Yet, I have nothing definite to write our Sovereign about him. So I have brought him before all of you, especially before you, King Agrippa, to get from your examination something to put in writing.

For it seems to me absurd to send a prisoner up, without specifying the charges against him."

to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as [they] earnestly serve [him] night and day. Concerning this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king!

As Paul made his defense in this way, Festus said to him loudly, "Paul, you are crazy. All your education is driving you insane."

The king, indeed, knows about this and I can speak to him with freedom. I do not believe that any of this escaped his notice, for it did not occur in a corner!

Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and those who were sitting with him got up.

And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

But when Paul had got some sticks together and put them on the fire, a snake came out, because of the heat, and gave him a bite on the hand.

When the natives saw the reptile hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "Beyond a doubt this man is a murderer, for though he has been rescued from the sea, justice will not let him live."

Then he shook the reptile from him into the fire, and suffered no harm.

The natives kept on looking for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual take place on him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Publius' father chanced to be sick in bed with fever and dysentery, and Paul went to see him and after praying laid his hands upon him and cured him.

Because this cure was performed, the rest of the sick people on the island kept coming to him and by degrees were cured.

When we did arrive at Rome, Paul was granted permission to live by himself -- excepting a soldier to guard him.

Three days later, he invited the leading men of the Jews to come to see him, and when they came, he said to them, "Brothers, I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our forefathers; yet at Jerusalem I was turned over to the Romans as a prisoner.

For these reasons, then, I have invited you here, that I might see you and speak to you; for it is for the sake of Him who is the hope of Israel that this chain hangs upon me."

They answered him, "We have not received any letters from Judea about you, and not one of our Jewish brothers has come and reported or stated anything wicked about you.

So they set a day for him, and came in large numbers to see him at the place where he was lodging, and from morning till night he continued to explain to them the kingdom of God, at the same time giving them his own testimony and trying from the law of Moses and the prophets to convince them about Jesus.

Unable to agree among themselves, they at last left him, but not before Paul had spoken a parting word to them, saying, "Right well did the Holy Spirit say to your forefathers through the Prophet Isaiah:

And when he had said that, the Jews departed from him, and had great disputations among themselves.

So Paul for two whole years lived in a rented house of his own; he continued to welcome everybody who came to see him;

Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.