Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have our permission to speak upon your own behalf." At this Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.

Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, King Agrippa, I have been counting myself happy, that, before thee, am I about, this day, to be making my defence;

especially since you are an expert on all the customs and issues discussed among the Jews. So, for this reason I request that you hear [my response to them] patiently.

And this moment for the hope of the promise made of God to our fathers am I standing here to be judged:

the promise our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve Him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope.

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.

In {this activity} I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests.

But rise and stand upon thy feet; for, to this end, have I appeared unto thee, - To appoint thee an attendant and a witness, both of the things as to which thou hast seen me, and of those as to which I will appear unto thee:

by delivering you from this people, and from the Gentiles to whom I now send thee, to open their eyes,

this heavenly vision, king Agrippa, I presently obey'd:

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple complex and were trying to kill me.

So then, having met with, the help that is from God, until this day, do I stand, witnessing to both small and great, nothing else saying, than those things which both the prophets, and Moses, did say should certainly come to pass: -

As he was making his defense this way, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driving you mad!”

For well-knoweth, the king, concerning these things, unto whom, with boldness of utterance, am I speaking; for, that these things are not hidden from him, I am well persuaded, - for, not in a corner, hath this thing been done.

"At this rate," Agrippa remarked, "it won't be long before you believe you have made a Christian of me!"

And, Paul, answered - I could pray unto God that, both almost and altogether, not only thou but all they who are hearing me this day, might become such, - as even, I, am, excepting these bonds.

When he had said this, the king, the governour, Bernice, and all that were seated near them, rose up: and being retired,

And, retiring, they began conversing one with another, saying, Nothing worthy of death or of bonds, doth this man practise.

And, Agrippa, unto Festus, said - This man might have been released, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

For many days we sailed slowly, and then arrived with difficulty over against Cnidus; from this point, as the wind did not further favor us, we ran under the lee of Crete, off Cape Salmone;

having lost a good deal of time, and sailing being now dangerous, for the fast was now over, Paul gave them this warning,

and told them, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward damage and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.”

And as the harbor was not fit to winter in, the majority favored the plan to set sail from there and see if they could reach Phoenix and winter there, this being a harbor in Crete facing west-southwest and west-north-west.

When the south wind began to blow gently, they raised anchor, thinking this was the opportunity they had hoped for, [then] sailed close to the coastline of [southern] Crete.

Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down from the island.

After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Then, fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along.

On the third day, they handed [the rest of] the ship's gear to each other, and threw it overboard [Note: This was perhaps furniture, rigging, sails, baggage, etc.].

But, when they had been, long without food, then, Paul, standing in the midst of them, said - Ye ought, indeed, Sir! yielding to me, not to have sailed away from Crete, to get this damage and loss. --

For there stood by me this night, belonging unto the God whose I am, unto whom also I am doing divine service, a messenger,

take courage then, my friends, for I have this confidence in God, that what has been told me, shall be effected,

upon this Paul said to the centurion and his men, "except the crew stay aboard, you can't be safe:"

And, until day was about to dawn, Paul continued to beseech one and all to take some food, saying - This day is, the fourteenth day, that, suspense, fasting, ye are completing, - having helped yourselves, to nothing.

Wherefore, I beseech you to take some food, - for, this, lays a foundation for your safety; for, of no one of you, shall a hair of the head perish.

having said this, he took bread, and gave thanks to God, the whole company present: then he broke it and began to eat,

This raised the spirits of all of them, and they took something to eat.

When daylight came, they tried in vain to recognise the coast. But an inlet with a sandy beach attracted their attention, and now their object was, if possible, to run the ship aground in this inlet.

but the colonel wanted to save Paul, and so he prevented them from carrying out this plan, and ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest to follow,

The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.

And, when the natives saw the brute hanging out from his hand, they began to say, one to another - Doubtless, this man is, a murderer, whom, though brought safely through out of the sea, Justice, hath not suffered, to live.

But the natives expected him to swell up [from snake bite] or fall dead suddenly, but after expecting this for a long time and not seeing any harm come to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Now in the parts adjacent to this place was the seat of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius, who took us into his house, and entertained us three days courteously.

And, when this happened, the rest also, even they in the island who were sick, were coming in and getting cured;

After three months we set sail on a ship that had spent the winter on the island [of Melita]. This ship had originated from Alexandria and was designated as "Twin Brothers" [Note: The ship may have been named this because of its prow containing the figures of the mythical twin gods of sailors, Castor and Pollux].

where we found brothers, [and] were implored to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome.

And from this place, the brethren, having heard of us, came out as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns, to meet us. When Paul saw the brethren, he thanked God, and took courage.

But when the Jews objected to this, I was compelled to appeal [my case] to Caesar, even though I had done nothing against my country.

For this cause, therefore, have I called for you, to see and to speak with you; for, on account of the hope of Israel, this chain, have I about me!

But we deem it well, that, from thee, we should hear what are thine opinions; for, indeed, concerning this sect, it is, known to us, that, everywhere, is it spoken against.

And they went away, for there was a division among them after Paul had said this one thing: Well did the Holy Spirit say by the prophet Isaiah to your fathers,

saying - Go thy way unto this people, and say - Ye shall, surely hear, and yet will in nowise understand. And, surely see, and yet will in nowise perceive;

For the heart of this people, hath become dense, and, with their ears, heavily, have they heard, and, their eyes, have they closed, - lest once they should see with their eyes, and, with their ears, should hear, and, with their hearts, should understand, and return, - when I would certainly heal them.

Be it, known unto you, therefore, that, unto the nations, hath been sent forth this salvation of God: they, will also hear.

[ having said this, the Jews went out, warmly debating it among themselves.]

After this, Paul staid two whole years in a house he had hired, and gave access to all that visited him,