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

After five days Ananias the high priest came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. These men presented their case against Paul to the governor.

For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:

And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:

having a hope in God which these [men] also themselves await: [that] there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Or else let these men themselves say what wrong-doing they found when I stood before the council,

He also arranged for the centurion to guard Paul, and to have reduced confinement, and to forbid none of his own men to serve or to come to him.

He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.

And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they besought him,

asking for themselves a favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, intending to place men in wait to kill him on the road.

Festus replied that Paul would be kept in custody at Caesarea, but that he himself meant to leave for Caesarea before long ??5 "when," he added, "your competent authorities can come down with me and charge the man with whatever crime he has committed."

Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.

For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.

Then Festus, after conferring with [the men who formed] his council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”

After a number of days King Agrippa [Note: This man was the great grandson of Herod the Great. See Matt. 2:1] and [his wife] Bernice arrived at Caesarea and came to greet 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, 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.

Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth.

Instead they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive.

But, being in doubt about the question concerning this man, I asked him if he would go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged with respect to these matters.

Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.

And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth.

And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.

But I, having found that he had done nothing worthy of death, and this man himself having appealed to Augustus, I have decided to send him;

I have nothing very definite, however, to tell our Sovereign about him. So I have brought the man before you all--and especially before you, King Agrippa--that after he has been examined I may find something which I can put into writing.

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

but first to the people of Damascus and Jerusalem and then all over Judea, and even to the heathen I preached that they must repent and turn to God and live as men who have repented should.

Then King Agrippa, [his wife] Bernice, Governor [Festus] and [the commanders and leading men of the city, 25:23] all rose up,

And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, 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.

saying, Men, I perceive that the navigation will be with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.

Since the harbor was not a good place to spend the winter, most of the men favored putting out to sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix and spend the winter there. It is a Cretian harbor that faces southwest and northwest.

And, after hoisting it on board, the men frapped the ship. But, afraid of being driven on to the Syrtis Sands, they lowered the yard, and then drifted.

And when they had been a long while without taking food, Paul then standing up in the midst of them said, Ye ought, O men, to have hearkened to me, and not have made sail from Crete and have gained this disaster and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

saying, 'Do not be afraid Paul, for you must appear before Caesar, and look, God will grant you [the safety of] all these men aboard ship [along] with yourself.'

Wherefore be of good courage, men, for I believe God that thus it shall be, as it has been said to me.

Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you cannot be saved.”

Then the armed men, cutting the cords of the boat, let her go.

And the men all felt cheered and had something to eat themselves.

And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bonds and hoisted up the main sail to the wind and drew to land.

Then the armed men were for putting the prisoners to death, so that no one would get away by swimming.

And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

And when we came into Rome, they let Paul have a house for himself and the armed man who kept watch over him.

And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

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

but as regards the holiness of His Spirit was decisively proved by His Resurrection to be the Son of God--I mean concerning Jesus Christ our Lord,

through whom we have received grace and Apostleship in His service in order to win men to obedience to the faith, among all Gentile peoples,

For I do yearn to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift for your strengthening ??12 or, in other words, that I may be encouraged by meeting you, I by your faith and you by mine.

that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.

For I am not ashamed of the good-news of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to every man who believes, both to the Jew first, and to the Greek.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.”

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

This then is the reason why God gave them up to vile passions. For not only did the women among them exchange the natural use of their bodies for one which is contrary to nature, but the men also,

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Which men, though they knew the righteousness of God, how that they which such things commit are worthy of death: yet not only do the same, but also have pleasure in them that do them.

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?

Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another].

in the day when God shall judge the secret works of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

For when the Gentiles who have no law do by nature the things of the law, these men, not having law, are a law to themselves.

Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

and know the supreme will, and can test things that differ--being a man who receives instruction from the Law--

Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded [by God] as circumcision?

A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision.

For the true Jew is not the man who is simply a Jew outwardly, and true circumcision is not that which is outward and bodily.

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

I speak as a man. God forbid; for then how should God judge the world?

If, for instance, a falsehood of mine has made God's truthfulness more conspicuous, redounding to His glory, why am I judged all the same as a sinner?

And say not rather - as men evil-speak of us, and as some affirm that we say - "Let us do evil, that good may come thereof." Whose damnation is just.

Well then, are we [Jews] better off than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) are under the control of sin and subject to its power.

according as it is written, There is not a righteous man, not even one;

there is not the man that understands, there is not one that seeks after God.

All turned away. Together they became useless. There is not a man who does goodness; there is not as much as one.

Now, we have knowledge that what the law says is for those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all men may be judged by God:

For no person will be justified [freed of guilt and declared righteous] in His sight by [trying to do] the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin [and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin].

But now, God's plan of justifying men without law is revealed, being attested by the law and the prophets;

That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another,

For all men sin and come short of the glory of God,

For God set him before the world, to be, by the shedding of his blood, a means of reconciliation through faith. And this God did to prove his righteousness, and because, in his forbearance, he had passed over the sins that men had previously committed;

As a proof, I repeat, at the present time, of his own righteousness, that he might be righteous in our eyes, and might pronounce righteous the man who takes his stand on faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is shut out. On what principle? What a man does? No, but whether a man has faith.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

since God is one, who will make the man of circumcision righteous from faith, and the man of uncircumcision through faith.

But in the case of a man who works, pay is not reckoned a favour but a debt;

whereas in the case of a man who pleads no actions of his own, but simply believes in Him who declares the ungodly free from guilt, his faith is placed to his credit as righteousness.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,