Acts 24:1–27

¹Five days later the high priest An‧a‧ni′as came down with some older men and a public speaker, a certain Ter‧tul′lus, and they gave information to the governor against Paul.²When he was called, Ter‧tul′lus started accusing him, saying:

“Seeing that we enjoy great peace through you and that reforms are taking place in this nation through your forethought,³at all times and also in all places we receive it, Your Excellency Felix, with the greatest thankfulness.⁴But that I may not hinder you any further, I beseech you to hear us briefly in your kindliness.⁵For we have found this man a pestilent fellow and stirring up seditions among all the Jews throughout the inhabited earth and a spearhead of the sect of the Naz‧a‧renes′,⁶one who also tried to profane the temple and whom we seized.⁷——⁸From him you yourself can by examination find out about all these things of which we are accusing him.”

⁹With that the Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.¹⁰And Paul, when the governor nodded to him to speak, answered:

“Knowing well that this nation has had you as judge for many years, I readily speak in my defense the things about myself,¹¹as you are in a position to find out that for me it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem;¹²and they found me neither in the temple arguing with anyone nor causing a mob to rush together, either in the synagogues or throughout the city.¹³Nor can they prove to you the things of which they are accusing me right now.¹⁴But I do admit this to you, that, according to the way that they call a ‘sect,’ in this manner I am rendering sacred service to the God of my forefathers, as I believe all the things set forth in the Law and written in the Prophets;¹⁵and I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.¹⁶In this respect, indeed, I am exercising myself continually to have a consciousness of committing no offense against God and men.¹⁷So after quite a number of years I arrived to bring gifts of mercy to my nation, and offerings.¹⁸While I was at these matters they found me ceremonially cleansed in the temple, but not with a crowd or with a tumult. But there were certain Jews from the [district of] Asia,¹⁹who ought to be present before you and to accuse me if they might have anything against me.²⁰Or, let the [men] here say for themselves what wrong they found as I stood before the San′he‧drin,²¹except with respect to this one utterance which I cried out while standing among them, ‘Over the resurrection of the dead I am today being judged before ​YOU!’”

²²However, Felix, knowing quite accurately the matters concerning this Way, began to put the [men] off and said: “Whenever Lys′i‧as the military commander comes down, I shall decide upon these matters involving ​YOU.”²³And he ordered the army officer that the man be kept and have some relaxation [of custody], and that he forbid no one of his people to wait upon him.

²⁴Some days later Felix arrived with Dru‧sil′la his wife, who was a Jewess, and he sent for Paul and listened to him on the belief in Christ Jesus.²⁵But as he talked about righteousness and self‐control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and answered: “For the present go your way, but when I get an opportune time I shall send for you again.”²⁶At the same time, though, he was hoping for money to be given him by Paul. On that account he sent for him even more frequently and would converse with him.²⁷But, when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and because Felix desired to gain favor with the Jews, he left Paul bound.