Holman Christian Standard Bible (331 page)

King Agrippa and Bernice Visit Festus

13
 After some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid a courtesy call on Festus.
14
 Since they stayed there many days, Festus presented Paul's case to the king, saying, “There's a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix.
15
 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented their case and asked for a judgment against him. 
16
 I answered them that it's not the Romans' custom to give any man up before the accused confronts the accusers face to face and has an opportunity to give a defense concerning the charges. 
17
 Therefore, when they had assembled here, I did not delay. The next day I sat at the judge's bench and ordered the man to be brought in.
18
 Concerning him, the accusers stood up and brought no charge of the sort I was expecting.
19
 Instead they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive.
20
 Since I was at a loss in a dispute over such things, I asked him if he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there concerning these matters.
21
 But when Paul appealed to be held for trial by the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.”

22
 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”

“Tomorrow you will hear him,” he replied. 

Paul before Agrippa

23
 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in.
24
 Then Festus said: “King Agrippa and all men present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community has appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he should not live any longer. 
25
 Now I realized that he had not done anything deserving of death, but when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 
26
 I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination is over, I may have something to write.
27
 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not to indicate the charges against him.”

Acts

Paul's Defense before Agrippa

26
Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted for you to speak for yourself.”

Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:
2
 “I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that today I am going to make a defense before you about everything I am accused of by the Jews,
3
 especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4
 “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem. 
5
 They had previously known me for quite some time, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I lived as a
•Pharisee
. 
6
 And now I stand on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,
7
 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. 
8
 Why is it considered incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9
 In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the
•Nazarene
. 
10
 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. 
11
 In all the
•synagogues
I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them. I even pursued them to foreign cities since I was greatly enraged at them.

Paul's Account of His Conversion and Commission

12
 “I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests.
13
 King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.
14
 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in the
•Hebrew
language,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

15
 “Then I said, ‘Who are You, Lord? '

“And the Lord replied:
‘I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting.
16
 But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and of what I will reveal to you. 
17
 I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles. I now send you to them 
18
 to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are
•sanctified
.' 

19
 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
20
 Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance. 
21
 For this reason the Jews seized me in the
•temple
complex and were trying to kill me.
22
 To this very day, I have obtained help that comes from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets and Moses said would take place  —
23
 that the
•Messiah
must suffer, and that as the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.” 

Not Quite Persuaded

24
 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! ”

25
 But Paul replied, “I'm not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I'm speaking words of truth and good judgment. 
26
 For the king knows about these matters. It is to him I am actually speaking boldly. For I am convinced that none of these things escapes his notice, since this was not done in a corner.
27
 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”

28
 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily? ”

29
 “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am — except for these chains.” 

30
 So the king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up,
31
 and when they had left they talked with each other and said, “This man is doing nothing that deserves death or chains.” 

32
 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.” 

Acts

Sailing for Rome

27
When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a
•centurion
named Julius, of the Imperial
•Regiment
. 
2
 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. 
3
 The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care. 
4
 When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
5
 After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia. 
6
 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
7
 Sailing slowly for many days, we came with difficulty as far as Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone.
8
 With yet more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.

Paul's Advice Ignored

9
 By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Fast was already over, Paul gave his advice
10
 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.”
11
 But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said. 
12
 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete open to the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.

Storm-Tossed Ship

13
 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.
14
 But not long afterward, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island.
15
 Since the ship was caught and was unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.
16
 After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, we were barely able to get control of the skiff.
17
 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.
18
 Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day. 
19
 On the third day, they threw the ship's gear overboard with their own hands.

20
 For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope that we would be saved was disappearing.
21
 Since many were going without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss.
22
 Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship.
23
 For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me, 
24
 and said, ‘Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.'
25
 Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me. 
26
 However, we must run aground on a certain island.” 

27
 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and in the middle of the night the sailors thought they were approaching land. 
28
 They took a sounding and found it to be 120 feet deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be 90 feet deep.
29
 Then, fearing we might run aground in some rocky place, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come.

30
 Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow.
31
 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
32
 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

33
 When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing.
34
 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For this has to do with your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 
35
 After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and when he broke it, he began to eat. 
36
 They all became encouraged and took food themselves.
37
 In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 
38
 When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

Shipwreck

39
 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could. 
40
 After casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach.
41
 But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.

42
 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape.
43
 But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
44
 The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore. 

Acts