something to write.
025:027 For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner,
not to also specify the charges against him."
026:001 Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself."
Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.
026:002 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my
defense before you this day concerning all the things that I
am accused by the Jews,
026:003 especially because you are expert in all customs and
questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you
to hear me patiently.
026:004 "Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up,
which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;
026:005 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify,
that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
026:006 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made
by God to our fathers,
026:007 which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day,
hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by
the Jews, King Agrippa!
026:008 Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?
026:009 "I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things
contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
026:010 This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints
in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests,
and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.
026:011 Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make
them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them,
I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
026:012 "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority
and commission from the chief priests,
026:013 at noon, O King, I saw on the way a light from the sky,
brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who
traveled with me.
026:014 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me
in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
026:015 "I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He said, 'I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting.
026:016 But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you
for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness
both of the things which you have seen, and of the things
which I will reveal to you;
026:017 delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles,
to whom I send you,
026:018 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive
remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are
sanctified by faith in me.'
026:019 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to
the heavenly vision,
026:020 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem,
and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles,
that they should repent and turn to God, doing works
worthy of repentance.
026:021 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried
to kill me.
026:022 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand
to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing
but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,
026:023 how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead,
he would be first to proclaim light both to these people
and to the Gentiles."
026:024 As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul,
you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!"
026:025 But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly
declare words of truth and reasonableness.
026:026 For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely.
For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him,
for this has not been done in a corner.
026:027 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
026:028 Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying
to make me a Christian?"
026:029 Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much,
not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become
such as I am, except for these bonds."
026:030 The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those
who sat with them.
026:031 When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another, saying,
"This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds."
026:032 Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free
if he had not appealed to Caesar."
027:001 When it was determined that we should sail for Italy,
they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion
named Julius, of the Augustan band.
027:002 Embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to places
on the coast of Asia, we put to sea; Aristarchus, a Macedonian
of Thessalonica, being with us.
027:003 The next day, we touched at Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly,
and gave him permission to go to his friends and refresh himself.
027:004 Putting to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus,
because the winds were contrary.
027:005 When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia
and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
027:006 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy,
and he put us on board.
027:007 When we had sailed slowly many days, and had come with
difficulty opposite Cnidus, the wind not allowing us further,
we sailed under the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.
027:008 With difficulty sailing along it we came to a certain place
called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
027:009 When much time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous,
because the Fast had now already gone by, Paul admonished them,
027:010 and said to them, "Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be
with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship,
but also of our lives."
027:011 But the centurion gave more heed to the master and to the owner
of the ship than to those things which were spoken by Paul.
027:012 Because the haven was not suitable to winter in, the majority
advised going to sea from there, if by any means they could
reach Phoenix, and winter there, which is a port of Crete,
looking northeast and southeast.
027:013 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained
their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete,
close to shore.
027:014 But before long, a stormy wind beat down from shore, which is
called Euroclydon.{Or, "a northeaster."}
027:015 When the ship was caught, and couldn't face the wind, we gave
way to it, and were driven along.
027:016 Running under the lee of a small island called Clauda,
we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat.
027:017 After they had hoisted it up, they used cables to help
reinforce the ship. Fearing that they would run aground
on the Syrtis sand bars, they lowered the sea anchor,
and so were driven along.
027:018 As we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they
began to throw things overboard.
027:019 On the third day, they threw out the ship's tackle with
their own hands.
027:020 When neither sun nor stars shone on us for many days,
and no small storm pressed on us, all hope that we would
be saved was now taken away.
027:021 When they had been long without food, Paul stood up in the middle
of them, and said, "Sirs, you should have listened to me,
and not have set sail from Crete, and have gotten this
injury and loss.
027:022 Now I exhort you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life
among you, but only of the ship.
027:023 For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God
whose I am and whom I serve,
027:024 saying, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.
Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
027:025 Therefore, sirs, cheer up! For I believe God, that it will
be just as it has been spoken to me.
027:026 But we must run aground on a certain island."
027:027 But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back
and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors
surmised that they were drawing near to some land.
027:028 They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms.{20 fathoms
= 120 feet = 36.6 meters} After a little while, they took
soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.{15 fathoms = 90
feet = 27.4 meters}
027:029 Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let
go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight.
027:030 As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship, and had
lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would
lay out anchors from the bow,
027:031 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these
stay in the ship, you can't be saved."
027:032 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let
it fall off.
027:033 While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take
some food, saying, "This day is the fourteenth day that you
wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing.
027:034 Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety;
for not a hair will perish from any of your heads."
027:035 When he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God
in the presence of all, and he broke it, and began to eat.
027:036 Then they all cheered up, and they also took food.
027:037 In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship.
027:038 When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship,
throwing out the wheat into the sea.
027:039 When it was day, they didn't recognize the land, but they
noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try
to drive the ship onto it.
027:040 Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same
time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail
to the wind, they made for the beach.
027:041 But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran
the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable,
but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves.
027:042 The soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none
of them would swim out and escape.
027:043 But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from
their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should
throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land;
027:044 and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other
things from the ship. So it happened that they all escaped
safely to the land.
028:001 When we had escaped, then they{NU reads "we"} learned that
the island was called Malta.
028:002 The natives showed us uncommon kindness; for they kindled
a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain,
and because of the cold.
028:003 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid
them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat,
and fastened on his hand.
028:004 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand,
they said one to another, "No doubt this man is a murderer,
whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has
not allowed to live."
028:005 However he shook off the creature into the fire, and wasn't harmed.
028:006 But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen
down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time
and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds,
and said that he was a god.
028:007 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging
to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us,
and courteously entertained us for three days.
028:008 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick of fever
and dysentery. Paul entered in to him, prayed, and laying
his hands on him, healed him.
028:009 Then when this was done, the rest also who had diseases
in the island came, and were cured.
028:010 They also honored us with many honors, and when we sailed,
they put on board the things that we needed.
028:011 After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had
wintered in the island, whose sign was "The Twin Brothers."
028:012 Touching at Syracuse, we stayed there three days.
028:013 From there we circled around and arrived at Rhegium.
After one day, a south wind sprang up, and on the second day
we came to Puteoli,
028:014 where we found brothers,{The word for "brothers" here and where
context allows may also be correctly translated "brothers
and sisters" or "siblings."} and were entreated to stay
with them for seven days. So we came to Rome.
028:015 From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet
us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns.
When Paul saw them, he thanked God, and took courage.
028:016 When we entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners
to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to stay
by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
028:017 It happened that after three days Paul called together those who
were the leaders of the Jews. When they had come together,
he said to them, "I, brothers, though I had done nothing
against the people, or the customs of our fathers, still was
delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,
028:018 who, when they had examined me, desired to set me free,
because there was no cause of death in me.
028:019 But when the Jews spoke against it, I was constrained
to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything about which to
accuse my nation.
028:020 For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you.
For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."
028:021 They said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea
concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report
or speak any evil of you.
028:022 But we desire to hear from you what you think. For, as concerning
this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against."
028:023 When they had appointed him a day, many people came to him
at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying about
the Kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus,
both from the law of Moses and from the prophets,
from morning until evening.
028:024 Some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.
028:025 When they didn't agree among themselves, they departed after
Paul had spoken one word, "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly
through Isaiah, the prophet, to our fathers,
028:026 saying, 'Go to this people, and say, in hearing, you will hear,
but will in no way understand. In seeing, you will see,
but will in no way perceive.
028:027 For this people's heart has grown callous. Their ears
are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed.
Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their heart, and would turn again, and I
would heal them.'{Isaiah 6:9-10}
028:028 "Be it known therefore to you, that the salvation of God
is sent to the nations. They will also listen."
028:029 When he had said these words, the Jews departed, having a great
dispute among themselves.
028:030 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house,
and received all who were coming to him,
028:031 preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without hindrance.