Acts 24:1-16 ▼

1 And after five days the chief priest Ananias came down, with the elders, and a certain orator—Tertullus, and they disclosed to the governor [the things] against Paul;

2 and he having been called, Tertullus began to accuse [him], saying, “Enjoying much peace through you, and worthy deeds being done to this nation through your forethought,

3 always, also, and everywhere we receive it, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness;

4 and that I may not be further tedious to you, I exhort you to hear us concisely in your gentleness;

5 for having found this man a pestilence, and moving a dissension to all the Jews through the world—also a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes—

6 who also tried to profane the temple, whom we also took, [[and wished to judge according to our law,

7 and Lysias the chief captain having come near, took away out of our hands with much violence,

8 having commanded his accusers to come to you,]] from whom you may be able, yourself having examined, to know concerning all these things of which we accuse him”;

9 and the Jews also agreed, professing these things to be so.

10 And Paul—the governor having beckoned to him to speak—answered, “Knowing [that] for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I answer more cheerfully the things concerning myself;

11 you being able to know that it is not more than twelve days to me since I went up to worship in Jerusalem,

12 and neither did they find me reasoning with anyone in the temple, or making a dissension of the multitude, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city;

13 nor are they able to prove against me the things concerning which they now accuse me.

14 And I confess this to you, that, according to The Way that they call a sect, so I serve the God of the fathers, believing all things that have been written in the Law and the Prophets,

15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, [that] there is about to be a resurrection of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous;

16 and in this I exercise myself, to always have a conscience void of offense toward God and men.