Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

So the commanding officer came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” He replied, “Yes.”

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

So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.

The commanding officer answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” “But I was even born a citizen,” Paul replied.

Paul replied, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’”

Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to report to him.”

he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive too.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense:

So he replied, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

He said to them, “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or ritually unclean.

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing stood before me

But Paul said to the police officers, “They had us beaten in public without a proper trial – even though we are Roman citizens – and they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! They themselves must come and escort us out!”

As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commanding officer, “May I say something to you?” The officer replied, “Do you know Greek?