Paul looked directly at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day.”

When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.

But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, he came and entered the barracks and told Paul.

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

The commanding officer took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want to report to me?”

When I was informed there would be a plot against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges against him before you.

After five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought formal charges against Paul to the governor.

which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, without a crowd or a disturbance.

Then Felix, who understood the facts concerning the Way more accurately, adjourned their hearing, saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.”

When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they were not able to prove.

Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive.

Because I was at a loss how I could investigate these matters, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.

But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.”

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

As Paul was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

When it was decided we would sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.

We went on board a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to various ports along the coast of the province of Asia and put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

We sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.

Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast was already over, Paul advised them,

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.