This became known to all who lived in Ephesus,<n id="1" /> both Jews and Greeks; fear came over<n id="2" /> them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.<n id="3" />

When they heard this, they praised<n id="1" /> God. Then they said to him, &#8220;You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews<n id="2" /> there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers<n id="3" /> of the law.<n id="4" />

They have been informed about you &#8211; that you teach all the Jews now living<n id="1" /> among the Gentiles to abandon<n id="2" /> Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children<n id="3" /> or live<n id="4" /> according to our customs.

When the seven days were almost over,<n id="1" /> the Jews from the province of Asia<n id="2" /> who had seen him in the temple area<n id="3" /> stirred up the whole crowd<n id="4" /> and seized<n id="5" /> him,

Paul answered,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I am a Jew<n id="2" /> from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.<n id="3" /> Please<n id="4" /> allow me to speak to the people.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">The next day, because the commanding officer<n id="1" /> wanted to know the true reason<n id="2" /> Paul<n id="3" /> was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council<n id="4" /> to assemble. He then brought<n id="5" /> Paul down and had him stand before them.p>

He replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council<n id="2" /> tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Some days later, when Felix<n id="1" /> arrived with his wife Drusilla,<n id="2" /> who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak<n id="3" /> about faith in Christ Jesus.<n id="4" />

After two years<n id="1" /> had passed, Porcius Festus<n id="2" /> succeeded Felix,<n id="3" /> and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.<n id="4" />p>

But Festus,<n id="1" /> wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, &#8220;Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried<n id="2" /> before me there on these charges?&#8221;<n id="3" />

Paul replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I am standing before Caesar&#8217;s<n id="2" /> judgment seat,<n id="3" /> where I should be tried.<n id="4" /> I have done nothing wrong<n id="5" /> to the Jews, as you also know very well.<n id="6" />

They said, &#8220;Cornelius the centurion,<n id="1" /> a righteous<n id="2" /> and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation,<n id="3" /> was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message<n id="4" /> from you.&#8221;

He came<n id="1" /> to us, took<n id="2" /> Paul&#8217;s belt,<n id="3" /> tied<n id="4" /> his own hands and feet with it,<n id="5" /> and said, &#8220;The Holy Spirit says this: &#8216;This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over<n id="6" /> to the Gentiles.&#8217;&#8221;

&#8220;I am a Jew,<n id="1" /> born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up<n id="2" /> in this city, educated with strictness<n id="3" /> under<n id="4" /> Gamaliel<n id="5" /> according to the law of our ancestors,<n id="6" /> and was<n id="7" /> zealous<n id="8" /> for God just as all of you are today.

Then Festus<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;King Agrippa,<n id="2" /> and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace<n id="3" /> petitioned<n id="4" /> me both in Jerusalem<n id="5" /> and here,<n id="6" /> shouting loudly<n id="7" /> that he ought not to live any longer.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After three days<n id="1" /> Paul<n id="2" /> called the local Jewish leaders<n id="3" /> together. When they had assembled, he said to them, &#8220;Brothers,<n id="4" /> although I had done<n id="5" /> nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors,<n id="6" /> from Jerusalem<n id="7" /> I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans.<n id="8" />