At that time they had in custody a notorious prisoner named Jesus<n id="1" /> Barabbas.

<t /><p class="bodytext">During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people,<n id="1" /> whomever they requested.

<t /><p class="bodytext">For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus<n id="1" /> for the sake of you Gentiles &#8211;

<p class="bodytext">During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd,<n id="1" /> whomever they wanted.

<p class="bodytext">About midnight Paul and Silas were praying<n id="1" /> and singing hymns to God,<n id="2" /> and the rest of<n id="3" /> the prisoners were listening to them.

For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating<n id="1" /> the charges against him.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord,<n id="1" /> urge you to live<n id="2" /> worthily of the calling with which you have been called,<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">From Paul,<n id="1" /> a prisoner of Christ Jesus,<n id="2" /> and Timothy our<n id="3" /> brother, to Philemon, our dear friend<n id="4" /> and colaborer,

I would rather appeal<n id="1" /> to you on the basis of love &#8211; I, Paul, an old man<n id="2" /> and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus<n id="3" /> &#8211;

Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them,<n id="1" /> and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment.<n id="2" />

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord<n id="1" /> or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by<n id="2" /> God&#8217;s power accept your share of suffering<n id="3" /> for the gospel.

For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison,<n id="1" /> and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly<n id="2" /> had a better and lasting possession.

When the jailer woke up<n id="1" /> and saw the doors of the prison standing open,<n id="2" /> he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,<n id="3" /> because he assumed<n id="4" /> the prisoners had escaped.

So the centurion<n id="1" /> took him and brought him to the commanding officer<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;The prisoner Paul called<n id="3" /> me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.&#8221;

While<n id="1" /> they were staying there many days, Festus<n id="2" /> explained Paul&#8217;s case to the king to get his opinion,<n id="3" /> saying, &#8220;There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

<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" />