the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman citizen, and uncondemned?

26 but when the centurion

heard this, he went and told it to the chief captain, saying, Beware what thou doest; for this man is a Roman citizen: 27 and the chief captain went, and said to him, Tell me, art thou a Roman citizen? And he said, Yes:

28 and the chief captain answered, With a great sum I purchased that citizenship: and Paul said, But I was so born. 29 Then they who were about to put him to the question, withdrew from him; and the chief captain also was afraid, when he knew that he was a Roman citizen, and that he had bound him :

30 and on the morrow, desiring to know the certainty of the cause for which he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him, and ordered the chief priests and their whole council to appear; and bringing Paul down, he set him before them.

commanded those that stood. by him, to smite him on the mouth:

3 then said Paul to him, God will smite thee, thou whitened wall: for dost thou sit to judge me according to the law, yet commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

4 and they that stood by, said, Revilest thou God's high priest?

5 then said Paul, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, "Thou shalt not speak evil of Exod. xxii.28. "the ruler of thy people."

6 But Paul, knowing that the one part were of the Sadducees, and the other of the Pharisees, cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: even for the hope of a resurrection of the c.xxiv.14,and dead I am called in question:

7 and when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the whole number was divided:

xxvi. 6.

8 for, the Sadducees say, that there is no resurrection, nor Matt. xxii. 22. angel, nor spirit; but, the Pharisees confess all these:

9 and a great clamour arose: and some of the scribes of the party of the Pharisees, rising up, contended, saying, We find no evil in this man: but, what if a spirit, or angel, hath spoken to him?

S

10 and, because the dissension was great, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and take him from among them by force, and bring him into the castle.

11 And the following night the Lord stood by him, and said, "Be of good courage; "for as thou hast testified the

things concerning me at Je"rusalem, so must thou bear "testimony also at Rome."

12 And when it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy; and bound themselves under a curse, saying, that they would neither eat nor drink, till they had killed Paul:

13 and they that had made this confederacy, were more than forty:

14 and they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing till we have killed Paul:

15 now, therefore, do ye, with the council, signify to the chief captain that he should bring him down to you to-morrow; as if ye would inquire more perfectly concerning him: and we are prepared to slay him, before he come near.

16 But the son of Paul's sister, having heard of their plot, came and entered into the castle, and told it to Paul:

17 and Paul, calling one of the centurions to him, said, Take this youth to the chief captain; for he hath something to tell him:

18 so he took him, and brought him to the chief captain; and said, Paul the prisoner called me to him, and desired me to bring to thee this youth, who hath something to tell thee:

19 then the chief captain took him by the hand; and going aside privately, asked him, What is it that thou hast to tell me?

20 and he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee to bring down Paul to-morrow to the council, as if they would inquire something more perfectly concerning him;

21 but, be not thou persuaded by them; for, more than forty men of them lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves with an oath, neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him and they are now ready, expecting a promise from thee:

22 then the chief captain dismissed the youth, charging him, Tell no one that thou hast revealed to me these things.

23 And calling to him two of the centurions, he said, Make ready two hundred soldiers, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, at the

out the world; and a ringleader of the heresy of the Na

zarenes;

6 who attempted to profane the temple, and whom we, therefore, seized: by examining whom, thou canst obtain knowledge of the things of which we accuse him:

7 and the Jews also assent

ed, saying that these things

were so.

8 Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned to him to speak, answered:

9 Knowing that thou hast been, for many years, a judge to this nation, I cheerfully answer for myself;

10 because thou canst obtain knowledge, that there are not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem :

11 and they neither found me disputing in the temple with any one, nor raising up the people, either in the synagogues, or in the city:

12 neither can they prove to thee the things of which they

now accuse me :

13 but this I confess to thee, that after the way which they call heresy, I worship the God of my fathers; believing all the things which are written in the law and in the prophets;

14 and having hope toward God of that for which they themselves also look, that there

xxvi. 6.

will be a resurrection both of c. xxiii. 6, and the just and unjust:

15 and in this I exercise myself, to have always an unaccusing conscience toward God, and toward men.

16 And during many years, I went bringing alms and offerings to my nation;

17 in doing which, certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, but not with a multitude, or with tumult:

18 who ought to have been here before thee, and make their charge, if they had any thing against me:

19 or else, let these say, what crime they found in me, when I stood before the council;

20 unless it be for that one voice that I cried to them, as I stood there," Of the resurrec❝tion of the dead, I am called c. xxiii. 6. "in question by you this day."

21 And when Felix heard these things, having thorough knowledge of that way, he put them off, saying, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the whole of your

matter:

22 and he gave orders to the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, but without restraint; and that he should forbid none of his friends to minister to him.

23 And after some days, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul;

24 and they heard him discourse, concerning the faith in Christ Jesus; and concerning his justification, and dominion, and future judgment; 25 but Felix, becoming terrified, answered, Go away for the present; I will take an opportunity to call for thee again:

26 he hoped, also, that money would have been given him by Paul, that he might release him; wherefore, he sent for him the oftener, and conversed with him.

27 But, at the end of two years Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and Felix, wishing to confer a favour on the Jews, left Paul bound.

CHAPTER XXV.

NOW, three days after Festus came into the province, he went up from Cesarea to Jerusalem:

2 and the high priest and the chiefs of the Jews appeared before him against Paul;

3 and they besought him, desiring favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem; forming a plot to kill him on the way:

4 but Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Cesarea, and that he himself would depart thither shortly:

5 let those, therefore, among you, who are able, said he,

come down with me, and ac

cuse this man, if there be any fault in him.

6 And when he had passed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Cesarea; and the next day, sitting on the judgmentseat, he commanded Paul to be brought.

7 And when he was present, the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem stood round him, and brought many and grievous charges, which they could not prove; Paul thus urging his defence:

8 Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Cesar, have I transgressed in any thing.

9 But Festus, wishing to confer a favour on the Jews,

answered Paul, and said, Art thou willing to go up to Jerusalem, and to be judged there before me, concerning these things?

10 but Paul said, I stand at Cesar's judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged: I have done no wrong to the Jews, as thou very well knowest;

11 yet, if I have done wrong, and have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but, if there is nothing in the matters of which these accuse me, no one hath power to deliver me to them: I appeal to Cesar: