Acts 25:1

But Festus, desiring to gain favor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem, and be judged by me there concerning these things?”

As he stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix;

When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.

But Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”

But when two years were fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

When the brothers knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

On the next day, we who were Paul’s companions departed, and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said,

However Festus answered that Paul should be kept in custody at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart shortly.

When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band.

Now the Philistines had taken God’s ark, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.

Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice.

They taught in Judah, having the book of Yahweh’s law with them. They went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

Now these are the children of the province, who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city;

Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces),

Then the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, and to the local governors, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing, and in their language.

Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard. They gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the king’s gate.

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.”

The coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will find pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the evening, for Yahweh, their God, will visit them, and restore them.

and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.

Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him.

The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort.

When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

A certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and at the point of death.

But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean.

So the detachment, the commanding officer, and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him,

But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.

They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.

Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

On the next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his near friends.

Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me.

They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.

When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

When Herod had sought for him, and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, then commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

From there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done with them.

They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.

So, when they were sent off, they came to Antioch. Having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch.

When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers and stayed with them one day.

Coming to us and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘So the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

After these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.

Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.

As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.

When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”

“I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive.” He commanded that he be kept in Herod’s palace.

“Let them therefore”, he said, “that are in power among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”

When he had stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he sat on the judgment seat, and commanded Paul to be brought.

Now when some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea, and greeted Festus.

Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house and received all who were coming to him,

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.

Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.