13 December - Acts 24-26

Jude Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:49 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

ACTS 24

1And after five days the high priest Ḥananyah came down, with the elders, and a certain speaker – Tertullus. And they brought charges against Sha’ul before the governor.

2And when he was called upon, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Having obtained great peace through you, and reforms being brought to this nation by your forethought,

3we accept it always and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thanks.

4“But in order not to hinder you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly in your gentleness.

5“For having found this man a plague, who stirs up dissension among all the Yehuḏim throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Natsarenes,

6who also tried to profane the Set-apart Place, and whom we seized, and wished to judge him according to our law,

7but the commander Lysias came along and with much violence took him out of our hands,

8commanding his accusers to come to you. And by examining him yourself you shall be able to know all these matters of which we accuse him.”

9And the Yehuḏim also agreed, maintaining that these matters were so.

10And when the governor had motioned him to speak, Sha’ul answered, “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge of this nation, I gladly defend myself,

11seeing you are able to know that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to Yerushalayim to worship.

12“And they neither found me in the Set-apart Place disputing with anyone nor stirring up the crowd, either in the congregations or in the city.

13“Nor are they able to prove the charges of which they now accuse me.

14“And this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the Elohim of my fathers, believing all that has been written in the Torah and in the Prophets,

15having an expectation in Elohim, which they themselves also wait for, that there is to be a resurrection of the dead, both of the righteous and the unrighteous.

16“And in this I exercise myself to have a clear conscience toward Elohim and men always.

17“And after many years I came to bring kind deeds to my nation and offerings,

18at which time certain Yehuḏim from Asia found me cleansed in the Set-apart Place, neither with a crowd nor with disturbance,

19who ought to be present before you to bring charges if they have any matter against me.

20“Or else let these themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council,

21other than for this one declaration which I cried out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you today.’ ”

22And having heard this, having known more exactly about the Way, Felix put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I shall decide your case.”

23And he ordered the captain to keep Sha’ul and to have ease, and not to forbid any of his friends to attend to him.

24And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a female Yehuḏite, he sent for Sha’ul and heard him concerning the belief in Messiah.

25And as he reasoned about righteousness, and self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “For the present, go. And when I find time I shall send for you.”

26At the same time too he was anticipating that silver would be given him by Sha’ul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.

27But after two years had passed Porcius Festus succeeded Felix. And wishing to do the Yehuḏim a favour, Felix left Sha’ul bound.

ACTS 25

1Festus therefore, having come to the province, three days later went up from Caesarea to Yerushalayim.

2And the high priest and the chief men of the Yehuḏim informed him against Sha’ul, and they begged him,

3asking a favour against him, that he would send him to Yerushalayim – making a plot along the way to kill him.

4Then, indeed, Festus answered that Sha’ul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to set out shortly.

5“Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”

6And having spent more than ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. And on the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Sha’ul to be brought.

7And when he had come, the Yehuḏim who had come down from Yerushalayim stood about, bringing many and heavy charges against Sha’ul, which they were unable to prove,

8while Sha’ul said in his own defence, “Neither against the Torah of the Yehuḏim, nor against the Set-apart Place, nor against Caesar did I commit any sin.”

9But Festus, wishing to do the Yehuḏim a favour, answering Sha’ul, said, “Do you wish to go up to Yerushalayim and be judged before me there concerning these matters?”

10And Sha’ul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I should be judged. To the Yehuḏim I have done no wrong, as you know well enough.

11“For if indeed I do wrong, or have committed whatever deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is none at all in these matters of which these men accuse me, no one is able to give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

12Then Festus, having talked with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

13And certain days having passed, Sovereign Agrippa and Bernike came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

14And when they had spent many days there, Festus laid Sha’ul’s case before the sovereign, saying, “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner,

15about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Yehuḏim informed me, when I was in Yerushalayim, asking for a judgment against him.

16“To them I answered, ‘It is not the Roman practice to give up any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has a chance to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’

17“They, therefore, having come together, without any delay, I sat on the judgment seat the next day and commanded the man to be brought in.

18“When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge against him such as I expected,

19but had some questions against him about their own worship and about a certain יהושע, who had died, whom Sha’ul was claiming to be alive.

20“And being uncertain how to investigate these matters, I asked whether he wished to go to Yerushalayim and there be judged concerning these matters.

21“But when Sha’ul appealed to be kept for the decision of Augustus, I ordered him to be kept until I send him to Caesar.”

22And Agrippa said to Festus, “I was wishing also to hear the man myself.” And he said, “Tomorrow, you shall hear him.”

23Therefore, on the next day, Agrippa and Bernike having come with great show, and having entered the place of hearing with the commanders and the eminent men of the city, Sha’ul was brought in at the order of Festus.

24And Festus said, “Sovereign Agrippa and all the men present here with us, you see this one about whom all the community of the Yehuḏim pleaded with me, both at Yerushalayim and here, shouting that he ought not to be living any longer.

25“But I, having found that he had committed none at all deserving death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

26“I have no definite matter to write to my master concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and most of all before you, Sovereign Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I might have somewhat to write.

27“For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to signify the charges against him.”

ACTS 26

1And Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “You are allowed to speak for yourself.” Then Sha’ul stretched out his hand and made his defence:

2“I think myself blessed, Sovereign Agrippa, because today I shall make my defence before you concerning all of which I am accused by the Yehuḏim,

3you being most of all an expert, knowing of all practices and questions which have to do with the Yehuḏim. So, please hear me patiently.

4“Truly, then, all the Yehuḏim know my way of life from youth, which I led from the beginning among my own nation at Yerushalayim,

5since they have known me from the first, if they wish to witness, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our observance.

6“And now I stand and am judged for the expectation of the promise made by Elohim to our fathers,

7to which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving Elohim night and day, expect to attain. Concerning this expectation, O Sovereign Agrippa, I am accused by the Yehuḏim.

8“Why is it considered ‘unbelievable’ among you if Elohim raises the dead?

9“Therefore, indeed, I thought within myself that I ought to do much against the Name of יהושע of Natsareth,

10which also I did in Yerushalayim, and I shut up many of the set-apart ones in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I gave my vote against them.

11“And punishing them often in all the congregations, I compelled them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12“While thus engaged, as I was journeying to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

13at midday along the highway, O sovereign, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

14“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Heḇrew language,a ‘Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the prods.’

15“And I said, ‘Who are You, Master?’ And He said, ‘I am יהושע, whom you persecute.

16‘But rise up, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you a servant and a witness both of what you saw and of those which I shall reveal to you,

17delivering you from the people, and the gentiles, to whom I now send you,

18to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light,a and the authority of Satan to Elohim, in order for them to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are set-apart by belief in Me.’

19“Therefore, Sovereign Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Yerushalayim, and in all the country of Yehuḏah, and to the gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to Elohim, and do works worthy of repentance.a

21“That is why the Yehuḏim seized me in the Set-apart Place and tried to kill me.

22“Therefore, having obtained help from Elohim, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying nil else than what the prophets and Mosheh said would come –

23that the Messiah would suffer, would be the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light to the people and to the gentiles.”

24And while saying this in his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, “Sha’ul, you are mad! Much learning is turning you to madness!”

25But Sha’ul said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I speak words of truth and sense.

26“For the sovereign, before whom I also speak boldly, knows these matters. For I am persuaded that none of these are hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.

27“Sovereign Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

28And Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “With a little you might persuade me to become a Messianite!”

29And Sha’ul said, “Much or little, I pray to Elohim that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I also am, except for these chains.”

30And having said this, the sovereign stood up, as well as the governor and Bernike and those sitting with them,

31and having withdrawn, they spoke to each other, saying, “This man is doing none at all deserving death or chains.”

32And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”