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Acts 24 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Paul Appears before Felix

Act 24:1

Act 24:1Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer[fn] Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor.

Act 24:2

Act 24:2When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:
“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.

Act 24:3

Act 24:3For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you.

Act 24:4

Act 24:4But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment.

Act 24:5

Act 24:5We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.

Act 24:6

Act 24:6Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him.[fn]

Act 24:8

Act 24:8You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.”

Act 24:9

Act 24:9Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.

Act 24:10

Act 24:10The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.

Act 24:11

Act 24:11You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple.

Act 24:12

Act 24:12My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city.

Act 24:13

Act 24:13These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.

Act 24:14

Act 24:14“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.

Act 24:15

Act 24:15I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Act 24:16

Act 24:16Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.

Act 24:17

Act 24:17“After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.

Act 24:18

Act 24:18My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting.

Act 24:19

Act 24:19But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me!

Act 24:20

Act 24:20Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council[fn] found me guilty of,

Act 24:21

Act 24:21except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”

Act 24:22

Act 24:22At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.”

Act 24:23

Act 24:23He ordered an officer[fn] to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.

Act 24:24

Act 24:24A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.

Act 24:25

Act 24:25As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.”

Act 24:26

Act 24:26He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.

Act 24:27

Act 24:27After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.
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NLT Footnotes
Greek some elders and an orator.
Some manuscripts add an expanded conclusion to verse 6, all of verse 7, and an additional phrase in verse 8: We would have judged him by our law, 7 but Lysias, the commander of the garrison, came and violently took him away from us, 8 commanding his accusers to come before you.
Greek Sanhedrin.
Greek a centurion.
BLB Footnotes
Some Greek manuscripts exclude this verse. The NLT related footnote for 24:6 states:
24:6 Some manuscripts add an expanded conclusion to verse 6, all of verse 7, and an additional phrase in verse 8: We would have judged him by our law, but Lysias, the commander of the garrison, came and violently took him away from us, commanding his accusers to come before you.  
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Acts Chapter 24 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras