1 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the ^ogovernor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain¹ you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who ^pstirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 ^qHe even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.² 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

^r“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my ^sdefense. 11 You can verify that it is not more than ^ttwelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a ^uhope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a ^vresurrection of both the ^wjust and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a ^xclear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now after several years I came ^yto bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me ^zpurified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— 19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the ^acouncil, 21 other than ^bthis one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”