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Read (and listen!) through the amazing story of Luke and Acts!
Immerse: Luke and Acts is part of Immerse: The Reading Bible, which takes you on a new and unique journey through the books of Luke and Acts in the New Testament. This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New Testament’s fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah. The Son of God, who fulfills all the longings and promises of the collected Scriptures. The goal of Bible reading is to understand the sacred writings in depth so we can learn to live with them. Using the text of the New Living Translation (NLT) from Tyndale Publishing, now you can experience Luke and Acts the same way the original readers did and be fully immersed in the most amazing story of all time!
Oliver: Welcome to Immerse
Luke and Acts, Day 37, Week 8
..
The next morning, a group of Jews
got together and bound themselves
with an oath not to eat or drink
until they had killed Paul.
There were more than 40
of them in the conspiracy.
They went to the leading priests
and elders and told them, We have
bound ourselves with an oath to eat
nothing until we have killed Paul.
So you and the high council
should ask the commander to bring
Paul back to the council again.
Pretend you want to examine
his case more fully.
We will kill him on the way.
But Paul's nephew, his sister's
son, heard of their plan and went
to the fortress and told Paul.
Paul called for one of the Roman
officers and said, Take this
young man to the commander.
He has something important to tell him.
So the officer did, explaining, Paul,
the prisoner, called me over and asked
me to bring this young man to you,
because he has something to tell you.
The commander took his hand,
let him aside, and asked, What
is it you want to tell me?
Paul's nephew told him, Some Jews are
going to ask you to bring Paul before
the High Council tomorrow, pretending
they want to get some more information.
But don't do it.
There are more than 40 men hiding
along the way, ready to ambush him.
They have vowed not to eat or drink
anything until they have killed him.
They are ready now, just
waiting for your consent.
Don't let anyone know you told me this.
The commander warned the young man.
Then the commander called two
of his officers and ordered, Get
200 soldiers ready to leave for
Caesarea at 9 o'clock tonight.
Also take 200 spearmen
and 70 mounted troops.
Provide horses for Paul to ride and
get him safely to Governor Felix.
Then he wrote this letter to the Governor.
From Claudius Lysias to His
Excellency Governor Felix.
Greetings.
This man was seized by some Jews,
and they were about to kill him
when I arrived with the troops.
When I learned that he was a Roman
citizen, I removed him to safety.
Then I took him to their High
Council to try to learn the basis
of the accusations against him.
I soon discovered that the charge was
something regarding their religious law.
Certainly nothing worthy
of imprisonment or death.
But when I was informed of a plot to kill
him, I immediately sent him on to you.
I have told his accusers to
bring their charges before you.
So that night, as ordered, the soldiers
took Paul as far as Antipatris.
They returned to the fortress the
next morning, while the mounted
troops took him on to Caesarea.
When they arrived in Caesarea,
they presented Paul and the
letter to Governor Felix.
He read it, and then asked
Paul what province he was from.
Cilicia, Paul answered.
I will hear your case myself
when your accusers arrive.
The governor told him.
Then the governor ordered him kept in
the prison at Herod's headquarters.
Five days later, Ananias, the high priest,
arrived with some of the Jewish elders
and the lawyer Tertullus to present
their case against Paul to the governor.
When 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.
For all of this, Your Excellency,
we are very grateful to you.
But I don't want to bore you, so please
give me your attention for only a moment.
We 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.
Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate
the temple when we arrested him.
You can find out the truth of our
accusations by examining him yourself.
Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring
that everything Tertullus said was true.
The 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.
You can quickly discover that I
arrived in Jerusalem no more than 12
days ago to worship at the temple.
My 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.
These men cannot prove the
things they accuse me of doing.
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.
I have the same hope in God that these
men have, that He will raise both
the righteous and the unrighteous.
Because of this, I always tried
to maintain a clear conscience
before God and all people.
After several years away, I returned
to Jerusalem with money to aid my
people and to offer sacrifices to God.
My accusers saw me in the temple as I
was completing a purification ceremony.
There was no crowd
around me and no rioting.
But some Jews from the province
of Asia were there, and they ought
to be here to bring charges if
they have anything against me.
Ask these men here what crime the
Jewish High Council found me guilty of.
Except for the one time I shouted out,
I am on trial before you today because I
believe in the resurrection of the dead.
At that point, Felix, who was quite
familiar with the way, adjourned the
hearing and said, Wait until Lysias.
A 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.
As 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.
He also hoped that Paul would
bribe him, so he sent for him
quite often and talked with him.
After two years went by in this way,
Felix was succeeded by Portius Festus.
And because Felix wanted to
gain favor with the Jewish
people, he left Paul in prison.
This concludes today's
Immerse Reading Experience.
Thank you for joining us.