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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Henry: Welcome to immerse, the
daily bible reading experience.
Day 18.
five days later, Ananias, the high
priest, arrived with some of the Jewish
elders and the lawyer Tulis to present
their case against Paul to the governor.
When Paul was called in Tulis
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
cults 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 Tartus 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 try
to maintain a clear conscience
before God and all people.
After several years away, I return
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 counsel 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 Lius,
the Garrison Commander arrives.
Then I will decide the case.
He ordered an officer to keep Paul
in custody, but to give him some
freedom and allow his friends to
visit him and take care of his needs.
A few days later, Felix came
back with his wife, d 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 Porsche's Festus and because Felix
wanted to gain favor with the Jewish
people, he left Paul in prison.
Three days after Festus arrived in Cesarea
to take over his new responsibilities.
He left for Jerusalem where the
leading priests and other Jewish
leaders met with him and made
their accusations against Paul.
They asked Festus as a favor to
transfer Paul to Jerusalem, planning
to ambush and kill him on the way.
But Festus replied that Paul
was at Cesarea and he himself
would be returning there soon.
So he said, those of you in
authority can return with me.
If Paul has done anything wrong,
you can make your accusations.
About eight or 10 days later, Festus
returned to Cesarea, and on the
following day, he took his seat in court
and ordered that Paul be brought in.
When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from
Jerusalem gathered around and made many
serious accusations they couldn't prove.
Paul denied the charges.
I am not guilty of any crime
against the Jewish laws or the
temple or the Roman government.
He said, then Festus wanting to please the
Jews asked him, are you willing to go to
Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?
But Paul replied, no.
This is the official Roman court,
so I ought to be tried right here.
You know very well.
I am not guilty of harming the Jews.
If I have done something worthy
of death, I don't refuse to die.
But if I am innocent, no one has a right
to turn me over to these men to kill me.
I appeal to Caesar Festus, conferred with
his advisors, and then replied very well.
You have appealed to Caesar and to Caesar.
You will go a few days later.
King Agrippa arrived with his sister
Bernice to pay their respects to Festus.
During their stay of several days, Festus
discussed Paul's case with the king.
There is a prisoner here.
He told him whose case was left for
me by Felix when I was in Jerusalem.
The leading priests and Jewish
elders pressed charges against
him and asked me to condemn him.
I pointed out to them that Roman law
does not convict people without a trial.
They must be given an
opportunity to confront their
accusers and defend themselves.
When his accusers came here
for the trial, I didn't delay.
I called the case the very next day
and ordered Paul brought in, but
the accusations made against him
weren't any of the crimes I expected.
Instead, it was something about
their religion and a dead man named
Jesus, who Paul Insists is alive.
I was at a loss to know how to
investigate these things, so I asked
him whether he would be willing to stand
trial on these charges in Jerusalem.
But Paul appealed to have his
case decided by the emperor.
So I ordered that he be held
in custody until I could
arrange to send him to Caesar.
I'd like to hear the man
myself, Agrippa said, and Festus
replied, you will tomorrow.
So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice
arrived at the auditorium with great
pomp accompanied by military officers
and prominent men of the city.
Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.
Then Festus said, king
Agrippa and all who are here.
This is the man whose death is demanded by
all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem.
But in my opinion, he has
done nothing deserving death.
However, since he appealed his
case to the emperor, I have
decided to send him to Rome.
But what shall I write the emperor?
For there is no clear charge against
him, so I have brought him before
all of you, and especially you, king
Agrippa, so that after we examine him
I might have something to write for.
It makes no sense to send a
prisoner to the emperor without
specifying the charges against him.
Then Agrippa said to Paul,
you may speak in your defense.
So Paul gesturing with his
hand, started his defense.
I am fortunate, king Agrippa, that
you are the one hearing my defense
today against all these accusations
made by the Jewish leaders.
For I know you are an expert on all
Jewish customs and controversies
now, please listen to me patiently
as the Jewish leaders are well aware.
I was given a thorough Jewish
training for my earliest childhood
among my own people and in Jerusalem.
If they would admit it, they know that
I have been a member of the Pharisees,
the strictest sect of our religion.
Now I am on trial because of my
hope in the fulfillment of God's
promise made to our ancestors.
In fact, that is why the 12 Tribes of
Israel zealously worshiped God night and
day, and they share the same hope I have.
Yet your majesty.
They accuse me for having this hope.
Why does it seem incredible to any
of you that God can raise the dead?
I used to believe that I ought to
do everything I could to oppose the
very name of Jesus, the Nazarene.
Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem
authorized by the leading priests.
I caused many believers there to be sent
to prison, and I cast my vote against
them when they were condemned to death.
Many times I had them punished in the
synagogues to get them to curse Jesus.
I was so violently opposed to them that I
even chased them down in foreign cities.
One day I was on such a mission to
Damascus, armed with the authority
and commission of the leading
priests, about noon Your Majesty.
As I was on the road, a light
from heaven brighter than the sun
shone down on me in my companions.
We all fell down and I heard a voice
saying to me, an Aramaic, Saul.
Saul, why are you persecuting me?
It is useless for you to
fight against my will.
Who are you Lord?
I asked and the Lord replied, I am
Jesus the one You are persecuting.
Now, get to your feet.
For I have appeared to you, to
appoint you as my servant and witness.
Tell people that you have seen me and tell
them what I will show you in the future.
And I will rescue you from both
your own people and the Gentiles.
Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles
to open their eyes so they may
turn from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan to God.
Then they will receive forgiveness
for their sins and be given a
place among God's people who
are set apart by faith in me.
And so King Agrippa, I obeyed
that vision from heaven.
I preached first to those in Damascus,
then in Jerusalem and throughout
all Judea, and also to the Gentiles
that all must repent of their sins
and turn to God and prove they have
changed by the good things they do.
Some Jews arrested me in the temple for
preaching this and they tried to kill
me, but God has protected me right up
to this present time so I can testify to
everyone from the least to the greatest.
I teach nothing except what the
prophets and Moses said would happen,
that the Messiah would suffer and
be the first to rise from the dead
and in this way, announce God's
light to Jews and Gentiles alike.
Suddenly, Festus shouted,
Paul, you are insane.
Too much study has made you crazy.
But Paul replied, I am not insane.
Most excellent Festus.
What I am saying is the sober
truth and King Agrippa knows about
these things I speak boldly for.
I am sure these events are all familiar
to him for they were not done in a corner.
King Agrippa, do you believe
the prophets, I know you do.
Agrippa interrupted him.
Do you think you can persuade me
to become a Christian so quickly?
I.
Paul replied, whether quickly or not, I
pray to God that both you and everyone
here in this audience might become the
same as I am except for these chains.
Then the king, the Governor, Bernice,
and all the others stood and left.
As they went out.
They talked it over and agreed,
this man hasn't done anything to
deserve death or imprisonment.
And Agrippa said to Festus,
he could have been set free if
he hadn't appealed to Caesar.
When the time came, we set sail for Italy.
Paul and several other prisoners
were placed in the custody of
a Roman officer named Julius, a
captain of the Imperial Regiment.
Aris Starke, a Macedonian from
Thessalonica was also with us.
We left on a ship whose home port
was Adra Mitia on the northwest
coast of the province of Asia.
It was scheduled to make several stops
at ports along the coast of the province.
The next day when we docked at
Siden, Julius was very kind to
Paul and let him go ashore to visit
with friends so they could provide
for his needs putting out to sea.
From there, we encountered strong
headwinds that made it difficult to
keep the ship on course, so we sailed
north of Cyprus between the island and
the mainland, keeping to the open sea.
We passed along the coast of CIA and
Pamphylia landing at Myra in the province.
Ofia.
There.
The commanding officer found an Egyptian
ship from Alexandria that was bound
for Italy, and he put us on board.
We had several days of slow sailing,
and after great difficulty, we finally
neared nidus, but the wind was against
us, so we sailed across Dec Crete
and along the sheltered coast of the
island past the Cape of Ceremony.
We struggled along the coast
with great difficulty, and
finally arrived at Fair Havens.
Near the town of Laia, we
had lost a lot of time.
The weather was becoming dangerous for sea
travel because it was so late in the fall,
and Paul spoke to the ship's officers
about it, men, he said, I believe there is
trouble ahead if we go on shipwreck, loss
of cargo and danger to our lives as well.
But the officer in charge of the
prisoners listened more to the ship's
captain and the owner than to Paul.
And since Fair Havens was an exposed
harbor, a poor place to spend the
winter, most of the crew wanted to go
on to Phoenix, farther up the coast
of Crete and spend the winter there.
Phoenix was a good harbor with only
a southwest and northwest exposure.
When a light wind began blowing from the
south, the sailors thought they could
make it, so they pulled up, anchor and
sailed close to the shore of Crete.
But the weather changed abruptly.
And a wind of typhoons strength
called a northeaster burst across
the island and blew us out to sea.
The sailors couldn't turn the ship into
the wind, so they gave up and let it run.
Before the gale, we sailed along
the sheltered side of a small
island named Kata, where with great
difficulty we hoisted aboard the
lifeboat being towed behind us.
Then the sailors bound ropes around
the hull of the ship to strengthen it.
They were afraid of being driven
across to the sandbars of certi off
the African coast, so they lowered the
sea anchor to slow the ship and were
driven before the wind the next day.
As Gail Force winds continued to batter
the ship, the crew began throwing the
cargo overboard the following day.
They even took some of the ship's
gear and threw it overboard.
The terrible storm raged for many days
blotting out the sun and the stars.
Until at last all hope was gone.
No one had eaten for a long time.
Finally, Paul called the crew together
and said, men, you should have listened to
me in the first place and not left Crete.
You would've avoided all
this damage and loss.
But take courage.
None of you will lose your lives
even though the ship will go down.
For last night, an angel of the
God to whom I belong and whom I
serve stood beside me and he said,
don't be afraid, Paul, for you will
surely stand trial before Caesar.
What's more God in his
goodness has granted safety
to everyone sailing with you.
So take courage for I believe God,
it will be just as he said, but we
will be shipwrecked on an island.
About midnight on the 14th night
of the storm, as we were being
driven across the sea of Adria,
the sailors sensed land was near.
They dropped awaited line and found
that the water was 120 feet deep.
But a little later they measured again
and found it was only 90 feet deep.
At this rate, they were afraid
we would soon be driven against
the rocks along the shore.
So they threw out four anchors from the
back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
Then the sailors tried
to abandon the ship.
They lowered the lifeboat as
though they were going to put out
anchors from the front of the ship.
But Paul said to the commanding
officer and the soldiers, you will all
die unless the sailors stay aboard.
So the soldiers cut the ropes to
the lifeboat and let it drift away.
Just as day was dawning.
Paul urged everyone to eat.
You've been so worried that you
haven't touched food for two weeks.
He said, please eat something
now for your own good, for not a
hair of your heads will perish.
Then he took some bread, gave
thanks to God before the mall
and broke off a piece and ate it.
Then everyone was encouraged and began
to eat all 276 of us who were on board.
After eating, the crew lightened the
ship further by throwing the cargo
of wheat overboard When mourning
dawned, they didn't recognize the
coastline, but they saw a bay with a
beach and wondered if they could get
to shore by running the ship a ground.
So they cut off the anchors
and left them in the sea.
Then they lowered the rudders, raised
the fore sail, and headed towards
shore, but they hit a shoal and
ran the ship of ground too soon.
The bow of the ship stuck fast.
While the stern was repeatedly smashed
by the force of the waves and began
to break apart, the soldiers wanted
to kill the prisoners to make sure
they didn't swim, ashore and escape.
But the commanding officer
wanted to spare Paul so he didn't
let them carry out their plan.
Then he ordered all who could swim to
jump overboard first and make for land.
The others held onto planks or
debris from the broken ship.
So everyone escaped safely to shore.
Once we were safe on shore, we learned
that we were on the island of Malta.
The people of the island
were very kind to us.
It was cold and rainy, so they built
a fire on the shore to welcome us.
As Paul gathered an arm full of
sticks and was laying them on the
fire, a poisonous snake driven out
by the heat bit him on the hand.
The people of the island saw
it hanging from his hand and
said to each other, A murderer.
No doubt though, he escaped the sea.
Justice will not permit him to live, but
Paul shook off the snake into the fire
and was unharmed that people waited for
him to swell up or suddenly dropped dead.
But when they had waited a long
time and saw that he wasn't harmed,
they changed their minds and
decided he was a God near the shore.
Where we landed was an estate belonging to
Publius, the chief official of the island.
He welcomed us and treated
us kindly for three days.
As it happened, Publius father
was ill with fever and dysentery.
Paul went in and prayed for him
and laying his hands on him.
He healed him.
Then all the other sick people on
the island came and were healed.
As a result, we were showered
with honors and when the time came
to sail, people supplied us with
everything we would need for the trip.
It was three months after the shipwreck
that we set sail on another ship that had
wintered at the island and Alexandrian
ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.
Our first stop was Syracuse,
where we stayed three days.
From there, we sailed across to re.
A day later, a south wind began blowing.
So the following day, we
sailed at the coast to il.
There we found some believers who
invited us to spend a week with
them, and so we came to Rome.
The brothers and sisters in Rome had
heard we were coming, and they came to
meet us at the forum on the Appian Way.
Others joined us at the three taverns.
When Paul saw them, he was
encouraged and thanked God.
When we arrived in Rome, Paul was
permitted to have his own private lodging,
though he was guarded by a soldier.
Three days after Paul's arrival, he
called together the local Jewish leaders.
He said to them, brothers, I was
arrested in Jerusalem and handed over
to the Roman government even though
I had done nothing against our people
or the customs of our ancestors.
The Romans tried me and wanted
to release me because they found
no cause for the death sentence.
But when the Jewish leaders protested the
decision, I felt it necessary to appeal
to Caesar, even though I had no desire
to press charges against my own people.
I asked you to come here today so we
could get acquainted, and so I could
explain to you that I am bound with this
chain because I believe that the hope
of Israel, the Messiah has already come.
They replied, we have had no letters
from Judea or reports against you
from anyone who has come here, but
we want to hear what you believe for.
The only thing we know about this movement
is that it is denounced everywhere.
So a time was set and on that day, a large
number of people came to Paul's lodging.
He explained and testified about the
kingdom of God and tried to persuade
them about Jesus from the scriptures.
Using the law of Moses and the
books of the prophets, he spoke to
them from mourning until evening.
Some were persuaded by the things
he said, but others did not believe.
And after they had argued back and
forth among themselves, they left
with this final word from Paul.
The Holy Spirit was right when he said to
your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet.
Go and say to this people, when you hear
what I say, you will not understand.
When you see what I do, you will not
comprehend for the hearts of these
people are hardened and their ears
cannot hear, and they have closed
their eyes, so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear, and their
hearts cannot understand, and they
cannot turn to me and let me heal them.
So I want you to know that this salvation
from God has also been offered to
the Gentiles and they will accept it.
For the next two years, Paul
lived in Rome at his own expense.
He welcomed all who visited him
boldly, proclaiming the Kingdom of
God and teaching about the Lord Jesus
Christ, and no one tried to stop him.
This concludes today's
immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.