¹ And after that, Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said, The Lord, the God of Israel, says, Let my people go so that they may keep a feast to me in the waste land.

² And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, to whose voice I am to give ear and let Israel go? I have no knowledge of the Lord and I will not let Israel go.

³ And they said, The God of the Hebrews has come to us: let us then go three days' journey into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God, so that he may not send death on us by disease or the sword.

⁴ And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people away from their work? get back to your work.

⁵ And Pharaoh said, Truly, the people of the land are increasing in number, and you are keeping them back from their work.

⁶ The same day Pharaoh gave orders to the overseers and those who were responsible for the work, saying,

⁷ Give these men no more dry stems for their brick-making as you have been doing; let them go and get the material for themselves.

⁸ But see that they make the same number of bricks as before, and no less: for they have no love for work; and so they are crying out and saying, Let us go and make an offering to our God.

⁹ Give the men harder work, and see that they do it; let them not give attention to false words.

¹⁰ And the overseers of the people and their responsible men went out and said to the people, Pharaoh says, I will give you no more dry stems.

¹¹ Go yourselves and get dry stems wherever you are able; for your work is not to be any less.

¹² So the people were sent in all directions through the land of Egypt to get dry grass for stems.

¹³ And the overseers went on driving them and saying, Do your full day's work as before when there were dry stems for you.

¹⁴ And the responsible men of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's overseers had put over them, were given blows, and they said to them, Why have you not done your regular work, in making bricks as before?

¹⁵ Then the responsible men of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh, protesting and saying, Why are you acting in this way to your servants?

¹⁶ They give us no dry stems and they say to us, Make bricks: and they give your servants blows; but it is your people who are in the wrong.

¹⁷ But he said, You have no love for work: that is why you say, Let us go and make an offering to the Lord.

¹⁸ Go now, get back to your work; no dry stems will be given to you, but you are to make the full number of bricks.

¹⁹ Then the responsible men of the children of Israel saw that they were purposing evil when they said, The number of bricks which you have to make every day will be no less than before.

²⁰ And they came face to face with Moses and Aaron, who were in their way when they came out from Pharaoh:

²¹ And they said to them, May the Lord take note of you and be your judge; for you have given Pharaoh and his servants a bad opinion of us, putting a sword in their hands for our destruction.

²² And Moses went back to the Lord and said, Lord, why have you done evil to this people? why have you sent me?

²³ For from the time when I came to Pharaoh to put your words before him, he has done evil to this people, and you have given them no help.

¹ After five days, the high priest, Ananias, came down with certain elders and an orator, one Tertullus. They informed the governor against Paul.

² When he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, "Seeing that by you we enjoy much peace, and that excellent measures are coming to this nation,

³ we accept it in all ways and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.

⁴ But, that I don't delay you, I entreat you to bear with us and hear a few words.

⁵ For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

⁶ He even tried to profane the temple, and we arrested him.

⁸ By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him."

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

¹⁰ When the governor had beckoned to him to speak, Paul answered, "Because I know that you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I cheerfully make my defense,

¹¹ seeing that you can recognize that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem.

¹² In the temple they didn't find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the synagogues, or in the city.

¹³ Nor can they prove to you the things of which they now accuse me.

¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that after the Way, which they call a sect, so I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets;

¹⁵ having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

¹⁶ Herein I also practice always having a conscience void of offense toward God and men.

¹⁷ Now after some years, I came to bring gifts for the needy to my nation, and offerings;

¹⁸ amid which certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, not with a mob, nor with turmoil.

¹⁹ They ought to have been here before you, and to make accusation, if they had anything against me.

²⁰ Or else let these men themselves say what injustice they found in me when I stood before the council,

²¹ unless it is for this one thing that I cried standing among them, 'Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged before you today!'"

²² But Felix, having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred them, saying, "When Lysias, the commanding officer, comes down, I will decide your case."

²³ He ordered the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, and should have some privileges, and not to forbid any of his friends to serve him or to visit him.

²⁴ But after some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵ As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, "Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you."

²⁶ Meanwhile, he also hoped that money would be given to him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore also he sent for him more often, and talked with him.

²⁷ But when two years were fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.