Passage

Acts 24.10

Book: Acts · ASV

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"8. from whom thou wilt be able, by examining him thyself, to take knowledge of all these things whereof we accuse him. 9. And the Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that these things were so."

"10. And when the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, Paul answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I cheerfully make my defense:"

"11. Seeing that thou canst take knowledge that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem: 12. and neither in the temple did they find me disputing with any man or stirring up a crowd, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city." (Acts 24:8-12, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"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." (Acts 24:8-12, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"8. Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. 9. And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so."

"10. Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:"

"11. Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. 12. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:" (Acts 24:8-12, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"8. having commanded his accusers to come to thee, from whom thou mayest be able, thyself having examined, to know concerning all these things of which we accuse him;' 9. and the Jews also agreed, professing these things to be so."

"10. And Paul answered, the governor having beckoned to him to speak, 'Knowing [that] for many years thou hast been a judge to this nation, the more cheerfully the things concerning myself I do answer;"

"11. thou being able to know that it is not more than twelve days to me since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12. and neither in the temple did they find me reasoning with any one, or making a dissension of the multitude, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city;" (Acts 24:8-12, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: the Apostle Paul, addressing Felix the Roman procurator of Judea
Audience: Felix; the high priest Ananias and the Jerusalem-Sanhedrin delegation prosecuting Paul; the orator Tertullus who delivered the prosecution speech
Location: Caesarea Maritima, Felix's praetorium
Time period: c. AD 57; ~5 days after Paul's arrest in Jerusalem and the Sanhedrin uproar (Acts 23)

Theological reading

The verse opens the first of Paul's three set-piece apologiai before Roman tribunals in Acts (Felix 24, Festus 25, Agrippa 26) and establishes the tone the apologetic-tradition inherits. Paul begins not with denial or counter-attack but with respectful acknowledgment of Felix's long judicial experience over the Jewish nation, a captatio benevolentiae that reads as both honest and rhetorically apt. The verb [[G0626 - apologeomai|apologoumai]] ("I make my defense") names the act the verse depicts; the participial eidōs ("knowing") modifies Paul's address with the awareness-grounding the cheerful (eythymōs) tone. The verse establishes a Pauline pattern that Luke will repeat at 25:8 and 26:2: respectful preamble, factual narration, then doctrinal-core (the resurrection-hope) presented as the real issue beneath the formal-charges. The pattern shapes the historic Christian-apologetic genre: respect the audience, narrate the facts honestly, and surface the gospel-core as the actual ground of the controversy.

Key words

G0626 - apologeomai, apologoumai ("I make my defense"). The verb naming Paul's address; the first occurrence in Paul's three-trial sequence; supplies the Lukan-apostolic-defense template.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.