Acts 25
25
Paul’s Trial in Front of Festus
1Three days after Festus arrived, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2There the chief priests and the Jewish leaders came to Festus. They brought their charges against Paul. 3They tried very hard to get Festus to have Paul taken to Jerusalem. They asked for this as a favor. They were planning to hide and attack Paul along the way. They wanted to kill him. 4Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea. Soon I’ll be going there myself. 5Let some of your leaders come with me. If the man has done anything wrong, they can bring charges against him there.”
6Festus spent eight or ten days in Jerusalem with them. Then he went down to Caesarea. The next day he called the court together. He ordered Paul to be brought to him. 7When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many strong charges against him. But they couldn’t prove that these charges were true.
8Then Paul spoke up for himself. He said, “I’ve done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple. I’ve done nothing wrong against Caesar.”
9But Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor. So he said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem? Are you willing to go on trial there? Are you willing to face these charges in my court?”
10Paul answered, “I’m already standing in Caesar’s court. This is where I should go on trial. I haven’t done anything wrong to the Jews. You yourself know that very well. 11If I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I’m willing to die. But the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true. No one has the right to hand me over to them. I make my appeal to Caesar!”
12Festus talked it over with the members of his court. Then he said, “You have made an appeal to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
Festus Talks With King Agrippa
13A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea. They came to pay a visit to Festus. 14They were spending many days there. So Festus talked with the king about Paul’s case. He said, “There’s a man here that Felix left as a prisoner. 15When I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and the elders brought charges against the man. They wanted him to be found guilty.
16“I told them that this is not the way Romans do things. We don’t judge people before they have faced those bringing charges against them. They must have a chance to argue against the charges for themselves. 17When the Jewish leaders came back with me, I didn’t waste any time. I called the court together the next day. I ordered the man to be brought in. 18Those bringing charges against him got up to speak. But they didn’t charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19Instead, they argued with him about their own beliefs. They didn’t agree about a man named Jesus. They said Jesus was dead, but Paul claimed Jesus was alive. 20I had no idea how to look into such matters. So I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem. There he could be tried on these charges. 21But Paul made an appeal to have the Emperor decide his case. So I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.”
22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
Festus replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
Paul in Front of Agrippa
23The next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived. They were treated like very important people. They entered the courtroom. The most important military officers and the leading men of the city came with them. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in. 24Festus said, “King Agrippa, and everyone else here, take a good look at this man! A large number of Jews have come to me about him. They came to me in Jerusalem and also here in Caesarea. They keep shouting that he shouldn’t live any longer. 25I have found that he hasn’t done anything worthy of death. But he made his appeal to the Emperor. So I decided to send him to Rome. 26I don’t have anything certain to write about him to His Majesty. So I have brought him here today. Now all of you will be able to hear him. King Agrippa, it will also be very good for you to hear him. As a result of this hearing, I will have something to write. 27It doesn’t make sense to send a prisoner on to Rome without listing the charges against him.”
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Acts 25: NIrV
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Acts 25
25
1Festus, therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea,
2and the chief priest and the principal men of the Jews made manifest to him [the things] against Paul, and were calling on him,
3asking favour against him, that he may send for him to Jerusalem, making an ambush to put him to death in the way.
4Then, indeed, Festus answered that Paul is kept in Caesarea, and himself is about speedily to go on thither,
5‘Therefore those able among you — saith he — having come down together, if there be anything in this man — let them accuse him;’
6and having tarried among them more than ten days, having gone down to Caesarea, on the morrow having sat upon the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought;
7and he having come, there stood round about the Jews who have come down from Jerusalem — many and weighty charges they are bringing against Paul, which they were not able to prove,
8he making defence — ‘Neither in regard to the law of the Jews, nor in regard to the temple, nor in regard to Caesar — did I commit any sin.’
9And Festus willing to lay on the Jews a favour, answering Paul, said, ‘Art thou willing, to Jerusalem having gone up, there concerning these things to be judged before me?’
10and Paul said, ‘At the tribunal of Caesar I am standing, where it behoveth me to be judged; to Jews I did no unrighteousness, as thou dost also very well know;
11for if indeed I am unrighteous, and anything worthy of death have done, I deprecate not to die; and if there is none of the things of which these accuse me, no one is able to make a favour of me to them; to Caesar I appeal!’
12then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, ‘To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.’
13And certain days having passed, Agrippa the king, and Bernice, came down to Caesarea saluting Festus,
14and as they were continuing there more days, Festus submitted to the king the things concerning Paul, saying, ‘There is a certain man, left by Felix, a prisoner,
15about whom, in my being at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid information, asking a decision against him,
16unto whom I answered, that it is not a custom of Romans to make a favour of any man to die, before that he who is accused may have the accusers face to face, and may receive place of defence in regard to the charge laid against [him].
17‘They, therefore, having come together — I, making no delay, on the succeeding [day] having sat upon the tribunal, did command the man to be brought,
18concerning whom the accusers, having stood up, were bringing against [him] no accusation of the things I was thinking of,
19but certain questions concerning their own religion they had against him, and concerning a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive;
20and I, doubting in regard to the question concerning this, said, If he would wish to go on to Jerusalem, and there to be judged concerning these things —
21but Paul having appealed to be kept to the hearing of Sebastus, I did command him to be kept till I might send him unto Caesar.’
22And Agrippa said unto Festus, ‘I was wishing also myself to hear the man;’ and he said, ‘To-morrow thou shalt hear him;’
23on the morrow, therefore — on the coming of Agrippa and Bernice with much display, and they having entered into the audience chamber, with the chief captains also, and the principal men of the city, and Festus having ordered — Paul was brought forth.
24And Festus said, ‘King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, ye see this one, about whom all the multitude of the Jews did deal with me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out, He ought not to live any longer;
25and I, having found him to have done nothing worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Sebastus, I decided to send him,
26concerning whom I have no certain thing to write to [my] lord, wherefore I brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, king Agrippa, that the examination having been made, I may have something to write;
27for it doth seem to me irrational, sending a prisoner, not also to signify the charges against him.’
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