Acts 25
25
Paul Appeals to Caesar
1Three days after Festus assumed his duties in Caesarea, he made the journey to Jerusalem. # 25:1 This was a journey of about sixty-five miles (over one hundred kilometers). 2Religious authorities and prominent leaders among the Jews brought formal charges against Paul before Festus. 3They came asking him for a favor—that he would transfer Paul from Caesarea to Jerusalem—all the while plotting to ambush and kill Paul along the way.
4Festus responded to their request by informing them that he planned to return to Caesarea shortly. 5He told them, “Your leaders can come with me to Caesarea. If this man has broken any laws, you can bring charges against him there.”
6After Festus had stayed in Jerusalem no more than eight to ten days, he left for Caesarea. The day after he arrived, he convened the court and took his seat on the bench as judge over the proceedings. After he ordered Paul brought into the courtroom, 7the Jewish leaders who came from Jerusalem encircled him and leveled against him many serious charges, which they were unable to substantiate.
8In his defense, Paul said by the Holy Spirit, # 25:8 As translated from the Aramaic. “I have done nothing wrong. # 25:8 Or “I have not sinned in anything.” I’ve committed no offense against Jewish law, or against the temple, or against Caesar.”
9Festus, because he wanted to curry favor with the Jews, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go with me to Jerusalem and be tried for these charges?”
10Paul replied, “I am standing here before Caesar’s tribunal. This is where I should be tried. As you well know, I have done no harm to the Jews. 11If I have committed a crime worthy of death, I won’t seek to escape the death penalty. But if none of their charges are true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
12After conferring with the members of his council, Festus replied, “Since you have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you will go!”
Festus and King Agrippa
13Several days later, King Agrippa and Bernice # 25:13 Bernice, a Jewess, was the sister of King Agrippa and the older sister of Drusilla, wife of Felix (Acts 24:24). arrived at Caesarea for a visit with Festus. 14During their stay of many days, Festus explained Paul’s situation to the king to get his opinion on the matter, saying, “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and demanded that I issue a guilty verdict against him. 16I explained to them that it is not our Roman custom to condemn any man before he has an opportunity to face his accusers and present his defense. 17So they returned here with me. I didn’t postpone the trial, but convened the court the very next day and ordered the man to be brought before me. 18I listened to their accusations against him, but they were not what I expected to hear, for he had committed no crime. 19Rather, their issues centered around disagreements with him over their religion, and about a dead man named Jesus, who Paul claimed was alive. 20Because I was perplexed about how to proceed, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial on these charges. 21When Paul appealed his case to the emperor for a decision, I ordered him to be held in custody until I could send him to Caesar.”
22King Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to listen to this man myself.”
“Tomorrow,” he replied, “you will have that opportunity.”
Paul before King Agrippa
23The next day King Agrippa and Bernice entered the audience hall with much pomp and pageantry. Accompanying them were the senior military officers and prominent citizens. Festus ordered that Paul be brought before them all.
24Then Festus said, “King Agrippa, and esteemed guests, here is the man whom the entire Jewish community, both here and in Jerusalem, has asked me to condemn to death. They have screamed and shouted at me, demanding that I end his life. 25Yet upon investigation I couldn’t find one thing that he has done to deserve the death penalty. When he appealed to His Majesty the emperor, I determined to send him. 26But I have nothing concrete to write to His Majesty, so I have now brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa. After this preliminary hearing I should have something to write, 27for it seems absurd to me to send a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”
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Acts 25: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationActs 25
25
Paul Asks to See Caesar
1Festus became governor, and three days later he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2The leading priests and the important Jewish leaders made charges against Paul before Festus. 3They asked Festus to do them a favor. They wanted him to send Paul back to Jerusalem because they had a plan to kill Paul on the way. 4But Festus answered, “No, Paul will be kept in Caesarea. I will be going there soon myself, 5and your leaders can go with me. If this man has really done anything wrong, they can accuse him there.”
6Festus stayed in Jerusalem another eight or ten days and then went back to Caesarea. The next day Festus told the soldiers to bring Paul before him. Festus was seated on the judgment seat. 7Paul came into the room, and the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him. They made many serious charges against him, but they could not prove anything. 8Paul defended himself, saying, “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law, against the Temple, or against Caesar.”
9But Festus wanted to please the Jews. So he asked Paul, “Do you want to go to Jerusalem for me to judge you there on these charges?”
10Paul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s judgment seat now. This is where I should be judged. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, and you know it. 11If I have done something wrong and the law says I must die, then I agree that I should die. I don’t ask to be saved from death. But if these charges are not true, then no one can hand me over to these people. No, I want Caesar to hear my case!”
12Festus talked about this with his advisors. Then he said, “You have asked to see Caesar, so you will go to Caesar!”
Festus Asks King Agrippa About Paul
13A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to visit Festus. 14They stayed there many days, and Festus told the king about Paul’s case. Festus said, “There is a man that Felix left in prison. 15When I went to Jerusalem, the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders there made charges against him. They wanted me to order his death. 16But I told them, ‘When a man is accused of doing something wrong, Romans don’t hand him over for others to judge. First, he must face the people accusing him. And then he must be allowed to defend himself against their charges.’
17“So when these Jews came here for the trial, I did not waste time. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought in. 18The Jews stood up and accused him. But they did not accuse him of the kind of crimes I thought they would. 19Their charges were all about their own religion and about a man named Jesus. Jesus died, but Paul said that he is still alive. 20I did not have any idea about how to judge these matters. So I asked Paul, ‘Do you want to go to Jerusalem and be judged there?’ 21But Paul asked to be kept in Caesarea. He wants a decision from the emperor. So I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar in Rome.”
22Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man too.”
Festus said, “Tomorrow you can hear him.”
23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came to the meeting with great show, acting like very important people. They entered the room with military leaders and important men of the city. Festus ordered the soldiers to bring Paul in.
24Festus said, “King Agrippa and all of you gathered here with us, you see this man. All the Jewish people, here and in Jerusalem, have complained to me about him. When they complain about him, they shout that he should be killed. 25When I judged him, I did not find him guilty of any crime worthy of death. But he asked to be judged by Caesar, so I decided to send him to Rome. 26However, I don’t really know what to tell Caesar that this man has done wrong. So I have brought him before all of you—especially you, King Agrippa. I hope that you can question him and give me something to write to Caesar. 27I think it is foolish to send a prisoner to Caesar without making some charges against him.”
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