Acts 25

¹ Festus, then, stepping into the prefecture, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. ² Besides, the chief priests and the foremost of the Jews inform him against Paul, and they entreated him, ³ requesting a favor against him, so that he should send after him to bring him into Jerusalem, making an ambush to assassinate him by the way. ⁴ Festus, indeed, then, answered that Paul is to be kept in Caesarea, yet he himself was about to be going out quickly. ⁵ "Those, then, among you", he is averring, "who are able, step down with me. If there is anything amiss in the man, let them accuse him." ⁶ Now, tarrying among them not more than eight or ten days, descending to Caesarea, on the morrow, being seated on the dais, he orders Paul to be led forth. ⁷ Now at his coming along, the Jews who have descended from Jerusalem stand about him, bringing many and heavy charges against him, which they were not strong enough to demonstrate, ⁸ Paul defending that "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the sanctuary, nor against Caesar did I sin." ⁹ Now Festus, wanting to curry favor with the Jews, answering Paul, said, "Are you willing to go up into Jerusalem to be judged there before me concerning these things?" ¹⁰ Yet Paul said, "At the dais of Caesar am I standing, where I must be judged. The Jews in nothing have I injured, as you also are most ideally recognizing. ¹¹ If, indeed, then, I am injuring, and I have committed anything deserving of death, I am not refusing to die. Yet if there is nothing in that of which these are accusing me, no one can surrender me to them as a favor. To Caesar am I appealing!" ¹² Then Festus, conferring with the council, answered, "To Caesar have you appealed. To Caesar shall you go!" ¹³ Now, some days elapsing, Agrippa, the king, and Bernice arrive at Caesarea, greeting Festus. ¹⁴ Now as they tarried more days there, Festus submitted Paul's affairs to the king, saying, "There is a certain man, left prisoner by Felix, ¹⁵ concerning whom, at my coming to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews inform, requesting his conviction, ¹⁶ to whom I answered that it is not the custom for Romans to surrender as a favor any man ere the accused may have the accusers face to face, besides getting a defensive position concerning the indictment. ¹⁷ At their coming together in this place, then, making not one postponement, the next day, being seated on the dais, I order the man to be led forth, ¹⁸ concerning whom the accusers, when they stand up, brought not one charge of the wicked things which I suspected, ¹⁹ yet they had certain questions concerning their own religion against him, and concerning a certain Jesus, who has died, whom Paul alleged to be alive. ²⁰ Now I, being perplexed by the questioning about these things, asked, if he may be intending to go to Jerusalem and to be judged there concerning these things. ²¹ Now at Paul's appealing to be kept for the Imperial investigation, I order him to be kept till I send him up to Caesar." ²² Now Agrippa to Festus: "I myself also intended to hear the man." "Tomorrow", he is averring, "you shall hear him." ²³ On the morrow, then, at Agrippa and Bernice's coming with much pageantry and entering the audience chamber together, besides captains and prominent men of the city, and at Festus' order, Paul was led forth. ²⁴ And Festus is averring, "King Agrippa, and all men present with us, you are beholding this man concerning whom the entire multitude of the Jews pled with me, both in Jerusalem and in this place, imploring that he must not by any means be living longer. ²⁵ Now I grasped that he has committed nothing deserving of death, yet as he himself appeals to the Imperial judge, I decide to send him - ²⁶ concerning whom I haven't anything certain to write to the lord. Wherefore I led him before you, and especially before you, king Agrippa, so that, the examination occurring, I should have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems to me irrational, sending a prisoner, not also to signify the charges against him."