Acts 25

25 ¹ Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. ² There the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul and kept urging him, ³ requesting a favor against him — that he summon Paul to Jerusalem — while plotting an ambush to kill him on the road. ⁴ Festus replied that Paul was held at Caesarea, and he himself would leave shortly. ⁵ "So," he said, "let your leaders go down with me and accuse the man, if he has done anything wrong."

⁶ Festus stayed with them no more than eight or ten days, then went down to Caesarea. The next day he took the judge's seat and ordered Paul brought in. ⁷ When Paul arrived, the Jews from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges they couldn't prove. ⁸ Paul answered in his defense: "I have done no wrong against the Jewish law, the temple, or Caesar."

⁹ But Festus, wanting to please the Jews, asked Paul, "Will you go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?"

¹⁰ Paul said, "I stand before Caesar's tribunal, where I must be judged. I've done the Jews no wrong, as you yourself know very well." ¹¹ If I've done wrong, done something deserving death, I won't refuse to die. But if these men's charges against me are groundless, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.

¹² After consulting his council, Festus answered, "You appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go."

¹³ Some days later, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea and greeted Festus. ¹⁴ As they spent many days there, Festus presented Paul's case to the king: "Felix left a man as a prisoner." ¹⁵ While I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews accused him, asking me for his conviction. ¹⁶ I told them it's not Roman custom to hand over anyone before the accused faces his accusers in person and gets a chance to defend himself against the charge. ¹⁷ So when they gathered here, I delayed nothing—next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man brought in. ¹⁸ When his accusers stood up, they raised none of the criminal charges I had expected. ¹⁹ Instead, they had some disputes with him about their own religion and a dead man named Jesus, whom Paul kept claiming was alive. ²⁰ Unsure how to investigate this, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. ²¹ But since Paul appealed to be held for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.

²² Agrippa told Festus, "I'd like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," Festus said, "you will hear him."

Paul Stands Before Agrippa and Bernice

²³ The next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived with great show and entered the hall with the military commanders and the city's prominent men. On Festus's order, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all here with us — you see this man. The whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting he must not live any longer." ²⁵ But finding nothing deserving death, and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶ I have nothing definite to write my lord about him, so I brought him before you all, especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him."