Acts 25

New American Standard Bible 1995

Paul before Festus

25 Festus then, having arrived in ^(A)the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from ^(B)Caesarea. ² And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews ^(C)brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, ³ requesting a ^[a]concession against ^[b]Paul, that he might ^[c]have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, ^(D)setting an ambush to kill him on the way). ⁴ Festus then ^(E)answered that Paul ^(F)was being kept in custody at ^(G)Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you ^[d]go there with me, and if there is anything wrong ^[e]about the man, let them ^[f]prosecute him.”

⁶ After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to ^(H)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on ^(I)the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing ^(J)many and serious charges against him ^(K)which they could not prove, ⁸ while Paul said in his own defense, “^(L)I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁹ But Festus, ^(M)wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “^(N)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and ^[g]stand trial before me on these charges?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s ^(O)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. ¹¹ If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I ^(P)appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then when Festus had conferred with ^[h]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”

¹³ Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at ^(Q)Caesarea ^[i]and paid their respects to Festus. ¹⁴ While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was ^(R)left as a prisoner by Felix; ¹⁵ and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews ^(S)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I ^(T)answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before ^(U)the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. ¹⁷ So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on ^(V)the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, ¹⁹ but they simply had some ^(W)points of disagreement with him about their own ^[j](X)religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. ^20 (Y)Being at a loss how to investigate ^[k]such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. ²¹ But when Paul ^(Z)appealed to be held in custody for ^[l]the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” ²² Then ^(AA)Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”

Paul before Agrippa

²³ So, on the next day when ^(AB)Agrippa came ^[m]together with ^(AC)Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium ^[n]accompanied by the ^[o]commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom ^(AD)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that ^(AE)he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had committed ^(AF)nothing worthy of death; and since he himself ^(AG)appealed to ^[p]the Emperor, I decided to send him. ^26 [q]Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him.”