Acts 25
EasyEnglish Bible
Festus travels to Jerusalem to speak to the leaders of the Jews
25 Three days after Festus began to rule in Caesarea, he travelled from there to Jerusalem. 2 When he arrived there, the leaders of the priests and the Jewish leaders told him about Paul. They spoke bad things against Paul. 3 They said to Festus, ‘Please listen to us. We really want you to bring Paul here to Jerusalem. You can judge him here. Then we would be very happy.’ They wanted to kill Paul while he was travelling to Jerusalem.
4 But Festus answered them, ‘Paul will remain in prison in Caesarea. I myself will return there soon. 5 So your leaders should go to Caesarea with me. If this man has done anything wrong, they can speak against him there. I will listen and I will judge.’
6 Festus stayed for another eight or ten days in Jerusalem. Then he returned to Caesarea. On the next day, he sat down on his special seat as judge. He said to his soldiers, ‘Bring Paul here!’ 7 Some of the Jewish leaders had also come from Jerusalem. When Paul came into the room, they all stood round him. They began to speak to Festus against Paul. They said that he had done very many bad things. But they could not show Festus that these things were really true.
8 Then Paul spoke to show what was true. He said, ‘I have not done anything wrong against our Jewish laws or against the temple in Jerusalem. Also, I have not done anything wrong against your Roman ruler, Caesar.’
9 Festus wanted to make the Jewish leaders happy. So he asked Paul, ‘I would like to judge this problem in Jerusalem. Would you be happy to go there? Then I can decide if what these men are saying against you is true.’
10 Paul answered him, ‘I am already in the place where Caesar's officers judge people. This is the right place for you to judge me. I have never done anything wrong against the Jews. You yourself know very well that it is true. 11 Have I done something bad that you should kill me for it? If that is true, then I will agree to it. It is right that I should die. But these Jews are not speaking true words against me. Nobody should let them take hold of me. So now I ask you to send me to Caesar himself. I want him to be the judge.’
12 Festus talked to his officers about what Paul had said. Then he said to Paul, ‘You have asked to go to Caesar, for him to be your judge. So prepare yourself to go to Caesar!’
King Agrippa and Bernice visit Festus
13 Several days after this, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea. They wanted to say ‘welcome’ to Festus as the new ruler.[a]
14 They stayed in Caesarea for many days. While they were there, Festus explained to King Agrippa the problem about Paul. He said, ‘There is a man here that Felix left in prison. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the important Jews and the leaders of their priests spoke to me about him. They said, “Paul has done some very bad things. You should judge him and he should die.”
16 I answered them, “You are saying that this man has done wrong things. He must first stand in front of you who are speaking against him. Then he can answer you, and I can judge who is right. That is what our Roman law says must happen.”
17 So when I came back here, the Jewish leaders and the leaders of their priests came with me. I did not wait for long. On the next day I sat down on my special seat as judge. I told my soldiers to bring this man to me. 18 The men who had spoken against him stood up. I thought they would say that Paul had done some very bad thing. But they did not say that. 19 Instead, they were arguing with Paul about what the Jews teach about God. They were arguing about a man who is called Jesus. Jesus had died. But Paul was saying that he is alive. 20 I did not know how I could judge all these problems. So I told Paul, “I want to take you to Jerusalem. Would you be happy to go there? Then I will listen to what these men are saying against you. I will judge there who is right.” 21 But Paul did not want to go to Jerusalem. He said to me, “Please keep me safe here in prison. Then send me to Caesar. He himself should decide what to do with me.” So I said to my soldiers, “Guard Paul here until I send him to Caesar.” ’
22 Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I would like to hear this man myself.’
Festus replied, ‘You will hear him tomorrow.’
23 The next day, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea's public meeting room. They wore beautiful clothes to show that they were great people. Some Roman soldiers' officers and important men in the city also arrived there. Festus said to his soldiers, ‘Bring Paul here to us!’ So they brought Paul into the room. 24 Festus said, ‘King Agrippa, and everyone here today, listen to me! You see this man who is standing in front of you. Many Jews in Jerusalem, and also Jews here in Caesarea, have spoken to me about him. They say very loudly, “This man has done very bad things. He should not continue to live!” 25 But I could not find any reason to kill him. He has not done anything against our law. But he has asked for Caesar himself to judge him. So I have decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I do not know what to write about him to our ruler, Caesar. So I have brought him here to stand in front of all of you. I ask you, King Agrippa, to listen carefully to what Paul says. Then we can talk about the problem together. As a result, I will know what to write about him to Caesar. 27 I need to tell Caesar what wrong things this man has done. If I cannot do that, it would not be right to send him to Rome.’
Footnotes
- 25:13 This king was Agrippa the second. He was the son of Agrippa the first. He ruled over a part of Galilee, but he did have some authority over the Jews. He could decide who would be their most important priest. Bernice was the oldest daughter of Agrippa the first and she was the younger sister of Agrippa the second.
Acts 25
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 25
Appeal to Caesar. 1 Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem 2 where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented him their formal charges against Paul.[a] They asked him 3 as a favor to have him sent to Jerusalem, for they were plotting to kill him along the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea and that he himself would be returning there shortly. 5 He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, let them accuse him.”
6 After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the following day took his seat on the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought in. 7 When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and brought many serious charges against him, which they were unable to prove. 8 In defending himself Paul said, “I have committed no crime either against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 [b]Then Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, said to Paul in reply, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there stand trial before me on these charges?” 10 Paul answered, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar; this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you very well know. 11 If I have committed a crime or done anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape the death penalty; but if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, after conferring with his council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.”
Paul Before King Agrippa. 13 When a few days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice[c] arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. 14 Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man here left in custody by Felix.(A) 15 When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation. 16 I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge. 17 So when [they] came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 (B)His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. 19 Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. 20 Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. 21 And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I too should like to hear this man.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great ceremony and entered the audience hall in the company of cohort commanders and the prominent men of the city and, by command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all you here present with us, look at this man about whom the whole Jewish populace petitioned me here and in Jerusalem, clamoring that he should live no longer. 25 I found, however, that he had done nothing deserving death, and so when he appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write about him to our sovereign; therefore I have brought him before all of you, and particularly before you, King Agrippa, so that I may have something to write as a result of this investigation. 27 For it seems senseless to me to send up a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
Footnotes
- 25:2 Even after two years the animosity toward Paul in Jerusalem had not subsided (see Acts 24:27).
- 25:9–12 Paul refuses to acknowledge that the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem has any jurisdiction over him now (Acts 25:11). Paul uses his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the jurisdiction of the Emperor (Nero, ca. A.D. 60) (Acts 25:12). This move broke the deadlock between Roman protective custody of Paul and the plan of his enemies to kill him (25:3).
- 25:13 King Agrippa and Bernice: brother and sister, children of Herod Agrippa I whose activities against the Jerusalem community are mentioned in Acts 12:1–19. Agrippa II was a petty ruler over small areas in northern Palestine and some villages in Perea. His influence on the Jewish population of Palestine was insignificant.
Acts 25
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
25 1 So Festus, having set-foot in the province, went up after three days to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the leading ones of the Jews brought-charges to him against Paul. And they were appealing-to him, 3 asking-for a favor against him, so that he might summon him to Jerusalem— while making an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Then indeed Festus responded that Paul was being kept in Caesarea, and that he himself was about to be proceeding-out [of Jerusalem] shortly. 5 “So”, he says, “the powerful ones among you having gone-down-with me— if there is something out-of-place in the man, let them be accusing him there”. 6 And having spent days among them (not more than eight or ten), having come down to Caesarea, having sat on the judgment-seat on the next day, he ordered that Paul be brought.
When Festus Suggests a Trial In Jerusalem, Paul Appeals To Caesar
7 And he having arrived, the Jews having come down from Jerusalem stood around him bringing many and weighty charges against him, which they were not able to prove— 8 Paul speaking-in-defense that “Neither against the Law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, did I sin anything”. 9 But Festus, wishing to gain favor with the Jews, having responded to Paul, said, “Are you willing, having gone up to Jerusalem, to be judged there before me concerning these things?” 10 And Paul said, “I am standing here before the judgment-seat of Caesar, where I ought-to be judged. I did the Jews no wrong, as you also are knowing very well. 11 So if I am doing wrong[a] and have committed something worthy of death, I am not refusing to die. But if the things of which these ones are accusing me are nothing, no one is able[b] to freely-give me to them. I appeal-to Caesar[c]”. 12 Then Festus, having talked-with his council, responded, “You have appealed-to Caesar— you will go before Caesar”.
King Agrippa Arrives In Caesarea And Asks To Hear From Paul
13 Now some days having passed, Agrippa[d] the king and Bernice[e] arrived in Caesarea, having greeted[f] Festus. 14 And while they were spending more days there, Festus laid-before the king the things concerning Paul, saying, “A certain man has been left-behind by Felix as a prisoner, 15 concerning whom— I having come-to-be in Jerusalem— the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought-charges, asking-for a sentence-of-condemnation against him, 16 to whom I responded that it is not a custom with Romans to freely-give any person[g] before the one being accused should have his accusers face-to-face, and should receive a place[h] for a defense concerning the accusation. 17 So they having come-with[i] me here— I having made no delay, having sat on the judgment-seat on the next day— I ordered that the man be brought, 18 concerning whom, the accusers having stood were bringing no charge of the evil[j] things which I was supposing[k], 19 but were having certain issues with him concerning their own religion and concerning a certain Jesus having died, whom Paul was asserting[l] to be alive. 20 And I, being perplexed as to the investigation concerning these things, was saying whether he might be willing to go to Jerusalem, and there be judged concerning these things. 21 But Paul having appealed that he be kept for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he continue-being-kept [in custody] until which time I might send him up to Caesar”. 22 And Agrippa says to Festus, “I myself also was wanting[m] to hear the man”. “Tomorrow”, he says, “you will hear him”.
Festus Introduces Paul, Hoping To Learn Something To Write To Caesar
23 So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice having come with great pageantry, and having entered into the auditorium with both commanders[n] and prominent men of the city, and Festus having given-orders— Paul was brought. 24 And Festus says, “King Agrippa, and all the men being present-with us— you see this one concerning whom the whole assembly of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer, 25 but I found-out that he had committed nothing worthy of death. And this one himself having appealed-to the Emperor, I determined to send him— 26 concerning whom, I do not have something certain to write to my lord. Therefore I brought him before you, and especially before you King Agrippa, so that the examination having taken place, I may have something I may write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me, while sending a prisoner, not also to signify the charges against him”.
Footnotes
- Acts 25:11 That is, against Roman law. Paul is being held for political, not legal purposes.
- Acts 25:11 That is, under Roman law.
- Acts 25:11 This was the right of every Roman citizen in a capital case. The Caesar in view here is Nero, who was emperor from a.d. 54-68.
- Acts 25:13 That is, Agrippa II, son of Herod Agrippa I (12:1). His Roman name was Marcus Julius Agrippa. His capital was Caesarea Philippi, which he renamed Neronias. He ruled much of the territory in the region, but not Judea (although he did appoint the high priests), until about a.d. 100.
- Acts 25:13 She was the sister of Agrippa II and Drusilla (24:24).
- Acts 25:13 Or, greeting. Agrippa probably came from Neronias to Caesarea to welcome Festus to his new post.
- Acts 25:16 That is, Roman person, Roman citizen.
- Acts 25:16 That is, a place in the process; an opportunity.
- Acts 25:17 Or, come-together, assembled.
- Acts 25:18 Or more specifically, crimes.
- Acts 25:18 Or, suspecting.
- Acts 25:19 Or, claiming.
- Acts 25:22 Or, would wish to hear.
- Acts 25:23 Or, tribunes. There were five cohorts in Caesarea, each led by a tribune.
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Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
