Festus Talks With King Agrippa

¹³ A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea. They came to pay a visit to Festus. ¹⁴ They were spending many days there. So Festus talked with the king about Paul’s case. He said, “There’s a man here that Felix left as a prisoner. ¹⁵ When I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and the elders brought charges against the man. They wanted him to be found guilty.

¹⁶ “I told them that this is not the way Romans do things. We don’t judge people before they have faced those bringing charges against them. They must have a chance to argue against the charges for themselves. ¹⁷ When the Jewish leaders came back with me, I didn’t waste any time. I called the court together the next day. I ordered the man to be brought in. ¹⁸ Those bringing charges against him got up to speak. But they didn’t charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. ¹⁹ Instead, they argued with him about their own beliefs. They didn’t agree about a man named Jesus. They said Jesus was dead, but Paul claimed Jesus was alive. ²⁰ I had no idea how to look into such matters. So I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem. There he could be tried on these charges. ²¹ But Paul made an appeal to have the Emperor decide his case. So I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.”

²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”

Festus replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”