Paul before Festus

25 Festus, then, after arriving in ^(A)the province, went up to Jerusalem from ^(B)Caesarea three days later. ² And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews ^(C)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with ^[a]Festus, ³ requesting a ^[b]concession against ^[c]Paul, that he might ^[d]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 in ^(G)Caesarea, and that he himself was about to leave shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he *said, “have the influential men among you ^[e]go there with me, and if there is anything wrong ^[f]about the man, have them bring charges against him.”

⁶ After Festus had spent no 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 that Paul 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 not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar.” ⁹ But Festus, ^(M)wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to 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 nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. ¹¹ If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against 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 passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in ^(Q)Caesarea, paying their respects to Festus. ¹⁴ And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man who was ^(R)left as a prisoner by Felix; ¹⁵ and when I was in 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)replied to them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any person 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 that the man be brought. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges ^[i]against him of crimes that I suspected, 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 And ^(Y)being at a loss how to investigate ^[k]such matters, I ^[l]asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters. ²¹ But when Paul ^(Z)appealed to be held in custody for ^[m]the Emperor’s decision, I ordered that he 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 and ^(AC)Bernice came amid great pomp and entered the auditorium, ^[n]accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought before them. ²⁴ And Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man about whom ^(AD)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that ^(AE)he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had committed ^(AF)nothing deserving death; and since he himself ^(AG)appealed to ^[o]the Emperor, I decided to send him. ^26 [p]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 the charges against him as well.”

Paul’s Defense before Agrippa

26 ^(AH)Now Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul extended his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

² “Regarding all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, ^3 [q]especially because you are an expert in all ^(AI)customs and ^[r]questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “So then, all Jews know ^(AJ)my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem, ⁵ since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a ^(AK)Pharisee ^(AL)according to the strictest ^(AM)sect of our religion. ⁶ And now I am standing trial ^(AN)for the hope of ^(AO)the promise made by God to our fathers; ⁷ the promise ^(AP)to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. For this ^(AQ)hope, O king, I am being ^(AR)accused by Jews. ⁸ Why is it considered incredible among you people ^(AS)if God raises the dead?

⁹ “So ^(AT)I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to ^(AU)the name of Jesus ^[s]of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And this is ^[t]just what I ^(AV)did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the ^[u]saints in prisons, after ^(AW)receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also ^(AX)cast my vote against them when they were being put to death. ¹¹ And ^(AY)as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was ^(AZ)extremely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ^(BA)even to ^[v]foreign cities.

¹² “^[w]While so engaged, ^(BB)as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, ^[x]brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ And when we had ^(BC)all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the ^[y](BD)Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ^[z]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and ^(BE)stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to ^(BF)appoint you as a ^(BG)servant and ^(BH)a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, ^17 (BI)rescuing you ^(BJ)from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to ^(BK)open their eyes so that they may turn from ^(BL)darkness to light, and from the ^[aa]power of ^(BM)Satan to God, that they may receive ^(BN)forgiveness of sins and an ^(BO)inheritance among those who have been sanctified by ^(BP)faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but continually proclaimed ^(BQ)to those in Damascus first, and ^(BR)in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even ^(BS)to the Gentiles, that they are to ^(BT)repent and turn to God, performing deeds ^(BU)consistent with repentance. ²¹ For these reasons some Jews ^(BV)seized me in the temple and tried ^(BW)to murder me. ²² So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day ^(BX)testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what ^(BY)the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place, ²³ as to ^(BZ)whether the ^[ab]Christ was ^[ac]to suffer, and whether, as ^(CA)first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim ^(CB)light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ While ^[ad]Paul was stating these things in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! ^[ae]Your great ^(CC)learning is ^[af]driving you insane.” ²⁵ But Paul *said, “I am not insane, ^(CD)most excellent Festus; on the contrary, I am speaking out with ^[ag]truthful and rational words. ²⁶ For the king ^[ah](CE)knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a ^[ai]corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe.”