¹⁰ Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,^(A) as you yourself know very well.

² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^(A) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^(B) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^(C) in the sight of God.

¹⁸ They examined me^(A) and wanted to release me,^(B) because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.^(C)

³¹ After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”^(A)

²⁵ I found he had done nothing deserving of death,^(A) but because he made his appeal to the Emperor^(B) I decided to send him to Rome.

¹⁸ For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁷ When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in.^(A)

⁶ After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court^(A) and ordered that Paul be brought before him.^(B)

²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”^(A)

²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

²⁸ Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.