Acts 25
New Testament for Everyone
To Caesar you shall go
25 So Festus arrived in the province, and after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2 The high priests and the leading men of the Jews appeared before him, laying charges against Paul, and putting a request to him. 3 They wanted him to do a special favor for them and against Paul, by sending for him to be brought up to Jerusalem. They were making a plan to kill him on the way. 4 But Festus answered that he was keeping Paul at Caesarea, and that he himself would shortly be going back there.
5 “So,” he said, “your officials should come down with me. They can put any accusations of wrongdoing they may have against the man.”
6 He stayed with them for a few days (about eight or ten) and then went down to Caesarea. On the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought to him. 7 When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and hurled many serious accusations at him, which they were not able to substantiate. 8 Paul made his response: “I have offended neither against the Jews’ law, nor against the Temple, nor against Caesar.”
9 Festus, however, wanted to do a favor to the Jews. “Tell me,” he said to Paul in reply, “how would you like to go up to Jerusalem and be tried by me there about these things?”
10 “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal,” said Paul, “which is where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you well know. 11 If I have committed any wrong, or if I have done something which means I deserve to die, I’m not trying to escape death. But if I haven’t done any of the things they are accusing me of, nobody can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
12 Festus consulted with his advisers.
“You have appealed to Caesar,” he said, “and to Caesar you shall go.”
Agrippa and Bernice
13 After some days King Agrippa came to Caesarea, with Bernice, to greet Festus. 14 They spent several days there, and during that time Festus put to the king the whole matter of Paul and the case against him.
“I have a man here,” he said, “who was left by Felix as a prisoner. 15 When I was up in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the Jewish elders came before me and asked me to pass sentence on him. 16 My response was that it is not our Roman custom to hand anyone over until the accused has had a chance to look his accusers in the face and make a defense against the charges. 17 So they came down here, and I didn’t postpone the business, but sat in court the next day and commanded the man to be brought. 18 His accusers stood there and brought charges—but not of the sort of wrongdoing I had been expecting. 19 It turned out to have to do with various wranglings concerning their own religion, and about some dead man called Jesus whom Paul asserted was alive. 20 I simply didn’t know what to do about all this dispute, and so I asked him if he would like to go up to Jerusalem and be judged there about these things. 21 But Paul then appealed for his case to be sent up to His Majesty! So I gave the order that he should be kept under guard until I can send him to Caesar.”
22 “I should like to hear this man for myself,” said Agrippa to Festus.
“Very well,” said Festus. “You shall do so tomorrow.”
23 On the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great ceremony, and entered the audience chamber. With them came the tribunes and the leading men of the city. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought in.
24 “King Agrippa,” said Festus, “and all of you assembled here, you see this man. The whole multitude of the Jews appealed to me about him, both in Jerusalem and here. They shouted that it wasn’t right to let him live. 25 But I found that he had done nothing to deserve death, and since he then himself appealed to His Majesty I decided to send him. 26 I don’t have anything definite to write to our Lord and Master about him, and so I’ve brought him here to you, and particularly before you, King Agrippa, so that I may know what to write once we have had a judicial hearing. 27 There seems no sense to me in sending a prisoner without giving some indication of the charges against him.”
Acts 25
English Standard Version
Paul Appeals to Caesar
25 Now three days after Festus had arrived in (A)the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews (B)laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3 asking as a favor against Paul[a] that he summon him to Jerusalem—because (C)they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”
6 After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on (D)the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him (E)that they could not prove. 8 Paul argued in his defense, “Neither (F)against (G)the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor (H)against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9 But Festus, (I)wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's (J)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. (K)I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”
Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice
13 Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. 14 And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, (L)“There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case (M)against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 (N)I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone (O)before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. 17 (P)So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on (Q)the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. 18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. 19 Rather they (R)had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about (S)a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I (T)asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21 But (U)when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of (V)the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then (W)Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”
23 So on the next day (X)Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom (Y)the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, (Z)shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that (AA)he had done nothing deserving death. And (AB)as he himself appealed to (AC)the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”
Footnotes
- Acts 25:3 Greek him
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
