Acts 25
Legacy Standard Bible
Paul Before Festus
25 Festus then, having arrived in (A)the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from (B)Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews (C)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with him, 3 requesting a favor against [a]Paul, that he might [b]have him brought to Jerusalem (while they (D)set an ambush to kill him on the way). 4 Festus then (E)answered that Paul (F)was being kept in custody at (G)Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5 “Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you go down there with me, and if there is anything wrong [c]about the man, let them accuse him.”
6 And after he had spent not 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 judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 And 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 committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus, (M)wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “(N)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and to be tried before me on these matters?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s (O)judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11 If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I (P)appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then when Festus had conferred with [d]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”
Festus and Agrippa Discuss Paul’s Trial
13 Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at (Q)Caesarea [e]and greeted Festus. 14 And while they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was (R)left as a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I was at 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)answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man 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 judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought before me. 18 When the accusers stood up, they were not bringing any charges against him for the evil deeds I was expecting, 19 but they had some (W)points of disagreement with him about their own [f](X)religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 (Y)And being perplexed about how to investigate [g]such matters, I was asking whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there to be tried on these matters. 21 But when Paul (Z)appealed to be held in custody for [h]the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to 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 and Bernice
23 So, on the next day when (AB)Agrippa came [i]together with (AC)Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the hall [j]accompanied by the [k]commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the order of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 And Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom (AD)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that (AE)he ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that he had committed (AF)nothing worthy of death, and since he himself (AG)appealed to [l]the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 [m]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 also the charges against him.”
Footnotes
- Acts 25:3 Lit him
- Acts 25:3 Lit send for him to Jerusalem
- Acts 25:5 Lit in
- Acts 25:12 A different group from that mentioned in Acts 4:15 and 24:20
- Acts 25:13 Lit greeting Festus
- Acts 25:19 Or superstition
- Acts 25:20 Lit these
- Acts 25:21 Lit the Augustus’ (in this case Nero)
- Acts 25:23 Lit and Bernice
- Acts 25:23 Lit and with
- Acts 25:23 Military leader over 1,000 soldiers
- Acts 25:25 v 21, note 1
- Acts 25:26 Lit About whom I have nothing definite
Acts 25
Tree of Life Version
Appeal to Caesar
25 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 There the ruling kohanim and the leading Judeans brought charges against Paul. They were urging him, 3 asking a favor—to have Paul sent to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him on the road.
4 Festus then answered that Paul was being guarded at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly. 5 “So then,” he said, “let the prominent men among you go down with me; and if there is any wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”
6 After spending not more than eight to ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought in. 7 When he arrived, the Judeans who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many serious charges which they could not prove.
8 Paul said in his defense, “I have committed no offense against the Torah of the Jewish people, or against the Temple, or against Caesar.”
9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me?”
10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Judeans, as you very well know. 11 If then I am in the wrong and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
12 Then when Festus had consulted with the council, he responded, “You have appealed to Caesar—to Caesar you shall go!”
Festus Seeks Agrippa’s Counsel
13 Now after several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 While they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man left behind as a prisoner by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the ruling kohanim and elders of the Judeans brought charges against him, asking for a judgment against him. 16 I answered them that it is not Roman practice to turn over anyone before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense concerning the charges. 17 So when they came together here, I did not delay, but on the next day sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When the accusers stood up, they were not bringing a charge of what crimes I suspected. 19 Instead, they had certain issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Yeshua, who had died, whom Paul claimed to be alive.
20 “Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there in regard to them. 21 But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.”
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”
“Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”
23 So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pageantry. They entered the audience hall with the commanders and the most prominent men of the city. Then at the order of Festus, Paul was brought in.
24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Judean population petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting out that he ought not live any longer. 25 But I found that he had done nothing deserving of death; and when he himself appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 Yet I have nothing specific to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa—so that after the investigation has taken place, I might have something to write. 27 For it seems illogical to me when sending a prisoner, not to report also the charges against him.”
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Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.