¹³ Now several days later, ^[a]Agrippa [II] the king and ^[b]Bernice [his sister] arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus [the new governor]. ¹⁴ While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left as a prisoner by Felix. ¹⁵ When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews [told me about him and] brought charges against him, petitioning for a sentence of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man [for punishment] before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has the opportunity to defend himself against the charges. ¹⁷ So after they arrived together here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my place on the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought before me. ¹⁸ When his accusers stood up, they brought no charges against him of crimes that I was expecting [neither civil nor criminal actions], ¹⁹ instead they had some points of disagreement with him about their own ^[c]religion and about one Jesus, a man who had died, but whom Paul kept asserting and insisting [over and over] to be alive. ²⁰ And I, being at a loss as to how to investigate these things, asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding these matters. ²¹ But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for a decision by the Emperor [Nero], I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” Festus replied, “you will hear him.”