Hechos 25
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Apelación al emperador
25 A los tres días de entrar en funciones como gobernador de la provincia, Festo se trasladó de Cesarea a Jerusalén. 2 Una vez allí, se presentaron ante él los jefes de los sacerdotes y las más destacadas personalidades judías para formular sus demandas contra Pablo. Le rogaron, 3 como favor especial, que dispusiera el traslado de Pablo a Jerusalén, con la intención de preparar una emboscada y matarlo en el camino. 4 Pero Festo respondió que Pablo debía seguir custodiado en Cesarea y que él mismo iba a regresar allí pronto. 5 Y añadió:
— Que los dirigentes de ustedes me acompañen a Cesarea y presenten acusación contra ese hombre, si es que ha cometido algún delito.
6 Festo pasó ocho o diez días entre ellos y después regresó a Cesarea. Al día siguiente ocupó su puesto en el tribunal y ordenó que hicieran comparecer a Pablo. 7 Cuando este se presentó, los judíos llegados de Jerusalén lo acosaron imputándole muchas y graves culpas, de las cuales no podían presentar pruebas. 8 Pablo, a su vez, se defendió diciendo:
— No he cometido delito alguno ni contra la ley judía, ni contra el Templo, ni contra el emperador.
9 Festo, que deseaba granjearse el favor de los judíos, dijo entonces a Pablo:
— ¿Quieres ir a Jerusalén para que yo juzgue allí tu causa?
10 Pablo respondió:
— Apelo al tribunal del emperador, que es donde debo ser juzgado. No he cometido ningún delito contra los judíos, como tú bien sabes. 11 Si verdaderamente soy culpable y he cometido alguna acción que me haga reo de muerte, no me niego a morir. Pero si los cargos que se me hacen carecen de fundamento, nadie puede entregarme a los judíos. Apelo, pues, al emperador.
12 Festo cambió impresiones con sus consejeros y respondió:
— Al emperador has apelado, al emperador irás.
Pablo ante Agripa y Berenice
13 Transcurridos unos días, llegaron a Cesarea el rey Agripa y Berenice para saludar a Festo. 14 Como se quedaron allí bastantes días, Festo tuvo tiempo de referir al rey el asunto de Pablo.
— Aquí hay un hombre —dijo— a quien Félix dejó preso. 15 Cuando fui a Jerusalén, los jefes de los sacerdotes y los demás dirigentes judíos presentaron una denuncia contra él y pidieron su condena. 16 Les contesté que no es norma legal romana condenar a un acusado sin previo careo con sus acusadores y sin darle oportunidad para defenderse de los cargos. 17 Vinieron entonces aquí y, al día siguiente, sin demora alguna, ocupé mi puesto en el tribunal y ordené que trajeran a ese hombre. 18 Pero cuando los acusadores tomaron la palabra, no presentaron cargo alguno de los que yo esperaba. 19 Todo se reducía a ciertas discrepancias concernientes a su religión y acerca de un tal Jesús, que está muerto y del que Pablo afirma que vive. 20 No sabiendo cómo proseguir el desarrollo de la causa, pregunté a Pablo si estaba dispuesto a ir a Jerusalén para que se instruyera allí el proceso. 21 Pablo, entonces, interpuso apelación, solicitando permanecer bajo custodia en espera del fallo de su Majestad imperial. Así que he ordenado que se le custodie hasta que pueda enviarlo al emperador.
Agripa dijo a Festo:
22 — Desearía oír a ese hombre yo mismo.
— Mañana tendrás ocasión —contestó Festo—.
23 Al día siguiente llegaron Agripa y Berenice con un fastuoso cortejo, y entraron en la sala de la audiencia en compañía de altos jefes militares y de las más destacadas personalidades de la ciudad. A una orden de Festo, condujeron allí a Pablo. 24 A continuación, Festo se expresó de este modo:
— Rey Agripa y señores todos presentes entre nosotros: ahí tienen al hombre por cuya causa han venido a mí multitud de judíos, tanto aquí como en Jerusalén, pidiéndome a gritos su cabeza. 25 Sin embargo, me consta que no ha cometido ningún crimen por el cual merezca la muerte. Pero como ha apelado a su Majestad imperial, he decidido enviárselo a él. 26 Ahora bien, no existiendo una causa concreta de la que pueda yo informar por escrito al emperador, he querido que comparezca ante ustedes, y particularmente ante ti, rey Agripa, a fin de que, como resultado de este interrogatorio, pueda yo escribir algo al respecto. 27 Y es que me parece absurdo enviar un preso sin especificar los cargos que pesan sobre él.
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
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España
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