¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death^(A) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”^(B)

⁴ Then the officials^(A) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.^(B) He is discouraging^(C) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”

⁶⁶ What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,”^(A) they answered.

²⁰ But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods,^(A) is to be put to death.”^(B)

¹¹ Then they secretly^(A) persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”^(B)

¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.^{(C) 13} They produced false witnesses,^(D) who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place^(E) and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^(F) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”^(G)

² where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.^{(A) 3} They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.^{(B) 4} Festus answered, “Paul is being held^(C) at Caesarea,^(D) and I myself am going there soon. ⁵ Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

⁶ After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court^(E) and ordered that Paul be brought before him.^{(F) 7} When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him,^(G) but they could not prove them.^(H)

⁸ Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple^(I) or against Caesar.”

⁹ Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,^(J) said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”^(K)

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,^(L) as you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”^(M)

¹² After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus Consults King Agrippa

¹³ A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea^(N) to pay their respects to Festus.

⁴ But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

⁵ “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots^(A) among the Jews^(B) all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene^(C) sect^{(D) 6} and even tried to desecrate the temple;^(E) so we seized him. ^{[7] [a] 8} By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

⁹ The other Jews joined in the accusation,^(F) asserting that these things were true.

Paul the Roman Citizen

²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!^(A) He’s not fit to live!”^(B)

⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,^(A) because he claimed to be the Son of God.”^(B)