Acts 25

Paul before Festus

1Festus then, having arrived in 1the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from 2Caesarea. 2And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews 3brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, 3requesting a 4concession against 5Paul, that he might 6have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, 7setting an ambush to kill him on the way). 4Festus then 8answered that Paul 9was being kept in custody at 10Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5“Therefore,” he said, “let the influential men among you 11go there with me, and if there is anything wrong 12about the man, let them 13prosecute him.”

6After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to 14Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on 15the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing 16many and serious charges against him 17which they could not prove, 8while Paul said in his own defense, “18I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9But Festus, 19wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “20Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and 21stand trial before me on these charges?” 10But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s 22tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11If, 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 23appeal to Caesar.” 12Then when Festus had conferred with 24his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”

13Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at 25Caesarea 26and paid their respects to Festus. 14While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was 27left as a prisoner by Felix; 15and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews 28brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16I 29answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before 30the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. 17So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on 31the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. 18When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, 19but they simply had some 32points of disagreement with him about their own 3334religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. 2035Being at a loss how to investigate 36such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. 21But when Paul 37appealed to be held in custody for 38the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” 22Then 39Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

Paul before Agrippa

23So, on the next day when 40Agrippa came 41together with 42Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium 43accompanied by the 44commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom 45all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that 46he ought not to live any longer. 25But I found that he had committed 47nothing worthy of death; and since he himself 48appealed to 49the Emperor, I decided to send him. 2650Yet 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. 27For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him.”