Acts 25:1-11

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

6After Festus had spent no 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 that Paul 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 not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar.” 9But Festus, 19wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to 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 nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I 23appeal to Caesar.”