Festus then
, having arrived
in athe province
, three
days
later
went
up to Jerusalem
from bCaesarea
.
And the chief priests
and the leading
men
of the Jews
abrought
charges
against
Paul
, and they were urging
him,
requesting a 1concession
against
2Paul, that he might 3have him brought
to Jerusalem
(at the same time, asetting
an ambush
to kill
him on the way
).
Festus then
aanswered
that Paul
bwas being kept
in custody
at cCaesarea
and that he himself
was about
to leave
shortly
.
"Therefore," he *said
, "let the influential
men
among
you 1go
there with me, and if
there is anything
wrong
2about
the man
, let them 3prosecute
him."
After he had spent not more
than eight
or
ten
days
among
them, he went
down
to aCaesarea
, and on the next
day
he took
his seat
on bthe tribunal
and ordered
Paul
to be brought
.
After Paul arrived, the Jews
who had come
down
from Jerusalem
stood
around
him, bringing
amany
and serious
charges
against
him bwhich
they could
not prove
,
while Paul said
in his own defense
, " aI have committed
no
offense
either
against
the Law
of the Jews
or
against
the temple
or
against
Caesar
."
But Festus, awishing
to do
the Jews
a favor
, answered
Paul
and said
, " bAre you willing
to go
up to Jerusalem
and 1stand
trial
before
me on these
charges?"
But Paul said
, "I am
standing
before
Caesar's
atribunal
, where
I ought
to be tried
. I have done
no
wrong
to the Jews
, as you also
very
well
know
.
"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 aappeal
to Caesar
."
Then when Festus
had conferred
with 1his council
, he answered
, "You have appealed
to Caesar
, to Caesar
you shall go
."
Now when several
days
had elapsed
, King
Agrippa
and Bernice
arrived
at aCaesarea
1and paid
their respects
to Festus
.
While they were spending
many
days
there
, Festus
laid
Paul's
case
before the king
, saying
, "There is a man
who was aleft
as a prisoner
by Felix
;
and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief
priests
and the elders
of the Jews
abrought
charges
against
him, asking
for a sentence
of condemnation
against
him.
"I aanswered them that it is not the custom
of the Romans
to hand
over any
man
before
bthe accused
meets
his accusers
face
to face
and has
an opportunity
to make his defense
against
the charges
.
"So after they had assembled
here
, I did not delay
, but on the next
day took
my seat
on athe tribunal
and ordered
the man
to be brought
before me.
"When the accusers stood
up, they began bringing
charges
against
him not of such
crimes
as I was expecting
,
but they simply had some
apoints
of disagreement
with him about
their own
1 breligion
and about
a dead
man
, Jesus
, whom
Paul
asserted
to be alive
.
" aBeing at a loss
how
to investigate
1such
matters, I asked
whether
he was willing
to go
to Jerusalem
and there
stand
trial
on these
matters.
"But when Paul aappealed
to be held
in custody
for 1the Emperor's
decision
, I ordered
him to be kept
in custody
until
I send
him to Caesar
."
Then aAgrippa
said to Festus
, "I also
would like
to hear
the man
myself
." "Tomorrow
," he *said
, "you shall hear
him."
So, on the next
day
when aAgrippa
came
1together
with aBernice
amid
great
pomp
, and entered
the auditorium
2accompanied
by the 3commanders
and the prominent
men
of the city
, at the command
of Festus
, Paul
was brought
in.
Festus *said
, "King
Agrippa
, and all
you gentlemen
here
present
with us, you see
this
man
about
whom
aall
the people
of the Jews
appealed
to me, both
at Jerusalem
and here
, loudly
declaring
that bhe ought
not to live
any
longer
.
"But I found that he had committed
anothing
worthy
of death
; and since he himself
bappealed
to 1the Emperor
, I decided
to send
him.
" 1Yet 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
.
"For it seems absurd
to me in sending
a prisoner
, not to indicate
also
the charges
against
him."