Chapter 25

¹Now when Festus had come into his province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

²And the chief priests and the principal leaders of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him,

³asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way.

⁴Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself was going there soon.

⁵“So,” said he, “let the influential people among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the person, let them bring charges against him.”

⁶After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. The next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.

⁷When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove.

⁸Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.”

⁹But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried before me concerning these things?”

¹⁰But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well.

¹¹If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

¹²Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”

¹³Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus.

¹⁴And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a person here who was left in custody by Felix,

¹⁵about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.”

¹⁶“I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused has faced the accusers and has had an opportunity to make a defense against the charge.

¹⁷So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the person to be brought.”

¹⁸“When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of such evils as I supposed,

¹⁹but had certain questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.”

²⁰“Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and there be tried concerning them.

²¹But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.”

²²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the person myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you shall hear him.”

²³So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent people of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.

²⁴And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this person about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

²⁵But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him.”

²⁶“But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write.

²⁷For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”