Paul Asks to See Caesar

25 Three days after Festus ·became governor [^Larrived in the province], he went [^Lup] from Caesarea to Jerusalem. ² There the ·leading [^Tchief] priests and the important leaders [^Lof the Jews] made charges against Paul before Festus. ³ They ·asked [urged] Festus to do them a favor. They wanted him to send Paul back to Jerusalem, because they ·had a plan [^Lplanned an ambush] to kill him on the way. ⁴ But Festus answered that Paul would be kept in Caesarea and that he himself was returning there soon. ⁵ He said, “[^LTherefore,] Some of your ·leaders [authorities] should go with me. They can accuse the man there in Caesarea, if he has really done something wrong.”

⁶ ·Festus [^LHe] stayed ·in Jerusalem [^Lamong them] another eight or ten days and then went ·back [^Ldown] to Caesarea. The next day he ·told the soldiers to bring Paul [^Lordered Paul to be brought] before him. Festus was seated on the ·judge’s seat [tribunal] ⁷ when Paul came into the room. The ·people [^LJews] who had come [^Ldown] from Jerusalem stood around him, making serious charges against him, which they could not prove. ⁸ This is what Paul said to defend himself: “I have done ·nothing wrong [committed no offense/sin/crime] against the law [^Lof the Jews], against the Temple, or against Caesar.”

⁹ But Festus wanted to ·please [curry favor with; or do a favor for] the ·people [^LJews]. So he asked Paul, “·Do you want [or Are you willing] to go [^Lup] to Jerusalem for me to ·judge [try] you there on these charges?”

¹⁰ Paul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s ·judgment seat [or court; tribunal] now, where I should be ·judged [tried]. I have done nothing wrong to ·them [^Lthe Jews]; you ·know this is true [clearly recognize this]. ¹¹ If I have done something wrong and ·the law says I must die [^Lworthy of death], I do not ask to be saved from death. But if these charges are ·not true [baseless], then no one can ·give me [hand me over; or make me a gift; ^CPaul detects Festus’ desire to gain favor with the Jews] to them. I ·want Caesar to hear my case [appeal to Caesar/the emperor; ^Cthe right of a Roman citizen for a capital offense]!”

¹² Festus talked about this with his ·advisers [council]. Then he said, “You have ·asked to see [appealed to] Caesar, so you will go to Caesar!”

Paul Before King Agrippa

¹³ A few days later King Agrippa [^CAgrippa II, the Jewish king who ruled parts of Palestine from ad 52 to 92] and Bernice [^CAgrippa’s sister and probably his lover] came to Caesarea to ·visit [or welcome; pay their respects to] Festus. ¹⁴ They stayed there for ·some time [^Lmany days], and Festus told the king about Paul’s case. Festus said, “There is a man that Felix left in prison. ¹⁵ When I went to Jerusalem, the ·leading [^Tchief] priests and the elders there made charges against him, asking me to ·sentence him to death [^Lsentence/condemn him]. ¹⁶ But I answered, ‘When a man is accused of a crime, ·Romans do not [^Lit is not a custom for Romans to] hand him over until he has been allowed to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.’ ¹⁷ So when these people came here ·to Caesarea for the trial [^Lwith me], I did not ·waste time [postpone/delay the case]. The next day I sat on the ·judge’s seat [tribunal] and commanded that the man be brought in. ¹⁸ ·They stood up and accused him [^LThe accusers stood up (to speak)], but not of any ·serious crime [evil deeds] as I ·thought they would [expected]. ¹⁹ The things they ·said [disputed] were about their own ·religion [or superstition] and about a man named Jesus who died. But Paul ·said [claimed] that he is still alive. ²⁰ ·Not knowing [At a loss] how to ·find out about [investigate] these questions, I asked Paul, ‘·Do you want [or Are you willing] to go to Jerusalem and be ·judged [tried] there [^Lconcerning these things]?’ ²¹ But he asked to be ·kept in Caesarea [^Lheld in custody]. He wants a decision from ·the emperor [or His Majesty; the Revered/August One; ^CA title for Caesar, the ruler of the Roman world, first given to Caesar “Augustus”; here it refers to Nero]. So I ordered that he be held [in custody] until I could send him to Caesar.”

²² Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear this man myself.”

Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

²³ [^LTherefore] The next day Agrippa and Bernice ·appeared [entered] with great ·show [pomp; fanfare]. They went into the ·judgment room [audience hall] with the ·army leaders [tribunes] and the important men of ·Caesarea [^Lthe city]. Then Festus ·ordered the soldiers [^Lgave the order] to bring Paul in. ²⁴ Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are ·gathered [or present] here with us, you see this man. ·All the people [The Jewish community; ^LAll the multitude of the Jews], here and in Jerusalem, have ·complained to [or petitioned] me about him, shouting that he should not live any longer. ²⁵ But I found ·no reason to order his [^Lhe had done nothing deserving] death. But since he ·asked to be judged by Caesar [appealed to the emperor], I decided to send him. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write the ·emperor [^Llord; sovereign] about him. So I have brought him before all of you—especially you, King Agrippa. ·I hope you can question him and give me [^L…so that from this examination, I might have] something to write. ²⁷ [^LFor] I think it is ·foolish [unreasonable] to send a prisoner to Caesar without telling what charges are against him.”