Chapter 25

Festus accordingly entered his province, and three days afterwards he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

And the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their charges against Paul, and begged him,

asking it as a favor against Paul, that he would have him fetched to Jerusalem. Meanwhile they were laying an ambush to kill him on the way.

But Festus answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself would be going there shortly.

"Let, therefore, your influential men go down with me," he said, "and if there is anything wrong with the man, let them present charges against him."

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

And when he was fetched, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and brought many serious charges against him, which they were unable to prove.

Paul said in his own defense, "Neither against the Law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I committed any offense."

But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Art thou willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges? '

But Paul said, "I am standing at the tribunal of Caesar; there I ought to be tried. To Jews I have done no wrong, as thou thyself very well knowest.

For if I had done any wrong or committed a crime deserving of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no ground to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them; I appeal to Caesar."

Then Festus, after conferring with the council, answered, "Thou hast appealed to Caesar; to Caesar thou shalt go." Agrippa

And after an interval of some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.

And as they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix,

and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews presented their case against him, and asked for his conviction.

But I told them that Romans are not accustomed to give any man up before the accused has met his accusers face to face and has been given a chance to defend himself against the charges.

Therefore, when they had assembled here, I lost no time, but on the following day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in.

But when his accusers got up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes that I had expected.

But they had against him certain questions about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, but who Paul affirmed was alive.

Being at a loss as to how to investigate such matters, I asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges there.

But when Paul entered an appeal to have his case reserved for the decision of Augustus, I ordered him kept in custody till I could send him to Caesar."

And Agrippa said to Festus, "I myself also could have wished to hear the man." "Tomorrow," said he, "thou shalt hear him."

So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall with the tribunes and principal men of the city, and by order of Festus Paul was brought in.

And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all men here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole multitude of the Jews pleaded with me at Jerusalem and here, insisting and crying out that he ought not to live any longer.

But I, for my part, found that he had done nothing deserving of death. But as he himself made the appeal, I decided to send him to Augustus.

Still I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. So I have brought him forth before you, and especially before thee, King Agrippa, that after an examination of him has been made I may have something to put in writing.

For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without stating the charge against him."