1Festus therefore, having come to the province, three days later went up from Caesarea to Yerushalayim.

2And the high priest and the chief men of the Yehuḏim informed him against Sha’ul, and they begged him,

3asking a favour against him, that he would send him to Yerushalayim – making a plot along the way to kill him.

4Then, indeed, Festus answered that Sha’ul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to set out shortly.

5“Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”

6And having spent more than ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. And on the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Sha’ul to be brought.

7And when he had come, the Yehuḏim who had come down from Yerushalayim stood about, bringing many and heavy charges against Sha’ul, which they were unable to prove,

8while Sha’ul said in his own defence, “Neither against the Torah of the Yehuḏim, nor against the Set-apart Place, nor against Caesar did I commit any sin.”

9But Festus, wishing to do the Yehuḏim a favour, answering Sha’ul, said, “Do you wish to go up to Yerushalayim and be judged before me there concerning these matters?”

10And Sha’ul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I should be judged. To the Yehuḏim I have done no wrong, as you know well enough.

11“For if indeed I do wrong, or have committed whatever deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is none at all in these matters of which these men accuse me, no one is able to give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

12Then Festus, having talked with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

13And certain days having passed, Sovereign Agrippa and Bernike came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

14And when they had spent many days there, Festus laid Sha’ul’s case before the sovereign, saying, “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner,

15about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Yehuḏim informed me, when I was in Yerushalayim, asking for a judgment against him.

16“To them I answered, ‘It is not the Roman practice to give up any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has a chance to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’

17“They, therefore, having come together, without any delay, I sat on the judgment seat the next day and commanded the man to be brought in.

18“When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge against him such as I expected,

19but had some questions against him about their own worship and about a certain יהושע, who had died, whom Sha’ul was claiming to be alive.

20“And being uncertain how to investigate these matters, I asked whether he wished to go to Yerushalayim and there be judged concerning these matters.

21“But when Sha’ul appealed to be kept for the decision of Augustus, I ordered him to be kept until I send him to Caesar.”

22And Agrippa said to Festus, “I was wishing also to hear the man myself.” And he said, “Tomorrow, you shall hear him.”

23Therefore, on the next day, Agrippa and Bernike having come with great show, and having entered the place of hearing with the commanders and the eminent men of the city, Sha’ul was brought in at the order of Festus.

24And Festus said, “Sovereign Agrippa and all the men present here with us, you see this one about whom all the community of the Yehuḏim pleaded with me, both at Yerushalayim and here, shouting that he ought not to be living any longer.

25“But I, having found that he had committed none at all deserving death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

26“I have no definite matter to write to my master concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and most of all before you, Sovereign Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I might have somewhat to write.

27“For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to signify the charges against him.”