| Berean Study Bible | New International Version |
| 1Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, | 1Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, |
| 2where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul. They urged Festus | 2where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. |
| 3to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. | 3They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. |
| 4But Festus replied, “Paul is being held in Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. | 4Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. |
| 5So if this man has done anything wrong, let some of your leaders come down with me and accuse him there.” | 5Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there." |
| 6After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in. | 6After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. |
| 7When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could not prove. | 7When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. |
| 8Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” | 8Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar." |
| 9But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to stand trial before me on these charges?” | 9Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?" |
| 10Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. | 10Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. |
| 11If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” | 11If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" |
| 12Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” | 12After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!" |
| 13After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. | 13A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. |
| 14Since they were staying several days, Festus laid out Paul’s case before the king: “There is a certain man whom Felix left in prison. | 14Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. He said: "There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. |
| 15While I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews presented their case and requested a judgment against him. | 15When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. |
| 16I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges. | 16"I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. |
| 17So when they came here with me, I did not delay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered that the man be brought in. | 17When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. |
| 18But when his accusers rose to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. | 18When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. |
| 19They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive. | 19Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. |
| 20Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. | 20I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. |
| 21But when Paul appealed to be held over for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar.” | 21But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar." |
| 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” “Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus declared. | 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him." |
| 23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium, along with the commanders and leading men of the city. And Festus ordered that Paul be brought in. | 23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. |
| 24Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him, both here and in Jerusalem, crying out that he ought not to live any longer. | 24Festus said: "King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. |
| 25But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. | 25I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. |
| 26I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign one about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this inquiry I may have something to write. | 26But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. |
| 27For it seems unreasonable to me to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.” | 27For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him." |
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