| New American Standard Bible 1995 | International Standard Version |
| 1Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. | 1Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. |
| 2And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, | 2The high priests and Jewish leaders informed him of their charges against Paul, urging |
| 3requesting a concession against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, setting an ambush to kill him on the way). | 3and asking Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem as a favor. They were laying an ambush to kill him on the road. |
| 4Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. | 4Festus replied that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself would be going there soon. |
| 5"Therefore," he said, "let the influential men among you go there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them prosecute him." | 5"Therefore," he said, "have your authorities come down with me and present their charges against him there, if there is anything wrong with the man." |
| 6After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. | 6Festus stayed with them no more than eight or ten days and then went down to Caesarea. The next day, he sat on the judge's seat and ordered Paul brought in. |
| 7After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove, | 7When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and began bringing a number of serious charges against him that they couldn't prove. |
| 8while Paul said in his own defense, "I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar." | 8Paul said in his defense, "I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews, or of the Temple, or of the emperor." |
| 9But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?" | 9Then Festus, wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor, asked Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried there before me on these charges?" |
| 10But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. | 10But Paul said, "I am standing before the emperor's judgment seat where I ought to be tried. I haven't done anything wrong to the Jewish leaders, as you know very well. |
| 11"If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar." | 11If I'm guilty and have done something that deserves death, I'm willing to die. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal to the emperor!" |
| 12Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go." | 12Festus talked it over with the council and then answered, "To the emperor you have appealed; to the emperor you will go!" |
| 13Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. | 13After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to welcome Festus. |
| 14While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix; | 14Since they were staying there for several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. He said, "There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix. |
| 15and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. | 15When I went to Jerusalem, the high priests and the Jewish elders informed me about him and asked me to condemn him. |
| 16"I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. | 16I answered them that it was not the Roman custom to sentence a man to be punished until the accused met his accusers face to face and had an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. |
| 17"So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. | 17So they came here with me, and the next day without any delay I sat down in the judge's seat and ordered the man to be brought in. |
| 18"When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, | 18When his accusers stood up, they didn't accuse him of any of the crimes I was expecting. |
| 19but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. | 19Instead, they had several arguments with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died—but Paul kept asserting he was alive. |
| 20"Being at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. | 20I was puzzled how I should investigate such matters, so I asked if he would like to go to Jerusalem and be tried there for these things. |
| 21"But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar." | 21But Paul appealed his case and asked to be held in prison until the decision of his Majesty. So I ordered him to be held in custody until I could send him to the emperor." |
| 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him." | 22Agrippa told Festus, "I would like to hear the man." "Tomorrow," he said, "you will hear him." |
| 23So, on the next day when Agrippa came together with Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. | 23The next day, Agrippa and Bernice arrived with much fanfare and went into the auditorium along with the tribunes and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. |
| 24Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer. | 24Then Festus said, "King Agrippa and all you men who are present with us! You see this man about whom the whole Jewish nation petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. |
| 25"But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. | 25I find that he has not done anything deserving of death. But since he has appealed to his Majesty, I have decided to send him. |
| 26"Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. | 26I have nothing reliable to write our Sovereign about him, so I have brought him to all of you, and especially to you, King Agrippa, so that I will have something to write after he is cross-examined. |
| 27"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him." | 27For it seems to me absurd to send a prisoner without specifying the charges against him." |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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