| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. | 1Now three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. |
| 2And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, | 2So the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges against Paul to him. |
| 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). | 3Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, they urged Festus to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. |
| 4Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. | 4Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself intended to go there shortly. |
| 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"So," he said, "let your leaders go down there with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, they may bring charges against him." |
| 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. | 6After Festus had stayed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. |
| 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 he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they were not able to 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 committed no offense against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar." |
| 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?" | 9But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there 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. | 10Paul replied, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also 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 then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" |
| 12Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go." | 12Then, after conferring with his council, Festus replied, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar 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 arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to 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; | 14While they were staying there many days, Festus explained Paul's case to the king to get his opinion, saying, "There is a man left here as a prisoner 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 was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against 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 custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met his accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. |
| 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 after they came back here with me, I did not postpone the case, but the next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought. |
| 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 did not charge him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. |
| 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. | 19Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be 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. | 20Because I was at a loss how I could investigate these matters, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. |
| 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 when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar." |
| 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him." | 22Agrippa said to Festus, "I would also like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he replied, "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. | 23So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall, along with the senior military officers and the prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the order, 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 who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace petitioned me both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly 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. | 25But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, and when he appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I 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. | 26But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this preliminary hearing I may have something to write. |
| 27"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him." | 27For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating 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 | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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