| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. | 1Three days after arriving in the province, Festus 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, | 2where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. |
| 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). | 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. |
| 4Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. | 4Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am 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." | 5Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there." |
| 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 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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." | 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, answered Paul and said, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and 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?" |
| 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 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. |
| 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, 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 when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go." | 12After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "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. | 13A few days later 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; | 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. |
| 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 chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 18"When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, | 18When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. |
| 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 some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed 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 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. |
| 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 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 also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him." | 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. |
| 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 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. |
| 27"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him." | 27For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome 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 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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