| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. | 1Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, |
| 2And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, | 2where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations 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 asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way). |
| 4Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. | 4But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning 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." | 5So he said, “Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.” |
| 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. | 6About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be 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 from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations 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 denied the charges. “I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Roman government,” he said. |
| 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 please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?” |
| 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 replied, “No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews. |
| 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 have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!” |
| 12Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go." | 12Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and 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 arrived with his sister, Bernice, 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; | 14During their stay of several days, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. “There is a prisoner here,” he told him, “whose case was left for me 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 leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against 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 pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves. |
| 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. | 17“When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn’t delay. I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in. |
| 18"When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, | 18But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I 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, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is 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 to know how to investigate these things, so I asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem. |
| 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 to have his case decided by the emperor. So I ordered that he be held in custody until I could arrange to 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." | 22“I’d like to hear the man myself,” Agrippa said. And Festus replied, “You will—tomorrow!” Paul Speaks to Agrippa |
| 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 arrived at the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered that Paul be 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 who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. |
| 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 in my opinion he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have 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. | 26“But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no clear charge against him. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially you, King Agrippa, so that after we examine him, I might 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 makes no sense to send a prisoner to the emperor 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 | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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