Acts 25:10-24

¹⁰“No,” replied Paul, “I am standing at the Emperor's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not wronged the Jews, as you yourself are well aware.

¹¹If, however, I am breaking the law and have committed any offense deserving death, I do not ask to escape the penalty; but, if there is nothing in the accusations of these people, no one has the power to give me up to them. I appeal to the Emperor.”

¹²Festus, after conferring with his Council, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor; to the Emperor you will go.”

¹³Some days later King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea, and paid a visit of congratulation to Festus;

¹⁴and, as they were staying there for several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. “There is a man here,” he said, “left a prisoner by Felix,

¹⁵about whom, when I came to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priest and the elders laid an information, demanding judgment against him.

¹⁶My answer to them was, that it was not the practice of Romans to give up anyone to their accusers until the accused had met them face to face, and had also had an opportunity of answering the charges brought against them.

¹⁷So they met here, and without loss of time I took my seat on the Bench the very next day, and ordered the man to be brought before me.

¹⁸But, when his accusers came forward, they brought no charge of wrong-doing such as I had expected;

¹⁹but I found that there were certain questions in dispute between them about their own religion, and about some dead man called Jesus, whom Paul declared to be alive.

²⁰And, as I was at a loss how to enquire into questions of this kind, I asked Paul if he were willing to go up to Jerusalem, and be put on trial there.

²¹Paul, however, appealed to have his case reserved for the consideration of his August Majesty, so I ordered him to be detained in custody, until I could send him to the Emperor.”

²²“I should like to hear this man myself,” Agrippa said to Festus. “You will hear him tomorrow,” Festus answered.

²³So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come in full state and had entered the Audience Chamber, with the superior officers and the principal people of the city, by the order of Festus Paul was brought before them.

²⁴Then Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all here present, you see before you the man about whom the whole Jewish people have applied to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly asserting that he ought not to be allowed to live.