Acts 25 - The Scriptures 1998

¹ Festus therefore, having come to the province, three days later went up from Caesarea to Yerushalayim.

² And the high priest and the chief men of the Yehuḏ

³ asking a favour against him, that he would send him to Yerushalayim – making a plot along the way to kill him.

⁴ Then, indeed, Festus answered that Sha’ul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to set out shortly.

⁵ “Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”

⁶ And having spent more than ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. And on the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Sha’ul to be brought.

⁷ And when he had come, the Yehuḏ

⁸ while Sha’ul said in his own defence, “Neither against the Torah of the Yehuḏ

⁹ But Festus, wishing to do the Yehuḏ

¹⁰ And Sha’ul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I should be judged. To the Yehuḏ

¹¹ “For if indeed I do wrong, or have committed whatever deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is none at all in these matters of which these men accuse me, no one is able to give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

¹² Then Festus, having talked with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

¹³ And certain days having passed, Sovereign Agrippa and Bernike came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

¹⁴ And when they had spent many days there, Festus laid Sha’ul’s case before the sovereign, saying, “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner,

¹⁵ about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Yehuḏ

¹⁶ “To them I answered, ‘It is not the Roman practice to give up any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has a chance to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’

¹⁷ “They, therefore, having come together, without any delay, I sat on the judgment seat the next day and commanded the man to be brought in.

¹⁸ “When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge against him such as I expected,

¹⁹ but had some questions against him about their own worship and about a certain יהושע, who had died, whom Sha’ul was claiming to be alive.

²⁰ “And being uncertain how to investigate these matters, I asked whether he wished to go to Yerushalayim and there be judged concerning these matters.

²¹ “But when Sha’ul appealed to be kept for the decision of Augustus, I ordered him to be kept until I send him to Caesar.”

²² And Agrippa said to Festus, “I was wishing also to hear the man myself.” And he said, “Tomorrow, you shall hear him.”

²³ Therefore, on the next day, Agrippa and Bernike having come with great show, and having entered the place of hearing with the commanders and the eminent men of the city, Sha’ul was brought in at the order of Festus.

²⁴ And Festus said, “Sovereign Agrippa and all the men present here with us, you see this one about whom all the community of the Yehuḏ

²⁵ “But I, having found that he had committed none at all deserving death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

²⁶ “I have no definite matter to write to my master concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and most of all before you, Sovereign Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I might have somewhat to write.

²⁷ “For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to signify the charges against him.”