| Berean Study Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, | 1Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. |
| 2where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul. They urged Festus | 2And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, |
| 3to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. | 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). |
| 4But Festus replied, “Paul is being held in Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. | 4Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. |
| 5So if this man has done anything wrong, let some of your leaders come down with me and accuse him there.” | 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." |
| 6After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in. | 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. |
| 7When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they could not prove. | 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, |
| 8Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” | 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." |
| 9But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to stand trial before me on these charges?” | 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?" |
| 10Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. | 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. |
| 11If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” | 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." |
| 12Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” | 12Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go." |
| 13After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. | 13Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. |
| 14Since they were staying several days, Festus laid out Paul’s case before the king: “There is a certain man whom Felix left in prison. | 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; |
| 15While I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews presented their case and requested a judgment against him. | 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. |
| 16I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges. | 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. |
| 17So when they came here with me, I did not delay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered that the man be brought in. | 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. |
| 18But when his accusers rose to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. | 18"When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, |
| 19They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive. | 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. |
| 20Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. | 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. |
| 21But when Paul appealed to be held over for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held until I could send him to Caesar.” | 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." |
| 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” “Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus declared. | 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him." |
| 23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium, along with the commanders and leading men of the city. And Festus ordered that Paul be brought in. | 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. |
| 24Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him, both here and in Jerusalem, crying out that he ought not to live any longer. | 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. |
| 25But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. | 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. |
| 26I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign one about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this inquiry I may have something to write. | 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. |
| 27For it seems unreasonable to me to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.” | 27"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him." |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | 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 |
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