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- Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
- And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him,
- requesting 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).
- Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly.
- "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."
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- Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,
- where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.
- They urgently 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.
- Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.
- Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong."
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- After 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.
- After 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,
- while 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."
- But 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?"
- But 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.
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- After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him.
- When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
- Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
- Festus, 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?"
- Paul 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.
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- "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."
- Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go."
- Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus.
- While 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;
- and 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.
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- If, 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!"
- After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"
- A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
- Since 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.
- When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.
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- "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.
- "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.
- "When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting,
- but 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.
- "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.
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- "I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges.
- When 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.
- When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.
- Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.
- I 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.
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- "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."
- Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him."
- So, 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.
- Festus 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.
- "But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.
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- 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."
- Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him."
- The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
- Festus 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.
- I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.
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- "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.
- "For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him."
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- But 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.
- For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."
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