2 And the achief priests and leading men of the Jews gave their information to him against Paul; and they entreated him,
3 Asking for a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, they themselves setting an aambush to bdo away with him on the way.
4 Festus therefore answered that Paul was being kept in custody in Caesarea, and that he himself was about to proceed there shortly.
5 Therefore, he said, let 1influential men from among you go down with me, and if there is anything 2wrong in the man, let them aaccuse him.
6 And having stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; and on the next day he sat on the ajudgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought.
7 And when he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious acharges against him, which they were bnot able to prove,
8 While Paul said in his 1adefense, bNeither against the claw of the Jews nor against the dtemple nor against eCaesar have I sinned in anything.
9 But Festus, wanting to 1gain afavor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, Are you willing to go up to bJerusalem and be judged there before me concerning these things?
10 And Paul said, I am standing before Caesar’s ajudgment seat, where I ought to be judged. I have done bnothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.
11 If therefore I am doing wrong and have committed anything aworthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if there is nothing to the things which these baccuse me of, no one can hand me over to them. I 1cappeal to 2Caesar.
12 Then when Festus had conferred with the 1council, he answered, To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.
13 Now when some days had passed, 1aAgrippa the king and 2Bernice arrived at bCaesarea and greeted Festus.
14 And while they were staying some additional days there, Festus laid before the king the matters regarding Paul, saying, There is a certain man who has been aleft a bprisoner by cFelix,
15 Concerning whom, when I was in Jerusalem, the achief priests and the elders of the Jews gave information and asked for a sentence against him.
16 To them I answered that it is not the acustom with Romans to hand over any man before he who is baccused meets the caccusers face to face and has an opportunity for a ddefense concerning the charge.
17 So when they had come together here, I made no delay; on the next day, sitting on the ajudgment seat, I ordered the man to be brought.
18 Concerning him the accusers stood and brought no acharge of the evil things I was suspecting.
19 But they had certain aquestions against him concerning their own 1religion and concerning a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be balive.
20 And 1being at a loss as to how there should be an inquiry concerning these things, I asked him if he was willing to go to aJerusalem and be judged there concerning these things.