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Festus, then, after arriving in ^(C1)the province, went up to Jerusalem from ^(C2)Caesarea three days later.

And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews ^(C1)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with ^(F1)Festus,

requesting a ^(F1)concession against ^(F2)Paul, that he might ^(F3)have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, ^(C1)setting an ambush to kill him on the way).

Festus then ^(C1)answered that Paul ^(C2)was being kept in custody in ^(C3)Caesarea, and that he himself was about to leave shortly.

"Therefore," he ^(*)said, "have the influential men among you ^(F1)go there with me, and if there is anything wrong ^(F2)about the man, have them bring charges against him."

After Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to ^(C1)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on ^(C2)the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought.

After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing ^(C1)many, and serious, charges against him ^(C2)which they could not prove,

while Paul said in his own defense, "^(C1)I have not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar."

But Festus, ^(C1)wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul and said, "^(C2)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and ^(F1)stand trial before me on these charges?"

But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's ^(C1)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

"If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I ^(C1)appeal to Caesar."

Then when Festus had conferred with ^(F1)his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in ^(C1)Caesarea, paying their respects to Festus.

And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul's case to the king, saying, "There is a man who was ^(C1)left as a prisoner by Felix;

and when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews ^(C1)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

"I ^(C1)replied to them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any person before ^(C2)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 ^(C1)the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought.

"When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges ^(F1)against him of crimes that I suspected,

but they simply had some ^(C1)points of disagreement with him about their own ^(F1)(C2)religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.

"And ^(C1)being at a loss how to investigate ^(F1)such matters, I ^(F2)asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters.

"But when Paul ^(C1)appealed to be held in custody for ^(F1)the Emperor's decision, I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar."

Then ^(C1)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 ^(C1)Agrippa and ^(C1)Bernice came amid great pomp and entered the auditorium, ^(F1)accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought before them.

And Festus ^(*)said, "King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man about whom ^(C1)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that ^(C2)he ought not to live any longer.

"But I found that he had committed ^(C1)nothing deserving death; and since he himself ^(C2)appealed to ^(F1)the Emperor, I decided to send him.

"^(F1)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 the charges against him as well."

^(C1)Now Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." Then Paul extended his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

"Regarding all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,

^(F1)especially because you are an expert in all ^(C1)customs and ^(F2)questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

"So then, all Jews know ^(C1)my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem,

since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a ^(C1)Pharisee ^(C2)according to the strictest ^(C3)sect of our religion.

"And now I am standing trial ^(C1)for the hope of ^(C2)the promise made by God to our fathers;

the promise ^(C1)to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. For this ^(C2)hope, O king, I am being ^(C3)accused by Jews.

"Why is it considered incredible among you people ^(C1)if God raises the dead?

"So ^(C1)I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to ^(C2)the name of Jesus ^(F1)of Nazareth.

"And this is ^(F1)just what I ^(C1)did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the ^(F2)saints in prisons, after ^(C2)receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also ^(C3)cast my vote against them when they were being put to death.

"And ^(C1)as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was ^(C2)extremely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ^(C3)even to ^(F1)foreign cities.

"^(F1)While so engaged, ^(C1)as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, ^(F1)brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were journeying with me.

"And when we had ^(C1)all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the ^(F1)(C2)Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ^(F2)It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

"And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

'But get up and ^(C1)stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to ^(C2)appoint you as a ^(C3)servant and ^(C4)a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,

^(C1)rescuing you ^(C2)from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

to ^(C1)open their eyes so that they may turn from ^(C2)darkness to light, and from the ^(F1)power of ^(C3)Satan to God, that they may receive ^(C4)forgiveness of sins and an ^(C5)inheritance among those who have been sanctified by ^(C6)faith in Me.'

"For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

but continually proclaimed ^(C1)to those in Damascus first, and ^(C2)in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even ^(C3)to the Gentiles, that they are to ^(C4)repent and turn to God, performing deeds ^(C5)consistent with repentance.

"For these reasons some Jews ^(C1)seized me in the temple and tried ^(C2)to murder me.

"So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day ^(C1)testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what ^(C2)the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place,

as to ^(C1)whether the ^(F1)Christ was ^(F2)to suffer, and whether, as ^(C2)first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim ^(C3)light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

While ^(F1)Paul was stating these things in his defense, Festus ^(*)said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! ^(F2)Your great ^(C1)learning is ^(F3)driving you insane."

But Paul ^(*)said, "I am not insane, ^(C1)most excellent Festus; on the contrary, I am speaking out with ^(F1)truthful and rational words.

"For the king ^(F1)(C1)knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a ^(F2)corner.

"King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe."

Agrippa replied to Paul, "^(F1)In a short time you are going to persuade me to ^(F2)make a ^(C1)Christian of myself."

And Paul said, "I would ^(F1)wish to God that even ^(F2)in a short or long time not only you, but also all who hear me this day would become such as I myself am, except for these ^(C1)chains."

^(C1)The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them,

and when they had gone out, they began talking to one another, saying, "^(C1)This man is not doing anything deserving death or ^(F1)imprisonment."

And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been ^(C1)set free if he had not ^(C2)appealed to Caesar."