Acts 25:12

THE MESSAGE

Festus huddled with his advisors briefly and then gave his verdict: "You've appealed to Caesar; you'll go to Caesar!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then after Festus conferred with his council, he replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go.”

King James Version (1611)
Then Festus when he had conferred with the Councill, answered, Hast thou appealed vnto Cesar? vnto Cesar shalt thou goe.

King James Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.

English Standard Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, "To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go."

New American Standard Bible
Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

New Century Version
Festus talked about this with his advisers. Then he said, "You have asked to see Caesar, so you will go to Caesar!"

Amplified Bible
Then Festus, after conferring with [the men who formed] his council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go."

Legacy Standard Bible
Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go."

Berean Standard Bible
Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"

Contemporary English Version
After Festus had talked this over with members of his council, he told Paul, "You have asked to be tried by the Emperor, and to the Emperor you will go!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Festus, after talking with his advisers, answered, "You have appealed to the Emperor; you will go to the Emperor!"

Darby Translation
Then Festus, having conferred with the council, answered, Thou hast appealed to Caesar. To Caesar shalt thou go.

Easy-to-Read Version
Festus talked about this with his advisors. Then he said, "You have asked to see Caesar, so you will go to Caesar!"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then when Festus had spoken with the Council, hee answered, Hast thou appealed vnto C?sar? vnto C?sar shalt thou goe.

George Lamsa Translation
Festus, when he had conferred with his counsellors, decreed, You have appealed to Csar. You will go to Csar.

Good News Translation
Then Festus, after conferring with his advisers, answered, "You have appealed to the Emperor, so to the Emperor you will go."

Lexham English Bible
Then Festus, after discussing this with his council, replied, "You have appealed to Caesar—to Caesar you will go!"

Literal Translation
Then conferring with the sanhedrin, Festus answered, You have appealed to Caesar; you shall go before Caesar.

American Standard Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Thou hast appealed unto Caesar: unto Caesar shalt thou go.

Bible in Basic English
Then Festus, having had a discussion with the Jews, made answer, You have said, Let my cause come before Caesar; to Caesar you will go.

Hebrew Names Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go."

International Standard Version
Festus talked it over with the council and then answered, "To the emperor you have appealed; to the emperor you will go!"

Etheridge Translation
Then Festos, having spoken with the sons of his council, said, The appeals of Caesar hast thou invoked? To Caesar goest thou.

Murdock Translation
Then Festus conferred with his counsellors, and said: Hast thou declared an appeal to Caesar? Unto Caesar shalt thou go.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then spake Festus, with the counsell, and aunswered: Hast thou appealed vnto Caesar? vnto Caesar shalt thou go.

English Revised Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Thou hast appealed unto Caesar: unto Caesar shalt thou go.

World English Bible
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
I appeal to Cesar. Then Festus, having conferred with the council answered, Hast thou appealed to Cesar? To Cesar shalt thou go.

Weymouth's New Testament
Then, after conferring with the Council, Festus replied, "To Caesar you have appealed: to Caesar you shall go."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne Festus spak with the counsel, and answerde, To the emperoure thou hast appelid, to the emperoure thou schalt go.

Update Bible Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, You have appealed to Caesar: to Caesar you shall go.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed to Cesar? to Cesar thou shalt go.

New English Translation
Then, after conferring with his council, Festus replied, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!"

New King James Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!"

New Living Translation
Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, "Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!"

New Life Bible
Festus talked to the leaders of the court. Then he said to Paul, "You have asked to be taken to Caesar. You will go to him."

New Revised Standard
Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, "You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Festus, having conversed with the council, answered - Unto Caesar, hast thou appealed? Unto Caesar, shalt thou go.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Festus, having conferred with the council, answered: Hast thou appealed to Caesar? To Caesar shalt thou go.

Revised Standard Version
Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then spake Festus with deliberacion and answered. Thou hast appealed vnto Cesar: vnto Cesar shalt thou goo.

Young's Literal Translation
then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, `To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then spake Festus with the Councell, and answered: Thou hast appealed vnto the Emperoure, to the Emperoure shalt thou go.

Mace New Testament (1729)
upon this, Festus having deliberated with his council, answer'd, "since you have appeal'd to Cesar, to Cesar you shall go."

Simplified Cowboy Version
There was quite a commotion and Festus hunkered behind closed doors to talk to his advisors. Finally, he came out and said, "Then it's settled. You asked for Caesar? You'll get Caesar."

Contextual Overview

¹Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take up his duties as governor, he went up to Jerusalem. The high priests and top leaders renewed their vendetta against Paul. They asked Festus if he wouldn't please do them a favor by sending Paul to Jerusalem to respond to their charges. A lie, of course—they had revived their old plot to set an ambush and kill him along the way. ⁴Festus answered that Caesarea was the proper jurisdiction for Paul, and that he himself was going back there in a few days. "You're perfectly welcome," he said, "to go back with me then and accuse him of whatever you think he's done wrong." ⁶About eight or ten days later, Festus returned to Caesarea. The next morning he took his place in the courtroom and had Paul brought in. The minute he walked in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem were all over him, hurling the most extreme accusations, none of which they could prove. ⁸ Then Paul took the stand and said simply, "I've done nothing wrong against the Jewish religion, or the Temple, or Caesar. Period." ⁹ Festus, though, wanted to get on the good side of the Jews and so said, "How would you like to go up to Jerusalem, and let me conduct your trial there?" ¹⁰Paul answered, "I'm standing at this moment before Caesar's bar of justice, where I have a perfect right to stand. And I'm going to keep standing here. I've done nothing wrong to the Jews, and you know it as well as I do. If I've committed a crime and deserve death, name the day. I can face it. But if there's nothing to their accusations—and you know there isn't—nobody can force me to go along with their nonsense. We've fooled around here long enough. I appeal to Caesar." ¹² Festus huddled with his advisors briefly and then gave his verdict: "You've appealed to Caesar; you'll go to Caesar!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

unto Caesar shalt: Acts 25:21, Acts 19:21, Acts 23:11, Acts 26:32, Acts 27:1, Acts 28:16, Psalms 76:10, Isaiah 46:10, Isaiah 46:11, Lamentations 3:37, Daniel 4:35, Romans 15:28, Romans 15:29, Philippians 1:12-14, Philippians 1:20

Reciprocal: Luke 21:12 - before Acts 25:25 - and that

Cross-References

Genesis 17:20
"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children—a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."

Psalms 83:6
Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia and the Tyrians, And now Assyria has joined up, Giving muscle to the gang of Lot.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council,.... Not with the Jewish sanhedrim, or any part of it that came down on this occasion; but with Roman counsellors, which he had to assist him in judgment, when any difficult matters were before him; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, "with his counsellors"; and the Arabic reads in the singular number, "with his counsellor"; with these he advised, whether it was proper to admit of Paul's appeal, or not; and having had their opinion,

he answered, hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go: the question is put, partly for the more certain knowledge of the thing, that there might be no mistake in it; and partly on account of the Jews, that they might see that though he was disposed to do them a favour, it was not in his power, because of this appeal; and it may be with some resentment in himself, since it carried in it a sort of reflection upon him, as if he was incapable of issuing this affair, or would not be just and faithful in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When he had conferred with the council - With his associate judges, or with those who were his counselors in the administration of justice. They were made up of the chief persons, probably military as well as civil, who were about him, and who were his assistants in the administration of the affairs of the province.

Unto Caesar shalt thou go - He was willing in this way to rid himself of the trial, and of the vexation attending it. He did not dare to deliver him to the Jews in violation of the Roman laws, and he was not willing to do justice to Paul, and thus make himself unpopular with the Jews. He was, therefore, probably rejoiced at the opportunity of thus freeing himself from all the trouble in the case in a manner against which none could object.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 25:12. Conferred with the council — From this circumstance, we may learn that the appeal of Paul to Caesar was conditional; else Festus could not have deliberated with his council whether it should be granted; for he had no power to refuse to admit such an appeal. We may, therefore, understand Paul thus: "I now stand before a tribunal where I ought to be judged; if thou refuse to hear and try this cause, rather than go to Jerusalem, I appeal to Caesar." Festus, therefore, consulted with the council, whether he should proceed to try the cause, or send Paul to Rome; and it appears that the majority were of opinion that he should be sent to Caesar.

Hast thou appealed unto Caesar, c.] Rather, Thou hast appealed unto Caesar, and to Caesar thou shalt go. The Jews were disappointed of their hope and Festus got his hand creditably drawn out of a business with which he was likely to have been greatly embarrassed.