Acts 25–26

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from ^aCaesarea to Jerusalem. ^2bThen the ¹high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him, ³asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—^cwhile they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. ⁴But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly. ⁵“Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see ^dif there is any fault in him.”

⁶And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. ⁷When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about ^eand laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, ⁸while he answered for himself, ^f“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”

⁹But Festus, ^gwanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ^h“Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”

¹⁰So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. ¹¹ⁱFor if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. ^jI appeal to Caesar.”

¹²Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

Paul Before Agrippa

¹³And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. ¹⁴When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: ^k“There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, ^15labout whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him. ^16mTo them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man ²to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’ ¹⁷Therefore when they had come together, ⁿwithout any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. ¹⁸When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I ³supposed, ^19obut had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. ²⁰And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. ²¹But when Paul ^pappealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar.”

²²Then ^qAgrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.”

“Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

²³So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great ⁴pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command ^rPaul was brought in. ²⁴And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom ^sthe whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was ^tnot fit to live any longer. ²⁵But when I found that ^uhe had committed nothing deserving of death, ^vand that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. ²⁶I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write. ²⁷For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.”

Paul’s Early Life

26Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: ²“I think myself ^ahappy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer ^bfor myself before you concerning all the things of which I am ^caccused by the Jews, ³especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

⁴“My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. ⁵They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to ^dthe strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ^6eAnd now I stand and am judged for the hope of ^fthe promise made by God to our fathers. ⁷To this promise ^gour twelve tribes, earnestly serving God ^hnight and day, ⁱhope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

^9j“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things ¹contrary to the name of ^kJesus of Nazareth. ^10lThis I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority ^mfrom the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ⁿAnd I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Recounts His Conversion

^12o“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^pto make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷I will ²deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, ^qto whom I ³now send you, ^18rto open their eyes, in order ^sto turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, ^tthat they may receive forgiveness of sins and ^uan inheritance among those who are ^vsanctified ⁴by faith in Me.’

Paul’s Post-Conversion Life

¹⁹“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but ^wdeclared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do ^xworks befitting repentance. ²¹For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²²Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those ^ywhich the prophets and ^zMoses said would come—^23athat the Christ would suffer, ^bthat He would be the first to rise from the dead, and ^cwould proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Agrippa Parries Paul’s Challenge

²⁴Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, ^dyou are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

²⁵But he said, “I am not ⁵mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. ²⁶For the king, before whom I also speak freely, ^eknows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

²⁹And Paul said, ^f“I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

³⁰When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; ³¹and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, ^g“This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”

³²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set ^hfree ⁱif he had not appealed to Caesar.”