Acts 25–26

25Now when Festus was come into the ^aprovince, ^bafter three days he ^cascended from ^dCaesarea to Jerusalem. ²Then ^ethe high priest and ^fthe chief of the Jews ^eginformed him against Paul, and besought him, ³And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, ^hlaying wait in the way to kill him. ⁴But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at ^dCaesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither. ⁵Let them therefore, said he, which among you are ⁱable, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. ⁶And when he had tarried among them ^||more than ten days, he ^kwent down unto ^dCaesarea; and the next day sitting on ^lthe judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. ⁷And when he was come, the Jews which ^kcame down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, ^mwhich they could not ⁿprove. ⁸While he ^oanswered for himself, ^pNeither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. ⁹But Festus, ^qwilling to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, ^rWilt thou ^cgo up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? ¹⁰Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s ^ljudgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou ^svery well knowest. ^11tFor if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may ^udeliver me unto them. ^vI appeal unto Caesar. ¹²Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou ^vappealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.

¹³And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto ^dCaesarea to salute Festus. ¹⁴And when they had been there many days, Festus ^wdeclared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, ^xThere is a certain man left in bonds by Felix: ^15yAbout whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews ^ginformed me, desiring to have judgment against him. ^16yTo whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to ^udeliver any man to die, before that ^zhe which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence ^oto answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. ¹⁷Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay ^yon the morrow I sat on ^lthe judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. ¹⁸Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none ^aaccusation of such things as I supposed: ^19bBut had certain questions against him of their own ^csuperstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. ²⁰And because ^||I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him ^dwhether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters. ²¹But when Paul had ^vappealed to be reserved unto the ^||hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar. ²²Then ^eAgrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.

²³And on the morrow, when ^fAgrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the ^gchief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus’ commandment Paul was brought forth. ²⁴And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom ^hall the multitude of the Jews have ⁱdealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that ^khe ought not to live any longer. ²⁵But when I found that ^lhe had committed nothing worthy of death, ^mand that he himself hath ^vappealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him. ²⁶Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write. ²⁷For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the ^acrimes laid against him.

26Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and ^aanswered for himself:

²I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall ^aanswer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am ^baccused of the Jews: ³Especially because I know thee to be expert in all ^ccustoms and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. ⁴My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; ⁵Which knew me ^dfrom the beginning, if they would testify, ^ethat after ^fthe most straitest sect of our ^greligion I lived ^ha Pharisee. ⁶And now I stand and am judged for ⁱthe hope of ^jthe promise made of God unto our fathers: ⁷Unto which promise ^kour twelve tribes, ^linstantly serving ^mGod ^†day and night, hope ⁿto come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am ^baccused of the Jews. ⁸Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? ⁹I verily thought with myself, ^othat I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ^10pWhich thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the ^qsaints did I shut up in prison, having ^rreceived authority from the chief priests; and ^swhen they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. ¹¹And ^tI punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and ^ubeing exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. ^12wWhereupon ^xas I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. ¹⁴And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in ^ythe Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. ¹⁵And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. ¹⁶But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to ^zmake thee ^aa minister and a ^bwitness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; ¹⁷Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, ^cunto whom now I send thee, ^18dTo open their eyes, and to turn them ^efrom darkness to light, and from the ^fpower of Satan unto God, that they may receive ^gforgiveness of sins, and ^hinheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. ¹⁹Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: ²⁰But shewed ⁱfirst unto them of Damascus, and ^kat Jerusalem, and ^lthroughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then ^mto the Gentiles, that they should repent and ⁿturn to God, and do works ^omeet for repentance. ²¹For these causes ^pthe Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. ²²Having therefore obtained ^qhelp of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to ^rsmall and great, saying none other things than those which ^sthe prophets and ^sMoses did say should come: ²³That Christ ^tshould suffer, and that he should be ^uthe first that should rise from the dead, and should shew ^xlight unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

²⁴And as he thus ^yspake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, ^zthou art beside thyself; much ^alearning doth make thee mad. ²⁵But he said, I am not ^zcmad, ^bmost noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and ^csoberness. ²⁶For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I ^dspeak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. ²⁸Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a ^eChristian. ²⁹And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except ^fthese bonds. ³⁰And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and ^gthe governor, and ^hBernice, and ^hthey that sat with them: ³¹And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, ⁱThis man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. ³²Then said Agrippa unto Festus, ^jThis man might have been set at liberty, if he had not ^kappealed unto Caesar.