Acts 25-26

New King James Version

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25 Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from ^(A)Caesarea to Jerusalem. ^2 (B)Then the ^[a]high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him, ³ asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—^(C)while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. ⁴ But 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 ^(D)if there is any fault in him.”

⁶ And 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. ⁷ When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about ^(E)and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, ⁸ while 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.”

⁹ But Festus, ^(G)wanting 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?”

¹⁰ So 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. ^11 (I)For 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. ^(J)I appeal to Caesar.”

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

Paul Before Agrippa

¹³ And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. ¹⁴ When 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, ^15 (L)about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him. ^16 (M)To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man ^[b]to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’ ¹⁷ Therefore when they had come together, ^(N)without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I ^[c]supposed, ^19 (O)but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. ²⁰ And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. ²¹ But when Paul ^(P)appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar.”

²² Then ^(Q)Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.”

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

²³ So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great ^[d]pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command ^(R)Paul was brought in. ²⁴ And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom ^(S)the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was ^(T)not fit to live any longer. ²⁵ But when I found that ^(U)he had committed nothing deserving of death, ^(V)and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. ²⁶ I 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. ²⁷ For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.”

Paul’s Early Life

26 Then 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 ^(W)happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer ^(X)for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am ^(Y)accused by the Jews, ³ especially 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. ⁵ They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to ^(Z)the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ^6 (AA)And now I stand and am judged for the hope of ^(AB)the promise made by God to our fathers. ⁷ To this promise ^(AC)our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God ^(AD)night and day, ^(AE)hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

^9 (AF)“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things ^[e]contrary to the name of ^(AG)Jesus of Nazareth. ^10 (AH)This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority ^(AI)from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ^11 (AJ)And 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^(AK)

^12 (AL)“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at 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. ¹⁴ And 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.’ ¹⁵ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^(AM)to 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. ¹⁷ I will ^[f]deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, ^(AN)to whom I ^[g]now send you, ^18 (AO)to open their eyes, in order ^(AP)to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, ^(AQ)that they may receive forgiveness of sins and ^(AR)an inheritance among those who are ^(AS)sanctified^[h] by faith in Me.’

Paul’s Post-Conversion Life

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but ^(AT)declared 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 ^(AU)works befitting repentance. ²¹ For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²² Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those ^(AV)which the prophets and ^(AW)Moses said would come— ^23 (AX)that the Christ would suffer, ^(AY)that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and ^(AZ)would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Agrippa Parries Paul’s Challenge

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

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

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

²⁹ And Paul said, ^(BC)“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.”

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

³² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set ^(BE)free ^(BF)if he had not appealed to Caesar.”