Paul’s Trial Before Festus
1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,
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where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.
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They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.
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Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.
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Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”
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After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him.
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When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.
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Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”
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Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”
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Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.
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If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
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After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”