12 When it became day, the Jews formed a conspiracy+ and bound themselves with a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than 40 men who formed this oath-bound conspiracy. 14 These men went to the chief priests and the elders and said: “We have solemnly bound ourselves with a curse not to eat anything at all until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you together with the Sanʹhe·drin should inform the military commander that he should bring him down to you as though you want to examine his case more thoroughly. But before he gets near, we will be ready to do away with him.”
16 However, the son of Paul’s sister heard of the ambush they were planning, and he entered the soldiers’ quarters and reported it to Paul. 17 Paul then called one of the army officers to him and said: “Take this young man to the military commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he brought him and led him to the military commander and said: “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 19 The military commander took him by the hand and withdrew privately and asked him: “What do you have to report to me?” 20 He said: “The Jews have agreed to request you to bring Paul down to the Sanʹhe·drin tomorrow, as though they intend to learn more details about his case.+ 21 But do not let them persuade you, for more than 40 of their men are waiting to ambush him, and they have bound themselves with a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him;+ and they are now ready, waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the military commander let the young man go, after ordering him: “Do not tell anyone that you have informed me of this.”
23 And he summoned two of the army officers and said: “Get 200 soldiers ready to march clear to Caes·a·reʹa, also 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen, at the third hour of the night. 24 Also, provide horses for Paul to ride, to take him safely to Felix the governor.”+ 25 And he wrote a letter with this content:
26 “Claudius Lysʹi·as to His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings! 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, but I came quickly with my soldiers and rescued him,+ because I learned that he is a Roman.+ 28 And wanting to find out the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down into their Sanʹhe·drin.+ 29 I found him to be accused about questions of their Law,+ but not charged with a single thing deserving of death or prison bonds.+ 30 But because a plot against the man has been made known to me,+ I am at once sending him to you and ordering the accusers to speak against him before you.”
31 So these soldiers took Paul+ according to their orders and brought him by night to An·tipʹa·tris. 32 The next day they permitted the horsemen to go on with him, but they returned to the soldiers’ quarters. 33 The horsemen entered Caes·a·reʹa and delivered the letter to the governor and also presented Paul to him. 34 So he read it and asked what province he was from and learned that he was from Ci·liʹcia.+ 35 “I will give you a thorough hearing,” he said, “when your accusers arrive.”+ And he commanded that he be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
24 Five days later the high priest An·a·niʹas+ came down with some elders and a public speaker named Ter·tulʹlus, and they presented their case against Paul to the governor.+ 2 When he was called, Ter·tulʹlus started accusing him, saying:
“Seeing that we enjoy great peace through you and that through your forethought reforms are taking place in this nation, 3 at all times and also in all places we acknowledge this, Your Excellency Felix, with the greatest thankfulness. 4 But that I may not detain you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly in your kindness. 5 For we have found this man to be a pest,+ stirring up seditions+ among all the Jews throughout the inhabited earth, and he is a spearhead of the sect of the Naz·a·renesʹ.+ 6 He also tried to profane the temple, so we seized him.+ 7 —— 8 When you examine him yourself, you will find out about all these things of which we are accusing him.”
9 With that the Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were true. 10 When the governor nodded to Paul to speak, he answered:
“Knowing well that this nation has had you as judge for many years, I readily speak in my own defense.+ 11 As you can verify for yourself, it has not been more than 12 days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem;+ 12 and they found me neither arguing with anyone in the temple nor stirring up a mob, either in the synagogues or throughout the city. 13 Nor can they prove to you the things they are accusing me of right now. 14 But I do admit this to you, that according to the way that they call a sect, in this manner I am rendering sacred service to the God of my forefathers,+ as I believe all the things set forth in the Law and written in the Prophets.+ 15 And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection+ of both the righteous and the unrighteous.+ 16 Because of this I always strive to maintain a clear conscience before God and men.+ 17 Now after quite a number of years, I arrived to bring gifts of mercy+ to my nation and to make offerings. 18 While I was caring for these matters, they found me ceremonially cleansed in the temple,+ but not with a crowd or causing a disturbance. But there were some Jews from the province of Asia+ 19 who ought to be present before you to accuse me if they actually have anything against me.+ 20 Or let the men here say for themselves what wrong they found as I stood before the Sanʹhe·drin, 21 except for this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘Over the resurrection of the dead I am today being judged before you!’”+
22 However, Felix, knowing quite well the facts concerning this Way,+ began to put them off and say: “Whenever Lysʹi·as the military commander comes down, I will decide these matters involving you.” 23 And he gave orders to the army officer that the man be kept under arrest but given some freedom, and that his people be allowed to attend to his needs.
24 Some days later Felix came with Dru·silʹla his wife, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and listened to him speak about the belief in Christ Jesus.+ 25 But as Paul talked about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come,+ Felix became frightened and answered: “Go away for now, but when I have an opportunity I will send for you again.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him money. For that reason, he sent for him even more frequently and conversed with him. 27 But when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and because Felix desired to gain favor with the Jews,+ he left Paul in custody.
25 Therefore Festus,+ after arriving in the province and taking charge, went up three days later to Jerusalem from Caes·a·reʹa. 2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews gave him information against Paul.+ So they began to beg Festus 3 as a favor to send for Paul to come to Jerusalem. But they were planning to ambush Paul and kill him along the road.+ 4 However, Festus answered that Paul was to be kept in Caes·a·reʹa and that he himself was about to go back there shortly. 5 “So let those who are in power among you,” he said, “come down with me and accuse him if, indeed, the man has done something wrong.”+
6 So when he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caes·a·reʹa, and the next day he sat down on the judgment seat and commanded Paul to be brought in. 7 When he came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many serious charges that they were unable to prove.+
8 But Paul said in defense: “Neither against the Law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I committed any sin.”+ 9 Festus, desiring to gain favor with the Jews,+ said in reply to Paul: “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be judged before me there concerning these things?” 10 But Paul said: “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, of which you are also becoming well-aware. 11 If I am really a wrongdoer and have committed anything deserving of death,+ I do not beg off from dying; but if there is no substance to the accusations these men have made against me, no man has the right to hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal to Caesar!”+ 12 Then Festus, after speaking with the assembly of counselors, replied: “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you will go.”
13 After some days had passed, A·gripʹpa the king and Bernice arrived in Caes·a·reʹa for a courtesy visit to Festus. 14 Since they were spending a number of days there, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying:
“There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix,+ 15 and when I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought information about him,+ asking for a judgment of condemnation against him. 16 But I replied to them that it is not Roman procedure to hand any man over as a favor before the accused man meets his accusers face-to-face and gets a chance to speak in his defense concerning the complaint.+ 17 So when they arrived here, I did not delay, but the next day I sat down on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. 18 Taking the stand, the accusers did not charge him with any of the wicked things I had expected concerning him.+ 19 They simply had certain disputes with him concerning their own worship of the deity+ and concerning a man named Jesus, who was dead but who Paul kept asserting was alive.+ 20 Being at a loss as to how to handle this dispute, I asked if he would like to go to Jerusalem and be judged there concerning these matters.+ 21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision by the August One,+ I commanded him to be held until I should send him on to Caesar.”
22 A·gripʹpa then said to Festus: “I would like to hear the man myself.”+ “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will hear him.”