Paul’s Trial Before Festus
1Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3They 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. 4Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”
6After 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. 7When 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.
8Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”
9Festus, 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?”
10Paul 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. 11If, 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!”
12After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
Festus Consults King Agrippa
13A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.
16“I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. 17When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”
22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
Paul Before Agrippa
23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”
保羅在非斯都面前申辯
1非斯都上任三天後，便從凱撒利亞啟程上耶路撒冷。 2祭司長和猶太人的首領向他控告保羅， 3懇求他將保羅押回耶路撒冷，他們想在路上埋伏殺害保羅。 4非斯都卻說：「保羅現在關押在凱撒利亞，我很快會回到那裡。 5讓你們的首領跟我一起去吧，如果那人有什麼過犯，可以在那裡告他。」
6非斯都在耶路撒冷只逗留了十天八天，便返回了凱撒利亞。第二天，他開庭審訊，命人將保羅帶上來。 7保羅被帶來後，那些從耶路撒冷下來的猶太人站在他周圍，控告他犯了許多重罪，但是都沒有證據。 8保羅為自己辯護說：「我從來沒有違背猶太律法、褻瀆聖殿或反叛凱撒！」 9非斯都為了討好猶太人，就對保羅說：「你是否願意回耶路撒冷接受我的審訊？」
10保羅說：「我此刻正站在凱撒的法庭上，這就是我應該受審的地方。你很清楚，我並沒有做過什麼對不起猶太人的事。 11我如果做錯了，犯了該死的罪，決不逃避！但他們對我的控告毫無根據，誰也不能把我交給他們。我要向凱撒上訴！」
12非斯都和議會商討後，說：「你說要上訴凱撒，就去見凱撒吧！」
非斯都請教亞基帕王
13過了幾天，亞基帕王和百妮姬一起到凱撒利亞問候非斯都。 14他們在那裡住了多日，非斯都對王提起保羅的案子，說：「我這裡有一個囚犯，是腓利斯留下來的。 15上次我去耶路撒冷的時候，猶太人的祭司長和長老控告他，要求我定他的罪。 16我告訴他們，按照羅馬人的規矩，被告還沒有跟原告對質和自辯之前，不能定他的罪。 17後來他們跟我一起來到這裡，我沒有耽誤，第二天就開庭，吩咐把那人帶出來審訊。 18他們都站起來當面控告他，但所告的並非我料想的罪行， 19不過是關於他們的宗教和一個叫耶穌的人的一些爭論。耶穌已經死了，保羅卻說他仍然活著。 20我不知如何審理這些事情，就問被告是否願意上耶路撒冷受審。 21但保羅請求留下來，聽皇帝定奪，所以我下令仍然扣押他，等著送交凱撒。」
22亞基帕對非斯都說：「我想親自聽聽他的申訴。」
非斯都說：「你明天就會聽到。」
23第二天，亞基帕和百妮姬在眾千夫長和城中達官貴人的陪同下，聲勢浩大地進了法庭。非斯都下令把保羅帶上來後， 24說：「亞基帕王和在座的各位，你們看，就是這個人，所有的猶太人，不管是在這裡還是耶路撒冷，都高聲呼籲我處死他。 25但我發現他並沒有犯什麼該死的罪。既然他要向皇帝上訴，我決定把他押去。 26只是關於這個人，我沒有確切的事由可以奏明皇帝25·26 希臘文是「主上」，用於對羅馬皇帝的尊稱。。所以，我把他帶到各位面前，特別是亞基帕王面前，以便在審訊之後，我可以有所陳奏。 27因為在我看來，解送犯人卻不奏明罪狀不合情理。」
