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.”
保罗在非斯都面前申辩
1非斯都上任三天后，便从凯撒利亚启程上耶路撒冷。 2祭司长和犹太人的首领向他控告保罗， 3恳求他将保罗押回耶路撒冷，他们想在路上埋伏杀害保罗。 4非斯都却说：“保罗现在关押在凯撒利亚，我很快会回到那里。 5让你们的首领跟我一起去吧，如果那人有什么过犯，可以在那里告他。”
6非斯都在耶路撒冷只逗留了十天八天，便返回了凯撒利亚。第二天，他开庭审讯，命人将保罗带上来。 7保罗被带来后，那些从耶路撒冷下来的犹太人站在他周围，控告他犯了许多重罪，但是都没有证据。 8保罗为自己辩护说：“我从来没有违背犹太律法、亵渎圣殿或反叛凯撒！” 9非斯都为了讨好犹太人，就对保罗说：“你是否愿意回耶路撒冷接受我的审讯？”
10保罗说：“我此刻正站在凯撒的法庭上，这就是我应该受审的地方。你很清楚，我并没有做过什么对不起犹太人的事。 11我如果做错了，犯了该死的罪，决不逃避！但他们对我的控告毫无根据，谁也不能把我交给他们。我要向凯撒上诉！”
12非斯都和议会商讨后，说：“你说要上诉凯撒，就去见凯撒吧！”
非斯都请教亚基帕王
13过了几天，亚基帕王和百妮姬一起到凯撒利亚问候非斯都。 14他们在那里住了多日，非斯都对王提起保罗的案子，说：“我这里有一个囚犯，是腓利斯留下来的。 15上次我去耶路撒冷的时候，犹太人的祭司长和长老控告他，要求我定他的罪。 16我告诉他们，按照罗马人的规矩，被告还没有跟原告对质和自辩之前，不能定他的罪。 17后来他们跟我一起来到这里，我没有耽误，第二天就开庭，吩咐把那人带出来审讯。 18他们都站起来当面控告他，但所告的并非我料想的罪行， 19不过是关于他们的宗教和一个叫耶稣的人的一些争论。耶稣已经死了，保罗却说他仍然活着。 20我不知如何审理这些事情，就问被告是否愿意上耶路撒冷受审。 21但保罗请求留下来，听皇帝定夺，所以我下令仍然扣押他，等着送交凯撒。”
22亚基帕对非斯都说：“我想亲自听听他的申诉。”
非斯都说：“你明天就会听到。”
23第二天，亚基帕和百妮姬在众千夫长和城中达官贵人的陪同下，声势浩大地进了法庭。非斯都下令把保罗带上来后， 24说：“亚基帕王和在座的各位，你们看，就是这个人，所有的犹太人，不管是在这里还是耶路撒冷，都高声呼吁我处死他。 25但我发现他并没有犯什么该死的罪。既然他要向皇帝上诉，我决定把他押去。 26只是关于这个人，我没有确切的事由可以奏明皇帝25:26 希腊文是“主上”，用于对罗马皇帝的尊称。。所以，我把他带到各位面前，特别是亚基帕王面前，以便在审讯之后，我可以有所陈奏。 27因为在我看来，解送犯人却不奏明罪状不合情理。”
