25:1 Now 1 three days after Festus 2 arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem 3 from Caesarea. 4 25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men 5 of the Jews brought formal charges 6 against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, 7 they urged Festus 8 to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush 9 to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus 10 replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, 11 and he himself intended to go there 12 shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders 13 go down there 14 with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, 15 they may bring charges 16 against him.”
25:6 After Festus 17 had stayed 18 not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, 19 and the next day he sat 20 on the judgment seat 21 and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, 22 bringing many serious 23 charges that they were not able to prove. 24 25:8 Paul said in his defense, 25 “I have committed no offense 26 against the Jewish law 27 or against the temple or against Caesar.” 28 25:9 But Festus, 29 wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried 30 before me there on these charges?” 31 25:10 Paul replied, 32 “I am standing before Caesar’s 33 judgment seat, 34 where I should be tried. 35 I have done nothing wrong 36 to the Jews, as you also know very well. 37 25:11 If then I am in the wrong 38 and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, 39 but if not one of their charges against me is true, 40 no one can hand me over to them. 41 I appeal to Caesar!” 42 25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, 43 Festus 44 replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; 45 to Caesar 46 you will go!” 47