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          DASV: Acts 25    

1 Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province,
he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
2 The chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented formal
charges against Paul. They urged Festus,
3 asking for a favor against Paul, that he would send and bring
him to Jerusalem. They were planning to ambush and kill him
on the way.
4 Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody at Caesarea,
and that he himself was about to go there shortly.
5 "Let them," he said, "who are leaders among you go down with
me, and if there is anything wrong with the man, they can
bring their charges against him there."
6 When he had stayed with them not more than eight or ten days,
he went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment
seat, and commanded Paul to be brought in.
7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem
stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him
that they could not prove,
8 while Paul argued in his defense, "I have not committed any
crime against the law of the Jews, or against the temple, or
against Caesar."
9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, "Will
you go up to Jerusalem, and be tried there before me on these
charges?"
10 But Paul objected, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat,
which is where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong
to the Jews, as you know very well.
11 If then I am in the wrong and have committed anything worthy
of death, I am not refusing to die; but if none of their charges
that they accuse me of is true, no one can turn me over to
them. I appeal to Caesar."
12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, replied,
"You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go."

13 Now after a few days, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at
Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus.
14 As they stayed there several days, Festus presented Paul's
case to the King, saying, "There is a man here who was left
in prison by Felix.
15 When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of
the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence condemning
him.
16 I told them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand
any one over before the accused had met his accusers face to
face, and had been given an opportunity to make his defense
concerning the charges brought against him.
17 So when they traveled back here, I did not delay, but the next
day sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be
brought in.
18 When his accusers stood up, they brought no charge of the
wrong doing of the kind that I had expected.
19 Rather they had certain objections against him concerning
their own religion, and about someone named Jesus, who was dead,
whom Paul alleged to be alive.
20 Since I was perplexed about how to investigate these matters,
I asked whether he would go to Jerusalem and be tried there
on these charges.
21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody requesting
a decision from the emperor, I ordered him to be kept
until I could send him to Caesar."
22 Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the
man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you will hear him."

23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had arrived
with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with
the chief commanders and leading men of the city, then
Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.
24 Festus said, "King Agrippa and all who are here present
with us, you see this man, about whom the entire Jewish
people have petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here,
shouting that he ought not to live any longer.
25 But I found that he has committed nothing worthy of
death; and as he himself appealed to His Majesty the
Emperor I have decided to send him there.
26 But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about
him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you,
and especially before you, King Agrippa, that after
this interrogation I may have something to write.
27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner
to the Emperor without indicating the charges against him."

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