Acts of the Apostles - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 1170

ACTS.— 25—-—4 selves plotting to murder him on the

4 road. Festus, however, told them in IO U I2 reply,thatPau1 should be detained at Caesarea; and that he was himself about to return there at an early date. ·Let those therefore who are in authority among you go down with me; and if there is any- thing against this man, they can then indict him} When he had stayed among them

not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea.; and taking his seat upon the bench on the follow- ing day, he ordered Paul to be brought. But when he was produced, the jews who had come down from jerusalem stood around him, bringing forward numerous as well as serious charges, which they were unable to prove. While Paul, in his defence, Neither against the jewish law, nor against the temple, nor against the Emperor, have I offended in any way} Festus, however, anxious to in-

gratiate himself with the jews, in Do you desire to go up to jerusalem, thereto be tried in respect of these matters before me ? ’ l am standing

before the tribunal of the Emperor,

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where I ought to be tried. I have never injured judeans, as also you have clearly ascertained. If, how- ever, I have injured, or have com- mitted anything deserving of death, I do not fear to die. But if there is nothing in what they charge me with, no man is able to dispose of me to gratify them. I appeal to the Em- Then Festus, having conferred with

You have appealed to the Emperor; you shall go to the E`.mperor.’ yzzhtz mth $gt‘i]:p¤.i When several days had intervened,

King Agrippa and Bernidé arrived at Caesarea, to congratulate Festus. And as they remained there for some time, Festus submitted the case of There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix, respecting whom, on my arrival in jerusalem, the chief priests and judean senators asked for sen- tence to be pronounced against him. l told them in reply that it was not a custom with the Romans to surrender any man, before the accused had his prosecutors face to face, and an

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opportunity adorded him of defe¤d— ing the charge brought against him When therefore they were assembled here, I took my seat upon the bench without delay on the following day, and ordered the man to be produced. Against him, however, when the prosecutors appeared, they brought forward no criminal charge whatever, such as I had expected; but merely some disputes in reference to their own superstition, and about one jesus, a dead person, whom Paul asserted to be alive. And being myself at a loss how to deal with such questions, I asked if he desired to go to jerusa- lem, there to take his trial in regard to them. Paul himself appealing, however, for his case to be deferred for the decision of His Majesty, I accordingly ordered him to be de· tained until I could send him to the Emperor! ‘I should myself also like to hear

remarked Agrippa to Festus. ‘To-morrow, then, you shall hear was his reply. So on the following day, Agrippa.

came, and Bernice, with stately pomp And entering the audience-chamber with the Generals and the principal men oi the city, Paul, at the command of Festus, was also brought in. King Agrippa.

and all other men now present with us, you see this man, about whom the whole mass of the judeans both at jerusalem and here have distracted me, roaring that he ought to live no longer. I found, however, that he had committed nothing deserving of death; and as he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. But concerning him I have nothing of a definite character to write to my master. I have c0nse— quently brought him out before you a11——and especially before you, King Agrippa——·s0 that after full examina— tion, I may have something to write for it seems to me absurd, when sending a prisoner, not to notify at the same time the nature of the charges against him! 20 21 22 26 §Buul’¤ Zmfrncz lrzfurz $grippa Per~ 26 mission is granted you to speak for yourself} Paul, therefore, extending his hand, made his defence as follows: 1170