1 So Festus, having come into that part of the country which was under his rule, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

2 And the chief priests and the chief men of the Jews made statements against Paul,

3 Requesting Festus to give effect to their design against him, and send him to Jerusalem, when they would be waiting to put him to death on the way.

4 But Festus, in answer, said that Paul was being kept in prison at Caesarea, and that in a short time he himself was going there.

5 So, he said, let those who have authority among you go with me, and if there is any wrong in the man, let them make a statement against him.

6 And when he had been with them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; and on the day after, he took his place on the judge's seat, and sent for Paul.

7 And when he came, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem came round him, and made all sorts of serious statements against him, which were not supported by the facts.

8 Then Paul, in his answer to them, said, I have done no wrong against the law of the Jews, or against the Temple, or against Caesar.

9 But Festus, desiring to get the approval of the Jews, said to Paul, Will you go up to Jerusalem, and be judged before me there in connection with these things?

10 And Paul said, I am before the seat of Caesar's authority where it is right for me to be judged: I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you are well able to see.

11 If, then, I am a wrongdoer and there is a cause of death in me, I am ready for death: if it is not as they say against me, no man may give me up to them. Let my cause come before Caesar.

12 Then Festus, having had a discussion with the Jews, made answer, You have said, Let my cause come before Caesar; to Caesar you will go.

13 Now when some days had gone by, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea and went to see Festus.

14 And as they were there for some days, Festus gave them Paul's story, saying, There is a certain man here who was put in prison by Felix:

15 Against whom the chief priests and the rulers of the Jews made a statement when I was at Jerusalem, requesting me to give a decision against him.

16 To whom I gave answer that it is not the Roman way to give a man up, till he has been face to face with those who are attacking him, and has had a chance to give an answer to the statements made against him.

17 So, when they had come together here, straight away, on the day after, I took my place on the judge's seat and sent for the man.

18 But when they got up they said nothing about such crimes as I had in mind:

19 But had certain questions against him in connection with their religion, and about one Jesus, now dead, who, Paul said, was living.

20 And as I had not enough knowledge for the discussion of these things, I made the suggestion to him to go to Jerusalem and be judged there.

21 But when Paul made a request that he might be judged by Caesar, I gave orders for him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.

22 And Agrippa said to Festus, I have a desire to give the man a hearing myself. Tomorrow, he said, you may give him a hearing.

23 So on the day after, when Agrippa and Bernice in great glory had come into the public place of hearing, with the chief of the army and the chief men of the town, at the order of Festus, Paul was sent for.

24 And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all those who are present here with us, you see this man, about whom all the Jews have made protests to me, at Jerusalem and in this place, saying that it is not right for him to be living any longer.

25 But, in my opinion, there is no cause of death in him, and as he himself has made a request to be judged by Caesar, I have said that I would send him.

26 But I have no certain account of him to send to Caesar. So I have sent for him to come before you, and specially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the business has been gone into, I may have something to put in writing.

27 For it seems to me against reason to send a prisoner without making clear what there is against him.

1 Festo dunque, essendo giunto nella sua provincia, tre giorni dopo salì da Cesarea a Gerusalemme.

2 E i capi sacerdoti e i principali de’ Giudei gli presentarono le loro accuse contro a Paolo;

3 e lo pregavano, chiedendo per favore contro a lui, che lo facesse venire a Gerusalemme. Essi intanto avrebbero posto insidie per ucciderlo per via.

4 Festo allora rispose che Paolo era custodito a Cesarea, e che egli stesso dovea partir presto.

5 Quelli dunque di voi, diss’egli, che possono, scendano meco; e se v’è in quest’uomo qualche colpa, lo accusino.

6 Rimasto presso di loro non più di otto o dieci giorni, discese in Cesarea; e il giorno seguente, postosi a sedere in tribunale, comandò che Paolo gli fosse menato dinanzi.

7 E com’egli fu giunto, i Giudei che eran discesi da Gerusalemme, gli furono attorno, portando contro lui molte e gravi accuse, che non potevano provare; mentre Paolo diceva a sua difesa:

8 Io non ho peccato né contro la legge de’ Giudei, né contro il tempio, né contro Cesare.

9 Ma Festo, volendo far cosa grata ai Giudei, disse a Paolo: Vuoi tu salire a Gerusalemme ed esser quivi giudicato davanti a me intorno a queste cose?

10 Ma Paolo rispose: Io sto qui dinanzi al tribunale di Cesare, ove debbo esser giudicato; io non ho fatto torto alcuno ai Giudei, come anche tu sai molto bene.

11 Se dunque sono colpevole e ho commesso cosa degna di morte, non ricuso di morire; ma se nelle cose delle quali costoro mi accusano non c’è nulla di vero, nessuno mi può consegnare per favore nelle loro mani. Io mi appello a Cesare.

12 Allora Festo, dopo aver conferito col consiglio, rispose: Tu ti sei appellato a Cesare; a Cesare andrai.

13 E dopo alquanti giorni il re Agrippa e Berenice arrivarono a Cesarea, per salutar Festo.

14 E trattenendosi essi quivi per molti giorni, Festo raccontò al re il caso di Paolo, dicendo: V’è qui un uomo che è stato lasciato prigione da Felice, contro il quale,

15 quando fui a Gerusalemme, i capi sacerdoti e gli anziani de’ Giudei mi sporsero querela, chiedendomi di condannarlo.

16 Risposi loro che non è usanza de’ Romani di consegnare alcuno, prima che l’accusato abbia avuto gli accusatori a faccia, e gli sia stato dato modo di difendersi dall’accusa.

17 Essendo eglino dunque venuti qua, io, senza indugio, il giorno seguente, sedetti in tribunale, e comandai che quell’uomo mi fosse menato dinanzi.

18 I suoi accusatori però, presentatisi, non gli imputavano alcuna delle male azioni che io supponevo;

19 ma aveano contro lui certe questioni intorno alla propria religione e intorno a un certo Gesù morto, che aolo affermava esser vivente.

20 Ed io, stando in dubbio sul come procedere in queste cose, gli dissi se voleva andare a Gerusalemme, e quivi esser giudicato intorno a queste cose.

21 Ma avendo Paolo interposto appello per esser riserbato al giudizio dell’imperatore, io comandai che fosse custodito, finché lo mandassi a Cesare.

22 E Agrippa disse a Festo: Anch’io vorrei udir cotesto uomo. Ed egli rispose: Domani l’udrai.

23 Il giorno seguente dunque, essendo venuti Agrippa e Berenice con molta pompa, ed entrati nella sala d’udienza coi tribuni e coi principali della città, Paolo, per ordine di Festo, fu menato quivi.

24 E Festo disse: Re Agrippa, e voi tutti che siete qui presenti con noi, voi vedete quest’uomo, a proposito del quale tutta la moltitudine de’ Giudei s’è rivolta a me, e in Gerusalemme e qui, gridando che non deve viver più oltre.

25 Io però non ho trovato che avesse fatto cosa alcuna degna di morte, ed essendosi egli stesso appellato all’imperatore, ho deliberato di mandarglielo.

26 E siccome non ho nulla di certo da scriverne al mio signore, l’ho menato qui davanti a voi, e principalmente davanti a te, o re Agrippa, affinché, dopo esame, io abbia qualcosa da scrivere.

27 Perché non mi par cosa ragionevole mandare un prigioniero, senza notificar le accuse che gli son mosse contro.