Study Desk

Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in ^(C1)Caesarea, paying their respects to Festus.

And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul's case to the king, saying, "There is a man who was ^(C1)left as a prisoner by Felix;

and when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews ^(C1)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

"I ^(C1)replied to them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any person before ^(C2)the accused meets his accusers face to face, and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges.

"So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on ^(C1)the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought.

"When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges ^(F1)against him of crimes that I suspected,

but they simply had some ^(C1)points of disagreement with him about their own ^(F1)(C2)religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.

"And ^(C1)being at a loss how to investigate ^(F1)such matters, I ^(F2)asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters.

"But when Paul ^(C1)appealed to be held in custody for ^(F1)the Emperor's decision, I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar."

Then ^(C1)Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he ^(*)said, "you shall hear him."