Three days after arriving in the province, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.
But as he discussed righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix was afraid and said, “Go away for now; when I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
At the same time he hoped that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.
After some days, however, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; but Felix, wishing to do the Jews a favor, left Paul in prison.
Now when Festus had come into the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
The chief priests and the leading men of the Jews appeared before him and made a strong complaint against Paul.
They asked him, asking a favor against Paul, that he might summon him to Jerusalem, intending to ambush and kill him on the way.
But Festus answered that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself was about to go there shortly.
“Let them,” he said, “if they have any charge to bring against him, come and accuse him.”
After he had spent some days with them, he went down to Caesarea; and on the next day he summoned the man and ordered him to be brought before them.
When Paul had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around and brought many and serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
Paul defended himself, saying, “I have done nothing wrong either against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”
But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried before me concerning these charges?”
But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.
If I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing to the charges that these men bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
Then Festus, after conferring with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!”
After some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
While they were there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man left in custody by Felix,
about whom the chief priests and elders of the Jews appeared before me, asking for a judgment against him.
I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against the charge.
When they came here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat to hear the case.
But the accused did not appear to have done anything deserving death or imprisonment.
But he himself appealed to be kept in custody until he could be sent to the emperor.”
Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
“Tomorrow,” said Festus, “you will hear him.”
The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall with the commanders and the leading men of the city; at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both here and in Jerusalem, shouting that he should not be allowed to live any longer.
But I found that he had done nothing deserving death.
Yet because he appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him.
I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him.
Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after examination, I may have something to write.
For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”
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