1 Uzņēmies zemes pārvaldīšanu, Fēsts pēc trim dienām devās no Cezarejas uz Jeruzālemi.
2 Augstie priesteri un ievērojamākie jūdi apsūdzēja viņam Pāvilu un griezās pie viņa,
3 Izlūgdamies viņa labvēlību pret Pāvilu, lai viņš sūtītu to uz Jeruzālemi, jo tiem bija slepens nodoms viņu ceļā nonāvēt.
4 Tad Fēsts atbildēja, ka Pāvils atrodoties apsardzībā Cezarejā un ka viņš pats gribot drīz doties turp.
5 „Kas no jums var,“ viņš sacīja, „lai nāk līdz un, ja šim vīram ir kāds pārkāpums, lai apsūdz to.“
6 Palicis viņu vidū ne vairāk kā astoņas vai desmit dienas, viņš devās atpakaļ uz Cezareju un nākošajā dienā, nosēdies tiesneša krēslā, pavēlēja atvest Pāvilu.
7 Kad tas bija ieradies, no Jeruzālemes atnākušie jūdi nostājās ap viņu, celdami daudz un smagas apsūdzības, ko tie nevarēja pierādīt.
8 Bet Pāvils aizstāvējās: „Es neko neesmu grēkojis ne pret jūdu bauslību, ne pret svētnīcu, ne pret ķeizaru.“
9 Fēsts, gribēdams jūdiem pa prātam darit, atbildēja Pāvilam, sacīdams: „Vai tu gribi iet uz Jeruzālemi, lai tevi tur manā priekšā tiesā par šīm lietām?“
10 Bet Pāvils sacīja: „Es stāvu ķeizara tiesas priekšā, tur man pienākas tikt tiesātam. Jūdiem es nekādu netaisnību neesmu darījis, kā arī tu labi zini.
11 Ja es esmu darījis netaisnību vai kaut ko, par ko būtu nāvi pelnījis, tad es neliedzos mirt, bet, ja tam nav nekāda pamata, par ko tie mani apsūdz, tad neviens nevar mani viņiem nodot, es piesaucu ķeizaru.“
12 Tad Fēsts, sarunājies ar padomniekiem, atbildēja: „Tu esi piesaucis ķeizaru, pie ķeizara tev būs jāiet.“
13 Pēc dažām dienām ķēniņš Agripa un Bernike ieradās Cezarejā apsveikt Fēstu.
14 Kad tie vairāk dienu tur bija pavadījuši, Fēsts ķēniņam izstāstīja Pāvila lietu, sacīdams: „Še ir kāds vīrs, ko Fēliks atstājis cietumā.
15 Kad es biju Jeruzālemē, augstie priesteri un jūdu vecaji viņu apsūdzēja, lūgdami, lai viņu notiesā;
16 Tiem es atbildēju. Romiešiem nav parašas kādu cilvēku izdot, pirms apsūdzētais sūdzētājiem nav personīgi stājies pretim un nav dabūjis iespēju pret apvainojumu aizstāvēties.
17 Kad viņi te bija sanākuši, es nevilcinājos un nākošajā dienā, uz tiesneša krēsla sēdēdams, pavēlēju atvest šo vīru.
18 Sūdzētāji, apstājuši viņu, tomēr nepierādīja vainu nekādos pārkāpumos, kā es biju gaidījis.
19 Bet tie cēla viņam priekšā dažus jautājumus par viņu pašu reliģiju un par kādu Jēzu, kas esot nomiris un par ko Pāvils sacījis, ka viņš esot dzīvs.
20 Tā kā es šo strīdus lietu nepazinu, es sacīju, vai viņš negribētu iet uz Jeruzālemi un tur par šīm lietām tikt tiesāts,
21 Bet, kad Pāvils prasīja, lai viņu atstāj ķeizara spriedumam, es pavēlēju viņu apsargāt, tiekāms viņu sūtīšu pie ķeizara.“
22 Agripa sacīja Fēstam: „Es pats arī gribētu šo cilvēku dzirdēt.“ Fēsts atbildēja: „Rīt tu viņu dzirdēsi.“
23 Nākošajā dienā, kad Agripa un Bernike lielā greznībā bija ieradušies un līdz ar augstākajiem virsniekiem un pilsētas ievērojamākajiem vīriem bija iegājuši tiesas zālē, Fēsts pavēlēja Pāvilu atvest,
24 Un sacīja: „Ķēniņ Agripa un jūs visi, kas līdz ar mums še esat, redziet šo, pret ko uzstājies viss vairums jūdu Jeruzālemē un šeit, kliegdami, ka viņš nedrīkst ilgāk dzīvot.
25 Tā kā es zinu, ka viņš neko nav darījis, ar ko būtu nāvi pelnījis, un ka viņš pats piesaucis ķeizaru, es nolēmu viņu sūtīt turp.
26 Bet man nav nekā noteikta, ko valdniekam par viņu rakstīt; tādēļ es viņu esmu vedis jūsu priekšā un sevišķi tavā priekšā, ķēniņ Agripa, lai man pēc nopratināšanas būtu ko rakstīt.
27 Jo man šķiet aplam esam kādu sūtīt saistītu, neminot viņa vainu.“
Paul Appeals to the Emperor
1 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders brought their charges against Paul. They begged Festus 3 to do them the favor of having Paul come to Jerusalem, for they had made a plot to kill him on the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being kept a prisoner in Caesarea, and I myself will be going back there soon. 5 Let your leaders go to Caesarea with me and accuse the man if he has done anything wrong.”
6 Festus spent another eight or ten days with them and then went to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down in the judgment court and ordered Paul to be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him and started making many serious charges against him, which they were not able to prove. 8 But Paul defended himself: “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against the Roman Emperor.”
9 But Festus wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he asked Paul, “Would you be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing before the Emperor's own judgment court, where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I have broken the law and done something for which I deserve the death penalty, I do not ask to escape it. But if there is no truth in the charges they bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to the Emperor.”
12 Then Festus, after conferring with his advisers, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor, so to the Emperor you will go.”
Paul before Agrippa and Bernice
13 Some time later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay a visit of welcome to Festus. 14 After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: “There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders brought charges against him and asked me to condemn him. 16 But I told them that we Romans are not in the habit of handing over any who are accused of a crime before they have met their accusers face-to-face and have had the chance of defending themselves against the accusation. 17 When they came here, then, I lost no time, but on the very next day I sat in the judgment court and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 His opponents stood up, but they did not accuse him of any of the evil crimes that I thought they would. 19 All they had were some arguments with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus, who has died; but Paul claims that he is alive. 20 I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters, so I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed; he asked to be kept under guard and to let the Emperor decide his case. So I gave orders for him to be kept under guard until I could send him to the Emperor.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festus answered.
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and ceremony and entered the audience hall with the military chiefs and the leading men of the city. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here with us: You see this man against whom all the Jewish people, both here and in Jerusalem, have brought complaints to me. They scream that he should not live any longer. 25 But I could not find that he had done anything for which he deserved the death sentence. And since he himself made an appeal to the Emperor, I have decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite about him to write to the Emperor. So I have brought him here before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa!—so that, after investigating his case, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him.”
