Pāvils piesauc cēzaru
1 Bet Fēsts jau trešajā dienā pēc ierašanās provincē devās no Cēzarejas uz Jeruzālemi, 2 un virspriesteri un jūdu augstmaņi nāca pie viņa vēlreiz ar apsūdzību pret Pāvilu un gauži lūdza, 3 lai Fēsts izrāda viņiem labvēlību un sūta viņu uz Jeruzālemi, jo tie bija sagatavojuši slēpni, lai ceļā Pāvilu nogalinātu. 4 Taču Fēsts tiem atbildēja, ka grib Pāvilu paturēt Cēzarejā un arī pats drīzumā doties turp. 5 Viņš teica: “Tie no jums, kam ir tāda vara, lai nāk man līdzi un ceļ pret viņu apsūdzību, ja šis vīrs ir kaut ko aplam nodarījis.” 6 Pavadījis pie viņiem ne vairāk kā astoņas vai desmit dienas, Fēsts devās uz Cēzareju un nākamajā dienā, apsēdies soģa krēslā, lika atvest Pāvilu. 7 Kad Pāvils ieradās, viņu apstāja no Jeruzālemes atnākušie jūdi un cēla pret viņu daudzas un smagas apsūdzības, kuras tie nespēja pierādīt, 8 jo Pāvils aizstāvoties apgalvoja, ka nav neko grēkojis ne pret jūdu bauslību, ne pret templi, ne cēzaru. 9 Bet Fēsts, gribēdams izrādīt jūdiem labvēlību, sacīja Pāvilam: “Vai gribi, lai tevi ved uz Jeruzālemi un tur manā priekšā par šīm lietām tiesā?” 10 Pāvils sacīja: “Es stāvu cēzara tiesas priekšā, kur man pienākas tikt tiesātam. Jūdiem neko ļaunu neesmu darījis, kā tu to zini vēl labāk. 11 Ja esmu darījis ļaunu un pelnījis nāvi, tad es neatsakos mirt, bet, ja man nav nekādas vainas, par ko viņi mani apsūdz, neviens nevar mani tāpat vien viņiem atdot; es piesaucu cēzaru.” 12 Tad Fēsts, aprunājies ar padomi, atbildēja: “Tu piesauci cēzaru, pie cēzara tu arī dosies.”
Fēsts lūdz Agripu izšķirt Pāvila lietu
13 Pēc dažām dienām Cēzarejā ieradās ķēniņš Agripa un Berenīke apsveikt Fēstu. 14 Kad viņi dažas dienas tur bija pavadījuši, Fēsts ziņoja par Pāvilu: “Šeit ir kāds vīrs, ko Fēlikss ir atstājis važās. 15 Kad es ierados Jeruzālemē, jūdu virspriesteri un vecajie cēla pret viņu atkārtotu apsūdzību, prasīdami viņu notiesāt. 16 Es viņiem atbildēju, ka romiešiem nav paraduma atdot kādu cilvēku apsūdzētājiem tāpat vien, pirms viņš nav stājies to priekšā, lai aizstāvētos pret apsūdzību. 17 Kad tie ieradās šeit, es bez vilcināšanās jau nākamajā dienā apsēdos tribunāla krēslā un liku atvest to vīru. 18 Ap viņu sastāja apsūdzētāji, bet nevienu vainu, kurā es nojaustu kādu pārkāpumu, tie parādīt nevarēja. 19 Viņiem bija strīdi par viņu pašu reliģiju un par kādu Jēzu, kurš ir miris un par kuru Pāvils apgalvo, ka tas esot dzīvs. 20 Būdams neizpratnē par šiem strīdiem, es jautāju, vai viņš negrib doties uz Jeruzālemi, lai tur par šīm lietām tiktu tiesāts. 21 Bet, tā kā Pāvils prasīja, lai viņu nodod cēzara Augusta tiesas izmeklēšanai, es pavēlēju viņu turēt apcietinājumā, kamēr nosūtīšu viņu pie cēzara.” 22 Tad Agripa sacīja Fēstam: “Es arī pats gribu dzirdēt šo cilvēku.” Tas teica: “Rīt tu viņu dzirdēsi.” 23 Nākamajā dienā, kad Agripa un Berenīke ar lielu spožumu ieradās un kopā ar tribūniem un pilsētas ievērojamiem pilsoņiem iegāja tiesas zālē, pēc Fēsta uzaicinājuma tika atvests Pāvils. 24 Fēsts sacīja: “Ķēniņ Agripa un visi, kas šeit esat kopā ar mums, uzlūkojiet šo vīru, par kuru daudzi jūdi gan Jeruzālemē, gan šeit neatlaidīgi mācas man virsū, kliegdami, ka tāds nedrīkst vairs dzīvot. 25 Es neredzu, ka viņš būtu izdarījis kaut ko tādu, par ko būtu pelnījis nāvi, un, tā kā viņš pats piesauca cēzaru Augustu, es nolēmu viņu sūtīt turp. 26 Man nav nekā, ko es droši varētu par viņu valdniekam rakstīt, tādēļ es viņu atvedu jūsu priekšā, bet vispirms tavā priekšā, ķēniņ Agripa, lai pēc izjautāšanas man būtu ko uzrakstīt. 27 Man šķiet nesaprātīgi sūtīt apcietināto, nenorādot pret viņu celto apsūdzību.”
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.”
