'I APPEAL TO CAESAR'
Key verse: 11
NIV
Paul’s Trial Before Festus
25 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus(A) went up from Caesarea(B) to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.(C) 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.(D) 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held(E) at Caesarea,(F) and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”
6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court(G) and ordered that Paul be brought before him.(H) 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him,(I) but they could not prove them.(J)
8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple(K) or against Caesar.”
9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,(L) said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”(M)
10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,(N) as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”(O)
12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
Cross references
- Acts 25:1 : S Ac 24:27
- Acts 25:1 : S Ac 8:40
- Acts 25:2 : ver 15; Ac 24:1
- Acts 25:3 : S Ac 20:3
- Acts 25:4 : Ac 24:23
- Acts 25:4 : S Ac 8:40
- Acts 25:6 : ver 17
- Acts 25:6 : ver 10
- Acts 25:7 : Mk 15:3; Lk 23:2, 10; Ac 24:5, 6
- Acts 25:7 : Ac 24:13
- Acts 25:8 : Ac 6:13; 24:12; 28:17
- Acts 25:9 : Ac 24:27; 12:3
- Acts 25:9 : ver 20
- Acts 25:10 : ver 8
- Acts 25:11 : ver 21, 25; Ac 26:32; 28:19
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Paul Appeals to Caesar
25 Now three days after Festus had arrived in (A)the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews (B)laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3 asking as a favor against Paul[a] that he summon him to Jerusalem—because (C)they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”
6 After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on (D)the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him (E)that they could not prove. 8 Paul argued in his defense, “Neither (F)against (G)the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor (H)against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9 But Festus, (I)wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's (J)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. (K)I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 25:3 Greek him
Cross references
- Acts 25:1 : ch. 23:34
- Acts 25:2 : ver. 15
- Acts 25:3 : See ch. 9:24
- Acts 25:6 : ver. 10, 17; See Matt. 27:19
- Acts 25:7 : ch. 24:13
- Acts 25:8 : [ch. 24:12; 28:17]; See ch. 6:13
- Acts 25:8 : John 7:19; 19:7
- Acts 25:8 : John 19:12
- Acts 25:9 : ch. 24:27
- Acts 25:10 : ver. 6, 17
- Acts 25:11 : ch. 26:32; 28:19
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. A new effort to kill Paul (1-5)
After two years, the governorship of Judea passed into the hands of Festus. Paul's situation, however, remained the same. The world seemed to be controlled by politics, not by God. The Jews in Jerusalem made a new attempt to kill Paul. When the new governor visited Jerusalem, they tried to persuade him to send Paul back to Jerusalem. They planned to ambush and kill him on the way. But Paul's life was in God's hand. Governor Festus insisted on trying Paul in Caesarea.
2. Paul uses his Roman citizenship (6-12)
Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor, so he asked Paul if he would return to Jerusalem and stand trial there. Paul knew that to return to Jerusalem was death. He invoked his Roman citizenship and claimed his right to a trial before Caesar. God was keeping his promise (23:11). He sent Paul to Rome in a most unexpected way--in chains.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for reminding me that you are the Sovereign God, and you control men and history and all things.
One Word: God keeps his promises
