11. If I am doing wrong or have done anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if these are empty charges of which these men accuse me, no one may deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
12. When Festus had conferred with the council, he then answered, “To Caesar you have appealed. To Caesar you shall go.”
13. After several days King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus.
14. When they had been there many days, Festus stated Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man left as a prisoner by Felix.
15. When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence against him.
16. “I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to die before he who is accused meets the accusers face to face and has the opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge brought against him.’
17. So when they assembled here, without delay I sat on the judgment seat the next day and ordered that the man be brought in.
18. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such crimes as I had supposed.
19. But they had disagreements with him about their own religion and about a Man named Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted was alive.
20. Being perplexed about such questions, I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there concerning these charges.
21. But when Paul had appealed to be under guard for the decision of Caesar, I ordered that he be secured until I could send him to Caesar.”