13. A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to visit Festus.
14. They stayed there for some time, and Festus told the king about Paul’s case. Festus said, “There is a man that Felix left in prison.
15. When I went to Jerusalem, the leading priests and the Jewish elders there made charges against him. They wanted me to sentence him to death.
16. But I answered, ‘When a man is accused of a crime, Romans do not hand him over just to please someone. The man must be allowed to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.’
17. So these Jews came here to Caesarea for the trial. And I did not waste time. The next day I sat on the judge’s seat and commanded that the man be brought in.
18. The Jews stood up and accused him. But they did not accuse him of any serious crime as I thought they would.
19. The things they said were about their own religion and about a man named Jesus. Jesus died, but Paul said that he is still alive.
20. I did not know much about these things; so I did not ask questions. But I asked Paul, ‘Do you want to go to Jerusalem and be judged there?’
21. But he asked to be kept in Caesarea. He wants a decision from the Emperor. So I ordered that Paul be held until I could send him to Caesar in Rome.”