1 Phĕstos therefore, having come to the province, three days later went up from Kaisereia to Yerushalayim.
2 And the kohĕn ha’gadol and the chief men of the Yahuḏim informed him against Sha’ul, and they begged him,
3 asking a favour against him, that he would send him to Yerushalayim – making a plot along the way to kill him.
4 Then, indeed, Phĕstos answered that Sha’ul should be kept at Kaisereia, and that he himself was about to depart shortly.
5 “Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”
6 And having spent more than ten days among them, he went down to Kaisereia. And on the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Sha’ul to be brought.
7 And when he had come, the Yahuḏim who had come down from Yerushalayim stood about, bringing many and heavy charges against Sha’ul, which they were unable to prove,
8 while Sha’ul said in his own defence, “Neither against the Torah of the Yahuḏim, nor against the Miqdash, nor against Kaisar did I commit any sin.”
9 But Phĕstos, wanting to do the Yahuḏim a favour, answering Sha’ul, said, “Do you want to go up to Yerushalayim and be judged before me there concerning these?”
10 And Sha’ul said, “I am standing at Kaiser’s judgement seat, where I should be judged. To the Yahuḏim I have done no wrong, as you know well enough.
11 “For if indeed I do wrong, or have committed whatever deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is naught in these of which these men accuse me, no one is able to give me up to them. I appeal to Kaisar.”
12 Then Phĕstos, having talked with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Kaisar? To Kaisar you shall go!”
13 And certain days having passed, Sovereign Agrippas and Bernikĕ came to Kaisereia to greet Phĕstos.
14 And when they had spent many days there, Phĕstos laid Sha’ul’s case before the sovereign, saying, “There is a man here whom Phĕlix left as a prisoner,
15 about whom the chief kohenim and the elders of the Yahuḏim informed me, when I was in Yerushalayim, asking for a judgment against him.
16 “To them I answered, ‘It is not the Roman practice to give up any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has a chance to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’
17 “They, therefore, having come together, without any delay, I sat on the judgment seat the next day and commanded the man to be brought in.
18 “When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge against him such as I expected,
19 but had some questions against him about their own worship and about a certain 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, who had died, whom Sha’ul was claiming to be alive.
20 “And being uncertain how to investigate these matters, I asked whether he wanted to go to Yerushalayim and there be judged concerning these matters.
21 “But when Sha’ul appealed to be kept for the decision of Augustus, I ordered him to be kept until I send him to Kaisar.”
22 And Agrippas said to Phĕstos, “I was wanting also to hear the man myself.” And he said, “tomorrow, you shall hear him.”
23 Therefore, on the next day, Agrippas and Bernikĕ having come with great show, and having entered the place of hearing with the commanders and the eminent men of the city, Sha’ul was brought in at the order of Phĕstos.
24 And Phĕstos said, “Sovereign Agrippas and all the men present here with us, you see this one about whom all the community of the Yahuḏim pleaded with me, both at Yerushalayim and here, shouting that he ought not to be living any longer.
25 “But I, having found that he had committed naught deserving death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.
26 “I have none definite to write to my master concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and most of all before you, Sovereign Agrippas, so that after the examination has taken place I might have somewhat to write.
27 “For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to signify the charges against him.”