1 Now upon assuming the province, after three days Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2 Then the chief priests* Some 60% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘high priest’, as in AV and NKJV. and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul and started importuning him, 3 begging a favor from him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.† Those guys were really good haters! 4 However Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, he himself being about to go there shortly. 5 He said, “So let those who are competent among you go down with me; if there is anything against this man, let them accuse him.” 6 When he had stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he sat on the judgment seat and commanded Paul to be brought. 7 When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem made a circle,‡ This was presumably a tactic to intimidate, and to form a decent circle would require a number of people. Paul was not impressed, but Festus may have been. bringing against Paul many serious charges that they could not prove, 8 while he defended himself, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar did I commit any sin.” 9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor,§ I wonder if those Jews had been involved in the decision to replace Felix (who didn't play ball with them) with Festus. If so, and if Festus was aware that he owed them a favor, that would account for his attitude here. answered Paul by saying, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be judged by me there concerning these things?” 10 So Paul said: “I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as even you know very well.* Paul could tell that Festus was not on the ‘up and up’. 11 Now if I really am in the wrong and have perpetrated anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if there is nothing to the things of which these are accusing me, no one has the right to give me to them.† Paul knew, and Festus knew, what the Jews had in mind. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with his counsel, answered: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go!”‡ I suspect that this took Festus by surprise; and it put him in a bad light—on what basis is he going to send an innocent man to the Emperor? Presumably he could have just released Paul, but that would have turned the Jews against him. And then there was the Plan.