Paul Appeals to the Emperor
1 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders brought their charges against Paul. They begged Festus 3 to do them the favor of having Paul come to Jerusalem, for they had made a plot to kill him on the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being kept a prisoner in Caesarea, and I myself will be going back there soon. 5 Let your leaders go to Caesarea with me and accuse the man if he has done anything wrong.”
6 Festus spent another eight or ten days with them and then went to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down in the judgment court and ordered Paul to be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him and started making many serious charges against him, which they were not able to prove. 8 But Paul defended himself: “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against the Roman Emperor.”
9 But Festus wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he asked Paul, “Would you be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing before the Emperor's own judgment court, where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I have broken the law and done something for which I deserve the death penalty, I do not ask to escape it. But if there is no truth in the charges they bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to the Emperor.”
12 Then Festus, after conferring with his advisers, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor, so to the Emperor you will go.”
Paul before Agrippa and Bernice
13 Some time later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay a visit of welcome to Festus. 14 After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: “There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders brought charges against him and asked me to condemn him. 16 But I told them that we Romans are not in the habit of handing over any who are accused of a crime before they have met their accusers face-to-face and have had the chance of defending themselves against the accusation. 17 When they came here, then, I lost no time, but on the very next day I sat in the judgment court and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 His opponents stood up, but they did not accuse him of any of the evil crimes that I thought they would. 19 All they had were some arguments with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus, who has died; but Paul claims that he is alive. 20 I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters, so I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed; he asked to be kept under guard and to let the Emperor decide his case. So I gave orders for him to be kept under guard until I could send him to the Emperor.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festus answered.
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and ceremony and entered the audience hall with the military chiefs and the leading men of the city. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here with us: You see this man against whom all the Jewish people, both here and in Jerusalem, have brought complaints to me. They scream that he should not live any longer. 25 But I could not find that he had done anything for which he deserved the death sentence. And since he himself made an appeal to the Emperor, I have decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite about him to write to the Emperor. So I have brought him here before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa!—so that, after investigating his case, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him.”
Dhuŋun dhina dhabiŋu Buulus gi je ganu ja Fastuus
1 Fastuus gwijo gi mudiiriiya gwuŋun, a dina ma ŋwamun thiril erna ŋwugathani Ges̱ariiyaŋw ŋwalo Urushaliim. 2 A kweleny gwa gusus a leleny la Yahuud abiŋaijo dhuŋuna dhina dhiro dhuwan gi dhuŋun dha Buulus; alothaije galo gwuleny, 3 alari gwukejiye alodha gi Urushaliim, aldhunijo gi dhai dilrinya. 4 Abi Fastuus arnu ladima Buulusuŋw gi Ges̱ariiya, ŋinena aruŋw gwela mine ma ŋwamun ro coŋ. 5 Ŋwarnu, Abrico lijo dagalo lina luthi ŋoma danalgwudhie, alteje kwijo ibigwa galo, ada dhuŋun dhimaje dugun dhina dhike. 6 A dina muŋw meaje ŋwamun ŋwoinyadhanu gi die degen ganu, ŋwule gi Ges̱ariiya; a bigunu ŋwujalo kursi alaŋ ga ẖukm ŋwudhedha amr dilapa Buulusuŋw. 7 A dina muŋw ila, a Yahuud urejo galo lina lulo gi Urushaliim, alabiŋi dhuŋuna dhoinyadho di Buulus dhina dhinaŋ dhina dhati dhuthi ŋoma dhalaŋajo darnu dhiro titiganu no. 8 Athibi Buulus abiŋi dhuŋuna dhuŋun ŋwarnu, Nyi gwati gwimakiye dhuŋuna dheda i gi dhuŋun dha naamuus gwa Yahuud, i gi hekal, i di Ges̱ar gatur no. 9 Abi Fastuus ari gwiŋiriye Yahuud dugore, ŋwabiŋaijo Buulusuŋw ŋwaici, Ŋa gwuminyu daŋalo gi Urushaliim, daŋakimini mine gi dhuŋun ibidha gi je ganu jiny a? 10 Abi Buulus arnu, Nyi gwa gwidhunudhi githo kursi ga ẖukm gwa Ges̱ar, kalo gina giŋir dinyin akimini; ŋa gwiliŋidhi ko momaŋ darnu nyi gwati gwupijo Yahuud dhuŋuna dheda dhina dhike no. 11 Ada nyi gwimaro kwiji gwina gwike, i ada nyi gwimapai ŋida ŋeda ŋina ŋaudhi ŋadhai, nyi gwati gwadoinya dinyai no; abi ada dhuŋun dheda dhati dhimaje diginy dhiro ŋinena dhina dhabiŋudhi ŋediŋa diginy no, kwiji gwati gweda gwuthi ŋoma dinyildhedha no. Nyi gwageta dhuŋuna dhiny di Ges̱ar. 12 A dina ma Fastuusŋa abiŋaijiye liji lai la juriya, ŋwarnu, Ŋa gwara gwageta dhuŋuna dhuŋa di Ges̱ar a? Ŋa gwuthi ŋoma gwela di Ges̱ar.
Aqriibaasŋa Barniiki gwai
13 A dina ma ŋwamun coŋ erna, a malik gwina gwan Aqriibaasŋa Barniiki gwai ela gi Ges̱ariiya dilmira Fastuusuŋw. 14 A dina jilo mine ŋwamun ŋwoinyadho, a Fastuus abiŋaijo malik dhuŋuna dhan Buulus, ŋwarnu, Kwiji gweta gwo gwina gwiro maẖbuus gwina gwigathanu Fiiliks gi sijn; 15 dina jiny gi Urushaliim, nyi leleny la gusus a shiyuuk la Yahuud abiŋadhaijo dugun gwai, albuje dinyi akimiye. 16 Nyilbabiŋaijo nyilaici, Liji la Ruumiya lati luthi dhuŋuna dhina dhathilapai dhina dharnu ladhiŋa kwijo gweta duŋwai, kwereny nanaŋ gwati gwuthi lijo lina luthi dhuŋuna dugun dilldaŋajiye gi je ganu, a ŋwuthi lamun lina liŋir duŋwabiŋi dhuŋuna dhuŋun gi dhuŋun dhina dhabiŋudhilo dugun no. 17 A dina malauradha liduŋw mina, nyi gwati gwidhunudhi no nyi jalo bigunu kursi ga ẖukm, nyildhedha amr di kwiji upina diginy. 18 A dina ma liji dhunalaŋ lina labiŋudhi dugun, athil abiŋu dhuŋuna dhetipo dhiro ŋinena dhina dharinydhai no; 19 albuthi dhuŋuna dugun dhan dhuŋun dhina dhuthilo dha dhorthadha Kaloŋa, a dhan gweta gwina gwan Yasuuⓐ, gwina gwimai, athibi Buulus arnu gwo gwimidho. 20 A dina athinyi liŋidhi darnu nyi gwapaŋa gi dhuŋun ibidha no, nyothaije galo darnu, Ada gwimuminyi duŋwela gi Urushaliim ŋwukimini mine gi dhuŋun dha dhuŋun ibidha. 21 Abi dina ma Buulus bupe dhuŋuna dhuŋun duŋwgitini di Uqusṯus, nyi dhedha lijo amr dildima di minyi ukeje di Ges̱ar. 22 A Aqriibaas aici Fastuusuŋw nu, Nyi gwuminyu ko dinyi diŋini dhuŋuna dha kwiji ibigwa. Ŋwubaicinu gwaŋadiŋini bigunu.
23 A bigunu dina ma Aqriibaasŋa ila Barniiki gwai aŋini gwai gwina gwinaŋ, aluni kalo gadhi diŋini komandaanŋalai a liji lina lipilipa la mediina, a Fastuus dhedha lijo amr dilapa Buulusuŋw. 24 A Fastuus arnu, Malik gwai gwina gwan Aqriibaas, a liji peth lina lo lijanalai mina, aŋadhul kwijo ibigwa, gwina gwabiŋudhina Yahuud peth diginy gi Urushaliim a mina, alure gwula alarnu gwati gwiŋir duŋwmidhe manaŋ no. 25 Abi dina minyi buje darnu gwati gwapo dhuŋuna dheda dhina dhaudhi duŋwai no; a ŋeda bupe duŋwgeta dhuŋuna dhuŋun gi je ganu ja Uqusṯus, nyuminyi dinyi ukeja. 26 Ŋinena athinyi bujo dhuŋuna dhina dhiliŋinu momaŋ dugun dinyi ulijo kwelenya gwiny no, a minoŋ nyodhadha gi je ganu jalo, a gwuleny gi je ganu juŋa, malik gwai gwina gwan Aqriibaas, a maji maŋa diŋini dhuŋuna dhuŋun, nyi gwuthi ŋoma dinyi buje dhuŋuna dhina dhinyi ule. 27 Dhuŋun dhiliŋinu diginy darnu gwati gwaudhi dinyi ukeje maẖbuus, ada dhuŋun dhati dhimaje dhina dhigitinu dugun dhina dhiliŋinu momaŋ no.