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.”
Ŋen Bulus gəfo isəria Fasṯus nëiñua
1 Na ndə eləŋ Fasṯus geṯo gəɽaŋa alo eŋələŋe ŋəlëɽəŋu, ndə ñoman ñəŋgaṯo ñiɽijin nəŋətwod̶e alo yi-Gaisariya nəgabəṯa alo yi-Ursalim. 2 Na nələŋ nəkana na led̶a ildi loɽra eŋen ig-Alyawuḏ ldəmaŋaici ŋen iŋi ləgiyacau Bulus, na ldəmalwaɽəṯi kaiñ ṯalmariṯu ŋabaiya, 3 ṯa aŋəlaməd̶aṯe, ldaṯa ŋgiṯu maje aŋəd̶weinia alo yi-Ursalim, ŋen ŋanṯa lënəŋulu lerṯo ŋen enare ṯa aləmaɽaŋəṯi ed̶ad̶ ṯa almaɽiñe. 4 Na Fasṯus nəŋəlwaɽəṯi ṯa Bulus aŋarəmujəni alo yi-Gaisariya, orn aten gid̶i aŋəɽe tu gënəŋu. 5 Nṯia nəŋaṯa, “Ŋgiṯr led̶a ildi loɽra eñaŋ ñirəwəlda, na ndə ŋen ŋənəŋ ŋəfo mənna emaje igi, ŋgiṯəlo almasəki.” 6 Ndə ləɽaŋəlda ñoman ñəmaṯan ñəməñaṯo d̶enəŋ nəñəməñe ñiɽijin walla red̶, nəŋirəwuṯi alo yi-Gaisariya, na eloman leṯeɽe nəŋəɽaŋe nalkurs eŋələŋe nəŋəlwaɽe ṯa Bulus aŋəyelnia. 7 Na ndə geṯod̶əge Alyawuḏ isi yafo yeṯo alo yi-Ursalim nimad̶iṯi ṯwaiñ nisəki Bulus ŋenŋa ŋwaiña ŋinia na nəyerṯe yeɽwad̶aṯa yibërrəŋaid̶ia ŋen ŋənəŋ ṯa ŋad̶eṯəm. 8 Orn ndə Bulus gopəṯo gënəŋu nəŋaṯa, “Egero egəgera ŋen ŋənəŋ ŋ-Alyawuḏ walla ŋ-Alekəl walla ŋeləŋ goɽra gə-Roma.”
9 Orn Fasṯus gwonaṯa Alyawuḏ yimaŋërṯia nano, nəŋeiṯi Bulus ṯa, “Agwonaṯa agabəṯa alo yi-Ursalim ṯa ŋinḏeini tu eŋen iŋi yilwaɽəṯəñi?”
10 Orn Bulus nəŋaṯa, “Igad̶əru kursi nëiñua yeləŋ goɽra gə-Roma alo isi ŋen ŋərəjad̶aṯo iwinḏeini, egero igəbiṯia Alyawuḏ ŋen ŋəfo mənna ŋənəŋ garno agələŋeṯo ŋopia com aganəŋa. 11 Ndə igid̶u mənna na igid̶u ŋen ŋənəŋ ŋeicia ŋəɽwad̶aṯa ŋəma ŋəɽiañ egaber egwonaṯa igëbərnia eŋəɽaiñ, orn ndə ŋen ŋero ŋənəŋ id̶əskid̶ia ed̶en ed̶a gero gənəŋ gəɽwad̶aṯa gaiñənaid̶ia iŋulu. Egwonaṯa eləŋ goɽra gə-Roma aŋinḏeici ŋen.” 12 Oro Fasṯus, ndə linḏeicu ŋen led̶ala ildi laməd̶aṯəma nəŋəmuɽəbiṯi eŋen ṯa, “Agwonaṯa eləŋ goɽra gə-Roma, egaŋad̶waṯa ŋaɽe eləŋ goɽra gə-Roma nano.”
Ŋen Bulus gəfo Agribas nëiñua na Barnika
13 Na ndə ñoman ñəŋgaṯo ñəmaṯan eləŋ Agribas na Barnika leṯo alo yi-Gaisariya ŋen ŋanṯa alne eləŋ Fasṯus ëiñua. 14 Na ŋen ləɽaŋa tu ñoman ñwaiña Fasṯus nəŋəlwaɽəṯi eləŋ Agribas ŋen ŋə-Bulus nəŋaṯa, “Maje gëni gənəŋ Filiks gəṯad̶əma gëndənu, 15 na ŋen egəfo alo yi-Ursalim nələŋ nəkana na led̶a loɽra eŋen ŋ-Alyawuḏ lalwaɽəṯiñi ŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu, ldəñeɽəde ṯa emakəme. 16 Orn iguɽəbiṯəlo eŋen ṯa gerṯe ŋen ŋə-Romaniyin ṯa yanaid̶ia ed̶a gənəŋ ndə gəmulu gəbinḏeinia led̶a nëiñua ildi ləmasəkia, na aŋerṯe liga ṯa aŋopəṯe eŋen iŋi ləsəkimau. 17 Na ndə lərraid̶o ëli niyerṯe igəṯurṯia liga lərto orn eloman leṯeɽe neɽaŋe nalkurs yeŋələŋe nilwaɽəṯi ṯa maje aŋəməni. 18 Na ndə led̶a ildi lasəkima latwod̶o, lderṯe ləmasəkia eŋen ŋeicia ŋənəŋ gid̶u garno egəbaṯa aŋgaica ŋëni, 19 orn lderṯe ŋen ɽetəɽeteo eŋen iŋi lëndu na eŋen ŋəmaje gənəŋ gəbërnia Yesu igi gaiyo orn Bulus ṯaŋaṯa gaməṯo. 20 Na egaijəba ŋen ṯa igəbinḏeicia ŋen iŋi ṯau, orn nemeɽəd̶e ndə gwonaṯa gabəṯa alo yi-Ursalim ṯa aŋinḏeini tu eŋen eŋen. 21 Orn Bulus gwonaṯa ṯa aŋəŋgid̶eini ëli ŋen ŋanṯa aŋinḏeini egələŋ goɽra gə-Roma, na nelwaɽe ṯa aŋəd̶ərneini ëli ŋen ŋanṯa yid̶i imad̶weiti eləŋ goɽra gə-Roma.” 22 Na Agribas nəŋeiṯi Fasṯus ṯa, “Igënəñi egwonaṯa enaṯe maje ŋen igi.” Na Fasṯus nəŋaṯa, “Eṯeɽe agid̶i ŋamanaṯe.”
23 Na eloman leṯeɽe Agribas na Barnika leṯo ldënṯi alo isi led̶a laurarraid̶ia ləṯiñia ŋen nano, nələŋəna naskari na led̶ala ildi loɽra eŋen lalo isi. Na Fasṯus nəŋəlwaɽe ṯa Bulus aŋəmənia. 24 Na Fasṯus nəŋaṯa, “Ya eləŋ Agribas na ñəŋgi pred̶ ləgafr, ñagaseicia maje igi Alyawuḏ pred̶ isi yalo yi-Ursalim na alo isi com, yarəjaico olia na yalwaɽəṯiñi ṯa maje aŋerṯe gəməṯia təŋ. 25 Orn igënəñi egero igəfid̶ia ŋen ŋənəŋ gid̶u ŋeicia ŋərəjad̶aṯo eŋen ŋəŋəɽaiñ, na ŋen ŋanṯa gënəŋu gwonaṯa gəbinḏeicia ŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu egeləŋ goɽra gə-Roma, egaṯa egamad̶waṯa. 26 Orn egero igəfid̶a ŋen ŋənəŋ d̶urri eŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu ṯa igawërd̶əṯia eləŋ goɽra gə-Roma ad̶am. Nṯia egeṯəmaiya ñaŋ nëiñua na ŋa d̶urri, na eləŋ Agribas, ṯa ndə ləgindeicəmar ifid̶i ŋen ŋənəŋ iwërd̶i. 27 Ŋen ŋanṯa igënəñi egaṯa ŋen ŋafo mənna egad̶waṯa ed̶a gëndənu eleŋ goɽra gə-Roma nëiñua na egero egalwaɽa ŋen ŋənəŋ ṯa gəsəkinu ed̶a.”