Acts 25:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul 's case before the king, saying, "There is a man left prisoner by Felix,

NIV: Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: "There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.

NASB: And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, 'There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix;

CSB: Since they were staying there several days, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, "There’s a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix.

NLT: During their stay of several days, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. 'There is a prisoner here,' he told him, 'whose case was left for me by Felix.

KJV: And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix:

NKJV: When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix,

Festus, the new governor of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, is meeting King Agrippa II for the first time. The king is the son of Agrippa I (Acts 12:1–3) and grandson of Herod the Great. In addition, he's an expert in Jewish culture (Acts 26:3). Festus takes advantage of his expertise and asks for help.

Two years prior, then-governor Felix received custody of a suspect accompanied by a letter from the military tribune in Jerusalem. The man, Paul, had been attacked by a mob outside the temple (Acts 21:27–36) and targeted by the Sanhedrin in an assassination plot (Acts 23:12–15). The tribune, Lysias, had investigated but couldn't determine what horrible crime Paul had committed. Lysias sent Paul to Caesarea Maritima for his own protection and so the governor could use his superior authority to figure out what was going on (Acts 23:26–30).

Lysias also sent representatives from the Sanhedrin to make their case. Felix listened to their charges and Paul's defense and determined Paul hadn't broken the law. However, although Felix had no problem using assassins to beat down rebellious mobs, he didn't want to irritate the Jewish ruling council. He didn't charge Paul with anything; neither did he release him. Paul stayed under house arrest for two years until Felix was called back to Rome to answer for his cruelty and Festus took his position (Acts 24).

Festus now asks Agrippa for help. He met with the Sanhedrin and with Paul and agrees with Felix that Paul did nothing wrong. But Paul appealed his case to Caesar and Festus must send him (Acts 25:1–12). Still, he has no charges. Festus is hopeful that Agrippa can give him enough clarity and context to know what to say.

Acts 25:13–22 relates how the new governor, Festus, draws King Agrippa II into his conundrum. Festus wants to be on good terms with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, but they want to try Paul for crimes that are obviously baseless. While Festus ponders what to do, Paul appeals his case to Caesar (Acts 25:1–12). But Festus can't send Paul to Rome without formal charges. Agrippa is intrigued and agrees to hear what Paul has to say.

In Acts 25, the new governor, Festus, must clean up Felix's mess. He tries to ingratiate himself with the Sanhedrin but when they ask him to bring Paul to Jerusalem for trial, he refuses. The Sanhedrin agrees to come to Caesarea Maritima, instead, to present their accusations. Festus quickly realizes they don't have a case. Yet when he hesitates to dismiss the charges, Paul appeals the case to a higher court. Festus then invites King Agrippa II, the king's sister Bernice, and the city leaders to hear Paul and determine how to justify Paul's presence before Caesar.

When Felix is called back to Rome to answer for his cruelty, he leaves a bit of a mess. Paul is still under house arrest without charges (Acts 24). When the new governor Festus refuses to exonerate him, Paul appeals to a higher court. Paul is a Roman citizen, so Festus must send him. Yet he still has no formal charges. After inviting King Agrippa II and the city leaders to hear Paul's testimony, they realize Paul has done nothing wrong and should have been released. Paul and Luke survive a harrowing sea voyage but finally arrive at Rome (Acts 27—29).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.