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.”
Paulub ge Kaesari aiǃâ ǂhaisa ra ǂgan
1 ǃNona tsēde ǁîb di mûǂamaose ǁnā ǃhūǃâs ǃnâ mâihes khaoǃgâb ge Festuba Kaesareasa xu Jerusalems ǁga ge ǃgâu. 2 O gu ge danapristergu tsî Jodeǁî ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǁîba Paulub ǃoagu gu ūhâ ǃnuriǃgâdi xa mîba tsî ǁîba ge ǀkhoma, 3 ǁîgab nî ǃgâidī tsîb Pauluba Jerusalems ǃoa sî ǃkhaisa. ǀNai ǁîgu ǃnâ ǁîba daob ǃnâ ǁgoeǃâu tsî ǃgamsa ǀapeǀhao hâse. 4 Ob ge Festuba ge ǃeream gu: “Paulub ge Kaesareas tawa ǃkhōsis ǃnâ hâ, xawe ta ge tita tsîna kaise ǃnubu ǁaeb ǃnâ ǁnāǀî nî oa. 5 Sago hîa ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ mâgo ge tita ǁnāǀî a sao ǁkhā. Tsîb ga Pauluba tsū xū-e dī hâ io, o gu ge ǁîgu di ǀanaǃgâsa ǁîb ǃoagu a dī ǁkhā.”
6 Tsîb ge Festuba Kaesareas ǁgab nî ǃgûs aiǃâ ǁkhaisas tsî disis tsîn ǁaegu hâ tsēde ǁnāpa ge hâ. Tsî sao ra tsēb ge ǁîba ǀgoraǃgâ-aose ǁîb ǂnûǃkhaisa ū tsî Paulub ǀgoraǃgâs ǃaroma nî hā-ūhe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. 7 Tsî Paulub ge ǁnâuǃgâǃkhaib ǃnâ ǂgâxa on ge Jerusalemsa xu ge hā hâ Jodeǁîna Paulub ǂnamipe ǀhao tsî ǁgauǁgau ǁoan a ǁkhōǁkhōsa ǀanaǃgâde ǁîb ǃoagu gere dī. 8 Ob ge Pauluba ge ǃereambasen: “Tita ge a ǀhapio, Jodeǁîn di ǂhanub ǃoagus kas, Tempeli ǃoagus kas, Kaesari ǃoagus kas hoasa ta tsūdī tama amaga.” 9 Xaweb ge Festuba Jodeǁîna ǃgâiǀîgusa ǁgau ǂgao tsî Pauluba ge dî: “Jerusalems ǁga ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa sī ti aiǃâ ǁnâuǃgâhesa māsenxats a?”
10 Ob ge Pauluba “Tātsē, nē ta ǁîb aiǃâ mâb ge Kaesari di ǀgoraǃgâǃkhaiba tsî nēpas ge ǁnâuǃgâhe ta nîsa. Tsî sats tsîn ǃamkuse ǂanse ta ge tita Jodeǁîna xū-e dī tama hâ. 11 ǁŌb ǁkharaba ta a mābahe ǁkhā ǃûǂam-e ta ga dī hâ, o ta ge māsenxa ǁōsa, xawe ta ge ǀhapio tsî-i ge sats tamas ka io tari-i ǀgui-i ka xawe tita ǃgamhe ta nîse nē khoen ai a māǁnâ ǁoa. Kaesari ai ta ge ra ǂgaimāsen.” 12 Tsî nēsab ge Pauluba mî, ob ge Festuba ǁîb di ǂgaeǂgui-aon ǀkha ǃhoaǁare tsî “Ā, Kaesarats go ǂgaimāsen, ots ge Kaesari ǁga nî ǃgû!” ti ge mî.
Paulub ge Agripab tsî Bernises tsîra aiǃâ ra ǂhai
13 Tsî ǀnîkhamakō tsēdi khaoǃgâb ge Gao-aob Agripaba, Bernises ǀkha Festubab nî tawedese Kaesareasa xu ge sī. 14 Tsî ǁnāpa ra ge ǀoro tsēde hâs khaoǃgâb ge Festuba Paulub ǁhōba gao-aoba ge mîǃāba: “Nēpab ge Feliksi xa ge ǃkhōsab ase ǁnāxūhe ǃkhōsabeba hâ. 15 Jerusalems tawa ta ge sī, o gu ge danapristergu tsî Jodeǁîn di ǂnomdomgu* tsîna ǁîba ǀanaǃgâ tsî ǁîba ta nî ǁkhara ǃkhaisa ge ǂgan te. 16 O ta ge ǁîga Romeǁî ǁnaetib khoe-e ǁnâuǃgâ-i ose ǀgoraǃgâ tama ǃkhaisa ge mîba. ǁÎ-i ge ǁnā aiǂhanub ǀanaǃgâ-aon aiǃâ aitsama ǂnoabasens diba ra māhe.
17 “Tsî ǁîn ge ǁnâuǃgâs ǃaroma ǀkhī, o ta ge sao ra tsē mâiǂui tamase ti ǂnûǃkhaisa ǀgoraǃgâǃnaos ǃnâ ūǂgā tsî Paulub nî tita ǃoa hā-ūhe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. 18 ǁÎb di mâǃoa-aon ge khâimâ o ta ge tita ǀnîsib kaise ǁgaiǁgaisa ǃûǂam-e dī hâ ti ge ǂâi, xawen ge tita gere ǃâubasen kō ǃgomǃgâxa ǃnuriǃgâde ge ūhâ tama hâ i. 19 Hūs di ǃnuriǃgâdi hîan ge ǁîb ǃoagu ūhâ idi ge ǁîn di ǂhunuma eloǃoabas xa hâ xūn, ǀnai ge ǁō khoeb, Jesub ti ǀon hâb hîab Pauluba ûitsama ti ra mîb ǂama hâna. 20 Tsî tita ge mâti ta nē ǁhōba nî ôaǃnâ ǃkhaisa ta ge ǀūa-ai xui-ao ǁîba ge dî, Jerusalems ǁga ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa sī nē ǃnuriǃgâdi ai ǁnâuǃgâhesab a māsenxa ǃkhaisa. 21 Xaweb ge Pauluba Kaesari ai ǂgaimāsen tsî ǁîb xa ǁnâuǃgâhesa ǂgan, o ta ge ǃkhō-oms ǁgab nî oa-ūhe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā, Kaesari ǃoa ta nî sî bis kōse.”
22 Ob ge Agripaba Festub ǁga “Tita ge aitsama tare-eb nē khoeba mîb nîse ūhâ ǃkhaisa ra ǁnâu ǂgao” ti ge mî.
Ob ge Festuba “ǁArits ge ǁîba nî ǁnâu!” ti ge ǃeream bi.
23 Tsî sao ra tsē ra ge Agripab tsî Bernises tsîra kai ǂkhaib ǀkha, toroǃkhamaogu di mâisagu tsî ǃās di ǁanǂgāsaben xa ge ǀgapiǃgôahe hâ i khoegu tsîn xa ǁnūhe hâse ǁnâuǃgâ-ommi tawa ge sī. Tsîb ge Pauluba Festub di mîmās ai ǁnâuǃgâ-ommi ǃnâ ge ǂgâxa-ūhe. 24 Tsîb ge Festuba ge mî: “Gao-ao Agripatse tsî sadu nēpa hâdo, nē khoeb nē du ra mûb ge hoaraga Jodeǁîn Jerusalems tsî Sesareas din xa ǃaruǀî ûisab anu tama ti gere mîhe. 25 Xawe ti mûǂgāb ǃoab ge ǁîba ǁōb ǁkharaba anu hâ ǃûǂam-e dī tama hâ. Tsî ta ge ǁîb di ǂgans, Kaesari ai ǂgaimāsens dis ai Romes ǁga ǁîba sîsa tita ǃnâ ge mîǁgui. 26 Xawe ta ge kai ǁaposasib ǀkha ta ǁîb xa ti ǀhonkhoeb Kaesara nî xoaba xū-e ūhâ tama hâ. ǁNā-amaga ta ge ǁîba sadu aiǃâ tsî ǃgōsase gao-aob Agripab aiǃâ go ǀkhī-ū, î ta ôaǃnâs khaoǃgâ xoa ta nî xū-e ūhâ ǁkhā. 27 Tita i ǂâibasenoǃnâba xui-ao, ǃkhōsabe-e ǁî-i ǃoagu hâ ǃnuriǃgâdi ose Kaesari ǁga sîsa.”
