Acts 25
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Acts chapter 25 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
1 patristic excerpt is attached to this chapter, from Saint John Chrysostom.
Acts 25
1Now when Festus had set foot in the province, after three days he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.Φῆστος οὖν ἐπιβὰς τῇ ἐπαρχίᾳ, μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀνέβη εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἀπὸ Καισαρείας.
2And the high priest and the prominent men of the Jews made known to him the case against Paul; and they were appealing to him,ἐνεφάνισαν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατὰ τοῦ Παύλου, καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτόν,
3asking for favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—while planning an ambush to kill him along the way.αἰτούμενοι χάριν κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ὅπως μεταπέμψηται αὐτὸν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐνέδραν ποιοῦντες ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν.
4But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he was about to go there shortly.ὁ μὲν οὖν Φῆστος ἀπεκρίθη, τηρεῖσθαι τὸν Παῦλον ἐν Καισαρείᾳ, ἑαυτὸν δὲ μέλλειν ἐν τάχει ἐκπορεύεσθαι.
5“Therefore,” he said, “the prominent men among you, let them go with me and accuse this man, if there is anything in this man.”οἱ οὖν δυνατοὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, φησί, συγκαταβάντες, εἴ τί ἐστιν ἐν τῷ ἀνδρὶ τούτῳ, κατηγορείτωσαν αὐτοῦ.
6And when he had stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought.Διατρίψας δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡμέρας πλείους ἢ δέκα, καταβὰς εἰς Καισάρειαν, τῇ ἐπαύριον καθίσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐκέλευσε τὸν Παῦλον ἀχθῆναι.
7When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious accusations against Paul, which they were not able to prove,παραγενομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, περιέστησαν οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβεβηκότες Ἰουδαῖοι, πολλὰ καὶ βαρέα αἰτιώματα φέροντες κατὰ τοῦ Παύλου, ἃ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀποδεῖξαι,
8while he defended himself, saying, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar did I commit any sin.”ἀπολογουμένου αὐτοῦ ὅτι Οὔτε εἰς τὸν νόμον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οὔτε εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, οὔτε εἰς Καίσαρά τι ἥμαρτον.
9But Festus, desiring to grant a favor to the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”ὁ Φῆστος δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις θέλων χάριν καταθέσθαι, ἀποκριθεὶς τῷ Παύλῳ εἶπε, Θέλεις εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἀναβάς, ἐκεῖ περὶ τούτων κρίνεσθαι ἐπ᾽ ἐμοῦ;
10But Paul said, “I am standing before the judicial bench of Caesar, by whom it is necessary for me to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as also you know very well.εἶπε δὲ ὁ Παῦλος, Ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος Καίσαρος ἑστώς εἰμι, οὗ με δεῖ κρίνεσθαι· Ἰουδαίους οὐδὲν ἠδίκησα, ὡς καὶ σὺ κάλλιον ἐπιγινώσκεις.
11For if I am doing wrong, and have done anything worthy of death, I am not trying to escape a death sentence; but if there is nothing in these things of which these people are accusing me, no one is able to deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀδικῶ καὶ ἄξιον θανάτου πέπραχά τι, οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν· εἰ δὲ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὧν οὗτοι κατηγοροῦσί μου, οὐδείς με δύναται αὐτοῖς χαρίσασθαι. Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι.
12Then Festus, having talked together with the council, answered, “Have you appealed to Caesar? Before Caesar you shall go!”τότε ὁ Φῆστος συλλαλήσας μετὰ τοῦ συμβουλίου ἀπεκρίθη, Καίσαρα ἐπικέκλησαι· ἐπὶ Καίσαρα πορεύσῃ.
13And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and greeted Festus.Ἡμερῶν δὲ διαγενομένων τινῶν, Ἀγρίππας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Βερνίκη κατήντησαν εἰς Καισάρειαν, ἀσπασόμενοι τὸν Φῆστον.
14And as he was spending many days there, Festus laid before the king the charges against Paul, saying: “There is a certain man who was left a prisoner by Felix,ὡς δὲ πλείους ἡμέρας διέτριβεν ἐκεῖ, ὁ Φῆστος τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀνέθετο τὰ κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον, λέγων, Ἀνήρ τίς ἐστι καταλελειμμένος ὑπὸ Φήλικος δέσμιος,
15about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for punishment against him.περὶ οὗ, γενομένου μου εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ἐνεφάνισαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ἰουδαίων, αἰτούμενοι κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ δίκην.
16To them I answered, ‘It is not a custom with Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the one being accused may meet his accusers face to face, and may receive an opportunity for defense concerning the charge.’πρὸς οὓς ἀπεκρίθην, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἔθος Ῥωμαίοις χαρίζεσθαί τινα ἄνθρωπον εἰς ἀπώλειαν, πρὶν ἢ ὁ κατηγορούμενος κατὰ πρόσωπον ἔχοι τοὺς κατηγόρους, τόπον τε ἀπολογίας λάβοι περὶ τοῦ ἐγκλήματος.
17Therefore when they had assembled here, having made no delay, on the next day I took my seat at the judicial bench, and I commanded the man to be brought in;συνελθόντων οὖν αὐτῶν ἐνθάδε, ἀναβολὴν μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος, τῇ ἑξῆς καθίσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος, ἐκέλευσα ἀχθῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα·
18concerning whom, when the accusers stood, they brought no accusation of the things which I was supposing,περὶ οὗ σταθέντες οἱ κατήγοροι οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν ἐπέφερον ὧν ὑπενόουν ἐγώ,
19but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul professed to be alive.ζητήματα δέ τινα περὶ τῆς ἰδίας δεισιδαιμονίας εἶχον πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ περί τινος Ἰησοῦ τεθνηκότος, ὃν ἔφασκεν ὁ Παῦλος ζῆν.
20And being uncertain as to the investigation concerning this, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these charges.ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτου ζήτησιν, ἔλεγον, εἰ βούλοιτο πορεύεσθαι εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, κἀκεῖ κρίνεσθαι περὶ τούτων.
21But when Paul appealed that he be kept for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I commanded him to be kept until I may send him to Caesar.”τοῦ δὲ Παύλου ἐπικαλεσαμένου τηρηθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ διάγνωσιν, ἐκέλευσα τηρεῖσθαι αὐτόν, ἕως οὗ πέμψω αὐτὸν πρὸς Καίσαρα.
22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also was wishing to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”Ἀγρίππας δὲ πρὸς τὸν Φῆστον ἔφη, Ἐβουλόμην καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀκοῦσαι. ὁ δέ, Αὔριον, φησίν, ἀκούσῃ αὐτοῦ.
23Therefore on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with all pomp, and had entered into the auditorium together with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, and when Festus had commanded, Paul was brought.Τῇ οὖν ἐπαύριον, ἐλθόντος τοῦ Ἀγρίππα καὶ τῆς Βερνίκης μετὰ πολλῆς φαντασίας, καὶ εἰσελθόντων εἰς τὸ ἀκροατήριον, σύν τε τοῖς χιλιάρχοις καὶ ἀνδράσι τοῖς κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν οὖσι τῆς πόλεως, καὶ κελεύσαντος τοῦ Φήστου, ἤχθη ὁ Παῦλος.
24And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are with us, observe this man about whom the people of the Jews petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying against him that it is not fitting for him to live any longer.καί φησιν ὁ Φῆστος, Ἀγρίππα βασιλεῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ συμπαρόντες ἡμῖν ἄνδρες, θεωρεῖτε τοῦτον περὶ οὗ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐνέτυχόν μοι ἔν τε Ἱεροσολύμοις καὶ ἐνθάδε, ἐπιβοῶντες μὴ δεῖν ζῆν αὐτὸν μηκέτι.
25But when I came to understand him to have done nothing worthy of death, and also he had appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him.ἐγὼ δὲ καταλαβόμενος μηδὲν ἄξιον θανάτου αὐτὸν πεπραχέναι, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τούτου ἐπικαλεσαμένου τὸν Σεβαστόν, ἔκρινα πέμπειν αὐτόν.
26About whom I have nothing certain to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you, and especially before you King Agrippa, in order that when this hearing is finished I may have something to write.περὶ οὗ ἀσφαλές τι γράψαι τῷ κυρίῳ οὐκ ἔχω. διὸ προήγαγον αὐτὸν ἐφ᾽ ὑμῶν, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ σοῦ, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, ὅπως τῆς ἀνακρίσεως γενομένης σχῶ τι γράψαι.
27For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not to signify the accusations against him.”ἄλογον γάρ μοι δοκεῖ, πέμποντα δέσμιον, μὴ καὶ τὰς κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ αἰτίας σημᾶναι.
The Fathers on Acts 25
Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Acts 25:23Open Acts 25 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint John Chrysostom"And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus’ commandment Paul was brought forth.”
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