Acts 25
1 Three days after Festus had arrived in his province, he left Caesarea and went up to Jerusalem.
anantaraṁ phīṣṭo nijarājyam āgatya dinatrayāt paraṁ kaisariyāto yirūśālamnagaram āgamat|
2 There the chief priests and the leading men among the Jews laid an information before him against Paul,
tadā mahāyājako yihūdīyānāṁ pradhānalokāśca tasya samakṣaṁ paulam apāvadanta|
3 and asked a favour of him, to Paul’s injury – to have Paul brought to Jerusalem. All the while they were plotting to make away with him on the road.
bhavān taṁ yirūśālamam ānetum ājñāpayatviti vinīya te tasmād anugrahaṁ vāñchitavantaḥ|
4 But Festus answered that Paul was in prison at Caesarea, and that he himself would be leaving for that place shortly.
yataḥ pathimadhye gopanena paulaṁ hantuṁ tai rghātakā niyuktāḥ| phīṣṭa uttaraṁ dattavān paulaḥ kaisariyāyāṁ sthāsyati punaralpadināt param ahaṁ tatra yāsyāmi|
5 ‘So let the influential men among you,’ he said, ‘go down with me, and if there is anything amiss in the man, charge him formally with it.’
tatastasya mānuṣasya yadi kaścid aparādhastiṣṭhati tarhi yuṣmākaṁ ye śaknuvanti te mayā saha tatra gatvā tamapavadantu sa etāṁ kathāṁ kathitavān|
6 After staying among them some eight or ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he took his seat on the Bench, and ordered Paul to be brought before him.
daśadivasebhyo'dhikaṁ vilambya phīṣṭastasmāt kaisariyānagaraṁ gatvā parasmin divase vicārāsana upadiśya paulam ānetum ājñāpayat|
7 On Paul’s appearance, the Jewish leaders who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him, and made many serious charges, which they failed to establish.
paule samupasthite sati yirūśālamnagarād āgatā yihūdīyalokāstaṁ caturdiśi saṁveṣṭya tasya viruddhaṁ bahūn mahādoṣān utthāpitavantaḥ kintu teṣāṁ kimapi pramāṇaṁ dātuṁ na śaknuvantaḥ|
8 Paul’s answer to the charge was – “I have not committed any offence against the Jewish Law, or the Temple, or the Emperor.”
tataḥ paulaḥ svasmin uttaramidam uditavān, yihūdīyānāṁ vyavasthāyā mandirasya kaisarasya vā pratikūlaṁ kimapi karmma nāhaṁ kṛtavān|
9 But, as Festus wished to gain popularity with the Jews, he interrupted Paul with the question, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?’
kintu phīṣṭo yihūdīyān santuṣṭān karttum abhilaṣan paulam abhāṣata tvaṁ kiṁ yirūśālamaṁ gatvāsmin abhiyoge mama sākṣād vicārito bhaviṣyasi?
10 ‘No,’ replied Paul, ‘I am standing at the Emperor’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not wronged the Jews, as you yourself are well aware.
tataḥ paula uttaraṁ proktavān, yatra mama vicāro bhavituṁ yogyaḥ kaisarasya tatra vicārāsana eva samupasthitosmi; ahaṁ yihūdīyānāṁ kāmapi hāniṁ nākārṣam iti bhavān yathārthato vijānāti|
11 If, however, I am breaking the law and have committed any offence deserving death, I do not ask to escape the penalty; but, if there is nothing in the accusations of these people, no one has the power to give me up to them. I appeal to the Emperor.’
kañcidaparādhaṁ kiñcana vadhārhaṁ karmma vā yadyaham akariṣyaṁ tarhi prāṇahananadaṇḍamapi bhoktum udyato'bhaviṣyaṁ, kintu te mama samapavādaṁ kurvvanti sa yadi kalpitamātro bhavati tarhi teṣāṁ kareṣu māṁ samarpayituṁ kasyāpyadhikāro nāsti, kaisarasya nikaṭe mama vicāro bhavatu|
12 Festus, after conferring with his Council, answered, ‘You have appealed to the Emperor; to the Emperor you will go.’
tadā phīṣṭo mantribhiḥ sārddhaṁ saṁmantrya paulāya kathitavān, kaisarasya nikaṭe kiṁ tava vicāro bhaviṣyati? kaisarasya samīpaṁ gamiṣyasi|
13 Some days later King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea, and paid a visit of congratulation to Festus;
kiyaddinebhyaḥ param āgripparājā barṇīkī ca phīṣṭaṁ sākṣāt karttuṁ kaisariyānagaram āgatavantau|
14 and, as they were staying there for several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here,’ he said, ‘left a prisoner by Felix,
tadā tau bahudināni tatra sthitau tataḥ phīṣṭastaṁ rājānaṁ paulasya kathāṁ vijñāpya kathayitum ārabhata paulanāmānam ekaṁ bandi phīlikṣo baddhaṁ saṁsthāpya gatavān|
15 about whom, when I came to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priest and the elders laid an information, demanding judgment against him.
yirūśālami mama sthitikāle mahāyājako yihūdīyānāṁ prācīnalokāśca tam apodya tamprati daṇḍājñāṁ prārthayanta|
16 My answer to them was, that it was not the practice of Romans to give up anyone to their accusers until the accused had met them face to face, and had also had an opportunity of answering the charges brought against them.
tatoham ityuttaram avadaṁ yāvad apodito janaḥ svāpavādakān sākṣāt kṛtvā svasmin yo'parādha āropitastasya pratyuttaraṁ dātuṁ suyogaṁ na prāpnoti, tāvatkālaṁ kasyāpi mānuṣasya prāṇanāśājñāpanaṁ romilokānāṁ rīti rnahi|
17 So they met here, and without loss of time I took my seat on the Bench the very next day, and ordered the man to be brought before me.
tatasteṣvatrāgateṣu parasmin divase'ham avilambaṁ vicārāsana upaviśya taṁ mānuṣam ānetum ājñāpayam|
18 But, when his accusers came forward, they brought no charge of wrongdoing such as I had expected;
tadanantaraṁ tasyāpavādakā upasthāya yādṛśam ahaṁ cintitavān tādṛśaṁ kañcana mahāpavādaṁ notthāpya
19 but I found that there were certain questions in dispute between them about their own religion, and about some dead man called Jesus, whom Paul declared to be alive.
sveṣāṁ mate tathā paulo yaṁ sajīvaṁ vadati tasmin yīśunāmani mṛtajane ca tasya viruddhaṁ kathitavantaḥ|
20 And, as I was at a loss how to enquire into questions of this kind, I asked Paul if he were willing to go up to Jerusalem, and be put on trial there.
tatohaṁ tādṛgvicāre saṁśayānaḥ san kathitavān tvaṁ yirūśālamaṁ gatvā kiṁ tatra vicārito bhavitum icchasi?
21 Paul, however, appealed to have his case reserved for the consideration of his August Majesty, so I ordered him to be detained in custody, until I could send him to the Emperor.’
tadā paulo mahārājasya nikaṭe vicārito bhavituṁ prārthayata, tasmād yāvatkālaṁ taṁ kaisarasya samīpaṁ preṣayituṁ na śaknomi tāvatkālaṁ tamatra sthāpayitum ādiṣṭavān|
22 ‘I should like to hear this man myself,’ Agrippa said to Festus. ‘You will hear him tomorrow,’ Festus answered.
tata āgrippaḥ phīṣṭam uktavān, ahamapi tasya mānuṣasya kathāṁ śrotum abhilaṣāmi| tadā phīṣṭo vyāharat śvastadīyāṁ kathāṁ tvaṁ śroṣyasi|
23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come in full state and had entered the Audience Chamber, with the superior officers and the principal people of the city, by the order of Festus Paul was brought before them.
parasmin divase āgrippo barṇīkī ca mahāsamāgamaṁ kṛtvā pradhānavāhinīpatibhi rnagarasthapradhānalokaiśca saha militvā rājagṛhamāgatya samupasthitau tadā phīṣṭasyājñayā paula ānīto'bhavat|
24 Then Festus said, ‘King Agrippa, and all here present, you see before you the man about whom the whole Jewish people have applied to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly asserting that he ought not to be allowed to live.
tadā phīṣṭaḥ kathitavān he rājan āgrippa he upasthitāḥ sarvve lokā yirūśālamnagare yihūdīyalokasamūho yasmin mānuṣe mama samīpe nivedanaṁ kṛtvā proccaiḥ kathāmimāṁ kathitavān punaralpakālamapi tasya jīvanaṁ nocitaṁ tametaṁ mānuṣaṁ paśyata|
25 I found, however, that he had not done anything deserving death; so, as he had himself appealed to his August Majesty, I decided to send him.
kintveṣa janaḥ prāṇanāśarhaṁ kimapi karmma na kṛtavān ityajānāṁ tathāpi sa mahārājasya sannidhau vicārito bhavituṁ prārthayata tasmāt tasya samīpaṁ taṁ preṣayituṁ matimakaravam|
26 But I have nothing definite to write about him to my Imperial Master; and for that reason I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after examining him, I may have something to write.
kintu śrīyuktasya samīpam etasmin kiṁ lekhanīyam ityasya kasyacin nirṇayasya na jātatvād etasya vicāre sati yathāhaṁ lekhituṁ kiñcana niścitaṁ prāpnomi tadarthaṁ yuṣmākaṁ samakṣaṁ viśeṣato he āgripparāja bhavataḥ samakṣam etam ānaye|
27 For it seems to me absurd to send a prisoner, without at the same time stating the charges made against him.’
yato bandipreṣaṇasamaye tasyābhiyogasya kiñcidalekhanam aham ayuktaṁ jānāmi|
