Paul replied, “I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.
- KJV Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.
- NKJV So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know.
- NASB But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.
- NLT But Paul replied, “No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul insists he is standing before Caesar's tribunal, where he ought to be tried, and that he has wronged the Jews in nothing. He refuses to be handed to a biased Jerusalem court.
Overview
As a Roman citizen Paul claims his right to be judged by Roman authority rather than transferred to hostile religious leaders. His firm reply exposes that even Festus knows he is innocent. Paul's appeal to lawful justice both protects his life and serves God's plan to bring his witness before the emperor in Rome.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 27:18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
- 2 Cor 4:2Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
- Acts 28:18They examined me and wanted to release me, because there was no basis for a death sentence against me.
- Acts 25:25But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.
- Acts 26:31On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
- Acts 25:6After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in.
- Matt 27:23–24“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
- Acts 23:29I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.
- Acts 22:25–28But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”
- Acts 16:37–38But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”
- Acts 25:17So when they came here with me, I did not delay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered that the man be brought in.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 25:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.