But when his accusers rose to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.
Parallel translations
- WEB Concerning whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of such things as I supposed;
- KJV Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed:
- NKJV When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed,
- NASB When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges against him of crimes that I suspected,
- NLT But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected.
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
Festus admits that the accusers brought no charges of the kind he had expected. The case proved to be about religion, not crime.
Overview
Festus had anticipated serious criminal offenses but found none, an admission that quietly vindicates Paul. The charges concerned matters of Jewish belief beyond a Roman court's competence. His perplexity highlights that Paul's only real 'offense' was proclaiming the risen Christ, the true heart of the dispute.
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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 25:18 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
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