Festus therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

And the chief priests and leading men of the Jews gave their information to him against Paul; and they entreated him,

Asking for a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, they themselves setting an ambush to do away with him on the way.

Festus therefore answered that Paul was being kept in custody in Caesarea, and that he himself was about to proceed there shortly.

Therefore, he said, let  ¹influential men from among you go down with me, and if there is anything  ²wrong in the man, let them accuse him.

And having stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; and on the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought.

And when he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they were not able to prove,

While Paul said in his  ¹defense, Neither against the law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I sinned in anything.

But Festus, wanting to  ¹gain favor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be judged there before me concerning these things?

And Paul said, I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

If therefore I am doing wrong and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if there is nothing to the things which these accuse me of, no one can hand me over to them. I  ¹appeal to  ²Caesar.

Then when Festus had conferred with the  ¹council, he answered, To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.

Now when some days had passed,  ¹Agrippa the king and  ²Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus.

And while they were staying some additional days there, Festus laid before the king the matters regarding Paul, saying, There is a certain man who has been left a prisoner by Felix,

Concerning whom, when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews gave information and asked for a sentence against him.

To them I answered that it is not the custom with Romans to hand over any man before he who is accused meets the accusers face to face and has an opportunity for a defense concerning the charge.

So when they had come together here, I made no delay; on the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, I ordered the man to be brought.

Concerning him the accusers stood and brought no charge of the evil things I was suspecting.

But they had certain questions against him concerning their own  ¹religion and concerning a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

And  ¹being at a loss as to how there should be an inquiry concerning these things, I asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be judged there concerning these things.

But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of  ¹the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I should send him up to Caesar.

And Agrippa said to Festus, I myself also would like to hear the man. Tomorrow, said Festus, you shall hear him.

Therefore on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered into the hall of audience together with the  ¹commanders and prominent men of the city, and when Festus had given the order, Paul was brought.

And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all you men who are present with us, you behold this man, concerning whom all the multitude of Jews have petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

But I found that he had done nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I  ¹decided to send him.

Concerning him I have nothing definite to write to my lord; therefore I have brought him before  ¹you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that when the examination has taken place, I may have something to write.

For it seems unreasonable to me, in sending a prisoner, not to also signify the charges against him.

Then Job answered and said,

Surely then you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you.

I also have understanding as you do;
I am not inferior to you.
And who does not know things like these?

I have become a laughingstock to  ¹my friends,
I, who have called out to God and He answers  ²me.
The righteous man, the perfect man, is a laughingstock.

There is contempt for calamity in the thought of him who is at ease:
It is prepared for those whose foot slips.

The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God have security,
Those who carry their god in their own  ¹might.

But ask now of the beasts, and they will teach you;
And of the birds of heaven, and they will tell you.

Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will declare to you.

Who among all these does not know
That the hand of Jehovah has done this,

In whose hand is the  ¹life of every living thing
And the breath of all flesh of man?

Does not the ear try words
Even as the palate tastes food for itself?

In aged men, you say, there is wisdom,
And in length of days there is understanding.

But with Him are wisdom and might;
Counsel and understanding are His.

Indeed, He breaks down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He shuts a man up, and the door cannot be opened.

Indeed, He withholds the waters, and they dry up;
And He sends them forth, and they overturn the earth.

With Him are strength and effectual wisdom;
The deceived and the deceiver are His.

He leads counselors away stripped,
And He makes fools of judges.

He loosens the fetters of kings
And binds their loins with a belt.

He leads priests away stripped,
And He overturns dignitaries.

He removes the utterance of the trusty
And takes away the counsel of the elders.

He pours contempt upon the princes
And loosens the belt of the strong.

He uncovers the depths out of darkness
And brings to light the shadow of death.

He makes nations great and destroys them;
He expands nations and leads them off.

He removes the understanding of the heads of the people of the earth
And causes them to wander in a pathless waste.

They grope in darkness, and there is no light;
And He causes them to stagger like a drunken man.

Indeed, my eye has seen all this;
My ear has heard and understood it.

What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to argue with God.

Yet you are plasterers of lies;
Physicians of no value are you all.

Oh that you would be altogether silent,
And this would be your wisdom!

Hear now my argument,
And hearken to the contentions of my lips.

Will you speak wrongly for God
And speak deceitfully for Him?

Will you be partial to Him?
Will you contend for God?

Will it be well with you when He searches you out?
Or will you deceive Him as one might deceive a man?

He will surely reprove you
If you are secretly partial.

Will not His majesty make you afraid
And His dread fall on you?

Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes;
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

Be silent before me, and I myself will speak;
And let come on me what may.

 ¹I will take my flesh in my teeth
And put my life in my hand.

Indeed, He will kill me; I have no hope.
Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

This also will be my salvation,
That no profane man may come before Him.

Hear carefully my words,
And let my declaration be in your ears.

Here now, I have arranged my case;
I know that I will be vindicated.

Who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

Only do not do two things to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:

Withdraw Your hand far from me,
And do not let Your terror frighten me.

Then call, and I will answer;
Or let me speak, and You respond to me.

How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make my transgression and my sin known to me.

Why do You hide Your face
And consider me as Your enemy?

Will You harass a driven leaf
And pursue dry chaff?

For You write bitter things against me
And cause me to inherit the iniquities of my youth;

And You put my feet in stocks
And mark all my paths;
You set a limit for the soles of my feet.

And such a one is like some rotten thing that wastes away,
Like a garment eaten by moths.

Man, born of woman,
Is of few days and full of trouble.

He comes forth like a blossom and  ¹is cut down,
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.

And do You open Your eyes upon such a one
And bring me into litigation with You?

Who can bring a clean thing out from the unclean?
No one!

Since his days are determined,
And the number of his months is with You;
Since You have appointed his bounds, and he cannot go beyond;

Look away from him that he may rest,
Until he fulfills his day like a hired hand.

For there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
And its tender shoot will not cease.

Though its root grows old in the earth,
And its trunk dies in the dirt,

At the scent of water it will bud
And will produce branches like a new plant.

But a man dies and is laid low;
Yes, a man expires, and then where is he?

The waters of the sea recede,
And the river becomes parched and dried up:

So a man lies down and does not rise up;
Until the heavens are no more,  ¹he will not awake,
Nor will  ¹he be roused from  ²his sleep.

Oh, that You would hide me in Sheol,
That You would conceal me until Your anger has passed,
That You would set me an appointed time and remember me!

If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my service I would wait,
Until a change for me should come.

You would call, and I would answer You;
You would long after the work of Your hands.

For now You number my steps.
Do You not watch over my sin?

My transgression has been sealed up in a bag,
And You have fastened up my iniquity.

However the mountain falls and crumbles,
And the rock moves from its place;

Waters wear away stones;
Their torrents wash away the dust of the earth:
So You destroy the hope of man.

You prevail forever against him, and he passes away;
You change his countenance and send him away.

His sons gain honor, but he does not know it;
And they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.

Only the pain of his own flesh does he feel,
And his own soul mourns for him.