Acts 25:3-9 repeatedly asking for themselves a favor in regard to him, so that he would himself send after Paul, to bring him into Jerusalem – all the while themselves laying an ambush to assassinate him along the road.

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ³ repeatedly asking for themselves a favor in regard to him, so that he would himself send after [Paul], [to bring] him into Jerusalem – all the while [themselves] laying an ambush to assassinate him along the road. ⁴ Nonetheless, Festus gave a discerning reply, [that] Paul is to continue being kept and observed in Caesarea and that he himself is now soon about to be departing on his way quickly (in haste; = without delay). ⁵ "Therefore, let those in power among you," he affirmed, "after coming down together, continue making accusations of him – if there is anything out of place in the man." ⁶ Now after spending no more than eight or ten days among them, then descending into Caesarea, on the next day, when sitting upon the elevated platform in the public court area, he gave orders for Paul to be brought [to him]. ⁷ So at his coming to be present, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood round about him progressively bringing down many and weighty reasons for accusations and results of charges against [him] – which they were having no strength of argument to demonstrate or prove, ⁸ with Paul's presently refuting in defense, that "Neither unto the Law (= Torah) of the Jews, nor unto the Temple, nor unto Caesar did I commit any sin or do anything in error or failure, nor commit any wrong to offend!" ⁹ Now Festus, presently desiring and intending to lay up favor with the Jews, in making a calculated response to Paul, said, "Are you now willing to be going up into Jerusalem, to be judged there before me concerning these matters?"