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Acts 25:23
ESV So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
NIV The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
NASB So, on the next day when Agrippa and Bernice came amid great pomp and entered the auditorium, accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought before them.
CSB So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the military commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in.
NLT So the next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived at the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.
KJV And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth.

What does Acts 25:23 mean?

King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice are in Caesarea Maritima visiting the new governor, Porcius Festus. Agrippa and Bernice are the children of Agrippa I who killed the apostle James, tried to kill Peter, and eventually died of internal worms after allowing the people to declare him a god (Acts 12:1–3, 20–23). Agrippa and Bernice's grandfather was Herod the Great who tried to kill the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:16–18). The brother and sister are also lovers.

Festus replaced Felix as governor around AD 58. Felix had been cruel and licentious. The residents of Caesarea sent so many messages to Caesar that Felix found himself in Rome to answer for his crimes. Festus is fair and reasonable; within three days of arriving at his new position, he traveled to Jerusalem to establish good relations with the Jewish leaders (Acts 25:1).

Military tribunes are commanders in charge of logistics and administration. They may also be called on to lead units into battle. They are typically about twenty-seven years old and use the one-year position to broaden their potential as Roman senators.

Festus has assembled the audience, in part, to honor Agrippa with a unique form of entertainment. It is also partly to gain assistance. Two years prior, Felix had heard a case wherein the Sanhedrin brought serious charges against a man named Paul. He determined Paul had done nothing wrong, but he didn't want to set Paul free and irritate the Jews, so he kept him under house arrest (Acts 24).

Festus inherited the mess. While trying to accommodate the wishes of the Sanhedrin, he re-tried Paul and came to the same conclusion as Felix. But Paul stopped the trial by criticizing Festus for not taking responsibility for his duties and demanding he be sent to Caesar if Festus wouldn't make a ruling (Acts 25:2–12).

Now, Festus must send Paul to Rome—but the prisoner has committed no crime. So, the confused governor has invited the crowd to hear Paul's story and determine if he can be charged with anything (Acts 25:25–27).
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