Acts 25:1-5:
25:1Therefore Festus, having gone-on the province, after three days ascended into Jerusalem from Caesarea. .2And the chief-priests and the first-people of the Judeans manifested to him against Paul and they encouraged him .3asking-for-themselves grace against him so-that he may send-after him into Jerusalem – (but they were) making an ambush to eliminate him according to the way. .4Therefore indeed Festus answered (for) Paul to be kept into Caesarea and himself to be about to journey-out (there) in quickness. .5"Therefore," he says, "the able-people among you, having descended-together with (me), if something strange is in the adult-male, must accuse him."
Festus, the new procurator who replaced Felix, tread upon his area of authority which had the city of Caesarea as its seat of government, and it also included Judea. After three days he went up into Jerusalem. He may have wanted to find out quickly where he stood politically in relation to all the Judeans who were living within his area of command.
When he arrived in Jerusalem the chief (high) priests and the prominent people among the Judeans manifested (evidenced, made it openly seen as shining light on the subject, showed forth) their case to him against Paul. They were still trying to get rid of Paul and his teaching two years after their previous attempt recorded in Acts chapter 24.
These Judeans were exhorting Festus by asking a favor for themselves (as an inferior asks a superior for something to be given to him), which would be against Paul. He could do this favor by sending word that Paul must be brought to Jerusalem. But their motivation for the request was that they were in the process of making an ambush against Paul traveling along the route (as sitting or lying waiting to attack him), so as to take Paul and put him out of their way (to kill him).
However, Festus made his own decision and ordered that Paul be kept (for an eye to be kept on him, in safekeeping, for him to be watched-over) in Caesarea because he himself was on the point of proceeding out of Jerusalem and back to Caesarea speedily. He told them that the capable people among them ought to go down to Caesarea together with him if there was something strange (out-of-place, misplaced, unusual, crazy) regarding this grown-man, and they must formally accuse (publicly speak against) him in court. Festus was taking charge, he was not going to be 'run-over' by these Judeans, but he did want their support politically.
[Reference: Acts 23:15 and 16.]
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