Acts 25:17
Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth.
The verse records Festus taking his seat on the judgment seat at Caesarea and commanding Paul to be brought forth before the tribunal. The phrase without delay on the morrow means he convened the hearing the day after Paul's Jewish accusers arrived, once they were present. The same prompt timing is also given as the day after King Agrippa II and Bernice arrived. Roman law required Paul's accusers to be present in person before his trial could proceed.
Festus had promised Paul a fair opportunity to answer the charges in person rather than sending him to Jerusalem, where the Jewish leaders planned to kill him. His decision to hold the hearing was directed by divine providence and preserved Paul's life. The hearing was not a new trial but a public occasion arranged with display so the royal visitors and assembled dignitaries could hear Paul out of curiosity.
The accusations at issue were not what Festus had expected but Jewish religious questions and the matter of Jesus, whom Paul affirmed to be alive, with the Jewish leaders seeking judgment against Paul. The verse belongs to the period of Paul's appeal to Caesar and his continued detention while arrangements were made to send him to Rome. The delay in finding a suitable ship to Rome gave Paul opportunities to explain his faith before the leading men of Caesarea and Agrippa II. Because Paul's accusers delayed coming, his trial in Rome was left postponed indefinitely.