For the clause Agrippa said to Festus, the verb said does not appear in the Greek sentence. However, it is not uncommon for Greek to leave out a verb such as “is” or “said” when this can be understood from the context. I … myself may be understood as “I … also,” though the former of these two meanings seems preferred in the present context. Once again the Good News Translation has made explicit the pronominal subject of the verb answered, that is, Festus rather than “he.”

The Greek structure of the expression I would like to hear this man myself leaves open the possibility that it may be understood in the sense of “I have been waiting to hear this man” (Phillips). The Good News Translation renders this verb as have most translators, namely, as an expression of a present wish rather than a wish experienced over a period of time. On the other hand, it may be that Luke is intending to stress the parallel between Agrippa’s desire to hear Paul and Herod’s desire to hear Jesus, as is indicated in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 23.8).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .