Acts 26
1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:
And Agrippa said to Paul, It is permitted to thee to speak for thyself. Then Paul reaching forth his hand, proceeded with his defence:
2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,
O king Agrippa, I consider myself happy, being about this day to make my defence before thee concerning all those things of which I am accused by the Jews:
3 especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently.
especially as thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions among the Jews: therefore I pray you to hear me patiently.
4 Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem.
Moreover indeed all the Jews know my life from my youth; being from the beginning in my nation and in Jerusalem,
5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.
knowing me originally, if they may be willing to testify, that according to the most rigid sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6 And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers,
And now for the hope of the promise which is from God to our fathers, I stand being judged:
7 the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.
unto which our twelve tribes constantly worshiping night and day, hope to attain: concerning which hope I am accused by the Jews, O king.
8 Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
Why is it judged by you incredible, if God shall raise the dead?
9 So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Moreover indeed, I thought to myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene:
10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.
which I did also in Jerusalem, and shut up many of the saints in prison; and having received authority from the chief priests, and they being slain, I gave my vote against them;
11 I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
and throughout all the synagogues, frequently punishing them, I compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceeding mad against them, I was persecuting them even also unto foreign cities.
12 In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
Meanwhile journeying to Damascus with power and authority of the chief priests, I saw on the way, O king,
13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.
about midday, a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me;
14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
and we all having fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against goads.
15 ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou art persecuting.
16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
But rise up, and stand upon thy feet: for unto this have I appeared unto thee, to make thee a minister and a martyr both of those things which thou hast seen, and of which I will appear unto thee;
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, in order that they may receive remission of sins, and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
Therefore, O king, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision:
20 First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
but first to those in Damascus, and also in Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I was preaching that they should repent and turn to God, doing things worthy of repentance.
21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
On account of these things the Jews, taking me while in the temple, endeavored to kill me.
22 But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:
Then having received help from God, I have stood unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said were about to come to pass:
23 that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
how that Christ must suffer, how being the first from the resurrection of the dead, he is to proclaim light both to the people, and the Gentiles.
24 At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
And he making his defence to these things, Festus says with a loud voice, O Paul, thou art beside thyself; many writings turned thee into insanity.
25 But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.
But Paul says, I am not a maniac, most noble Festus; but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26 For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.
For the king, to whom I also speak boldly, knows concerning these things: for I am persuaded that nothing of these things is hidden; for this has not been done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
O king Agrippa, dost thou believe the prophets? I know that thou believest them.
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”
And Agrippa said to Paul, With little persuasion thou dost persuade thyself to make me a Christian.
29 “Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.”
And Paul said, I would to God, that both in little and in much, not only you, but also all of those hearing me this day, were such as I am, except these bonds.
30 Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them.
And the king, and the governor, and Bernice, and those sitting with them, arose up:
31 On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
and having gone away, they were talking to one another, saying, that This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
But Agrippa said to Festus, This man was able to have been released, if he had not appealed to Caesar.
