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 you to speak for yourself”; then Paul having stretched forth the hand, was making a defense:
2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,
“Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, King Agrippa, I have thought myself blessed, being about to make a defense before you today,
3 especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently.
especially knowing you to be acquainted with all things—both customs and questions—among Jews; for this reason, I implore 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.
The manner of my life then, indeed, from youth—which from the beginning was among my nation, in Jerusalem—all the Jews know,
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 before from the first (if they may be willing to testify), that after the most exact sect of our worship, 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 made to the fathers by God, I have stood 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.
to which our twelve tribes, intently serving night and day, hope to come, concerning which hope I am accused, King Agrippa, by the Jews;
8 Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
why is it judged incredible with you if God raises 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.
I indeed, therefore, thought with myself that it was necessary [for me] to do many things against the Name of Jesus of Nazareth,
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 also did in Jerusalem, and I shut up many of the holy ones in prison, having received the authority from the chief priests; they also being put to death, 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 in every synagogue, often punishing them, I was constraining [them] to speak evil, being also exceedingly mad against them, I was also persecuting [them] even to strange cities.
12 In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
In which things, also, going on to Damascus—with authority and commission from the chief priests—
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.
at midday, I saw in the way, O king, out of Heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining around me a light—and those going on 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 earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? [It is] hard for you 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 are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom you persecute;
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, and stand on your feet, for this I appeared to you, to appoint you an officer and a witness both of the things you saw, and of the things [in which] I will appear to you,
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
delivering you from the people, and the nations, to whom I now send you,
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 to light, and [from] the authority of Satan to God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified by faith that [is] toward Me.
19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
After which, King Agrippa, 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 to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem, also to all the region of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to convert, and to turn back to God, doing works worthy of conversion;
21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
because of these things the Jews—having caught me in the temple—were endeavoring 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:
Having obtained, therefore, help from God, until this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spoke of as about to come,
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.”
that the Christ is to suffer, whether first by a resurrection from the dead, He is about to proclaim light to the people and to the nations.”
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 thus making a defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul; much learning turns you mad!”
25 But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.
And he says, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness I speak forth the sayings;
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 knows concerning these things, before whom I also speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing has not been done in a corner;
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
do you believe, King Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that you believe!”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”
And Agrippa said to Paul, “In [so] little you persuade me to become 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 have wished to God, both in a little, and in much, not only you, but also all those hearing me today, to become such as I also am—except these bonds.”
30 Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them.
And he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,
31 On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
and having withdrawn, they were speaking to one another, saying, “This man does 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.”
and Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
