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 unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defence:
2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,
I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before thee this day touching all the things whereof 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 because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee 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.
My manner of life then from my youth up, which was from the beginning among mine own nation, and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
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.
having knowledge of me from the first, if they be willing to testify, how that after the straitest 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 I stand [here] to be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers;
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 [promise] our twelve tribes, earnestly serving [God] night and day, hope to attain. And concerning this 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 incredible with you, if God doth 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.
I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to 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.
And this I also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were 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 punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.
12 In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of 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, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed 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 when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
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 persecutest.
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 arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein 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 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, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto 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 declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed 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 therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should 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.”
how that the Christ must suffer, [and] how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to 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 as he thus made his defence, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning doth turn thee to madness.
25 But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.
But Paul saith, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth 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 knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”
And Agrippa [said] unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain 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 whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become 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 rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
31 On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying, This man doeth 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 unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.
