Acts 26
1 And Agrippa said to Paul, You may put your cause before us. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, made his answer, saying:
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 In my opinion I am happy, King Agrippa, to be able to give my answer before you today to all these things which the Jews say against me:
“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 The more so, because you are expert in all questions to do with the Jews and their ways: so I make my request to you to give me a hearing to the end.
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 All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at 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 And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law.
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 am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers;
and now for the hope of the promise made to the fathers by God, I have stood judged,
7 For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king!
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, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again?
why is it judged incredible with you if God raises the dead?
9 For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against 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 this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision 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 And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
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 Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests,
In which things, also, going on to Damascus—with authority and commission from the chief priests—
13 In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me.
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 And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you.
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 And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking.
And I said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom you persecute;
16 But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me;
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 And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,
delivering you from the people, and the nations, to whom I now send you,
18 To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy 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 did not go against the vision from heaven;
After which, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20 But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart.
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 took me in the Temple, and made an attempt to put me to death.
because of these things the Jews—having caught me in the temple—were endeavoring to kill [me].
22 And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about;
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 go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the 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 And when he made his answer in these words, Festus said in a loud voice, Paul, you are off your head; your great learning has made you unbalanced.
And he thus making a defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul; much learning turns you mad!”
25 Then Paul said, I am not off my head, most noble Festus, but my words are true and wise.
And he says, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness I speak forth the sayings;
26 For the king has knowledge of these things, to whom I am talking freely; being certain that all this is common knowledge to him; for it has not been done in secret.
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, have you faith in the prophets? I am certain that you have.
do you believe, King Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that you believe!”
28 And Agrippa said to Paul, A little more and you will be making me a Christian.
And Agrippa said to Paul, “In [so] little you persuade me to become a Christian?”
29 And Paul said, It is my prayer to God that, in little or great measure, not only you, but all those hearing me today might be even as I am, but 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 And the king and the ruler and Bernice and those who were seated with them got up;
And he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,
31 And when they had gone away they said to one another, This man has done nothing which might give cause for death or prison.
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 might have been made free, if he had not put his cause before Caesar.
and Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
