Acts 26
1 Agrippa then said to Paul, “You are free to speak on your own behalf.” With a sweep of his arm, Paul began his defense.
Agrippa sayde vnto Paul: thou arte permitted to speake for thy selfe. Then Paul stretched forth the honde and answered for him selfe.
2 “I am delighted, King Agrippa, to make my defense before you today regarding everything I am accused of by the Jews,
I thynke my selfe happy kynge Agrippa because I shall answere this daye before the of all the thinges wherof I am accused of ye Iewes
3 particularly because you are an expert in all Jewish issues and customs. I beg your patient indulgence as you listen to what I have to say.
namely because thou arte experte in all customes and questions which are amonge the Iewes. Wherfore I beseche the to heare me paciently.
4 All the Jews know my life story—from my earliest days beginning in my own country and then in Jerusalem.
My lyvynge of a chylde which was at the fyrst amoge myne awne nacion at Ierusalem knowe all the Iewes
5 They have known me for a long time and can verify, if they choose to, that I have followed the religious school that observes our faith in the strictest way—I lived as a Pharisee.
which knew me from ye beginnynge yf they wolde testifie it. For after the most straytest secte of oure laye lyved I a pharisaye.
6 Now I am standing here to be judged regarding the promised hope God gave to our fathers
And now I stond and am iudged for the hope of the promes made of God vnto oure fathers:
7 that our twelve tribes hoped to receive as they continually dedicated themselves in God's service. Yes, it's because of this hope that I'm accused by the Jews, Your Majesty!
vnto which promes oure. xii. tribes instantly servynge God daye and nyght hope to come. For which hopes sake kynge Agrippa am I accused of the Iewes.
8 Why should any of you think it's unbelievable that God raises the dead?
Why shuld it be thought a thinge vncredible vnto you that god shuld rayse agayne the deed?
9 Previously I was sincerely convinced I should do as much as I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
I also verely thought in my selfe that I ought to do many cotrary thinges clene agaynst the name of Iesus of Nazareth:
10 This is what I did in Jerusalem. I threw many of the believers in prison, having been given authority to do this by the chief priests. When they were sentenced to death I cast my vote against them.
which thinge I also dyd in Ierusalem. Where many of the sainctes I shut vp in preson and had receaved auctorite of ye hye prestes. And whe they were put to deeth I gave the sentence.
11 I had them punished in all the synagogues, trying to make them recant. I was so furiously opposed to them that I went to cities outside our country to persecute them.
And I punysshed them ofte in every synagoge and compelled them to blaspheme: and was yet more mad apon them and persecuted the even vnto straunge cities.
12 That's why one day I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and orders from the chief priests.
About the which thinges as I went to Damasco with auctorite and licence of the hye Prestes
13 At about noon as I was on my way, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven that blazed brighter than the sun. It shone around me and those who were traveling with me.
even at myddaye (o kynge) I sawe in ye waye a lyght from heven above the brightnes of the sunne shyne rounde about me and them which iorneyed with me.
14 All of us fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to fight against me!’
When we were all fallen to the erth I hearde a voyce speakynge vnto me and sayinge in ye Hebrue tonge: Saul Saul why persecutest thou me? It is harde for the to kicke agaynste the pricke.
15 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, the one you're persecuting,’ the Lord replied.
And I sayde: Who arte thou lorde? And he sayde I am Iesus whom thou persecutest.
16 ‘But pick yourself up and get to your feet. The reason why I've appeared to you is to appoint you as my servant, to be a witness for me, telling others how you have seen me and everything I will reveal to you.
But ryse and stond vp on thy fete. For I have apered vnto the for this purpose to make the a minister and a witnes both of tho thinges which thou hast sene and of tho thinges in the which I will appere vnto the
17 I will save you from your own people and from the foreigners. I am sending you to them
delyverynge the from the people and from ye gentyls vnto which nowe I sende the
18 to open their eyes so they can turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and so that they can receive forgiveness for their sins and a place with those who are set right as they trust in me.’
to open their eyes that they myght turne from darcknes vnto lyght and from the power of Satan vnto God that they maye receave forgevenes of synnes and inheritauce amonge the which are sanctified by fayth in me.
19 Clearly, King Agrippa, I could not disobey this vision from heaven.
Wherfore kynge Agrippa I was not disobedient vnto the hevenly vision:
20 First in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and then all over Judea and also to the foreigners I shared the message of repentance: how they should turn to God, demonstrating their repentance through their actions.
but shewed fyrst vnto them of Damasco and at Ierusalem and thorow out all the costes of Iewry and to the gentyls that they shuld repent and turne to God and do the ryght workes of repentaunce.
21 That's why the Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me.
For this cause the Iewes caught me in the temple and went about to kyll me.
22 God has looked after me so I can stand here today as a witness to everyone, both to ordinary people and to those who are important. I am only repeating what Moses and the prophets said would happen—
Neverthelesse I obtayned helpe of God and cotynew vnto this daye witnessyng bothe to small and to greate saying none other thinges then those which the prophetes and Moses dyd saye shuld come
23 how the Messiah had to suffer, and that by being the first to rise from the dead he would announce the light of God's salvation to both Jews and foreigners.”
that Christ shulde suffre and that he shuld be the fyrst that shulde ryse from deeth and shuld shewe lyght vnto the people and the gentyls.
24 Festus interrupted Paul as he made his defense, shouting out, “Paul, you've gone mad! All your knowledge is driving you insane!”
As he thus answered for him selfe: Festus sayde with a lowde voyce: Paul thou arte besides thy selfe. Moche learnynge hath made the mad.
25 “I'm not mad, Festus your Excellency,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and makes sense.
And Paul sayde: I am not mad most dere Festus: but speake the wordes of trueth and sobernes.
26 The king recognizes this, and I'm explaining it very clearly. I am sure that he is aware of what's been happening, because none of this took place as if it were hidden in a corner.
The kynge knoweth of these thinges before whom I speke frely: nether thynke I that eny of these thinges are hydden fro him. For this thinge was not done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe what the prophets said? I'm sure you do!”
Kynge Agrippa belevest thou ye prophetes? I wote well thou belevest.
28 “Do you think you can convince me to become a Christian so quickly?” Agrippa asked Paul.
Agrippa sayde vnto Paul: Sumwhat thou bringest me in mynde for to be come a Christen.
29 “Whether it takes a short time or a long time doesn't matter,” Paul answered. “But my prayer to God is that not just you, but everybody listening to me today would become like me—except for these chains!”
And Paul sayd: I wolde to God that not only thou: but also all that heare me to daye were not sumwhat only but altogeder soche as I am except these bondes.
30 The king stood up, along with the governor and Bernice, and everyone who had been sitting with them.
And when he had thus spoken the kynge rose vp and the debite and Bernice and they that sate with them.
31 They conferred together after they had left. “This man hasn't done anything that deserves death or imprisonment,” they concluded.
And when they were gone aparte they talked betwene them selves sayinge: This man doeth nothinge worthy of deeth nor of bondes.
32 Agrippa told Festus, “He could have been freed if he hadn't appealed to Caesar.”
Then sayde Agrippa vnto Festus: This man myght have bene lowsed yf he had not appealed vnto Cesar.
