Acts 26
1 Then Agrippa sayd vnto Paul, Thou art permitted to speake for thy selfe. So Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himselfe.
And Agrippa seide to Poul, It is suffrid to thee, to speke for thi silf. Thanne Poul helde forth the hoond, and bigan to yelde resoun.
2 I thinke my selfe happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answere this day before thee of all the things whereof I am accused of the Iewes.
Of alle thingis, in whiche Y am accusid of the Jewis, thou king Agrippa, Y gesse me blessid at thee, whanne Y schal defende me this dai;
3 Chiefly, because thou hast knowledge of all customes, and questions which are among the Iewes: wherefore I beseech thee, to heare me patiently.
moost for thou knowist alle thingis that ben among Jewis, customes and questiouns. For which thing, Y biseche, here me pacientli.
4 As touching my life from my childhood, and what it was from the beginning among mine owne nation at Hierusalem, know all the Iewes,
For alle Jewis that bifor knewen me fro the bigynnyng, knewen my lijf fro yongthe; that fro the bigynnyng was in my folc in Jerusalem,
5 Which knewe me heretofore, euen from my elders (if they would testifie) that after the most straite sect of our religion I liued a Pharise.
if thei wolen bere witnessing, that bi the moost certeyn sect of oure religioun, Y lyuede a Farisee.
6 And now I stand and am accused for the hope of the promise made of God vnto our fathers.
And now for the hope of repromyssioun, that is maad to oure fadris of God, Y stonde suget in dom;
7 Whereunto our twelue tribes instantly seruing God day and night, hope to come: for the which hopes sake, O King Agrippa, I am accused of the Iewes.
in which hope oure twelue lynagis seruynge niyt and dai hopen to come; of which hope, sir king, Y am accusid of the Jewis.
8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible vnto you, that God should raise againe the dead?
What vnbileueful thing is demed at you, if God reisith deed men?
9 I also verely thought in my selfe, that I ought to doe many contrarie things against the Name of Iesus of Nazareth.
And sotheli Y gesside, that Y ouyte do many contrarie thingis ayens the name of Jhesu Nazarene.
10 Which thing I also did in Hierusalem: for many of the Saints I shut vp in prison, hauing receiued authoritie of the hie Priests, and when they were put to death, I gaue my sentence.
Which thing also Y dide in Jerusalem, and Y encloside manye of the seyntis in prisoun, whanne Y hadde take powere of the princis of preestis. And whanne thei weren slayn, Y brouyte the sentence.
11 And I punished them throughout all the Synagogues, and compelled them to blaspheme, and being more mad against them, I persecuted them, euen vnto strange cities.
And bi alle synagogis ofte Y punyschide hem, and constreynede to blasfeme; and more Y wex wood ayens hem, and pursuede in to alien citees.
12 At which time, euen as I went to Damascus with authoritie, and commission from the hie Priests,
In whiche, the while Y wente to Damask, with power and suffring of princis of preestis,
13 At midday, O King, I sawe in the way a light from heauen, passing the brightnes of the sunne, shine round about mee, and them which went with me.
at myddai, in the weie Y say, sir king, that fro heuene liyt schynede aboute me, passing the schynyng of the sunne, and aboute hem that weren togidir with me.
14 So when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voyce speaking vnto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kicke against pricks.
And whanne we alle hadden falle doun in to the erthe, Y herde a vois seiynge to me in Ebrew tunge, Saul, Saul, what pursuest thou me? it is hard to thee, to kicke ayens the pricke.
15 Then I sayd, Who art thou, Lord? And he sayd, I am Iesus whom thou persecutest.
And Y seide, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord seide, Y am Jhesus, whom thou pursuest.
16 But rise and stand vp on thy feete: for I haue appeared vnto thee for this purpose, to appoint thee a minister and a witnesse, both of the things which thou hast seene, and of the things in the which I will appeare vnto thee,
But rise vp, and stoond on thi feet. For whi to this thing Y apperide to thee, that Y ordeyne thee mynystre and witnesse of tho thingis that thou hast seyn, and of tho in whiche Y schal schewe to thee.
17 Deliuering thee from this people, and from the Gentiles, vnto whom now I send thee,
And Y schal delyuere thee fro puplis and folkis, to whiche now Y sende thee,
18 To open their eyes, that they may turne from darknes to light, and from the power of Satan vnto God, that they may receiue forgiuenes of sinnes, and inheritance among them, which are sanctified by fayth in me.
to opene the iyen of hem, that thei ben conuertid fro derknesse to liyt, and fro power of Sathnas to God, that thei take remyssioun of synnes, and part among seyntis, bi feith that is in me.
19 Wherefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient vnto the heauenly vision,
Wherfor, sir kyng Agrippa, Y was not vnbileueful to the heuenli visioun;
20 But shewed first vnto them of Damascus, and at Hierusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Iudea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turne to God, and doe workes worthy amendment of life.
but Y tolde to hem that been at Damask first, and at Jerusalem, and bi al the cuntre of Judee, and to hethene men, that thei schulden do penaunce, and be conuertid to God, and do worthi werkis of penaunce.
21 For this cause the Iewes caught me in the Temple, and went about to kill me.
For this cause Jewis token me, whanne Y was in the temple, to sle me.
22 Neuertheles, I obteined helpe of God, and continue vnto this day, witnessing both to small and to great, saying none other things, then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come,
But Y was holpun bi the helpe of God in to this dai, and stonde, witnessinge to lesse and to more. And Y seye no thing ellis than whiche thingis the prophetis and Moises spaken that schulen come,
23 To wit, that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light vnto this people, and to the Gentiles.
if Crist is to suffre, if he is the firste of the ayenrising of deed men, that schal schewe liyt to the puple and to hethene men.
24 And as he thus answered for himselfe, Festus said with a loude voyce, Paul, thou art besides thy selfe: much learning doeth make thee mad.
Whanne he spak these thingis, and yeldide resoun, Festus seide with greet vois, Poul, thou maddist; many lettris turnen thee to woodnesse.
25 But he said, I am not mad, O noble Festus, but I speake the wordes of trueth and sobernes.
And Poul seide, Y madde not, thou beste Festus, but Y speke out the wordis of treuthe and of sobernesse.
26 For the King knoweth of these things, before whom also I speake boldly: for I am perswaded that none of these things are hidden from him: for this thing was not done in a corner.
For also the king, to whom Y speke stidfastli, woot of these thingis; for Y deme, that no thing of these is hid fro hym; for nether in a cornere was ouyt of these thingis don.
27 O King Agrippa, beleeuest thou the Prophets? I know that thou beleeuest.
Bileuest thou, king Agrippa, `to prophetis? Y woot that thou bileuest.
28 Then Agrippa said vnto Paul, Almost thou perswadest me to become a Christian.
And Agrippa seide to Poul, In litil thing thou counseilist me to be maad a cristen man.
29 Then Paul sayd, I would to God that not onely thou, but also all that heare me to day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
And Poul seide, Y desire anentis God, bothe in litil and in greet, not oneli thee, but alle these that heren to dai, to be maad sich as Y am, outakun these boondis.
30 And when he had thus spoken, the King rose vp, and the gouernour, and Bernice, and they that sate with them.
And the kyng roos vp, and the president, and Beronyce, and thei that saten niy to hem.
31 And when they were gone apart, they talked betweene themselues, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death, nor of bonds.
And whanne thei wenten awei, thei spaken togider, and seiden, That this man hath not don ony thing worthi deth, nether boondis.
32 Then sayd Agrippa vnto Festus, This man might haue bene loosed, if hee had not appealed vnto Cesar.
And Agrippa seide to Festus, This man miyt be delyuerid, if he hadde not appelid to the emperour.
