Acts 26

1 And Agrippa said to Paul, It is permitted to thee to speak for thyself. Then Paul reaching forth his hand, proceeded with his defence:

2 O king Agrippa, I consider myself happy, being about this day to make my defence before thee concerning all those things of which I am accused by the Jews:

3 especially as thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions among the Jews: therefore I pray you to hear me patiently.

4 Moreover indeed all the Jews know my life from my youth; being from the beginning in my nation and in Jerusalem,

5 knowing me originally, if they may be willing to testify, that according to the most rigid sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

6 And now for the hope of the promise which is from God to our fathers, I stand being judged:

7 unto which our twelve tribes constantly worshiping night and day, hope to attain: concerning which hope I am accused by the Jews, O king.

8 Why is it judged by you incredible, if God shall raise the dead?

9 Moreover indeed, I thought to myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene:

10 which I did also in Jerusalem, and shut up many of the saints in prison; and having received authority from the chief priests, and they being slain, I gave my vote against them;

11 and throughout all the synagogues, frequently punishing them, I compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceeding mad against them, I was persecuting them even also unto foreign cities.

12 Meanwhile journeying to Damascus with power and authority of the chief priests, I saw on the way, O king,

13 about midday, a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me;

14 and we all having fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against goads.

15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou art persecuting.

16 But rise up, and stand upon thy feet: for unto this have I appeared unto thee, to make thee a minister and a martyr both of those things which thou hast seen, and of which I will appear unto thee;

17 delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18 to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, in order that they may receive remission of sins, and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

19 Therefore, O king, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision:

20 but first to those in Damascus, and also in Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I was preaching that they should repent and turn to God, doing things worthy of repentance.

21 On account of these things the Jews, taking me while in the temple, endeavored to kill me.

22 Then having received help from God, I have stood unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said were about to come to pass:

23 how that Christ must suffer, how being the first from the resurrection of the dead, he is to proclaim light both to the people, and the Gentiles.

24 And he making his defence to these things, Festus says with a loud voice, O Paul, thou art beside thyself; many writings turned thee into insanity.

25 But Paul says, I am not a maniac, most noble Festus; but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness.

26 For the king, to whom I also speak boldly, knows concerning these things: for I am persuaded that nothing of these things is hidden; for this has not been done in a corner.

27 O king Agrippa, dost thou believe the prophets? I know that thou believest them.

28 And Agrippa said to Paul, With little persuasion thou dost persuade thyself to make me a Christian.

29 And Paul said, I would to God, that both in little and in much, not only you, but also all of those hearing me this day, were such as I am, except these bonds.

30 And the king, and the governor, and Bernice, and those sitting with them, arose up:

31 and having gone away, they were talking to one another, saying, that This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of bonds.

32 But Agrippa said to Festus, This man was able to have been released, if he had not appealed to Caesar.