Acts 26
1 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:
Turning to Paul, Agrippa said: “You are at liberty to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.
2 “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,
“I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa,” he said, “that it is before you that I have to make my defence to-day, with regard to all the charges brought against me by Jews,
3 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.
especially as you are so well-versed in all the customs and questions of the Jewish world. I beg you therefore to give me a patient hearing.
4 The manner of my life then, indeed, from youth—which from the beginning was among my nation, in Jerusalem—all the Jews know,
My life, then, from youth upwards, was passed, from the very first, among my own nation, and in Jerusalem, and is within the knowledge of all Jews;
5 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;
and they have always known — if they choose to give evidence — that, in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion, I lived a true Pharisee.
6 and now for the hope of the promise made to the fathers by God, I have stood judged,
Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial —
7 to which our twelve tribes, intently serving night and day, hope to come, concerning which hope I am accused, King Agrippa, by the Jews;
A promise which our Twelve Tribes, by earnest service night and day, hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused — and by Jews themselves!
8 why is it judged incredible with you if God raises the dead?
Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?
9 I indeed, therefore, thought with myself that it was necessary [for me] to do many things against the Name of Jesus of Nazareth,
I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth;
10 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,
and I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the Chief Priests, I myself threw many of the People of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it.
11 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.
Time after time, in every Synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders.
12 In which things, also, going on to Damascus—with authority and commission from the chief priests—
It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests,
13 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;
that at mid-day, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me.
14 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!
We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew — ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.’
15 And I said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom you persecute;
‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
16 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,
but get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I shall yet appear to you,
17 delivering you from the people, and the nations, to whom I now send you,
since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18 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.
to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; so that they may receive pardon for their sins, and a place among those who have become God’s People, by faith in me.’
19 After which, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision;
20 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;
on the contrary, first to those at Damascus and Jerusalem, and then through the whole of Judea, and to the Gentiles as well, I began to preach repentance and conversion to God, and a life befitting that repentance.
21 because of these things the Jews—having caught me in the temple—were endeavoring to kill [me].
This is why the Jews seized me in the Temple, and made attempts upon my life.
22 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,
However I have received help from God to this very day, and so stand here, and bear my testimony to high and low alike — without adding a word to what the Prophets, as well as Moses, declared should happen —
23 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.”
That the Christ must suffer, and that, by rising from the dead, he was destined to be the first to bring news of Light, not only to our nation, but also to the Gentiles.”
24 And he thus making a defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul; much learning turns you mad!”
While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly: “You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.”
25 And he says, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness I speak forth the sayings;
“I am not mad, your Excellency,” he replied; “on the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.
26 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;
Indeed, the King knows about these matters, so I speak before him without constraint. I am sure that there is nothing whatever of what I have been telling him that has escaped his attention; for all this has not been done in a corner.
27 do you believe, King Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that you believe!”
King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you do.”
28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In [so] little you persuade me to become a Christian?”
But Agrippa said to Paul: “You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!”
29 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.”
“Whether it is soon or late,” answered Paul, “I would to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might to-day become just what I am myself — except for these chains!”
30 And he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,
Then the King rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,
31 and having withdrawn, they were speaking to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds”;
and, after retiring, discussed the case among themselves. “There is nothing,” they said, “deserving death or imprisonment in this man’s conduct”;
32 and Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
and, speaking to Festus, Agrippa added: “The man might have been discharged, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”
