Acts 26
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched forth his hand and began to make his defense.
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 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you this day, in regard to all the accusations brought against me by the Jews;
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 since you are an export in all Jewish customs and questions. I pray you, expert in all Jewish customs and questions. I pray you, hear me with patience.
especially as thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions among the Jews: therefore I pray you to hear me patiently.
4 "The kind of life I have lived from my youth upward among my own nation and at Jerusalem, all that early life of mine, is well known to all the Jews.
Moreover indeed all the Jews know my life from my youth; being from the beginning in my nation and in Jerusalem,
5 "They know me of old, if they are willing to testify, how that according to the strict sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee.
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 "Today I am standing trial because of the hope of the promise made by God to our ancestors,
And now for the hope of the promise which is from God to our fathers, I stand being judged:
7 "a promise which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. It is concerning this hope, King Agrippa, that I am accused by the Jews.
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 deemed incredible by you all, if God raises the dead?
Why is it judged by you incredible, if God shall raise the dead?
9 "I indeed once thought with myself that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus, the Nazarene.
Moreover indeed, I thought to myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene:
10 "And this also I did in Jerusalem. Armed with authority from the chief priests, I shut up many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death I gave my vote against them.
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 "In all the synagogues also I punished them oftentimes, and tried to make them blaspheme; and in my mad fury I was pursuing them even to foreign cities.
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 "On this errand I was traveling to Damascus one day, armed with authority and commission of the chief priests,
Meanwhile journeying to Damascus with power and authority of the chief priests, I saw on the way, O king,
13 "when at noon, as I journeyed, O King, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and around those who journeyed with me.
about midday, a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me;
14 "We all fell to the ground; and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew. "‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goad.’
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 "‘Who are you, Lord?’ I said. "And the Lord said. ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou art persecuting.
16 "‘But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you my minister and my witness both of what you have already seen and of those things in which I will appear to you.
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 "‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes
delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 "‘so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, in order to receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
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 "So then, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision;
Therefore, O king, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision:
20 "but I proceeded to preach, first to those in Damascus, and then in Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they must repent and turn to God and do deeds worthy of repentance.
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 "For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me.
On account of these things the Jews, taking me while in the temple, endeavored to kill me.
22 "But having obtained the help that comes from God, I stand even to this day witnessing both to small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said should come;
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 the Christ must suffer, and how he should be the first to rise from the dead, and should bring a message of light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
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 As Paul thus made his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice. "Paul, you are raving mad; your great learning is driving you mad."
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 "I am not mad, most noble Festus," said Paul,
But Paul says, I am not a maniac, most noble Festus; but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26 "I am speaking words of sober truth. For the King, to whom I am speaking freely, knows of these matters. I am persuaded that not one of these things has escaped his notice; for these things were not done in a corner.
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 "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
O king Agrippa, dost thou believe the prophets? I know that thou believest them.
28 Agrippa answered, "In short, you are doing your best to persuade me to become a Christian."
And Agrippa said to Paul, With little persuasion thou dost persuade thyself to make me a Christian.
29 "Long or short," answered Paul, "my prayer to God is that not only you but all who are my hearers this day might become such as I am, save for these chains."
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 Then the king rose, and Bernice, and those who were sitting with him.
And the king, and the governor, and Bernice, and those sitting with them, arose up:
31 When they had withdrawn they continued talking to one another. "This man is doing nothing," they said, "for which he deserves death or imprisonment."
and having gone away, they were talking to one another, saying, that This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
32 And Agrippa said to Festus, "If he had not appealed to Caesar, he might have been set free."
But Agrippa said to Festus, This man was able to have been released, if he had not appealed to Caesar.
