Acts 26

1 Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his 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 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you this day concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

“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 because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among Jews. Therefore I beg 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 "Indeed, all Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

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 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion 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 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

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 which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O King.

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 does raise the dead?

Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?

9 "In fact, I thought to myself that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus the Nazorean.

I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth;

10 This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were 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 Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign 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 "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the 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 noon, O King, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled 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 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the 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 "I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;

16 But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen me, and of the things which I will reveal 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 from the non-Jewish people, to whom I 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, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in 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 "Therefore, 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 declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the non-Jews, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

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 For this reason Jews seized me when I was in the temple, and tried to kill me.

This is why the Jews seized me in the Temple, and made attempts upon my life.

22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said would happen,

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 how the Christ would suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to non-Jewish people."

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 As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy. Your great learning is driving you insane."

While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly: “You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.”

25 But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

“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 of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this 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 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."

King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you do.”

28 Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?"

But Agrippa said to Paul: “You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!”

29 Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for 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 The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.

Then the King rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,

31 When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to 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 Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free 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.”