Acts 26
1 Turning to Paul, Agrippa said, ‘You are at liberty to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.
And Agrippa said to Paul, It is permitted thee to speak for thyself. Then Paul, having stretched forth his hand, made a defense.
2 ‘I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa,’ he said, ‘that it is before you that I have to make my defence today, with regard to all the charges brought against me by my own people,
Concerning all things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself blessed, being about to make my defense before thee today.
3 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.
Especially thee, being an expert of all things regarding Jews, both habits and issues. Therefore I beg thee to hear me patiently.
4 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;
Indeed therefore, my manner of life from youth, having developed from the beginning among my nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know,
5 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.
having known me previously from the beginning, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6 Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial –
And now for the hope of the promise made by God to the fathers, I stand being judged,
7 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!
to which our twelve tribes, serving in earnestness night and day, hope to attain, about which hope, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews!
8 Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?
Why is it judged incredible with you, if God raises the dead?
9 I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the name of Jesus of Nazareth;
Indeed therefore I thought it necessary for myself to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene,
10 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.
which also I did at Jerusalem. And I locked up many of the sanctified in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were killed, I gave a vote against them.
11 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.
And punishing them often at all the synagogues, I compelled them to blaspheme. And being extraordinarily furious toward them, I persecuted them even as far as to outside cities.
12 It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the chief priests,
And during which, while going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,
13 that at midday, 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.
at midday, O king, I saw on the road a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, which shone around me and those who went with me.
14 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.”
And when we all fell to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why do thou persecute me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.
15 “Who are you, Lord?” I asked. And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
And I said, Who are thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecute.
16 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 will yet appear to you,
But arise, and stand upon thy feet, for I appeared to thee for this, to appoint thee an assistant and a witness both of things that thou saw, and of the things that I will make visible to thee,
17 since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send thee,
18 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.”
to open their eyes to turn about from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, for them to receive remission of sins and a lot among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.
19 After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision;
Whereupon, King Agrippa, I did not become disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20 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.
but declaring first to those at Damascus and then at Jerusalem, and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, to repent and return to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
21 This is why some men seized me in the Temple, and made attempts on my life.
Because of these things the Jews, having seized me in the temple, tried to grasp and kill me.
22 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 –
Having therefore experienced the help from God, I stand to this day solemnly declaring both to small and great, saying nothing apart from what both the prophets and Moses said was going to happen,
23 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.’
that the suffering Christ, since first from a resurrection of the dead, is going to proclaim light to our people and to the nations.
24 While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly, ‘You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.’
And while he made a defense by these things, Festus said in a loud voice, Paul, thou are mad. Much scholarship is driving thee into madness.
25 ‘I am not mad, your Excellency,’ he replied. ‘On the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.
But Paul says, I am not mad, eminent Festus, but I speak forth sayings of truth and soberness.
26 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.
For the king knows about these things, before whom I also speak boldly. For I am convinced not any of these things, nothing, to be hidden from him. For this was not done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.’
King Agrippa, do thou believe the prophets? I know that thou believe.
28 But Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!’
And Agrippa said to Paul, By a little thou persuade me to become a Christian.
29 ‘Whether it is soon or late,’ answered Paul, ‘I pray to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might today become just what I am myself – except for these chains!’
And Paul said, I ever pray to God, both by little and by much, not only thee, but also all who hear me this day, to become such kind as I also am, apart from these bonds.
30 Then the king rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,
And when he spoke these things, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
31 and, after retiring, discussed the case among themselves. ‘There is nothing,’ they said, ‘deserving death or imprisonment in this man’s conduct’;
And having withdrawn, they spoke to each other, saying, This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
32 and, speaking to Festus, Agrippa added, ‘The man might have been discharged, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.’
And Agrippa said to Festus, This man could have been released, if he had not appealed Caesar.
