Acts 26

1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You [(sg)] are permitted [now] to speak [to defend] yourself.” Paul stretched out his hand ([dramatically/to salute the king]) and began to defend himself. He said,

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretching forth his hand, thus made his defence,

2 “King Agrippa, I consider that I am fortunate that today, while you [(sg)] listen, I can defend myself from all the things about which the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] are accusing me.

"O king Agrippa, I think myself happy, that I am this day to make my defence before thee, concerning all the things which I am accused of by the Jews:

3 I am really fortunate, because you [(sg)] know all about the customs of us Jews and the questions that we [(exc)] argue about. So I ask you, please listen patiently to what I say.”

especially as thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions which are among the Jews; wherefore I intreat thee to hear me patiently.

4 “Many [HYP] of my fellow Jews know about how I have conducted my life, from the time I was a child. They know how I lived in the area where I [was born] and [also later] in Jerusalem.

My manner of life then from my youth, as it has been from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews are acquainted with,

5 They have known for many years, and they could tell you, if they wanted to, that [since I was very young] I obeyed the customs of our religion very carefully, just like the [other] Pharisees do.

knowing me before, (if they would testify it, ) that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a pharisee.

6 Today I am being put on trial {[they] are putting me on trial} because I am confidently expecting that God will do what he promised our [(exc)] ancestors.

And now I stand arraigned for the hope of the promise which was made by God to our fathers:

7 Our twelve tribes are [also] confidently waiting for God to do [for us what he promised], as they respectfully worship him, day and night. [Respected] king, I confidently expect [that God will do what he promised, and they also believe that! But that is the reason] that these Jewish leaders [SYN] are accusing me!

to which promise our twelve tribes, worshipping continually night and day, hope to attain: concerning which hope, O king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

8 They believe that God can cause those who have died to become alive again, so (why [do any of you refuse to believe that he raised Jesus from the dead?/none of you should refuse to believe that he raised Jesus from the dead!]) [RHQ]”

What! is it judged incredible by you, that God should raise the dead?

9 “[Formerly] I, too, was sure that I should do everything that I could to oppose Jesus [MTY], the man from Nazareth [town].

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

10 So that is what I did [when I lived] in Jerusalem. I put many of the believers in jail, as the chief priests there had authorized me [to do]. When [the Jewish leaders wanted] those Christians killed {someone to kill those [Christians]}, I voted [for that].

which I also did in Jerusalem; and I shut up many of the saints in prison, having received authority for it from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my voice against them.

11 Many times I punished the believers [whom I found] in Jewish meeting places. [By punishing them], I tried to force them to speak evil [about Jesus]. I was so angry with the followers of Jesus that I even traveled to other cities to [find them and] do things to harm them.”

And often punishing them in all the synagogues, I compelled them to blaspheme, and being excessively enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12 “[One day], I was on my way to Damascus [city] to do that. The chief priests [in Jerusalem] had authorized and sent me [to seize the believers there].

On which accounts as I was going to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests---at mid-day,

13 [My respected] king, [while I was going] along the road, at about noon I saw a [bright] light in the sky. It was even brighter than the sun! It shone all around me, and also around the men who were traveling with me.

O king, as I was on the way thither I saw a light from heaven exceeding the splendor of the sun, shining round about me and those that were going with me.

14 We [(exc)] all fell to the ground. Then I heard the voice of someone speaking to me in my own Hebrew language [MTY]. He said ‘Saul, Saul, (stop causing me to suffer!/why are you causing me to suffer?) [RHQ] You [(sg)] are [hurting yourself by trying to hurt me] [MET], [like an ox] kicking against [its owner’s] goad.’

And when we were all fallen down to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.

15 Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘I am Jesus. You [(sg)] are harming me [by harming my followers].

And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.

16 But instead [of continuing to do that], stand up now! I have appeared to you [(sg)] to tell you that I have chosen you to serve me. You must tell people about [what I am showing you] as you are seeing me [now], and about what I [will show you when] I will [later] appear to you.

But rise, and stand on thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things which thou hast seen, and of those for which I shall hereafter appear unto thee:

17 I will protect you [from those who will try to harm you, both] your own people and [also] those who are not Jewish. I am sending you to non-Jews

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

18 to help them to realize [MTY] what is true and to stop believing what is false [MET]. I am sending you to them so that they may let God control them and not let Satan control them any more. [Then God] will forgive their sins and will accept them as his people because they believe in me.’ [That is what Jesus said to me].”

to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.

19 “So, King Agrippa, I fully obeyed [LIT] what [the Lord Jesus told me to do when he spoke to me] from heaven.

Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision:

20 First, I preached to [the Jews] in Damascus. Then I [preached to the Jews] in Jerusalem and throughout [the rest of] Judea [province]. After that, I also preached to non-Jews. I preached that they must turn away from their sinful behavior and turn their lives over to God. I told them that they must do things that would show that they had truly stopped their sinful behavior.”

but declared first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn unto God, performing works suitable to repentance.

21 “It is because I [preached] this message [that some] [SYN] Jews seized me [when I was] in the Temple [courtyard and] tried to kill me.

For these things the Jews seized me in the temple, and attempted to kill me.

22 However, God has been helping me [from that time, and he is still helping me] today. So I stand here and I tell [all of you people], those who are important and those who are not, [who Jesus is]. Everything that I say [about him] is what Moses and the [other] prophets wrote [about long ago, things that they said] would happen.

But having obtained help of God, I continue until this day, testifying both to small and great, and saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses declared should come to pass; even that the Messiah should suffer,

23 They wrote that [people would cause] the Messiah to suffer and die. They also wrote that he would be the first person to become alive again, to proclaim [the message that would be like] light, [that he would save] both [his own Jewish] people and non-Jewish people.”

and being the first of the resurrection from the dead should bring light to the people and to the Gentiles."

24 Before Paul could say anything [further] to defend himself, Festus shouted: “Paul, you are crazy! You have studied too much, and it has made you insane!”

And as he was saying these things in his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself: much learning turns thy brain.

25 But Paul answered, “Your Excellency, Festus, I am not raving [insanely]. On the contrary, what I am saying is true and sensible!

But he replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but I speak the words of truth and of a sound mind.

26 King Agrippa knows the things [that I have been talking about], and I can speak confidently to him [about them]. I am sure that he knows [LIT] these things, because people everywhere [IDM] have heard [LIT] about what happened [to Jesus].”

For the king knoweth of these things, to whom also I speak with freedom; because I am persuaded that none of them are unknown to him; for this was not done in a corner.

27 Then Paul asked, “King Agrippa, do you believe [what] the prophets [wrote]? I know that you [(sg)] believe it.”

O king Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?

28 Then Agrippa [answered] Paul, “([I hope that you(sg)] do not think that by the few things [that you have just now said] you can persuade me to become a Christian!/You do not think, [do you], that by the few things [that you have just now said] you can persuade me to become a Christian?)” [RHQ]

I know that thou believest them. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian.

29 Paul replied, “Whether it takes a short time or a long time, it does not matter. I pray to God that you and also all of the others who are listening to me today will also [believe in Jesus] like I do, but I do not want you to become prisoners [MTY] [like I am].”

And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up

And when he had said this, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those that sat with them.

31 and left [the room. While] they were talking to one another they said to each other, “There is no reason why (the authorities/we) should execute this man, or that he should even be kept in prison [MTY].”

And when they were retired, they spake to each other, saying, this man hath done nothing worthy of death or of bonds.

32 Agrippa said to Festus, “If this man had not asked that the Emperor judge him, he could have been released {[we(inc)] could have released him}.”

And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to Cesar.