Acts 26
1 Agrippa sayde vnto Paul: thou arte permitted to speake for thy selfe. Then Paul stretched forth the honde and answered for him selfe.
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 thynke my selfe happy kynge Agrippa because I shall answere this daye before the of all the thinges wherof I am accused of ye Iewes
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 namely because thou arte experte in all customes and questions which are amonge the Iewes. Wherfore I beseche the to heare me paciently.
especially as thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions among the Jews: therefore I pray you to hear me patiently.
4 My lyvynge of a chylde which was at the fyrst amoge myne awne nacion at Ierusalem knowe all the Iewes
Moreover indeed all the Jews know my life from my youth; being from the beginning in my nation and in Jerusalem,
5 which knew me from ye beginnynge yf they wolde testifie it. For after the most straytest secte of oure laye lyved I a pharisaye.
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 And now I stond and am iudged for the hope of the promes made of God vnto oure fathers:
And now for the hope of the promise which is from God to our fathers, I stand being judged:
7 vnto which promes oure. xii. tribes instantly servynge God daye and nyght hope to come. For which hopes sake kynge Agrippa am I accused of the Iewes.
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 shuld it be thought a thinge vncredible vnto you that god shuld rayse agayne the deed?
Why is it judged by you incredible, if God shall raise the dead?
9 I also verely thought in my selfe that I ought to do many cotrary thinges clene agaynst the name of Iesus of Nazareth:
Moreover indeed, I thought to myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene:
10 which thinge I also dyd in Ierusalem. Where many of the sainctes I shut vp in preson and had receaved auctorite of ye hye prestes. And whe they were put to deeth I gave the sentence.
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 And I punysshed them ofte in every synagoge and compelled them to blaspheme: and was yet more mad apon them and persecuted the even vnto straunge 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 About the which thinges as I went to Damasco with auctorite and licence of the hye Prestes
Meanwhile journeying to Damascus with power and authority of the chief priests, I saw on the way, O king,
13 even at myddaye (o kynge) I sawe in ye waye a lyght from heven above the brightnes of the sunne shyne rounde about me and them which iorneyed with me.
about midday, a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me;
14 When we were all fallen to the erth I hearde a voyce speakynge vnto me and sayinge in ye Hebrue tonge: Saul Saul why persecutest thou me? It is harde for the to kicke agaynste the pricke.
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 And I sayde: Who arte thou lorde? And he sayde I am Iesus whom thou persecutest.
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou art persecuting.
16 But ryse and stond vp on thy fete. For I have apered vnto the for this purpose to make the a minister and a witnes both of tho thinges which thou hast sene and of tho thinges in the which I will appere vnto the
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 delyverynge the from the people and from ye gentyls vnto which nowe I sende the
delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 to open their eyes that they myght turne from darcknes vnto lyght and from the power of Satan vnto God that they maye receave forgevenes of synnes and inheritauce amonge the which are sanctified by fayth 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 Wherfore kynge Agrippa I was not disobedient vnto the hevenly vision:
Therefore, O king, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision:
20 but shewed fyrst vnto them of Damasco and at Ierusalem and thorow out all the costes of Iewry and to the gentyls that they shuld repent and turne to God and do the ryght workes of repentaunce.
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 cause the Iewes caught me in the temple and went about to kyll me.
On account of these things the Jews, taking me while in the temple, endeavored to kill me.
22 Neverthelesse I obtayned helpe of God and cotynew vnto this daye witnessyng bothe to small and to greate saying none other thinges then those which the prophetes and Moses dyd saye shuld 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 that Christ shulde suffre and that he shuld be the fyrst that shulde ryse from deeth and shuld shewe lyght vnto the people and the gentyls.
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 he thus answered for him selfe: Festus sayde with a lowde voyce: Paul thou arte besides thy selfe. Moche learnynge hath made the 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 And Paul sayde: I am not mad most dere Festus: but speake the wordes of trueth and sobernes.
But Paul says, I am not a maniac, most noble Festus; but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26 The kynge knoweth of these thinges before whom I speke frely: nether thynke I that eny of these thinges are hydden fro him. For this thinge was 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 Kynge Agrippa belevest thou ye prophetes? I wote well thou belevest.
O king Agrippa, dost thou believe the prophets? I know that thou believest them.
28 Agrippa sayde vnto Paul: Sumwhat thou bringest me in mynde for to be come a Christen.
And Agrippa said to Paul, With little persuasion thou dost persuade thyself to make me a Christian.
29 And Paul sayd: I wolde to God that not only thou: but also all that heare me to daye were not sumwhat only but altogeder soche as I am except these bondes.
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 And when he had thus spoken the kynge rose vp and the debite and Bernice and they that sate with them.
And the king, and the governor, and Bernice, and those sitting with them, arose up:
31 And when they were gone aparte they talked betwene them selves sayinge: This man doeth nothinge worthy of deeth nor of bondes.
and having gone away, they were talking to one another, saying, that This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
32 Then sayde Agrippa vnto Festus: This man myght have bene lowsed yf he had not appealed vnto Cesar.
But Agrippa said to Festus, This man was able to have been released, if he had not appealed to Caesar.
