Acts 26

1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense.

And Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted to you to speak for yourself”; then Paul having stretched forth the hand, was making a defense:

2 “I regard myself as happy, King Agrippa, to make my case before you today against all the accusations of the Jews;

“Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, King Agrippa, I have thought myself blessed, being about to make a defense before you today,

3 especially, because you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and questions. So I ask you to hear me patiently.

especially knowing you to be acquainted with all things—both customs and questions—among Jews; for this reason, I implore you to hear me patiently.

4 Truly, all the Jews know how I lived from my youth in my own nation and at Jerusalem.

The manner of my life then, indeed, from youth—which from the beginning was among my nation, in Jerusalem—all the Jews know,

5 They knew me from the beginning and they should admit that I lived as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion.

knowing me before from the first (if they may be willing to testify), that after the most exact sect of our worship, I lived a Pharisee;

6 Now I stand here to be judged because of my certain hope in the promise made by God to our fathers.

and now for the hope of the promise made to the fathers by God, I have stood judged,

7 For this is the promise that our twelve tribes sought to receive as they earnestly worshiped God night and day. It is for this certain hope, King Agrippa, that the Jews accuse me.

to which our twelve tribes, intently serving night and day, hope to come, concerning which hope I am accused, King Agrippa, by the Jews;

8 Why should any of you think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead?

why is it judged incredible with you if God raises the dead?

9 Now indeed, I myself thought that I should do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

I indeed, therefore, thought with myself that it was necessary [for me] to do many things against the Name of Jesus of Nazareth,

10 I did these in Jerusalem. I locked up many of the saints in prison by the authority I received from the chief priests, and when they were killed, I cast my vote against them.

which I also did in Jerusalem, and I shut up many of the holy ones in prison, having received the authority from the chief priests; they also being put to death, I gave my vote against them,

11 I punished them many times in all the synagogues and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was furiously enraged against them and I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

and in every synagogue, often punishing them, I was constraining [them] to speak evil, being also exceedingly mad against them, I was also persecuting [them] even to strange cities.

12 While I was doing this, I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests;

In which things, also, going on to Damascus—with authority and commission from the chief priests—

13 and on the way there, at midday, King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun and it shone around both me and the men who were traveling with me.

at midday, I saw in the way, O king, out of Heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining around me a light—and those going on with me;

14 When we all fell to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me that said in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick a goad.'

and we all having fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? [It is] hard for you to kick against goads!

15 Then I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you persecute.

And I said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom you persecute;

16 Now get up and stand on your feet; because for this purpose I appeared to you, to appoint you to be a servant and a witness concerning the things that you know about me now and the things that I will show to you later;

but rise, and stand on your feet, for this I appeared to you, to appoint you an officer and a witness both of the things you saw, and of the things [in which] I will appear to you,

17 and I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you,

delivering you from the people, and the nations, to whom I now send you,

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 from God the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance that I give to them who are sanctified by faith in me.'

to open their eyes, to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the authority of Satan to God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified by faith that [is] toward Me.

19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision;

After which, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

20 but, to those in Damascus first, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, I gave them the message that that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance.

but to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem, also to all the region of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to convert, and to turn back to God, doing works worthy of conversion;

21 For this cause the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to kill me.

because of these things the Jews—having caught me in the temple—were endeavoring to kill [me].

22 God has helped me until now, so I stand and testify to the common people and to the great ones about nothing more than what the prophets and Moses said would happen—

Having obtained, therefore, help from God, until this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spoke of as about to come,

23 that Christ must suffer and that by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our own people and to the Gentiles.”

that the Christ is to suffer, whether first by a resurrection from the dead, He is about to proclaim light to the people and to the nations.”

24 As Paul completed his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are insane; your great learning makes you insane.”

And he thus making a defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul; much learning turns you mad!”

25 But Paul said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but what I am declaring is true and rational.

And he says, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness I speak forth the sayings;

26 For the king knows about these things; and so, I speak freely to him, for I am persuaded that none of this is hidden from him; for this has not been done in a corner.

for the king knows concerning these things, before whom I also speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing has not been done in a corner;

27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”

do you believe, King Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that you believe!”

28 Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me and make me a Christian?”

And Agrippa said to Paul, “In [so] little you persuade me to become a Christian?”

29 Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether in a short or long time, not you only, but also all that hear me today, would be like me, but without these prison chains.”

And Paul said, “I would have wished to God, both in a little, and in much, not only you, but also all those hearing me today, to become such as I also am—except these bonds.”

30 Then the king stood up, and the governor, and Bernice also, and those who were sitting with them;

And he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,

31 when they left the hall, they talked to one another and said, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

and having withdrawn, they were speaking to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds”;

32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

and Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”