Acts 26
1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense.
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak about yourself." So Paul, with outstretched arm, proceeded to make his defence.
2 “I regard myself as happy, King Agrippa, to make my case before you today against all the accusations of the Jews;
"As regards all the accusations brought against me by the Jews," he said, "I think myself fortunate, King Agrippa, in being about to defend myself to-day before you,
3 especially, because you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and questions. So I ask you to hear me patiently.
who are so familiar with all the customs and speculations that prevail among the Jews; and for this reason, I pray you, give me a patient hearing.
4 Truly, all the Jews know how I lived from my youth in my own nation and at Jerusalem.
"The kind of life I have lived from my youth upwards, as exemplified in my early days among my nation and in Jerusalem, is known to all the Jews.
5 They knew me from the beginning and they should admit that I lived as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion.
For they all know me of old--if they would but testify to the fact--how, being an adherent of the strictest sect of our religion, my life was that of 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 I stand here impeached because of my hope in the fulfilment of the promise made by God to our forefathers--
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.
the promise which our twelve tribes, worshipping day and night with intense devotedness, hope to have made good to them. It is on the subject of this hope, Sir, that I am accused by the Jews.
8 Why should any of you think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead?
Why is it deemed with all of you a thing past belief if God raises the dead to life?
9 Now indeed, I myself thought that I should do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
"I myself, however, thought it a duty to do many things in hostility to the name of Jesus, the Nazarene.
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.
And that was how I acted in Jerusalem. Armed with authority received from the High Priests I shut up many of God's people in various prisons, and when they were about to be 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.
In all the synagogues also I punished them many a time, and tried to make them blaspheme; and in my wild fury I chased them even to foreign towns.
12 While I was doing this, I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests;
"While thus engaged, I was travelling one day to Damascus armed with authority and a commission from the High 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.
and on the journey, at noon, Sir, I saw a light from Heaven--brighter than the brightness of the sun--shining around me and around those who were travelling 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.'
We all fell to the ground; and I heard a voice which said to me in Hebrew, "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? You are finding it painful to kick against the ox-goad.'
15 Then I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you persecute.
"'Who art Thou, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied.
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 I have appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you My servant and My witness both as to the things you have already seen and as to those 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,
I will save you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you to open their eyes,
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.'
that they may turn from darkness to light and from the obedience to Satan to God, in order to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified through faith in Me.'
19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision;
"Therefore, 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 I proceeded to preach first to the people in Damascus, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judaea, and to the Gentiles, that they must repent and turn to God, and live lives consistent with such repentance.
21 For this cause the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to kill me.
"It was on this account that the Jews seized me in the Temple and tried 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, however, obtained the help which is from God, I have stood firm until now, and have solemnly exhorted rich and poor alike, saying nothing except what the Prophets and Moses predicted as soon to happen,
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.”
since the Christ was to be a suffering Christ, and by coming back from the dead was then to be the first to proclaim a message of light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
24 As Paul completed his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are insane; your great learning makes you insane.”
As Paul thus made his defence, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, "You are raving mad, Paul; and great learning is driving you mad."
25 But Paul said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but what I am declaring is true and rational.
"I am not mad, most noble Festus," replied Paul; "I am speaking words of sober truth.
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, to whom I speak freely, knows about these matters. I am not to be persuaded that any detail of them has escaped his notice; for these things have not been done in a corner.
27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”
King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe them."
28 Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me and make me a Christian?”
Agrippa answered, "In brief, you are doing your best to 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.”
"My prayer to God, whether briefly or at length," replied Paul, "would be that not only you but all who are my hearers to-day, might become such as I am--except these chains."
30 Then the king stood up, and the governor, and Bernice also, and those who were sitting with them;
So the King rose, and the Governor, and Bernice, and those who were 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 talked to one another and said, "This man is doing nothing for which he deserves death or imprisonment."
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
And Agrippa said to Festus, "He might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to Caesar."
