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

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

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

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 Truly, all the Jews know how I lived from my youth in my own nation and at 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 knew me from the beginning and they should admit that I lived as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion.

knowing me before, (if they would testify it, ) that according to the strictest sect of our religion 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 I stand arraigned for the hope of the promise which was made by God to our fathers:

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

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

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

I indeed once thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now 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 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, 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 Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision;

Wherefore, O 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 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 For this cause the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to kill me.

For these things the Jews seized me in the temple, and attempted 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—

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 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.”

and being the first of the resurrection from the dead should bring light to the 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.”

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

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

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

O king Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?

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

I know that thou believest them. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou almost persuadest me to be 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 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 stood up, and the governor, and Bernice also, and those who were sitting with them;

And when he had said this, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those that sat 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 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, “This man could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

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