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 unto Paul, 'It is permitted to thee to speak for thyself;' then Paul having stretched forth the hand, was making a defence:
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 happy, being about to make a defence before thee to-day,
3 especially, because you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and questions. So I ask you to hear me patiently.
especially knowing thee to be acquainted with all things — both customs and questions — among Jews; wherefore, I beseech thee, patiently to hear me.
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 — know do 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.
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 night and day serving, do 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 doth raise 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 against the name of Jesus of Nazareth it behoved [me] many things to do,
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 also I did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I in prison did shut up, from the chief priests having received the authority; 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 unto 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 mid-day, I saw in the way, O king, out of heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about 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 unto me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? hard for thee against pricks to kick!
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 dost 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 upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things [in which] I will appear to 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 the nations, to whom now I 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, to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the authority of the Adversary unto 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;
'Whereupon, 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, to all the region also of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to reform, and to turn back unto God, doing works worthy of reformation;
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 endeavouring 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, till this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spake 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 rising 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 defence, Festus with a loud voice said, 'Thou art mad, Paul; much learning doth turn thee mad;'
25 But Paul said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but what I am declaring is true and rational.
and he saith, 'I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness the sayings I speak forth;
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 doth know concerning these things, before whom also I speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing hath not been done in a corner;
27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”
thou dost believe, king Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that thou dost believe!'
28 Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me and make me a Christian?”
And Agrippa said unto Paul, 'In a little thou dost 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 thee, but also all those hearing me to-day, 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 unto one another, saying — 'This man doth 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.'
