Acts 26
1 Turning to Paul, Agrippa said, ‘You are at liberty to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Yoʋ have permission to speak for yoʋrself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and began to make his defense:
2 ‘I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa,’ he said, ‘that it is before you that I have to make my defence today, with regard to all the charges brought against me by my own people,
“I consider myself fortunate that it is before yoʋ, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense today concerning all the things of which I am being accused by the Jews,
3 especially as you are so well-versed in all the customs and questions of the Jewish world. I beg you therefore to give me a patient hearing.
especially since yoʋ are acquainted with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg yoʋ to listen to me patiently.
4 My life, then, from youth upwards, was passed, from the very first, among my own nation, and in Jerusalem, and is within the knowledge of all Jews;
“All the Jews know about my manner of life from my youth up, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation in Jerusalem.
5 and they have always known – if they choose to give evidence – that, in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion, I lived a true Pharisee.
They have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.
6 Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial –
And now I am standing trial because of my hope in the promise God made to our fathers,
7 A promise which our twelve tribes, by earnest service night and day, hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused – and by Jews themselves!
a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve him night and day. Regarding this hope, King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews.
8 Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?
Why is it deemed unbelievable by you that God raises the dead?
9 I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the name of Jesus of Nazareth;
“Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 and I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the chief priests, I myself threw many of the people of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it.
And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. I locked up many of the saints in prison by the authority I received from the chief priests, and when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them.
11 Time after time, in every synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders.
I also punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme. And being furiously enraged against them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.
12 It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the chief priests,
“While engaged in such things, I was on my way to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 that at midday, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me.
when at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were traveling with me.
14 We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew – “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.”
When we had all fallen down to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are yoʋ persecuting me? It is hard for yoʋ to kick against the goads.’
15 “Who are you, Lord?” I asked. And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
I said, ‘Who are yoʋ, Lord?’ He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom yoʋ are persecuting.
16 but get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I will yet appear to you,
But rise and stand on yoʋr feet, for I have appeared to yoʋ for this purpose, to appoint yoʋ as a servant and witness to the things yoʋ have seen and to the things in which I will appear to yoʋ.
17 since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
I will rescue yoʋ from yoʋr own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending yoʋ
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 pardon for their sins, and a place among those who have become God’s people, by faith in me.”
to open their eyes so that they may turn away from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an allotment among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.’
19 After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision;
“Consequently, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20 on the contrary, first to those at Damascus and Jerusalem, and then through the whole of Judea, and to the Gentiles as well, I began to preach repentance and conversion to God, and a life befitting that repentance.
but first to those in Damascus and then to those in Jerusalem, to all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, doing works consistent with repentance.
21 This is why some men seized me in the Temple, and made attempts on my life.
That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and were trying to kill me.
22 However I have received help from God to this very day, and so stand here, and bear my testimony to high and low alike – without adding a word to what the prophets, as well as Moses, declared should happen –
But having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said would take place:
23 That the Christ must suffer, and that, by rising from the dead, he was destined to be the first to bring news of light, not only to our nation, but also to the Gentiles.’
that the Christ would suffer and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
24 While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly, ‘You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.’
As Paul was saying these things in his own defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Yoʋ are out of yoʋr mind, Paul. Too much learning is driving yoʋ insane!”
25 ‘I am not mad, your Excellency,’ he replied. ‘On the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.
But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking words of truth and good sense.
26 Indeed, the king knows about these matters, so I speak before him without constraint. I am sure that there is nothing whatever of what I have been telling him that has escaped his attention; for all this has not been done in a corner.
For the king knows about these things, to whom I am speaking boldly. I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice at all, for this has not been done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.’
Do yoʋ believe the Prophets, King Agrippa? I know that yoʋ believe.”
28 But Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!’
Agrippa said to Paul, “Do yoʋ think yoʋ can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”
29 ‘Whether it is soon or late,’ answered Paul, ‘I pray to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might today become just what I am myself – except for these chains!’
Paul said, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only yoʋ but also all who are listening to me today would become as I am, except for these chains.”
30 Then the king rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,
After Paul said these things, the king stood up, along with the governor, Bernice, and those who were sitting with them.
31 and, after retiring, discussed the case among themselves. ‘There is nothing,’ they said, ‘deserving death or imprisonment in this man’s conduct’;
After leaving the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is doing nothing that deserves death or imprisonment.”
32 and, speaking to Festus, Agrippa added, ‘The man might have been discharged, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.’
And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
