Acts 26
1 And Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defence:
Turning to Paul, Agrippa said: “You are at liberty to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.
2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before thee this day touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews:
“I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa,” he said, “that it is before you that I have to make my defence to-day, with regard to all the charges brought against me by Jews,
3 especially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
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.
4 My manner of life then from my youth up, which was from the beginning among mine own nation, and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
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;
5 having knowledge of me from the first, if they be willing to testify, how that after the straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
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.
6 And now I stand [here] to be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers;
Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial —
7 unto which [promise] our twelve tribes, earnestly serving [God] night and day, hope to attain. And concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king!
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!
8 Why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead?
Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?
9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth;
10 And this I also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my vote against them.
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.
11 And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.
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.
12 Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,
It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests,
13 at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me.
that at mid-day, 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.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
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.’
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
16 But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee;
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 shall yet appear to you,
17 delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee,
since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
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.’
19 Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision;
20 but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
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.
21 For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me.
This is why the Jews seized me in the Temple, and made attempts upon my life.
22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come;
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 —
23 how that the Christ must suffer, [and] how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.
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.”
24 And as he thus made his defence, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning doth turn thee to madness.
While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly: “You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.”
25 But Paul saith, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and soberness.
“I am not mad, your Excellency,” he replied; “on the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.
26 For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner.
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.
27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you do.”
28 And Agrippa [said] unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian.
But Agrippa said to Paul: “You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!”
29 And Paul [said], I would to God, that whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds.
“Whether it is soon or late,” answered Paul, “I would to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might to-day become just what I am myself — except for these chains!”
30 And the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
Then the King rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,
31 and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
and, after retiring, discussed the case among themselves. “There is nothing,” they said, “deserving death or imprisonment in this man’s conduct”;
32 And Agrippa said unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.
and, speaking to Festus, Agrippa added: “The man might have been discharged, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”
