Acts 26

1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

And Agrippa said to Paul, You may put your cause before us. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, made his answer, saying:

2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

In my opinion I am happy, King Agrippa, to be able to give my answer before you today to all these things which the Jews say against me:

3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

The more so, because you are expert in all questions to do with the Jews and their ways: so I make my request to you to give me a hearing to the end.

4 “Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at Jerusalem;

5 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law.

6 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

And now I am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers;

7 which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!

For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king!

8 Why is it judged incredible with you if God does raise the dead?

Why, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again?

9 “I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 I also did this in Jerusalem. 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 this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them.

11 Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.

12 “Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests,

13 at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.

In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me.

14 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you.

15 “I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking.

16 But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will reveal to you;

But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me;

17 delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me.

19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

So, then, King Agrippa, I did not go against the vision from heaven;

20 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart.

21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

For this reason, the Jews took me in the Temple, and made an attempt to put me to death.

22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,

And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about;

23 how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”

That the Christ would go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the people and to the Gentiles.

24 As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

And when he made his answer in these words, Festus said in a loud voice, Paul, you are off your head; your great learning has made you unbalanced.

25 But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

Then Paul said, I am not off my head, most noble Festus, but my words are true and wise.

26 For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.

For the king has knowledge of these things, to whom I am talking freely; being certain that all this is common knowledge to him; for it has not been done in secret.

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

King Agrippa, have you faith in the prophets? I am certain that you have.

28 Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?”

And Agrippa said to Paul, A little more and you will be making me a Christian.

29 Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”

And Paul said, It is my prayer to God that, in little or great measure, not only you, but all those hearing me today might be even as I am, but for these chains.

30 The king rose up with the governor and Bernice, and those who sat with them.

And the king and the ruler and Bernice and those who were seated with them got up;

31 When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

And when they had gone away they said to one another, This man has done nothing which might give cause for death or prison.

32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been made free, if he had not put his cause before Caesar.