Acts 26

¹ Now Agrippa averred to Paul, "It is permitted to you to speak concerning yourself." Then Paul, stretching out his hand, made his defense: ² "Concerning all that which I am being indicted by the Jews, king Agrippa, I have deemed myself happy to be about to make my defense before you today, ³ especially as you are an expert, versed in all, both the customs and questions of the Jews. Wherefore I beseech you to hear me patiently. ⁴ My life, indeed, then, from youth, which came to be from the beginning among my nation, besides in Jerusalem, all the Jews are acquainted with, ⁵ knowing me before, from the very first, if they should be willing to testify, that, according to the strictest sect of this ritual of ours, I live a Pharisee. ⁶ And now, in expectation of the promise which came by God to our fathers, ⁷ I stand being judged, to which our twelve-tribed people, earnestly offering divine service night and day, is expecting to attain. Concerning which expectation I am being indicted by Jews, O King! ⁸ Why is it being judged unbelievable by you, if God is rousing the dead? ⁹ I, indeed, then, suppose myself bound to commit much contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene, which I do also in Jerusalem. ¹⁰ And besides, many of the saints I lock up in jails, obtaining authority from the chief priests. Besides, I deposit a ballot to despatch them. ¹¹ And at all the synagogues, often punishing them, I compelled them to blaspheme. Besides, being exceedingly maddened against them, I persecuted them as far as the outside cities also. ¹² Among which persecutions, going to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, on the road, I perceived, O king, a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining about me and those going together with me. ¹⁴ Besides, at all of us falling down to the earth, I hear a voice saying to me in the Hebrew vernacular, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? Hard is it for you to be kicking against the goads!' ¹⁵ Now I say, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' Now the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet, for I was seen by you for this, to fix upon you before for a deputy and a witness both of what you have perceived and that in which I will be seen by you, ¹⁷ extricating you from the people and from the nations, to whom I am commissioning you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, to turn them about from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, for them to get a pardon of sins and an allotment among those who have been hallowed by faith that is in Me.' ¹⁹ Whence, king Agrippa, I did not become stubborn as to the heavenly apparition, ²⁰ but first to those in Damascus, besides in Jerusalem also, besides to the entire province of Judea, and to the nations, I reported that they are to be repenting and turning back to God, engaging acts worthy of repentance. ²¹ On this account the Jews, apprehending me as I am in the sanctuary, tried to lay hands on me. ²² Happening, then, on assistance from God, until this day I stand attesting both to small and to great, saying nothing outside of what both the prophets and Moses speak of impending occurrences - if it be the suffering Christ - ²³ if He, the first out of a resurrection of the dead, is about to be announcing light both to the people and to the nations." ²⁴ Now, as he is making this defense, Festus is averring with a loud voice, "You are mad, Paul! Much scripture is deranging you to madness!" ²⁵ Yet Paul is averring, "Not mad am I, most mighty Festus, but I am declaiming declarations of truth and sanity. ²⁶ For the king is adept concerning these things, to whom I am speaking boldly also, for, that any of these things is eluding him, I am not persuaded, for this is not a thing that has been committed in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, are you believing the prophets? I am aware that you are believing!" ²⁸ Yet Agrippa to Paul: "Briefly are you persuading me, to make me a Christian!" ²⁹ Yet Paul, "May I ever wish to God, that briefly as well as greatly, not only you, but also all who are hearing me today, become such a kind as I am also, outside of these bonds!" ³⁰ Both the king and the governor rose, besides Bernice and those sitting together with them. ³¹ And retiring, they spoke with one another, saying that, "Nothing deserving of death or of bonds this man is committing." ³² Now Agrippa averred to Festus, "This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar."