The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Apostles 26
1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak
for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and
made his defense.
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,
3 especially because you are expert in all
customs and questions which are among
the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me
patiently.
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;
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.
6 Now I stand here to be judged for the
hope of the promise made by God 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!
8 Why is it judged incredible with you if
God does raise the dead?
9 “I myself most certainly thought that
I ought to do many things contrary to 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 putto death I gave my
vote 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.
12 “Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus
with the authority and commission
from the chief priests,
13 at noon, O king, I saw on the way a
light from the sky, brighter than the sun,
shining aroundme and those who traveled
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? Itis hard for you to
kick against the goads.’
15 “I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting.
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;
17 delivering you 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.’
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not
disobedient to the heavenly vision,
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.
21 For this reason the Jews seized me in
the temple and tried to kill me.
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,
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.”
24 As he thus made his defense, Festus
said witha loudvoice, “Paul, youare crazy!
Your great learning is driving you insane!”
25 But he said, “I am not crazy, most
excellent Festus, but boldly declare words
of truth and reasonableness.
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.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the
prophets? I know that you believe.”
28 Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little
persuasion are you trying to make 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.”
30 The king rose up with the governor
and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
31 When they had withdrawn,they spoke
to one another, saying, “This man does
nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man
might have been set free if he had not
appealed to Caesar.”