Chapter 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 put to 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 around me 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 ? It is 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 with a loud voice , " Paul , you are 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 ."