Act 26 | Murd | STEP | And Agrippa said to Paul: Thou art permitted to speak in thy own behalf. Then Paul extended his hand, and made defence, saying:

‏ Acts 26

1 And Agrippa said to Paul: Thou art permitted to speak in thy own behalf. Then Paul extended his hand, and made defence, saying: 2 In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, king Agrippa, I consider myself highly favored, that I may this day make defence before thee: 3 especially, as I know thee to be expert in all the controversies and laws of the Jews. I therefore request thee to hear me with indulgence. 4 The Jews themselves, if they would testify, know well my course of life from my childhood, which from the beginning was among my nation and in Jerusalem. 5 For they have long been persuaded of me, and have known, that I lived in the princely doctrine of the Pharisees. 6 And now, for the hope of the promise which was made by God to our fathers, I stand and am judged. 7 To this hope, our twelve tribes hope to come, with earnest prayers by day and by night: and for this same hope, king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 How judge ye? Are we not to believe, that God will raise the dead? 9 For I myself, at first, resolved in my own mind, that I would perpetrate many adverse things against the name of Jesus the Nazarean. 10 Which I also did at Jerusalem; and by the authority I received from the chief priests, I cast many of the saints into prison and when they were put to death by them, I took part with those that condemned them. 11 And in every synagogue I tortured them, while I pressed them to become revilers of the name of Jesus. And in the great wrath, with which I was filled against them, I also went to other cities to persecute them. 12 And, as I was going for this purpose to Damascus, with the authority and license of the chief priests, 13 at mid-day, on the road, I saw, O king, a light exceeding that of the sun, beaming from heaven upon me, and upon all those with me. 14 And we all fell to the ground; and I heard a voice, which said to me, in Hebrew: Saul, Saul! why persecutest thou me? It will be a hard thing for thee to kick against the goads. 15 And I said: My Lord, who art thou? And our Lord said to me: I am Jesus the Nazarean, whom thou persecutest. 16 And he said to me: Stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared to thee, for this purpose, to constitute thee a minister and a witness of this thy seeing me, and of thy seeing me hereafter. 17 And I will deliver thee from the people of the Jews, and from other nations; to whom I send thee, 18 to open their eyes; that they may turn from darkness to the light, and from the dominion of Satan unto God; and may receive remission of sins, and a portion with the saints, by faith in me. 19 Wherefore, king Agrippa, I did not contumaciously withstand the heavenly vision: 20 but I preached from the first to them in Damascus, and to them in Jerusalem and in all the villages of Judaea; and I preached also to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and should turn to God, and should do the works suitable to repentance. 21 And on account of these things, the Jews seized me in the temple, and sought to kill me. 22 But unto this day God hath helped me; and lo, I stand and bear testimony, to the small and to the great; yet saying nothing aside from Moses and the prophets, but the very things which they declared were to take place: 23 namely, that Messiah would suffer, and would become the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead; and that he would proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles. 24 And when Paul had extended his defence thus far, Festus cried, with a loud voice: Paul, thou art deranged: much study hath deranged thee. 25 Paul replied to him: I am not deranged, excellent Festus; but speak words of truth and rectitude. 26 And king Agrippa is also well acquainted with these things; and I therefore speak confidently before him, because I suppose not one of these things hath escaped his knowledge; for they were not done in secret. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28 King Agrippa said to him: Almost, thou persuadest me to become a Christian. 29 And Paul said: I would to God, that not only thou, but likewise all that hear me this day, were almost, and altogether, as I am, aside from these bonds. 30 And the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them. 31 And when they had gone out, they conversed with one another, and said: This man hath done nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 32 And Agrippa said to Festus: The man might be set at liberty, if he had not announced an appeal to Caesar.