Acts 26

In a Little You Would Persuade Me to Be a Christian

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You Are Permitted to Speak for Yourself

26:1Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

26:2“Concerning everything of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to make my defense before you today,

26:3especially since you are familiar with all the Jewish customs and disputes. Therefore I ask you to hear me patiently.

26:4All the Jews know my manner of life from my youth, lived from the beginning among my nation and in Jerusalem.

26:5They have known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest party of our religion.

26:6Now I stand on trial because of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,

26:7which our twelve tribes, earnestly worshiping night and day, hope to attain. It is concerning this hope that I am accused by Jews, O king.

26:8Why is it judged unbelievable among you that God raises the dead?

Paul the Persecutor

26:9I myself thought that I must do many things against the name of Jesus the Nazarene.

26:10This I did in Jerusalem: I shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were being killed, I cast my vote against them.

26:11I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to compel them to blaspheme. Raging exceedingly against them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

26:12In this pursuit I was traveling to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

26:13when at midday, O king, I saw along the road a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.

26:14When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against goads.’

26:15I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ The Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

26:16But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and witness of the things in which you have seen Me and those in which I will appear to you,

26:17rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

26:18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from Satan’s authority to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an allotted share among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

Obedient to the Heavenly Vision

26:19Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

26:20but proclaimed first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, throughout all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

26:21For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

26:22Having therefore received help from God, I stand to this day, testifying to small and great, saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:

26:23that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”

Festus Interrupts and Agrippa Responds

26:24As he was making this defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul! Your great learning is turning you to madness.”

26:25Paul said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I speak words of truth and sound judgment.

26:26For the king knows about these things, and I speak freely to him. I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

26:27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

26:28Agrippa said to Paul, “With so little you are trying to make me a Christian by persuasion.”

26:29Paul said, “Whether with little or with much, I would pray to God that not only you but also all who hear me today might become as I am, except for these bonds.”

The Verdict of Agrippa

26:30The king rose, along with the governor, Bernice, and those seated with them.

26:31After withdrawing, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving death or imprisonment.”

26:32Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V2 · working draft awaiting specialist review.