26Acts 26

1And Agrippa said to Paul, You may put your cause before us. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, made his answer, saying:Select Acts 26:1

2In my opinion I am happy, King Agrippa, to be able to give my answer before you today to all these things which the Jews say against me:Select Acts 26:2

3The more so, because you are expert in all questions to do with the Jews and their ways: so I make my request to you to give me a hearing to the end.Select Acts 26:3

4All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at Jerusalem;Select Acts 26:4

5And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law.Select Acts 26:5

6And now I am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers;Select Acts 26:6

7For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king!Select Acts 26:7

8Why, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again?Select Acts 26:8

9For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.Select Acts 26:9

10And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them.Select Acts 26:10

11And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.Select Acts 26:11

12Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests,Select Acts 26:12

13In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me.Select Acts 26:13

14And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you.Select Acts 26:14

15And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking.Select Acts 26:15

16But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me;Select Acts 26:16

17And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,Select Acts 26:17

18To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me.Select Acts 26:18

19So, then, King Agrippa, I did not go against the vision from heaven;Select Acts 26:19

20But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart.Select Acts 26:20

21For this reason, the Jews took me in the Temple, and made an attempt to put me to death.Select Acts 26:21

22And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about;Select Acts 26:22

23That the Christ would go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the people and to the Gentiles.Select Acts 26:23

24And when he made his answer in these words, Festus said in a loud voice, Paul, you are off your head; your great learning has made you unbalanced.Select Acts 26:24

25Then Paul said, I am not off my head, most noble Festus, but my words are true and wise.Select Acts 26:25

26For the king has knowledge of these things, to whom I am talking freely; being certain that all this is common knowledge to him; for it has not been done in secret.Select Acts 26:26

27King Agrippa, have you faith in the prophets? I am certain that you have.Select Acts 26:27

28And Agrippa said to Paul, A little more and you will be making me a Christian.Select Acts 26:28

29And Paul said, It is my prayer to God that, in little or great measure, not only you, but all those hearing me today might be even as I am, but for these chains.Select Acts 26:29

30And the king and the ruler and Bernice and those who were seated with them got up;Select Acts 26:30

31And when they had gone away they said to one another, This man has done nothing which might give cause for death or prison.Select Acts 26:31

32And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been made free, if he had not put his cause before Caesar.Select Acts 26:32