Acts 26

Matthew^{(i) 1} Agrippa sayd vnto Paule: thou art permitted to speake for thy selfe, Then Paule stretched forthe the hand, and aunswered for him selfe, ² I thinke my selfe happye kynge Agrippa, because I shall aunswere this day before the, of all thinges wherof I am accused of the Iewes, ³ namely because thou art exparte in all customes and questions, which are amonge the Iewes. Wherfore I beseche the to heare me paciently. ⁴ My liuinge of a childe, whiche was at the fyrst amonge myne owne nacion at Ierusalem, knowe all the Iewes, ⁵ whyche knew me from the beginninge if they woulde testyfye it. For after the most strayteste secte of oure laye, lyued I a phariseye, ⁶ and now I stand, & am iudged for the hope of the promis made of God vnto our fathers ⁷ vnto whyche promys our .xij. trybes instantlye, seruynge God daie and nighte hope to come. For whiche hopes sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Iewes. ⁸ Why should it be thought a thinge vncredible vnto you, that God shoulde raise agayne the dead? ⁹ I also verely thought in my selfe, that I ought to do manie contrarye thinges, clene agaynste the name of Nazareth, ¹⁰ which thinge I also dyd in Ierusalem. Where manye of the sainctes I shut vp in prison, and had receiued authorite of the hye priestes. And when they were put to death, I gaue the sentence. ¹¹ And I punyshed them ofte, in euerye synagoge, and compelled them to blaspheme, and was yet more madde vpon them, and persecuted them euen vnto straunge cities. ¹² Aboute which thinges as I wente to Damasco with authoryte and licence of the hye priestes, ¹³ euen at mydday (O king) I saw in the way alyght from heauen, aboue the bryghtnes of the sunne, shyne rounde aboute me, and them whyche iorneyed wyth me. ¹⁴ When we were all fallen to the earth: I heard a voice speakinge vnto me, and saiynge in the Hebrue tonge: Saul Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for the to kicke against the pricke. ¹⁵ And I said. Who art thou Lorde? And he sayd: I am Iesus whom thou persecutest, ¹⁶ but ryse and stand vp on thy fete. For I haue appeared vnto the for this purpose, to make the a minister, and a wytnes both of those thinges, whiche thou hast sene, and of those thinges in the which I wil appeare ¹⁷ vnto the deliuering the from the people, and from the gentils, vnto whiche nowe I sende the, ¹⁸ to open theyr eyes, that they myght turne from darckenes to lyght, and from the power of Satan vnto God: that they maye receiue forgeuenes of synnes, and inheritaunce amonge them whyche are sanctyfyed by fayth in me. ¹⁹ Wherfore kynge Agrippa I was not disobedient vnto the heauenly vision: ²⁰ but shewed fyrst vnto them of Damasco, and at Hierusalem and through out all the coastes of Iewry, and to the gentyls, that they should repent, & tourne to God, and do the ryght workes of repentaunce. ²¹ For this cause the Iewes caught me in the temple, and went aboute to kyll me. ²² Neuerthelesse I obtained helpe of God, and continue vnto this daye wytnessinge both to smal and to great, saiyng none other thinges, then those which the prophetes and Moyses dyd saye shoulde come ²³ that Christe shoulde suffer, and that he shoulde be the fyrste, that shoulde ryse from death, and shoulde shewe lyghte vnto the people, and to the gentyls. ²⁴ As he thus aunswered for him selfe, Festus saied with a loude voyce. Paul, thou art besides thy selfe. Muche learninge hath made the mad. ²⁵ And Paul saied: I am not mad, most deare Festus, but speake the wordes of trueth & sobernes. ²⁶ The kinge knoweth of these thinges, before whom I speake frelye, neither thinke I that anye of these thinges are hydden from hym. For this thinge was not done in a corner. ²⁷ Kinge Agrippa beleuest thou the prophetes? I wote well thou beleuest. ²⁸ Agrippa saied to Paule: Some what thou bringest me in mynd for to become a Christian, ²⁹ And Paul sayde: I would to God that not onlye thou: but also all that heare me to daye, were not some what onelye but altogether suche as I am, excepte these bondes. ³⁰ And when he had thus spoken: the kynge rose vp, and the debitie, and Bernice and they that sate with them. ³¹ And when they were gone aparte: they talketh betwene them selues saiyng. Thys man doth nothinge worthy of death, nor of bondes. ³² Then sayde Agrippa vnto Festus: Thys man might haue bene loused if he had not appealed vnto Cesar.