Acts 26:1-32 Then Agrippa said to Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Upon which Paul stretched forth his hand and made this defence.

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Then Agrippa said to Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Upon which Paul stretched forth his hand and made this defence. ² Touching all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I think myself happy, O king Agrippa, that I am this day to make my defence before thee, ³ specially skilled as thou art in all the Jewish customs and controversies; therefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. ⁴ My course of life; that from my youth; that which from the beginning was led among my own nation at Jerusalem, is known to all the Jews. ⁵ They have a prior knowledge of me from an early period, if they would testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand arraigned for a hope of the promise which God made to our fathers, ⁷ and which our twelve tribes, by their continual services night and day, hope to obtain: for which hope, O king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ It is deemed among you somewhat incredible that God raiseth the dead; ⁹ as for me I indeed myself thought that I ought to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. ¹⁰ And this I did at Jerusalem: and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received this authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I gave assent. ¹¹ And in all the synagogues many a time did I, by torments, urge them to blaspheme. And being transported to madness against them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. ¹² With which views when I was going to Damascus, with authority, and a commission which I had from the chief priests, ¹³ in the middle of the day, on the road, I saw, O king, a light from heaven, exceeding the brightness of the sun, flashing around me and them who were accompanying me. ¹⁴ And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and in the Hebrew dialect, saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? It is hurting thyself to kick against sharp pointed goads. ¹⁵ And I said, Lord, who art thou? And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou art persecuting. ¹⁶ But arise, and stand on thy feet; for I have appeared to thee for this purpose, to appoint thee a minister and a witness of the things which thou hast seen, and of the things for which I will appear to thee, ¹⁷ delivering thee from the people and the nations to which I now send thee 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 a remission of sins and an inheritance among them who are sanctified by the belief in me. ¹⁹ From that time, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but made proclamation first to them at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and to the nations, to reform and turn to God, performing works worthy of the change of mind. ²¹ For these things the Jews seized me in the temple, and attempted to kill me. ²² Having therefore obtained help from God, I have continued to this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets have said were to come to pass; particularly Moses, ²³ that the Christ should suffer, that he the first of a resurrection from the dead is to proclaim light to the people and the nations. ²⁴ While Paul was thus making his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul thou art distracted. Those many writings whirl thee to madness. ²⁵ To which he replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but am speaking the words of truth and soberness. ²⁶ For the king is acquainted with these things, to whom therefore I speak with freedom. For I am persuaded that none of these things have escaped his notice. For this hath not been done in a corner. ²⁷ Thou, O king Agrippa, believest the prophets? I know that thou believest. ²⁸ Upon this Agrippa said to Paul, Thou almost persuadest me to become a Christian. ²⁹ And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all who hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these chains. ³⁰ And as he was saying this, the king rose up, and the general and Bernice and they who sat with them. ³¹ And as they were withdrawing, they conferred with each other, saying, This man hath done nothing that deserveth death or chains. ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar.