Acts 26
26:1And Agrippa said to Paul, It is permitted for you to speak for yourself. Then Paul made a defense, having stretched out the hand.
26:2Concerning all of which I am accused by the Jews, O king Agrippa, I esteem myself blessed being about to make a defense unto you today;
26:3especially you being a diviner of all the things among the Jews of both customs and matters. Therefore I beseech you leniently to hear me.
26:4Indeed then the mode of my life, the one from youth, the thing from the beginning happening among my nation in Jerusalem, all the Jews understand;
26:5foreknowing me from the beginning, (if they should want to witness) that according to the exactest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
26:6And now for the hope of the promise being by God to the fathers I stand being judged,
26:7in which our twelve tribes, serving with intensity night and day, hope to arrive; concerning which hope I am accused, O king Agrippa, by the Jews.
26:8Why is it judged unbelievable by you if God raises the dead?
26:9I indeed then thought to myself that it was necessary in many things to act opposite towards the name of Jesus the Nazarene.
26:10Which also I did in Jerusalem. And many of the holy ones I imprisoned in prisons, receiving authority from the chief priests; and for doing away with them I brought down a vote.
26:11And in all the synagogues often punishing them, I compelled them to blaspheme. And extremely raging against them, I persecuted them even as unto the outer cities.
26:12In which also going unto Damascus with authority and delegated power by the chief priests,
26:13in the middle of the day in the way I beheld, O king, from heaven above light the brightness of the sun shining about me, and the ones going with me.
26:14And all of us having fallen down onto the ground, heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against spurs.
26:15And I said, Who are you, O Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you persecute.
26:16But rise up, and stand upon your feet! For in this I appeared to you, to handpick you as an assistant and witness both of what you beheld, and of what I shall make known to you;
26:17taking you out from the people and the nations, unto whom now I shall send you,
26:18to open their eyes, to turn from darkness unto light, and the authority of Satan unto God, for them to receive a release of sins, and a lot among the ones having been sanctified by the belief in me.
26:19From where, O king Agrippa, not to be resisting persuasion to the heavenly apparition,
26:20but to the ones in Damascus first, and Jerusalem, and in all the region of Judea, and to the nations, I reported to repent and to turn unto God, doing works worthy of repentance.
26:21Because of these things the Jews having seized me in the temple, attempted to lay hands upon me.
26:22Having attained aid then from God, unto this day I have stood, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing outside of what both the prophets and Moses said was about to happen,
26:23whether the Christ is susceptible of suffering; whether he first through resurrection of the dead is about to announce light to the people, and to the nations.
26:24And having made his defense with these things, Festus with a great voice said, You are maniacal, Paul; many letters dizzies you into a frenzy.
26:25But I am not maniacal, he says, most excellent Festus, but truth and discreetness of words I declare.
26:26For concerning these things the king knows, to whom also openly speaking I speak. For I am not persuaded in any way for him to be unaware in any of these things. For not in a corner is this being done.
26:27You believe, O king Agrippa, the prophets? I know that you believe.
26:28And Agrippa said to Paul, By little you persuade me to become a Christian.
26:29And Paul said, I would make a vow even to God, both in a little and in much, not only you, but also all the ones hearing me today to become such as to like what even I am, except these bonds.
26:30And these things him having said, the king rose up, and the governor, and also Bernice, and the ones sitting together with them.
26:31And having withdrawn they spoke with one another, saying that, Nothing worthy of death or bonds this man does.
26:32And Agrippa said to Festus, This man was able to be loosed if he had not called upon Caesar.