Acts 26

Modern

Literal

Paul’s Testimony to Agrippa

¹Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”

Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:

¹And Agrippa was saying to Paul, “It is permitted you to speak for yourself.” Then Paul, having stretched out the hand, began his defense:

²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,

²“Concerning all of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I esteem myself fortunate before you, being about to defend myself today,

³especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently.

³you being especially acquainted with all the customs and also controversies of the Jews. Therefore I implore you to hear me patiently.

⁴Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from my earliest childhood among my own people, and also in Jerusalem.

⁴Then indeed my manner of life, which is from youth, having been from its beginning among my nation and in Jerusalem, all the Jews know—

⁵They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.

⁵knowing me from the first, if they would be willing to testify—that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.

⁶And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers,

⁶And now I stand, being judged for the hope of the promise having been made by God to our fathers,

⁷the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.

⁷to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, serving in earnestness night and day, the hope concerning which I am accused by the Jews, O king.

⁸Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

⁸Why is it judged incredible by you if God raises the dead?

⁹So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

⁹Therefore I indeed in myself thought it to be necessary to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth,

¹⁰And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

¹⁰which I also did in Jerusalem. And I also locked up many of the saints in prisons, having received the authority from the chief priests; and on their being put to death, I cast against them a vote.

¹¹I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

¹¹And in all the synagogues, punishing them often, I was compelling them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly furious against them, I was persecuting them even as far as to foreign cities,

¹²In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

¹²during which, going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

¹³About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.

¹³at midday on the road I saw, O king, a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun having shone around me and those going with me.

¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew,^a ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁴And all of us having fallen down to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked.

‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.

¹⁵Then I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

¹⁶‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.

¹⁶But rise up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this, to appoint you as a servant and a witness both of that which you have seen of Me and of the things in which I will appear to you,

¹⁷I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them

¹⁷delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you

¹⁸to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁸to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those having been sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

¹⁹Hence, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.

²⁰but also first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, also to all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I was declaring to repent and to turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

²¹For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts^a and tried to kill me.

²¹On account of these things the Jews, having seized me (being in the temple), were attempting to kill me.

²²But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:

²²Therefore, having obtained help from God up to this day, I have stood bearing witness both to small and to great, saying nothing other than that which both the prophets and Moses said was about to happen:

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

²³that the Christ would suffer and, as first through resurrection from the dead, He is about to proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

Festus Interrupts Paul’s Defense

²⁴At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”

²⁴Now of him making this defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Much learning turns you to insanity!”

²⁵But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.

²⁵But Paul says, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but I declare forth words of truth and sobriety.

²⁶For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.

²⁶For the king understands concerning these things, to whom also I speak, being bold. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this thing is not done in a corner.

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

²⁷Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “In so little time do you persuade me to become a Christian?”

²⁹“Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.”

²⁹And Paul said, “I would wish anyhow to God, both in a little and in much, not only you, but also all those hearing me this day, to become such as I also am, except these chains.”

³⁰Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them.

³⁰Then the king and the governor rose up, and Bernice and those sitting with them,

³¹On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”

³¹and having withdrawn, they began speaking to one another, saying, “This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of chains.”

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

³²Then Agrippa was saying to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”