1 A grippa said to Paul, “You may now speak for yourself.” Paul lifted his hand and started to talk,

Then Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak on your own behalf. At that Paul stretched forth his hand and made his defense:

2 “ King Agrippa, the Jews have said many things against me. I am happy to be able to tell you my side of the story.

I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that it is before you that I am to make my defense today in regard to all the charges brought against me by Jews,

3 Y ou know all about the Jewish ways and problems. So I ask you to listen to me until I have finished.

because you are so fully and unusually conversant with all the Jewish customs and controversies; therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently.

4 “ All the Jews know about my life from the time I was a boy until now. I lived among my own people in Jerusalem.

My behavior and manner of living from my youth up is known by all the Jews; that from commencement my youth was spent among my own race in Jerusalem.

5 I f they would tell what they know, they would say that I lived the life of a proud religious law-keeper. I was in the group of proud religious law-keepers who tried to obey every law.

They have had knowledge of me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that in accordance with the strictest sect of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.

6 “ And now I am on trial here because I trust the promise God made to our fathers.

And now I stand here on trial of the hope of that promise made to our forefathers by God,

7 T his promise is what our twelve family groups of the Jewish nation hope to see happen. They worship God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that they are saying things against me.

Which hope our twelve tribes confidently expect to realize as they fervently worship night and day. And for that hope, O king, I am accused by Jews and considered a criminal!

8 W hy do you think it is hard to believe that God raises people from the dead?

Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 “ I used to think I should work hard against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

I myself indeed was persuaded that it was my duty to do many things contrary to and in defiance of the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 I did that in Jerusalem. I put many of the followers in prison. The head religious leaders gave me the right and the power to do it. Then when the followers were killed, I said it was all right.

And that is what I did in Jerusalem; I locked up many of the saints (holy ones) in prison by virtue of authority received from the chief priests, but when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.

11 I beat them and tried to make them speak against God in all the Jewish places of worship. In my fight against them, I kept going after them even into cities in other countries.

And frequently I punished them in all the synagogues to make them blaspheme; and in my bitter fury against them, I harassed (troubled, molested, persecuted) and pursued them even to foreign cities.

12 “ When I was going to Damascus to do this, I had the right and the power from the head religious leaders to make it hard for the followers.

Thus engaged I proceeded to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests,

13 I was on the road at noon. King Agrippa, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun. It was shining around me and the men with me.

When on the road at midday, O king, I saw a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, flashing about me and those who were traveling with me.

14 W e all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking to me in the Jewish language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you working so hard against Me? You hurt yourself by trying to hurt Me.’

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew tongue saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you continue to persecute Me ? It is dangerous and turns out badly for you to keep kicking against the goads.

15 I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, the One you are working against.

And I said, Who are You, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting.

16 G et up. Stand on your feet. I have chosen you to work for Me. You will tell what you have seen and you will say what I want you to say. This is the reason I have allowed you to see Me.

But arise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, that I might appoint you to serve as minister and to bear witness both to what you have seen of Me and to that in which I will appear to you,

17 I will keep you safe from the Jews and from the people who are not Jews. I am sending you to these people.

Choosing you out and delivering you from among this people and the Gentiles to whom I am sending you—

18 Y ou are to open their eyes. You are to turn them from darkness to light. You are to turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God. In this way, they may have their sins forgiven. They may have what is given to them, along with all those who are set apart for God by having faith in Me.’

To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from their sins and a place and portion among those who are consecrated and purified by faith in Me.

19 “ King Agrippa, I obeyed what I saw from heaven.

Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision,

20 F irst I told what I saw to those in Damascus and then in Jerusalem. I told it through all the country of Judea. I even preached to the people who are not Jews that they should be sorry for their sins and turn from them to God. I told them they should do things to show they are sorry for their sins.

But made known openly first of all to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the whole land of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works and live lives consistent with and worthy of their repentance.

21 “ That is why the Jews took hold of me in the house of God and tried to kill me.

Because of these things the Jews seized me in the temple '> enclosure] and tried to do away with me.

22 G od has helped me. To this day I have told these things to the people who are well-known and to those not known. I have told only what the early preachers and Moses said would happen.

to this day I have had the help which comes from God '> ally], and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, asserting nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses declared would come to pass—

23 I t was that Christ must suffer and be the first to rise from the dead. He would give light to the Jews and to the other nations.”

That the Christ (the Anointed One) must suffer and that He, by being the first to rise from the dead, would declare and show light both to the people and to the Gentiles.

24 A s Paul was speaking for himself, Festus cried out in a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! All your learning keeps you from thinking right!”

And as he thus proceeded with his defense, Festus called out loudly, Paul, you are mad! Your great learning is driving you insane!

25 P aul said, “Most respected Festus, I am not crazy. I am speaking the truth!

But Paul replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but I am uttering the straight, sound truth.

26 T he king knows about all this. I am free to speak to him in plain words. Nothing I have said is new to him. These things happened where everyone saw them.

For the king understands about these things well enough, and to him I speak with bold frankness and confidence. I am convinced that not one of these things has escaped his notice, for all this did not take place in a corner.

27 K ing Agrippa, do you believe the writings of the early preachers? I know that you believe them.”

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I perceive and know that you do believe.

28 T hen Agrippa said to Paul, “In this short time you have almost proven to me that I should become a Christian!”

Then Agrippa said to Paul, You think it a small task to make a Christian of me.

29 P aul said, “My prayer to God is that you and all who hear me today would be a Christian as I am, only not have these chains!”

And Paul replied, Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who are listening to me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains.

30 K ing Agrippa and Festus and Bernice and those who sat with them got up.

Then the king arose, and the governor and Bernice and all those who were seated with them;

31 A s they left the courtroom, they said to each other, “This man has done nothing for which he should be kept in prison or be put to death.”

And after they had gone out, they said to one another, This man is doing nothing deserving of death or of imprisonment.

32 A grippa told Festus, “This man could go free if he had not asked to be sent to Caesar.”

And Agrippa said to Festus, This man could have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar.