Acts 26

¹But Agrippa said to Paul: Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretching forth his hand, began to make his answer:

²Touching all things whereof I am accused of the Jews, king Agrippa, I account myself happy for that I am to defend myself this day before thee,

³especially whereas thou knowest all things that are among the Jews, customs and questions: for the which cause I beseech thee, hear me patiently.

⁴And my life truly from my youth, which was from the beginning in my nation in Jerusalem, all the Jews do know:

⁵knowing me before from the beginning (if they will give testimony) that according to the most sure sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

⁶And now for the hope of the promise that was made of God to our fathers, do I stand subject to judgement:

⁷the which, our twelve tribes serving night and day, hope to come unto. Of the which hope, o king, I am accused of the Jews.

⁸What incredible thing is it judged with you, if God raise the dead?

⁹And myself truly had thought that I ought to do against the name of Jesus of Nazareth many contrary things.

¹⁰Which also I did at Jerusalem, and many of the saints did I shut up in prisons, having received authority of the chief priests: and when they were put to death, I brought the sentence.

¹¹And throughout all the synagogues oftentimes punishing them, I compelled them to blaspheme: and yet more mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.

¹²Among which things whiles I went to Damascus with authority and permission of the chief priests,

¹³at mid-day, in the way, I saw (o king) from Heaven a light to have shined round about me and them that were in company with me, above the brightness of the sun.

¹⁴And when all we were fallen down on the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew tongue: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the prick.

¹⁵And I said: Who are thou Lord? And our Lord answered: I am Jesus whom thou doest persecute.

¹⁶But rise up and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared to thee, that I may ordain thee a minister and witness of those things which thou hast seen, and of those things wherein I will appear to thee,

¹⁷delivering thee out of the peoples and nations unto the which now I send thee,

¹⁸to open their eyes, that they may be converted from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins, and lot among the saints by the faith that is in me.

¹⁹Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not incredulous to the heavenly vision:

²⁰but to them first that are at Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and unto all the country of Jewry, and to the Gentiles did I preach that they should do penance, & turn to God, doing works worthy of penance.

²¹For this cause the Jews, when I was in the temple, apprehending me, attempted meaning to kill me.

²²But aided by the help of God, I stand until this day, testifying to small & to great, saying nothing beside those things which the Prophets did speak should come to pass, & Moyses;

²³if Christ were passible, if the first of the resurrection from the dead, he were to shew light to the people and to the Gentiles.

²⁴As he spake these things and made his answer, Festus with a loud voice said: Thou art mad, Paul; much learning turneth thee to madness.

²⁵And Paul said: I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but I speak words of verity & sobriety.

²⁶For the king knoweth of these things, to whom also I speak constantly. For I think none of these things to be unknown to him. For neither was any of these things done in a corner.

²⁷Believest thou the Prophets, king Agrippa? I know that thou believest.

²⁸And Agrippa said to Paul: A little thou persuadest me to become a Christian.

²⁹And Paul said: I wish of God, both in little, and in much, not only thee, but also all that hear this day, to become such as I am also, except these bands.

³⁰And the king rose up, and the President, and Bernice, and they that sat by them.

³¹And going aside, they spake among themselves, saying, That this man hath done nothing worthy of death or bands.

³²And Agrippa said to Festus: This man might be released, if he had not appealed to Cæsar.