1 And Agrippa said unto :Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then :Paul stretched forth his :hand, and made his defense. 2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before thee today touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews: 3 specially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. 4 My :manner of life then from youth up, which was from the beginning among my :nation and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; 5 having knowledge of me from the first, if they be willing to testify, that after the straitest sect of our :religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand to be judged for the hope of the promise made of :God unto our :fathers; 7 unto which our :twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. Concerning which hope I am accused by the Jews, O King! 8 Why is it judged incredible with you, if :God doth raise the dead? 9 I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazorean; 10 which also I did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I also gave my vote against them. 11 And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I would compel them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign :cities. 12 On which errand as I journeyed to :Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against goads. 15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But arise, and stand upon thy :feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee minister and witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of those wherein I will appear to thee; 17 delivering thee from the people, and from the nations, unto whom I send thee, 18 to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of :Satan unto :God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by :faith in me. 19 Wherefore, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision: 20 but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of :Judæa, and also to the nations, that they should repent and turn to :God, doing works worthy of :repentance. 21 Because of these things the Jews seized me in the temple, and attempted to kill me. 22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from :God, I stand unto this :day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come; 23 †whether the Christ †must suffer, whether he first by a resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the nations. 24 And as he thus made his defense, :Festus saith with loud :voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning turneth thee to madness. 25 But :Paul saith, I am not mad, excellent Festus; but I speak forth words of truth and soberness. 26 For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom I speak boldly: for I am persuaded that none of these is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28 And :Agrippa said unto Paul, With but †little thou persuadest to make a Christian of ME. 29 And Paul said, I would to :God, that whether †with little or with great, not thou only, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except these :bonds. 30 And the king rose, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: 31 and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying [that], This :man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 32 And Agrippa said to :Festus, This man could have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to Cæsar.
