Acts 26:16–32

¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant. You are to tell others what you have seen of me^k today and what I will show you in the future. ¹⁷I will rescue you from the people of Israel and from the Gentiles to whom I will send you. ¹⁸You are to open their eyes and turn them from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God, so that through their faith in me they will have their sins forgiven and receive their place among God’s chosen people.’

Paul Tells of His Work

¹⁹“And so, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision I had from heaven. ^20*First in Damascus and in Jerusalem and then in all Judea and among the Gentiles, I preached that they must repent of their sins and turn to God and do the things that would show they had repented. ²¹It was for this reason that these Jews seized me while I was in the Temple, and they tried to kill me. ²²But to this very day I have been helped by God, and so I stand here giving my witness to all, to small and great alike. What I say is the very same thing which the prophets and Moses said was going to happen: ^23*that the Messiah must suffer and be the first one to rise from death, to announce the light of salvation to the Jews and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴As Paul defended himself in this way, Festus shouted at him, “You are mad, Paul! Your great learning is driving you mad!”

²⁵Paul answered, “I am not mad, Your Excellency! I am speaking the sober truth. ²⁶King Agrippa! I can speak to you with all boldness, because you know about these things. I am sure that you have taken notice of every one of them, for this thing has not happened hidden away in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do!”

²⁸Agrippa said to Paul, “In this short time do you think you will make me a Christian?”

²⁹“Whether a short time or a long time,” Paul answered, “my prayer to God is that you and all the rest of you who are listening to me today might become what I am—except, of course, for these chains!”

³⁰Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up, ³¹and after leaving they said to each other, “This man has not done anything for which he should die or be put in prison.” ³²And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”