Acts 26:4–32

⁴“Now all the Jews know my manner of life from my youth, that had taken place from the beginning among my own people^a and in Jerusalem, ⁵having known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that in accordance with the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. ⁶And now I stand here on trial on the basis of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, ⁷to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve him^* night and day. Concerning this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king! ⁸Why is it thought incredible by you people^* that God raises the dead? ⁹Indeed, I myself thought it was necessary to do many things opposed to the name of Jesus the Nazarene, ¹⁰which I also did in Jerusalem, and not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when^* they were being executed, I cast my vote^b against them.^{* 11}And throughout all the synagogues I punished them often and^* tried to force^* them^* to blaspheme, and because I^* was enraged at them beyond measure, I was pursuing them^* even as far as to foreign cities. ¹²In this activity^c I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. ¹³In the middle of the day along the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven, more than the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those who were traveling with me. ¹⁴And when^* we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Aramaic language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads!’ ¹⁵So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet, because for this reason I have appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and witness both to the things in which you saw me and to the things in which I will appear to you, ¹⁷rescuing 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, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

¹⁹“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem and all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. ²¹On account of these things the Jews seized me in^d the temple courts^* and^* were attempting to kill me.^{* 22}Therefore I have experienced help from God until this day, and^* I stand here testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what both the prophets and Moses have said were going to happen, ²³that the Christ^e was to suffer and that as the first of the resurrection from the dead, he was going to proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴And as^* he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Your^* great learning is driving^f you insane!”^{g 25}But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but am speaking words of truth and rationality. ²⁶For the king knows about these things, to whom also I am speaking freely, for I am not convinced that these things in any way have escaped^h his notice, because this wasⁱ not done^j in a corner. ²⁷Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” ²⁸But Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?”^{k 29}And Paul replied, “I pray to God, whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who are listening to me today may become such people as I also am, except for these bonds!”

³⁰Both the king and the governor got up, and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. ³¹And as they^* were going out, they were talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment.” ³²And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”