Acts 26:16–32

¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me^w and to those in which I will appear to you.^{* 17}I will rescue you from your people and from the gentiles—to whom I am sending you^{* 18}to 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 place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^*

Paul Tells of His Preaching

¹⁹“After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision ²⁰but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance.^{* 21}For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.^{* 22}To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place:^{* 23}that the Messiah^x must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the gentiles.”^*

Paul Appeals to Agrippa to Believe

²⁴While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!”^{* 25}But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.^{* 26}Indeed, the king knows about these things, and to him I speak freely, for I am certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” ²⁸Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?”^{* 29}Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray 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.”^*

³⁰Then the king got up and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them, ³¹and as they were leaving they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.”^{* 32}Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor.”^*