Acts 26
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Acts 26
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| And Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defence: | And Agrippa said to Paul, You may put your cause before us. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, made his answer, saying: |
| I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before thee this day touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews: | In my opinion I am happy, King Agrippa, to be able to give my answer before you today to all these things which the Jews say against me: |
| especially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. | The more so, because you are expert in all questions to do with the Jews and their ways: so I make my request to you to give me a hearing to the end. |
| My manner of life then from my youth up, which was from the beginning among mine own nation and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; | All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at Jerusalem; |
| 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. | And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law. |
| And now I stand [here] to be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; | And now I am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers; |
| unto which [promise] our twelve tribes, earnestly serving [God] night and day, hope to attain. And concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! | For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king! |
| Why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead? | Why, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again? |
| I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. | For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. |
| And this I also 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 gave my vote against them. | And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them. |
| And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities. | And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns. |
| Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, | Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests, |
| 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. | In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me. |
| 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 the goad. | And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you. |
| And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. | And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking. |
| But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; | But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me; |
| delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, | And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, |
| to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me. | To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me. |
| Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: | So, then, King Agrippa, I did not go against the vision from heaven; |
| but declared both to them of Damascus first and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. | But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart. |
| For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me. | For this reason, the Jews took me in the Temple, and made an attempt to put me to death. |
| 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; | And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about; |
| how that the Christ must suffer, [and] how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles. | That the Christ would go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the people and to the Gentiles. |
| And as he thus made his defense, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning is turning thee mad. | And when he made his answer in these words, Festus said in a loud voice, Paul, you are off your head; your great learning has made you unbalanced. |
| But Paul saith, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and soberness. | Then Paul said, I am not off my head, most noble Festus, but my words are true and wise. |
| For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner. | For the king has knowledge of these things, to whom I am talking freely; being certain that all this is common knowledge to him; for it has not been done in secret. |
| King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. | King Agrippa, have you faith in the prophets? I am certain that you have. |
| And Agrippa [said] unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. | And Agrippa said to Paul, A little more and you will be making me a Christian. |
| And Paul [said], I would to God, that whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds. | And Paul said, It is my prayer to God that, in little or great measure, not only you, but all those hearing me today might be even as I am, but for these chains. |
| And the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: | And the king and the ruler and Bernice and those who were seated with them got up; |
| and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. | And when they had gone away they said to one another, This man has done nothing which might give cause for death or prison. |
| And Agrippa said unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. | And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been made free, if he had not put his cause before Caesar. |
