Acts 26:32 - Prayer Tents

Paul Defends Himself before Agrippa

26Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself:G1161G67G5346G4314G3972G4671G2010G3004G5228G4572G5119G3972G1614G5495G626

2"I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,G2233G1683G3107G935G67G3195G626G4594G1909G4675G4012G3956G3739G1458G5259G2453

3because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently.G3122G1492G4571G5607G1109G5037G3956G1485G2532G2213G2596G2453G1352G1189G4675G191G3450G3116

4"All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem.G3450G3303G3767G981G1537G3503G3588G1096G575G746G1722G3450G1484G1722G2414G2467G3956G2453

5They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee.G4267G3165G509G1437G2309G3140G3754G2596G196G139G2251G2356G2198G5330

6And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors,G2532G3568G2476G2919G1909G1680G1860G1096G5259G2316G4314G3962

7a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews!G1519G3739G2257G1429G1722G1616G3000G2250G2532G3571G1679G2658G4012G3739G1680G935G67G1458G5259G2453

8Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?G5101G2919G571G3844G5213G1487G2316G1453G3498

9"Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.G1473G3303G3767G1380G1683G1163G4238G4183G1727G4314G3686G2424G3480

10And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death.G3739G4160G2532G4160G1722G2414G2532G4183G40G2623G1473G2623G5438G2983G1849G3844G749G5037G846G337G2702G5586

11By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.G2532G5097G846G4178G2596G3956G4864G315G987G5037G1693G4057G1693G846G1377G2532G1519G2193G1854G4172

Paul Tells of His Conversion

12"With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,G2532G1722G3739G4198G1519G1154G3326G1849G2532G2011G3844G749

13when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.G2250G3319G935G1492G2596G3598G5457G3771G5228G2987G2246G4034G3165G2532G4198G4862G1698

14When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.'G1161G2257G2667G3956G2667G1519G1093G191G5456G2980G4314G3165G2532G3004G1446G1258G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165G4642G4671G2979G4314G2759

15I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord answered, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.G1161G1473G2036G5101G1488G2962G1161G2036G1473G1510G2424G3739G4771G1377

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 and to those in which I will appear to you.G235G450G2532G2476G1909G4675G4228G1063G3700G4671G1519G5124G4400G4571G5257G2532G3144G5037G3739G1492G5037G3739G3700G4671

17I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending youG1807G4571G1537G2992G2532G1484G1519G3739G3568G649G4571

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 place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'G455G846G3788G1994G575G4655G1519G5457G2532G1849G4567G1909G2316G846G2983G859G266G2532G2819G1722G37G4102G1519G1691

Paul Tells of His Preaching

19"After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,G3606G935G67G1096G3756G545G3770G3701

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.G235G518G518G4412G1722G1154G2532G2414G5037G1519G3956G5561G2449G2532G1484G3340G2532G1994G1909G2316G4238G2041G514G3341

21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.G1752G5130G2453G4815G3165G1722G2411G3987G1315

22To 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:G5177G3767G5177G1947G3844G2316G2476G891G5026G2250G3140G5037G3398G2532G3173G3004G3762G1622G3739G5037G4396G2532G3475G2980G3195G1096

23that the Messiah 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."G1487G5547G3805G1487G4413G386G1537G3498G3195G2605G5457G2992G2532G1484

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!"G1161G846G5023G626G5347G5346G3173G5456G3972G3105G4183G1121G4062G4571G1519G3130

25But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.G1161G5346G3105G3756G3105G2903G5347G235G669G4487G225G2532G4997

26Indeed 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.G1063G935G1987G4012G5130G4314G3739G2532G2980G3955G1063G3982G3756G5100G3762G5130G2990G846G1063G5124G2076G3756G4238G1722G1137

27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."G935G67G4100G4396G1492G3754G4100

28Agrippa said to Paul, "Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?"G1161G67G5346G4314G3972G1722G3641G3982G3165G1096G5546

29Paul 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."G1161G3972G2036G302G2172G2316G3756G3440G4571G235G2532G3956G191G3450G4594G1096G2532G1722G3641G2532G1722G4183G5108G3697G2504G1510G3924G5130G1199

30Then the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them;G2532G846G2036G5023G2036G935G450G2532G2232G5037G959G2532G4775G846

31and as they were leaving, they said to one another, "This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment."G2532G402G2980G4314G240G3004G3754G3778G444G4238G3762G514G2288G2228G1199

32Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor."G1161G5346G67G5347G3778G444G1410G630G1508G1941G1508G1941G2541