26Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak on your own behalf." Paul stretched out his hand and defended himself as follows:G1161G67G5346G4314G3972G4671G2010G3004G5228G4572G5119G3972G1614G5495G626 2"King Agrippa! I consider myself fortunate that today I am to defend myself before you from all the things these Jews accuse me of,G2233G1683G3107G935G67G3195G626G4594G1909G4675G4012G3956G3739G1458G5259G2453 3particularly since you know so well all the Jewish customs and disputes. I ask you, then, to listen to me with patience.G3122G1492G4571G5607G1109G5037G3956G1485G2532G2213G2596G2453G1352G1189G4675G191G3450G3116 4"All the Jews know how I have lived ever since I was young. They know how I have spent my whole life, at first in my own country and then in Jerusalem.G3450G3303G3767G981G1537G3503G3588G1096G575G746G1722G3450G1484G1722G2414G2467G3956G2453 5They have always known, if they are willing to testify, that from the very first I have lived as a member of the strictest party of our religion, the Pharisees.G4267G3165G509G1437G2309G3140G3754G2596G196G139G2251G2356G2198G5330 6And now I stand here to be tried because of the hope I have in the promise that God made to our ancestors -G2532G3568G2476G2919G1909G1680G1860G1096G5259G2316G4314G3962 7the very thing that the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive, as they worship God day and night. And it is because of this hope, Your Majesty, that I am being accused by these Jews!G1519G3739G2257G1429G1722G1616G3000G2250G2532G3571G1679G2658G4012G3739G1680G935G67G1458G5259G2453 8Why do you who are here find it impossible to believe that God raises the dead?G5101G2919G571G3844G5213G1487G2316G1453G3498 9"I myself thought that I should do everything I could against the cause of Jesus of Nazareth.G1473G3303G3767G1380G1683G1163G4238G4183G1727G4314G3686G2424G3480 10That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the chief priests and put many of God's people in prison; and when they were sentenced to death, I also voted against them.G3739G4160G2532G4160G1722G2414G2532G4183G40G2623G1473G2623G5438G2983G1849G3844G749G5037G846G337G2702G5586 11Many times I had them punished in the synagogues and tried to make them deny their faith. I was so furious with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.G2532G5097G846G4178G2596G3956G4864G315G987G5037G1693G4057G1693G846G1377G2532G1519G2193G1854G4172 12"It was for this purpose that I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests.G2532G1722G3739G4198G1519G1154G3326G1849G2532G2011G3844G749 13It was on the road at midday, Your Majesty, that I saw a light much brighter than the sun, coming from the sky and shining around me and the men traveling with me.G2250G3319G935G1492G2596G3598G5457G3771G5228G2987G2246G4034G3165G2532G4198G4862G1698 14All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, 'Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself by hitting back, like an ox kicking against its owner's stick.'G1161G2257G2667G3956G2667G1519G1093G191G5456G2980G4314G3165G2532G3004G1446G1258G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165G4642G4671G2979G4314G2759 15'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord answered, 'I am Jesus, whom you persecute.G1161G1473G2036G5101G1488G2962G1161G2036G1473G1510G2424G3739G4771G1377 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 today and what I will show you in the future.G235G450G2532G2476G1909G4675G4228G1063G3700G4671G1519G5124G4400G4571G5257G2532G3144G5037G3739G1492G5037G3739G3700G4671 17I will rescue you from the people of Israel and from the Gentiles to whom I will send you.G1807G4571G1537G2992G2532G1484G1519G3739G3568G649G4571 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.'G455G846G3788G1994G575G4655G1519G5457G2532G1849G4567G1909G2316G846G2983G859G266G2532G2819G1722G37G4102G1519G1691 19"And so, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision I had from heaven.G3606G935G67G1096G3756G545G3770G3701 20First in Damascus and in Jerusalem and then in the whole country of Israel 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.G235G518G518G4412G1722G1154G2532G2414G5037G1519G3956G5561G2449G2532G1484G3340G2532G1994G1909G2316G4238G2041G514G3341 21It was for this reason that these Jews seized me while I was in the Temple, and they tried to kill me.G1752G5130G2453G4815G3165G1722G2411G3987G1315 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:G5177G3767G5177G1947G3844G2316G2476G891G5026G2250G3140G5037G3398G2532G3173G3004G3762G1622G3739G5037G4396G2532G3475G2980G3195G1096 23that 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."G1487G5547G3805G1487G4413G386G1537G3498G3195G2605G5457G2992G2532G1484 24As Paul defended himself in this way, Festus shouted at him, "You are mad, Paul! Your great learning is driving you mad!"G1161G846G5023G626G5347G5346G3173G5456G3972G3105G4183G1121G4062G4571G1519G3130 25Paul answered, "I am not mad, Your Excellency! I am speaking the sober truth.G1161G5346G3105G3756G3105G2903G5347G235G669G4487G225G2532G4997 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.G1063G935G1987G4012G5130G4314G3739G2532G2980G3955G1063G3982G3756G5100G3762G5130G2990G846G1063G5124G2076G3756G4238G1722G1137 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do!"G935G67G4100G4396G1492G3754G4100 28Agrippa said to Paul, "In this short time do you think you will make me a Christian?"G1161G67G5346G4314G3972G1722G3641G3982G3165G1096G5546 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!"G1161G3972G2036G302G2172G2316G3756G3440G4571G235G2532G3956G191G3450G4594G1096G2532G1722G3641G2532G1722G4183G5108G3697G2504G1510G3924G5130G1199 30Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up,G2532G846G2036G5023G2036G935G450G2532G2232G5037G959G2532G4775G846 31and after leaving they said to each other, "This man has not done anything for which he should die or be put in prison."G2532G402G2980G4314G240G3004G3754G3778G444G4238G3762G514G2288G2228G1199 32And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been released if he had not appealed to the Emperor."G1161G5346G67G5347G3778G444G1410G630G1508G1941G1508G1941G2541
