26Agrippa spoke directly to Paul: "Go ahead—tell us about yourself." Paul took the stand and told his story.G1161G67G5346G4314G3972G4671G2010G3004G5228G4572G5119G3972G1614G5495G626 2"I can't think of anyone, King Agrippa, before whom I'd rather be answering all these Jewish accusations than you,G2233G1683G3107G935G67G3195G626G4594G1909G4675G4012G3956G3739G1458G5259G2453 3knowing how well you are acquainted with Jewish ways and all our family quarrels.G3122G1492G4571G5607G1109G5037G3956G1485G2532G2213G2596G2453G1352G1189G4675G191G3450G3116 4"From the time of my youth, my life has been lived among my own people in Jerusalem.G3450G3303G3767G981G1537G3503G3588G1096G575G746G1722G3450G1484G1722G2414G2467G3956G2453 5Practically every Jew in town who watched me grow up—and if they were willing to stick their necks out they'd tell you in person—knows that I lived as a strict Pharisee, the most demanding branch of our religion.G4267G3165G509G1437G2309G3140G3754G2596G196G139G2251G2356G2198G5330 6It's because I believed it and took it seriously,G2532G3568G2476G2919G1909G1680G1860G1096G5259G2316G4314G3962 7committed myself heart and soul to what God promised my ancestors—the identical hope, mind you, that the twelve tribes have lived for night and day all these centuries—it's because I have held on to this tested and tried hope that I'm being called on the carpet by the Jews. They should be the ones standing trial here, not me!G1519G3739G2257G1429G1722G1616G3000G2250G2532G3571G1679G2658G4012G3739G1680G935G67G1458G5259G2453 8For the life of me, I can't see why it's a criminal offense to believe that God raises the dead.G5101G2919G571G3844G5213G1487G2316G1453G3498 9"I admit that I didn't always hold to this position. For a time I thought it was my duty to oppose this Jesus of Nazareth with all my might.G1473G3303G3767G1380G1683G1163G4238G4183G1727G4314G3686G2424G3480 10Backed with the full authority of the high priests, I threw these believers—I had no idea they were God's people!—into the Jerusalem jail right and left, and whenever it came to a vote, I voted for their execution.G3739G4160G2532G4160G1722G2414G2532G4183G40G2623G1473G2623G5438G2983G1849G3844G749G5037G846G337G2702G5586 11I stormed through their meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man terror obsessed with obliterating these people. And then I started on the towns outside Jerusalem.G2532G5097G846G4178G2596G3956G4864G315G987G5037G1693G4057G1693G846G1377G2532G1519G2193G1854G4172 12"One day on my way to Damascus, armed as always with papers from the high priests authorizing my action,G2532G1722G3739G4198G1519G1154G3326G1849G2532G2011G3844G749 13right in the middle of the day a blaze of light, light outshining the sun, poured out of the sky on me and my companions. Oh, King, it was so bright!G2250G3319G935G1492G2596G3598G5457G3771G5228G2987G2246G4034G3165G2532G4198G4862G1698 14We fell flat on our faces. Then I heard a voice in Hebrew: 'Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? Why do you insist on going against the grain?'G1161G2257G2667G3956G2667G1519G1093G191G5456G2980G4314G3165G2532G3004G1446G1258G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165G4642G4671G2979G4314G2759 15"I said, 'Who are you, Master?' "The voice answered, 'I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down like an animal.G1161G1473G2036G5101G1488G2962G1161G2036G1473G1510G2424G3739G4771G1377 16But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I've handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what's happened today, and to what I am going to show you.G235G450G2532G2476G1909G4675G4228G1063G3700G4671G1519G5124G4400G4571G5257G2532G3144G5037G3739G1492G5037G3739G3700G4671 17"'I'm sending you offG1807G4571G1537G2992G2532G1484G1519G3739G3568G649G4571 18to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I'm sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.'G455G846G3788G1994G575G4655G1519G5457G2532G1849G4567G1909G2316G846G2983G859G266G2532G2819G1722G37G4102G1519G1691 19"What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn't just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot.G3606G935G67G1096G3756G545G3770G3701 20I started preaching this life-change—this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life—right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.G235G518G518G4412G1722G1154G2532G2414G5037G1519G3956G5561G2449G2532G1484G3340G2532G1994G1909G2316G4238G2041G514G3341 21"It's because of this 'whole world' dimension that the Jews grabbed me in the Temple that day and tried to kill me. They want to keep God for themselves.G1752G5130G2453G4815G3165G1722G2411G3987G1315 22But God has stood by me, just as he promised, and I'm standing here saying what I've been saying to anyone, whether king or child, who will listen. And everything I'm saying is completely in line with what the prophets and Moses said would happen:G5177G3767G5177G1947G3844G2316G2476G891G5026G2250G3140G5037G3398G2532G3173G3004G3762G1622G3739G5037G4396G2532G3475G2980G3195G1096 23One, the Messiah must die; two, raised from the dead, he would be the first rays of God's daylight shining on people far and near, people both godless and God-fearing."G1487G5547G3805G1487G4413G386G1537G3498G3195G2605G5457G2992G2532G1484 24That was too much for Festus. He interrupted with a shout: "Paul, you're crazy! You've read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space! Get a grip on yourself, get back in the real world!"G1161G846G5023G626G5347G5346G3173G5456G3972G3105G4183G1121G4062G4571G1519G3130 25But Paul stood his ground. "With all respect, Festus, Your Honor, I'm not crazy. I'm both accurate and sane in what I'm saying.G1161G5346G3105G3756G3105G2903G5347G235G669G4487G225G2532G4997 26The King knows what I'm talking about. I'm sure that nothing of what I've said sounds crazy to him. He's known all about it for a long time. You must realize that this wasn't done behind the scenes.G1063G935G1987G4012G5130G4314G3739G2532G2980G3955G1063G3982G3756G5100G3762G5130G2990G846G1063G5124G2076G3756G4238G1722G1137 27You believe the prophets, don't you, King Agrippa? Don't answer that—I know you believe."G935G67G4100G4396G1492G3754G4100 28But Agrippa did answer: "Keep this up much longer and you'll make a Christian out of me!"G1161G67G5346G4314G3972G1722G3641G3982G3165G1096G5546 29Paul, still in chains, said, "That's what I'm praying for, whether now or later, and not only you but everyone listening today, to become like me—except, of course, for this prison jewelry!"G1161G3972G2036G302G2172G2316G3756G3440G4571G235G2532G3956G191G3450G4594G1096G2532G1722G3641G2532G1722G4183G5108G3697G2504G1510G3924G5130G1199 30The king and the governor, along with Bernice and their advisors, got upG2532G846G2036G5023G2036G935G450G2532G2232G5037G959G2532G4775G846 31and went into the next room to talk over what they had heard. They quickly agreed on Paul's innocence, saying, "There's nothing in this man deserving prison, let alone death."G2532G402G2980G4314G240G3004G3754G3778G444G4238G3762G514G2288G2228G1199 32Agrippa told Festus, "He could be set free right now if he hadn't requested the hearing before Caesar."G1161G5346G67G5347G3778G444G1410G630G1508G1941G1508G1941G2541
Dublin, OH
