1: Then
Agrippa said to Paul You are permitted to speak for yourself Then Paul
stretched forth his hand and answered for himself 2: I think myself
happy king Agrippa because I shall answer for myself this day before you
touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews 3: Especially
because I know you to be expert in all customs and questions which are among
the Jews wherefore I beseech you to hear me patiently 4: My manner of
life from my youth which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem
know all the Jews 5: who knew me from the beginning if they would
testify that after the most strict sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee 6:
And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God to our
fathers 7: Unto which promise our twelve tribes instantly serving God
day and night hope to come For which hope's sake king Agrippa I am accused of
the Jews 8: Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that
God should raise the dead 9: I verily thought with myself that I ought
to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth 10: Which
thing I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints did I shut up in prison
having received authority from the chief priests and when they were put to
death I gave my voice against them 11: And I punished them often in
every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad
against them I persecuted them even to strange cities 12: Whereupon as I
went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests 13:
At midday O king I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of
the sun shining round about me and them which journeyed with me 14: And
when we were all fallen to the earth I heard a voice speaking to me and saying
in the Hebrew tongue Saul, Saul why do you persecute me it is hard for you to
kick against the pricks 15: And I said Who are you Lord And he said I am
Jesus whom you persecute 16: But rise and stand upon your feet for I
have appeared to you for this purpose to make you a minister and a witness both
of these things which you have seen and of those things in the which I will reveal
to you 17: Delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom
now I send you 18: To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to
light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me 19:
Whereupon O king Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision 20:
But shewed first to them of Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout all the
coasts of Judaea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to
God and do works compatible with repentance 21: For these causes the
Jews caught me in the temple and went about to kill me 22: Having
therefore obtained help of God I continue to this day witnessing both to small
and great saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses did
say should come[1]
3: That Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should
rise from the dead and should show light to the people and to the Gentiles 24:
And as he thus spoke for himself Festus said with a loud voice Paul you are
beside yourself much learning does make you mad 25: But he said I am not
mad most noble Festus but speak forth the words of truth and soberness 26:
For the king knows of these things before whom also I speak freely for I am
persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him for this thing was not
done in a corner 27: King Agrippa do you believe the prophets I know
that you believe 28: Then Agrippa said to Paul Almost [do] you persuade
me to be a Christian 29: And Paul said I would to God that not only you
but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am
except these bonds 30: And when he had thus spoken the king rose up and
the governor and Bernice and they that sat with them 31: And when they
were gone aside they talked between themselves saying This man does nothing
worthy of death or of bonds 32: Then said Agrippa to Festus This man
might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar
[1] Paul confirmed that everything he
taught, including his many revelations, was prophesied and could be confirmed
through scripture. The Bereans were called noble because they searched the
scriptures to see if Paul was telling them the truth.
Additional commentary pending for this
chapter. Questions and comments are welcome.
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