Acts 26

Paul's Former Life Acts 26:4–11

⁴Verse 4. “Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem; ⁵Verse 5. having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ⁶Verse 6. Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, ⁷Verse 7. which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa! ⁸Verse 8. Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?

⁹Verse 9. “I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰Verse 10. This I also did in Jerusalem. 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. ¹¹Verse 11. Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

The Damascus Encounter Acts 26:12–18

¹²Verse 12. “Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³Verse 13. at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me. ¹⁴Verse 14. When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵Verse 15. “I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶Verse 16. But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you;

¹⁷Verse 17. delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, ¹⁸Verse 18. to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Proclaiming the Gospel Acts 26:19–23

¹⁹Verse 19. “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰Verse 20. but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. ²¹Verse 21. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me. ²²Verse 22. Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, ²³Verse 23. how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”

Festus Interrupts Acts 26:24–27

²⁴Verse 24. As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!” ²⁵Verse 25. But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness. ²⁶Verse 26. For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷Verse 27. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

Agrippa's Response Acts 26:28–29

²⁸Verse 28. Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?” ²⁹Verse 29. Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”

Conclusion of the Trial Acts 26:30–32

³⁰Verse 30. The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them. ³¹Verse 31. When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.” ³²Verse 32. Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”