Before King Agrippa

¹³Some days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. ¹⁴Since they were staying for many days, Festus brought up Paul's case with the king, saying, "There is a man here who was left as a prisoner by Felix. ¹⁵When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a judgment against him. ¹⁶I told them that it is not Roman practice to hand any man over before the accused has had a chance to face his accusers directly and defend himself against the charges. ¹⁷So when they came here, I wasted no time. The very next day I took my seat at the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. ¹⁸When his accusers stood up, they brought no charge of the kind of crimes I had expected. ¹⁹Instead, they had certain disputes with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul claimed was alive. ²⁰Since I was at a loss how to investigate such questions, I asked him whether he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these matters. ²¹But when Paul had appealed to be reserved for the hearing before Augustus, I commanded him to be kept until I might send him to Caesar. ²²Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." "Tomorrow," Festus said, "you will hear him." ²³The next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived with great pomp and entered the hearing hall, accompanied by the military commanders and the prominent men of the city. At Festus's command, Paul was brought in. ²⁴Festus said, "King Agrippa and all who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole multitude of the Jews has appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out that he ought not to live any longer." ²⁵But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶However, I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination I may have something to write. ²⁷For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without also specifying the charges against him." Chapter 26¹Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak on your own behalf." So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense: ²King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to be making my defense before you today regarding all the charges brought against me by the Jews, ³especially since you are thoroughly familiar with all the customs and disputes among the Jews. So I ask you to listen to me patiently. ⁴All the Jews know how I have lived from my youth, from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known me for a long time and could testify, if they were willing, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. ⁶And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers. ⁷This is the promise that our twelve tribes hope to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is for this hope, King Agrippa, that I am accused by the Jews. ⁸Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? ⁹I myself was once convinced that I ought to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰That is exactly what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests, I locked many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹I punished them often in every synagogue and tried to force them to blaspheme. In my extreme rage against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. ¹²While on one such mission, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³At midday, O king, I saw on the road a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' ¹⁵I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said, 'I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. ¹⁶Now get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose — to appoint you as a servant and witness both of the things you have seen and of the things I will reveal to you. ¹⁷I will deliver you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am now sending you, ¹⁸to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' ¹⁹Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. ²⁰Instead, I declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, then throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. ²¹This is why the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²²But having obtained help from God, I stand to this day, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen — ²³that the Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and that he would proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." ²⁴While Paul was making this defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you insane!" ²⁵But Paul replied, "I am not insane, most noble Festus. What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶For the king knows about these things, before whom I also speak freely. I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do." ²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time you would persuade me to become a Christian." ²⁹Paul said, "I would pray to God that whether in a short time or a long time, not only you but all who hear me today would become such as I am — except for these chains." ³⁰Then the king rose up, along with the governor, Bernice, and those who sat with them. ³¹After they withdrew, they spoke to one another, saying, "This man is doing nothing worthy of death or imprisonment." ³²And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."