15Then I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you persecute.
16Now get up and stand on your feet; because for this purpose I appeared to you, to appoint you to be a servant and a witness concerning the things that you know about me now and the things that I will show to you later;
17and I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you,
18to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive from God the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance that I give to them who are sanctified by faith in me.'
19Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision;
20but, to those in Damascus first, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, I gave them the message that that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance.
21For this cause the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22God has helped me until now, so I stand and testify to the common people and to the great ones about nothing more than what the prophets and Moses said would happen—
23that Christ must suffer and that by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our own people and to the Gentiles.”
24As Paul completed his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are insane; your great learning makes you insane.”
25But Paul said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but what I am declaring is true and rational.
26For the king knows about these things; and so, I speak freely to him, for I am persuaded that none of this is hidden from him; for this has not been done in a corner.
27Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”
28Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me and make me a Christian?”
29Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether in a short or long time, not you only, but also all that hear me today, would be like me, but without these prison chains.”
30Then the king stood up, and the governor, and Bernice also, and those who were sitting with them;
31when they left the hall, they talked to one another and said, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”
32Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar.”