Acts 26:4-19

⁴All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at Jerusalem;

⁵And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law.

⁶And now I am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers;

⁷For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king!

⁸Why, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again?

⁹For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them.

¹¹And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.

¹²Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests,

¹³In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me.

¹⁴And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you.

¹⁵And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking.

¹⁶But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me;

¹⁷And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

¹⁸To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me.

¹⁹So, then, King Agrippa, I did not go against the vision from heaven;