Acts 26:8-31

⁸why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead?

⁹'I, indeed, therefore, thought with myself, that against the name of Jesus of Nazareth it behoved me many things to do,

¹⁰which also I did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I in prison did shut up, from the chief priests having received the authority; they also being put to death, I gave my vote against them,

¹¹and in every synagogue, often punishing them, I was constraining them to speak evil, being also exceedingly mad against them, I was also persecuting them even unto strange cities.

¹²'In which things, also, going on to Damascus — with authority and commission from the chief priests —

¹³at mid-day, I saw in the way, O king, out of heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me a light — and those going on with me;

¹⁴and we all having fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? hard for thee against pricks to kick!

¹⁵'And I said, Who art thou, Lord? and he said, I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute;

¹⁶but rise, and stand upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things in which I will appear to thee,

¹⁷delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee,

¹⁸to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that is toward me.

¹⁹'Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁰but to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem, to all the region also of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to reform, and to turn back unto God, doing works worthy of reformation;

²¹because of these things the Jews — having caught me in the temple — were endeavouring to kill me.

²²'Having obtained, therefore, help from God, till this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spake of as about to come,

²³that the Christ is to suffer, whether first by a rising from the dead, he is about to proclaim light to the people and to the nations.'

²⁴And, he thus making a defence, Festus with a loud voice said, 'Thou art mad, Paul; much learning doth turn thee mad;'

²⁵and he saith, 'I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness the sayings I speak forth;

²⁶for the king doth know concerning these things, before whom also I speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing hath not been done in a corner;

²⁷thou dost believe, king Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that thou dost believe!'

²⁸And Agrippa said unto Paul, 'In a little thou dost persuade me to become a Christian!'

²⁹and Paul said, 'I would have wished to God, both in a little, and in much, not only thee, but also all those hearing me to-day, to become such as I also am — except these bonds.'

³⁰And, he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,

³¹and having withdrawn, they were speaking unto one another, saying — 'This man doth nothing worthy of death or of bonds;'