1 w“Brothers and fathers, hear the xdefense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language,1 they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 y“I am a zJew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of aGamaliel2 according to the bstrict manner of the law of our fathers, being czealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I dpersecuted this eWay to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me fsaw the light but did not understand3 the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to gsee the hRighteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a iwitness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and jwash away your sins, kcalling on his name.’
17 l“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a mtrance 18 and saw him saying to me, n‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And owhen the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away pto the Gentiles.’”
10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:
r“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my sdefense. 11 You can verify that it is not more than ttwelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a uhope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a vresurrection of both the wjust and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a xclear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now after several years I came yto bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me zpurified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— 19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the acouncil, 21 other than bthis one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”
Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa
1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
2 t“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and ucontroversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my vyouth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the wstrictest party of our religion I have lived as a xPharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise ymade by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to zattain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this ahope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought bincredible by any of you that cGod raises the dead?
9 d“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the ename of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in fraging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a glight from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,1 ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the hLord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and istand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—jto whom I am sending you 18 to kopen their eyes, so that they may turn from ldarkness to mlight and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared nfirst to those in Damascus, othen in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and palso to the Gentiles, that they should qrepent and rturn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 21 For this reason sthe Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but twhat the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being uthe first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim vlight both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 wFor the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you xbelieve the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a yChristian?”2 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become zsuch as I am—except for these chains.”
