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.