Paul’s Defense before Agrippa

26 ^(A)Now Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul extended his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

² “Regarding all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,

⁸ Why is it considered incredible among you people ^(A)if God raises the dead?

⁹ “So ^(B)I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to ^(C)the name of Jesus ^[a]of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And this is ^[b]just what I ^(D)did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the ^[c]saints in prisons, after ^(E)receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also ^(F)cast my vote against them when they were being put to death. ¹¹ And ^(G)as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was ^(H)extremely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ^(I)even to ^[d]foreign cities.

¹² “^[e]While so engaged, ^(J)as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, ^[f]brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ And when we had ^(K)all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the ^[g](L)Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ^[h]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and ^(M)stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to ^(N)appoint you as a ^(O)servant and ^(P)a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, ^17 (Q)rescuing you ^(R)from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to ^(S)open their eyes so that they may turn from ^(T)darkness to light, and from the ^[i]power of ^(U)Satan to God, that they may receive ^(V)forgiveness of sins and an ^(W)inheritance among those who have been sanctified by ^(X)faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,