Acts 26:2-23

English Standard Version

²“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today ^(A)against all the accusations of the Jews, ³especially because you are familiar with all the ^(B)customs and ^(C)controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴^(D)“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among ^(E)my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. ⁵They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that ^(F)according to the strictest ^(G)party of our ^(H)religion I have lived as ^(I)a Pharisee. ⁶And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in ^(J)the promise made by God to our fathers, ⁷^(K)to which ^(L)our twelve tribes hope to ^(M)attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope ^(N)I am accused by Jews, O king! ⁸Why is it thought ^(O)incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

⁹^(P)“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of ^(Q)Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰^(R)And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority ^(S)from the chief priests, but ^(T)when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. ¹¹And ^(U)I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them ^(V)blaspheme, and ^(W)in raging fury against them I ^(X)persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

¹²“In this connection ^(Y)I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me ^(Z)in the Hebrew language,^[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But rise and ^(AA)stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^(AB)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^(AC)delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—^(AD)to whom I ^(AE)am sending you ¹⁸^(AF)to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from ^(AG)the power of Satan to God, that they may receive ^(AH)forgiveness of sins and ^(AI)a place among those who are sanctified ^(AJ)by faith in me.’

¹⁹“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to ^(AK)the heavenly vision, ²⁰but declared first ^(AL)to those in Damascus, ^(AM)then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also ^(AN)to the Gentiles, that they should ^(AO)repent and ^(AP)turn to God, performing deeds ^(AQ)in keeping with their repentance. ²¹For this reason ^(AR)the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²²^(AS)To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so ^(AT)I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what ^(AU)the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ²³^(AV)that the Christ ^(AW)must suffer and that, ^(AX)by being the first ^(AY)to rise from the dead, ^(AZ)he would proclaim ^(BA)light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”