26 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:

² I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:

³ Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

⁴ My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

⁵ Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

⁶ And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:

⁷ Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

⁸ Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

⁹ I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰ Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

¹¹ And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

¹² Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

¹³ At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

¹⁴ And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

¹⁶ But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

¹⁷ Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

¹⁸ To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

¹⁹ Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

²⁰ But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

²¹ For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

²² Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

²³ That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

²⁴ And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.

²⁵ But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.

²⁶ For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.

²⁷ King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.

²⁸ Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

²⁹ And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

³⁰ And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:

³¹ And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.

³² Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

94 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

² Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

³ Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

⁴ How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

⁵ They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.

⁶ They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

⁷ Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

⁸ Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

⁹ He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

¹⁰ He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

¹¹ The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

¹² Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;

¹³ That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

¹⁴ For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

¹⁵ But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

¹⁷ Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

¹⁸ When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

¹⁹ In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

²⁰ Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

²¹ They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

²² But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

²³ And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

27 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

² As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

³ All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

⁴ My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁵ God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

⁶ My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

⁷ Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

⁸ For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

⁹ Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

¹⁰ Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

¹¹ I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

¹² Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

¹³ This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

¹⁴ If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵ Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

¹⁶ Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

¹⁷ He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

¹⁸ He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

¹⁹ The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

²⁰ Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

²¹ The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

²² For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

²³ Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

28 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

² Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.

³ He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

⁴ The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

⁵ As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

⁶ The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.

⁷ There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

⁸ The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

⁹ He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.

¹⁰ He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

¹¹ He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

¹² But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

¹³ Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴ The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

¹⁵ It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

¹⁶ It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

¹⁷ The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

¹⁸ No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

¹⁹ The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

²⁰ Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

²¹ Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

²² Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

²³ God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

²⁴ For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

²⁵ To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

²⁶ When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

²⁷ Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

²⁸ And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

29 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

² Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

³ When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

⁴ As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;

⁶ When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

⁷ When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

⁸ The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.

⁹ The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

¹⁰ The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

¹¹ When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:

¹² Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.

¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.

¹⁶ I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

¹⁷ And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

¹⁸ Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

¹⁹ My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

²⁰ My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

²¹ Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.

²² After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

²³ And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

²⁴ If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.

²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.