Acts 26

New International Version

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”^(A)

So Paul motioned with his hand^(B) and began his defense: ²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you^(C) today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,^(D) ³and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs^(E) and controversies.^(F) Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴“The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child,^(G) from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known me for a long time^(H) and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect^(I) of our religion, living as a Pharisee.^(J) ⁶And now it is because of my hope^(K) in what God has promised our ancestors^(L) that I am on trial today. ⁷This is the promise our twelve tribes^(M) are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night.^(N) King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.^(O) ⁸Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?^(P)

⁹“I too was convinced^(Q) that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose^(R) the name of Jesus of Nazareth.^(S) ¹⁰And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people^(T) in prison,^(U) and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.^(V) ¹¹Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished,^(W) and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

¹²“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice^(X) saying to me in Aramaic,^[a]^(Y) ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶‘Now get up and stand on your feet.^(Z) I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.^(AA) ¹⁷I will rescue you^(AB) from your own people and from the Gentiles.^(AC) I am sending you to them ¹⁸to open their eyes^(AD) and turn them from darkness to light,^(AE) and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins^(AF) and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^(AG)

¹⁹“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient^(AH) to the vision from heaven. ²⁰First to those in Damascus,^(AI) then to those in Jerusalem^(AJ) and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles,^(AK) I preached that they should repent^(AL) and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.^(AM) ²¹That is why some Jews seized me^(AN) in the temple courts and tried to kill me.^(AO) ²²But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen^(AP)— ²³that the Messiah would suffer^(AQ) and, as the first to rise from the dead,^(AR) would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”^(AS)

²⁴At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind,^(AT) Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning^(AU) is driving you insane.”

²⁵“I am not insane, most excellent^(AV) Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶The king is familiar with these things,^(AW) and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”^(AX)

²⁹Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”^(AY)

³⁰The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice^(AZ) and those sitting with them. ³¹After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”^(BA)

³²Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free^(BB) if he had not appealed to Caesar.”^(BC)

Footnotes

Acts 26:14 Or Hebrew

Psalm 94

New International Version

Psalm 94

¹The Lord is a God who avenges.^(A)
    O God who avenges, shine forth.^(B)
²Rise up,^(C) Judge^(D) of the earth;
    pay back^(E) to the proud what they deserve.
³How long, Lord, will the wicked,
    how long will the wicked be jubilant?^(F)

⁴They pour out arrogant^(G) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.^(H)
⁵They crush your people,^(I) Lord;
    they oppress your inheritance.^(J)
⁶They slay the widow^(K) and the foreigner;
    they murder the fatherless.^(L)
⁷They say, “The Lord does not see;^(M)
    the God of Jacob^(N) takes no notice.”

⁸Take notice, you senseless ones^(O) among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?^(P)
¹⁰Does he who disciplines^(Q) nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches^(R) mankind lack knowledge?
¹¹The Lord knows all human plans;^(S)
    he knows that they are futile.^(T)

¹²Blessed is the one you discipline,^(U) Lord,
    the one you teach^(V) from your law;
¹³you grant them relief from days of trouble,^(W)
    till a pit^(X) is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴For the Lord will not reject his people;^(Y)
    he will never forsake his inheritance.
¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,^(Z)
    and all the upright in heart^(AA) will follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up^(AB) for me against the wicked?
    Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?^(AC)
¹⁷Unless the Lord had given me help,^(AD)
    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.^(AE)
¹⁸When I said, “My foot is slipping,^(AF)”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
¹⁹When anxiety^(AG) was great within me,
    your consolation^(AH) brought me joy.

²⁰Can a corrupt throne^(AI) be allied with you—
    a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?^(AJ)
²¹The wicked band together^(AK) against the righteous
    and condemn the innocent^(AL) to death.^(AM)
²²But the Lord has become my fortress,
    and my God the rock^(AN) in whom I take refuge.^(AO)
²³He will repay^(AP) them for their sins
    and destroy^(AQ) them for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will destroy them.

Job 27-29

New International Version

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

27 And Job continued his discourse:^(A)

²“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,^(B)
    the Almighty,^(C) who has made my life bitter,^(D)
³as long as I have life within me,
    the breath of God^(E) in my nostrils,
⁴my lips will not say anything wicked,
    and my tongue will not utter lies.^(F)
⁵I will never admit you are in the right;
    till I die, I will not deny my integrity.^(G)
⁶I will maintain my innocence^(H) and never let go of it;
    my conscience^(I) will not reproach me as long as I live.^(J)

⁷“May my enemy be like the wicked,^(K)
    my adversary^(L) like the unjust!
⁸For what hope have the godless^(M) when they are cut off,
    when God takes away their life?^(N)
⁹Does God listen to their cry
    when distress comes upon them?^(O)
¹⁰Will they find delight in the Almighty?^(P)
    Will they call on God at all times?

¹¹“I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways^(Q) of the Almighty I will not conceal.^(R)
¹²You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?

¹³“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
    the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:^(S)
¹⁴However many his children,^(T) their fate is the sword;^(U)
    his offspring will never have enough to eat.^(V)
¹⁵The plague will bury those who survive him,
    and their widows will not weep for them.^(W)
¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust^(X)
    and clothes like piles of clay,^(Y)
¹⁷what he lays up^(Z) the righteous will wear,^(AA)
    and the innocent will divide his silver.^(AB)
¹⁸The house^(AC) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,^(AD)
    like a hut^(AE) made by a watchman.
¹⁹He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;^(AF)
    when he opens his eyes, all is gone.^(AG)
²⁰Terrors^(AH) overtake him like a flood;^(AI)
    a tempest snatches him away in the night.^(AJ)
²¹The east wind^(AK) carries him off, and he is gone;^(AL)
    it sweeps him out of his place.^(AM)
²²It hurls itself against him without mercy^(AN)
    as he flees headlong^(AO) from its power.^(AP)
²³It claps its hands^(AQ) in derision
    and hisses him out of his place.”^(AR)

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28 There is a mine for silver
    and a place where gold is refined.^(AS)
²Iron is taken from the earth,
    and copper is smelted from ore.^(AT)
³Mortals put an end to the darkness;^(AU)
    they search out the farthest recesses
    for ore in the blackest darkness.^(AV)
⁴Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,^(AW)
    in places untouched by human feet;
    far from other people they dangle and sway.
⁵The earth, from which food comes,^(AX)
    is transformed below as by fire;
⁶lapis lazuli^(AY) comes from its rocks,
    and its dust contains nuggets of gold.^(AZ)
⁷No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
    no falcon’s eye has seen it.^(BA)
⁸Proud beasts^(BB) do not set foot on it,
    and no lion prowls there.^(BC)
⁹People assault the flinty rock^(BD) with their hands
    and lay bare the roots of the mountains.^(BE)
¹⁰They tunnel through the rock;^(BF)
    their eyes see all its treasures.^(BG)
¹¹They search^[a] the sources of the rivers^(BH)
    and bring hidden things^(BI) to light.

¹²But where can wisdom be found?^(BJ)
    Where does understanding dwell?^(BK)
¹³No mortal comprehends its worth;^(BL)
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.^(BM)
¹⁴The deep^(BN) says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea^(BO) says, “It is not with me.”
¹⁵It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.^(BP)
¹⁶It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,^(BQ)
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.^(BR)
¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,^(BS)
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.^(BT)
¹⁸Coral^(BU) and jasper^(BV) are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.^(BW)
¹⁹The topaz^(BX) of Cush^(BY) cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.^(BZ)

²⁰Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?^(CA)
²¹It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.^(CB)
²²Destruction^[b]^(CC) and Death^(CD) say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
²³God understands the way to it
    and he alone^(CE) knows where it dwells,^(CF)
²⁴for he views the ends of the earth^(CG)
    and sees everything under the heavens.^(CH)
²⁵When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,^(CI)
²⁶when he made a decree for the rain^(CJ)
    and a path for the thunderstorm,^(CK)
²⁷then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.^(CL)
²⁸And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil^(CM) is understanding.”^(CN)

Job’s Final Defense

29 Job continued his discourse:^(CO)

²“How I long for the months gone by,^(CP)
    for the days when God watched over me,^(CQ)
³when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!^(CR)
⁴Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
    when God’s intimate friendship^(CS) blessed my house,^(CT)
⁵when the Almighty was still with me
    and my children^(CU) were around me,^(CV)
⁶when my path was drenched with cream^(CW)
    and the rock^(CX) poured out for me streams of olive oil.^(CY)

⁷“When I went to the gate^(CZ) of the city
    and took my seat in the public square,
⁸the young men saw me and stepped aside^(DA)
    and the old men rose to their feet;^(DB)
⁹the chief men refrained from speaking^(DC)
    and covered their mouths with their hands;^(DD)
¹⁰the voices of the nobles were hushed,^(DE)
    and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.^(DF)
¹¹Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
    and those who saw me commended me,^(DG)
¹²because I rescued the poor^(DH) who cried for help,
    and the fatherless^(DI) who had none to assist them.^(DJ)
¹³The one who was dying blessed me;^(DK)
    I made the widow’s^(DL) heart sing.
¹⁴I put on righteousness^(DM) as my clothing;
    justice was my robe and my turban.^(DN)
¹⁵I was eyes^(DO) to the blind
    and feet to the lame.^(DP)
¹⁶I was a father to the needy;^(DQ)
    I took up the case^(DR) of the stranger.^(DS)
¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked
    and snatched the victims^(DT) from their teeth.^(DU)

¹⁸“I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
    my days as numerous as the grains of sand.^(DV)
¹⁹My roots will reach to the water,^(DW)
    and the dew will lie all night on my branches.^(DX)
²⁰My glory will not fade;^(DY)
    the bow^(DZ) will be ever new in my hand.’^(EA)

²¹“People listened to me expectantly,
    waiting in silence for my counsel.^(EB)
²²After I had spoken, they spoke no more;^(EC)
    my words fell gently on their ears.^(ED)
²³They waited for me as for showers
    and drank in my words as the spring rain.^(EE)
²⁴When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face^(EF) was precious to them.^[c]^(EG)
²⁵I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;^(EH)
    I dwelt as a king^(EI) among his troops;
    I was like one who comforts mourners.^(EJ)