¹⁶ Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand^(A) and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! ¹⁷ The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;^{(B) 18} for about forty years he endured their conduct^[a](C) in the wilderness;^{(D) 19} and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan,^(E) giving their land to his people^(F) as their inheritance.^{(G) 20} All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges^(H) until the time of Samuel the prophet.^{(I) 21} Then the people asked for a king,^(J) and he gave them Saul^(K) son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,^(L) who ruled forty years. ²² After removing Saul,^(M) he made David their king.^(N) God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;^(O) he will do everything I want him to do.’^(P)

²³ “From this man’s descendants^(Q) God has brought to Israel the Savior^(R) Jesus,^(S) as he promised.^{(T) 24} Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.^{(U) 25} As John was completing his work,^(V) he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for.^(W) But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’^(X)

²⁶ “Fellow children of Abraham^(Y) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation^(Z) has been sent. ²⁷ The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus,^(AA) yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets^(AB) that are read every Sabbath. ²⁸ Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.^{(AC) 29} When they had carried out all that was written about him,^(AD) they took him down from the cross^(AE) and laid him in a tomb.^{(AF) 30} But God raised him from the dead,^{(AG) 31} and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.^(AH) They are now his witnesses^(AI) to our people.

³² “We tell you the good news:^(AJ) What God promised our ancestors^{(AK) 33} he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.^(AL) As it is written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

³⁵ So it is also stated elsewhere:

³⁶ “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;^(AP) he was buried with his ancestors^(AQ) and his body decayed. ³⁷ But the one whom God raised from the dead^(AR) did not see decay.

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.^{(AS) 39} Through him everyone who believes^(AT) is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.^{(AU) 40} Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees^(A) and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers,^(B) I am a Pharisee,^(C) descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.”^{(D) 7} When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,^(E) and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees^(F) stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,”^(G) they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”^(H)

¹⁰ When the governor^(A) motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. ¹¹ You can easily verify that no more than twelve days^(B) ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,^(C) or stirring up a crowd^(D) in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³ And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.^{(E) 14} However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors^(F) as a follower of the Way,^(G) which they call a sect.^(H) I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,^{(I) 15} and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection^(J) of both the righteous and the wicked.^{(K) 16} So I strive always to keep my conscience clear^(L) before God and man.

¹⁷ “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor^(M) and to present offerings. ¹⁸ I was ceremonially clean^(N) when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.^{(O) 19} But there are some Jews from the province of Asia,^(P) who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.^{(Q) 20} Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— ²¹ unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”^(R)

² “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you^(A) today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,^{(B) 3} and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs^(C) and controversies.^(D) 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,^(E) from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ⁵ They have known me for a long time^(F) and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect^(G) of our religion, living as a Pharisee.^{(H) 6} And now it is because of my hope^(I) in what God has promised our ancestors^(J) that I am on trial today. ⁷ This is the promise our twelve tribes^(K) are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night.^(L) King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.^{(M) 8} Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?^(N)

⁹ “I too was convinced^(O) that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose^(P) the name of Jesus of Nazareth.^{(Q) 10} And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people^(R) in prison,^(S) and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.^{(T) 11} Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished,^(U) 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. ¹³ About 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. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice^(V) saying to me in Aramaic,^[a](W) ‘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.^(X) 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.^{(Y) 17} I will rescue you^(Z) from your own people and from the Gentiles.^(AA) I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes^(AB) and turn them from darkness to light,^(AC) and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins^(AD) and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^(AE)

¹⁹ “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient^(AF) to the vision from heaven. ²⁰ First to those in Damascus,^(AG) then to those in Jerusalem^(AH) and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles,^(AI) I preached that they should repent^(AJ) and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.^{(AK) 21} That is why some Jews seized me^(AL) in the temple courts and tried to kill me.^{(AM) 22} But 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^(AN)— ²³ that the Messiah would suffer^(AO) and, as the first to rise from the dead,^(AP) would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”^(AQ)