Acts 25:23-26

Wycliffe Bible

²³ And on the tother day, when Agrippa and Bernice came with great desire [when Agrippa and Bernice came with much ambition, or pride of state], and entered into the auditorium, with tribunes and the principal men of the city, when Festus bade, Paul was brought.

²⁴ And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men that be with us, ye see this man, of which all the multitude of Jews prayed me at Jerusalem, and asked, and cried, that he should live no longer^[a].

²⁵ But I found, that he had done nothing worthy of death; and I deemed to send him to the emperor, for he appealed this thing [soothly him appealing this thing to the emperor, I deemed to send].

²⁶ Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.

²⁷ For it is seen to me without reason, to send a bound man, and not to signify the cause of him.

26 And Agrippa said to Paul, It is suffered to thee, to speak for thyself. Then Paul held forth the hand, and began to yield reason.

² Of all things, in which I am accused of the Jews, thou king Agrippa, I guess me blessed at thee, when I shall defend me this day;

³ most for thou knowest all things that be among Jews, customs and questions. For which thing, I beseech, hear me patiently.

⁴ For all Jews that before knew me from the beginning, know my life from youth; [And soothly all Jews before-witting me from the beginning, have known my life from youth;]

⁵ that from the beginning was in my folk in Jerusalem, if they will bear witnessing, that by the most certain sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. [that from the beginning was in my folk in Jerusalem, if they will bear witness, for after the most certain sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee.]

⁶ And now for the hope of repromission, that is made to our fathers of God, I stand subject in doom;

⁷ in which hope our twelve lineages serving night and day hope to come; of which hope, sir king [of which hope, thou king], I am accused of the Jews.

⁸ What unbelieveful thing is deemed at you [What unbelieveful thing is deemed of you], if God raiseth dead men?

⁹ And soothly I guessed, that I ought to do many contrary things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰ Which thing also I did in Jerusalem, and I enclosed many of the saints in prison, when I had taken power of the princes of priests. And when they were slain, I brought the sentence. [Which thing and I did in Jerusalem, and I enclosed many of saints in prisons, power taken of the princes of priests. And when they were slain, I gave the sentence.]

¹¹ And by all synagogues oft I punished them, and constrained to blaspheme; and more I waxed mad against them, and pursued [till] into alien cities [and more I waxing mad against them, pursued to alien cities].

¹² In which, [the] while I went to Damascus, with power and suffering of the princes of priests,

¹³ at midday, in the way I saw, sir king, that from heaven a light shined about me, passing the shining of the sun, and about them that were together with me.^[b]

¹⁴ And when we all had fallen down into the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, what pursuest thou me? it is hard to thee, to kick against the prick [it is hard for thee, for to kick against the prick].

¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou pursuest.

¹⁶ But rise up, and stand on thy feet. For why to this thing I appeared to thee, that I ordain thee minister and witness of those things that thou hast seen, and of those things in which I shall show to thee [and of those things in which I shall appear to thee;].

¹⁷ And I shall deliver thee from peoples and folks, to which now I send thee, [delivering thee from peoples and folks, into which now I send thee,]

¹⁸ to open the eyes of them, that they be converted from darkness to light [to open the eyes of them, that they be turned from darknesses to light], and from power of Satan to God, that they take remission of sins, and part among saints [and sort, or part, among saints], by faith that is in me.

¹⁹ Wherefore, sir king Agrippa [Wherefore, thou king Agrippa], I was not unbelieveful to the heavenly vision;

²⁰ but I told [I showed, or told,] to them that be at Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and by all the country of Judaea, and to heathen men, that they should do penance, and be converted to God, and do worthy works of penance.

²¹ For this cause Jews took me, when I was in the temple, to slay me [and would slay me].

²² But I was helped by the help of God [till] into this day, and stand, witnessing to less and to more [and stand, witnessing to less and more]. And I say nothing else [Nothing saying over] than which things the prophets and Moses spake that shall come,

²³ if Christ is to suffer, if he is the first of the again-rising of dead men^[c], that shall show light to the people and to heathen men.