Acts 26:8-30
New American Standard Bible
9So I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, after receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being put to death.
11And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was extremely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
12While so engaged, as I was journeying 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, shining around me and those who were journeying with me.
14And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘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 get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you as a servant and a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,
17rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,
18to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’
19For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20but continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.
21For these reasons some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to murder me.
22So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place,
23as to whether the Christ was to suffer, and whether, as first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.'
24While Paul was stating these things in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, 'Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you insane.'
25But Paul *said, 'I am not insane, most excellent Festus; on the contrary, I am speaking out with truthful and rational words.
26For the king knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.
27King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe.'
28Agrippa replied to Paul, 'In a short time you are going to persuade me to make a Christian of myself.'
29And Paul said, 'I would wish to God that even in a short or long time not only you, but also all who hear me this day would become such as I myself am, except for these chains.'
King James Version
Chapter 26
8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? 9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10Which 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.
11And 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.
12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13At 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.
14And 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.
15And I said, Who art thou, Lord And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16But 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;
17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18To 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.
19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
20But 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.
21For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
22Having 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:
23That 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.
24And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
25But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26For 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.
27King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
28Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
29And 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.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 26
8Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? 9In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them. 11In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.
12"I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests.
13King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.
14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15"I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ "And the Lord replied: ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.
16But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.
17I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
18to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
20Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.
21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to kill me.
22To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place —
23that the Messiah must suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles."
25But Paul replied, "I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment.
26For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner.
27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe."
New Living Translation
9I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.
10Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.
11Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.
12One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.
13About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.
14We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will. ’
15‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. 'And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.
16Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.
17And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles
18to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
19And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.
20I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God — and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
21Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me.
22But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen —
23that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.'
25But Paul replied, 'I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth.
26And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner!
27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do — '
English Standard Version
9"I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.
11And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12"In this connection 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 in the Hebrew language, ‘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 stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, 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,
17delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles — to whom I am sending you
18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19"Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
23that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles."
24And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind."
25But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.
26For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
28And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?"
29And Paul said, "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am — except for these chains."
New International Version
9"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, 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 saying to me in Aramaic, ‘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. 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.
17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.
20First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.
21That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
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—
23that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
25"I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable.
26The king is familiar with these things, 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."
New King James Version
9“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
11And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
19“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
21For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—
23that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
25But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.
26For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.
27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
