¹ And Agrippa said to Paul, It is permitted thee to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretching out his hand answered in his defence:

² I count myself happy, king Agrippa, in having to answer to-day before thee concerning all of which I am accused by the Jews,

³ especially because thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions which are among the Jews; wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

⁴ My manner of life then from my youth, which from its commencement was passed among my nation in Jerusalem, know all the Jews,

⁵ who knew me before from the outset [of my life], if they would bear witness, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

⁶ And now I stand to be judged because of the hope of the promise made by¹ God to our fathers,

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⁷ to which our whole twelve tribes serving incessantly day and night hope to arrive; about which hope, O king, I am accused of [the] Jews.

⁸ Why should it be judged a thing incredible in your sight if¹ God raises the dead?

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⁹ I indeed myself thought that I ought to do much against the name of Jesus the Nazaraean.

¹⁰ Which also I did in Jerusalem, and myself shut up in prisons many of the saints, having received the authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my vote.

¹¹ And often punishing them in all the synagogues, I compelled them to blaspheme. And, being exceedingly furious against them, I persecuted them even to cities out [of our own land].

¹² And when, [engaged] in this, I was journeying to Damascus, with authority and power from the chief priests,

¹³ at mid-day, on the way, I saw, O king, a light above the brightness of the sun, shining from heaven round about me and those who were journeying with me.

¹⁴ And, when we were all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? [it is] hard for thee to kick against goads.

¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:

¹⁶ but rise up and stand on thy feet; for, for this purpose have I appeared to thee, to appoint thee to be a servant and a witness both of what thou hast seen, and of what I shall appear to thee in,

¹⁷ taking thee out from among the people, and the nations, to whom I send thee,

¹⁸ to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to¹ God, that they may receive remission of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.

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¹⁹ Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision;

²⁰ but have, first to those both in Damascus and Jerusalem, and to all the region of Judaea, and to the nations, announced that they should repent and turn to¹ God, doing works worthy of repentance.

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²¹ On account of these things the Jews, having seized me in the temple, attempted to lay hands on and destroy me.

²² Having therefore met with [the] help which is from¹ God, I have stood firm unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying nothing else than those things which both the prophets and Moses have said should happen,

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²³ [namely,] whether Christ should suffer; whether he first, through resurrection of [the] dead, should announce light both to the people and to the nations.

²⁴ And as he answered for his defence with these things, Festus says with a loud voice, Thou art mad, Paul; much learning turns thee to madness.

²⁵ But Paul said, I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but utter words of truth and soberness;

²⁶ for the king is informed about these things, to whom also I speak with all freedom. For I am persuaded that of these things nothing is hidden from him; for this was not done in a corner.

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

²⁸ And Agrippa [said] to Paul, In a little thou persuadest me to become a Christian.

²⁹ And Paul [said], I would to¹ God, both in little and in much, that not only thou, but all who have heard me this day, should become such as I also am, except these bonds.

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³⁰ And the king stood up, and the governor and Bernice, and those who sat with them,

³¹ and having gone apart, they spoke to one another saying, This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.

³² And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been let go if he had not appealed to Caesar.