Then ^aAgrippa said to Paul, “You are now permitted to speak on your own behalf.” At that, Paul stretched out his hand as an orator and made his defense as follows:

2 “I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, since it is before you that I am to make my defense today regarding all the charges brought against me by the Jews, 3 especially because you are an expert fully knowledgeable, experienced and unusually conversant in all the Jewish ^acustoms and controversial issues; therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “So then, all the Jews know ^amy manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation the Jewish people, and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that ^aaccording to the ¹strictest ^bsect of our religion, I have lived as a ^cPharisee. 6 And now I am standing trial ^afor the hope of ^bthe promise made by God to our fathers. Acts 13:32, 33 7 ^aWhich hope of the Messiah and the resurrection our twelve tribes confidently expect to realize as they serve and worship God in earnest night and day. And for this ^bhope, O King, I am being ^caccused by Jews! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you ^athat God raises the dead?

9 “So then, ^aI once thought to myself that it was my duty to do many things in opposition to ^bthe name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And this is just what I ^adid in Jerusalem; I not only locked up many of the saints (God’s people) in prison after ^breceiving authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being condemned to death, I ^1ccast my vote against them. 11 And ^aI often punished them making them suffer in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme; and in my ^bextreme rage at them, I kept hunting them ^ceven to foreign cities harassing and persecuting them.

12 “While so engaged, ^aas I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission and full power of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining all around me and those who were traveling with me. 14 And when we ^aall had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the ^bHebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ¹It is hard for you to kick repeatedly against the ²goads offering pointless resistance.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 Get up and ^astand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to ^bappoint you to serve as a ^cminister and as ^da witness to testify, with authority, not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, 17 choosing you for Myself and ^arescuing you ^bfrom the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, Ezek 2:1, 3 18 to ^aopen their spiritual eyes so that they may turn from ^bdarkness to light and from the power of ^cSatan to God, that they may receive ^dforgiveness and release from their sins and an ^einheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) by ^ffaith in Me.’ Is 42:7, 16

19 “So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but I openly proclaimed first ^ato those at Damascus, then ^bat Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea, and even ^cto the Gentiles, that they should ^drepent change their inner self—their old way of thinking and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are ^econsistent with repentance. 21 Because of this some Jews ^aseized me in the temple and tried ^bto kill me. 22 But I have had help from God to this day, and I stand before people ^atestifying to small and great alike, stating nothing except what ^bthe Prophets and Moses said would come to pass— 23 ^athat the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to suffer, and that He ^bby being the first to rise from the dead with an incorruptible body would proclaim ^clight (salvation) both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

24 While Paul was making this defense, Festus said loudly, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great ^aeducation is turning you toward madness.” 25 But Paul replied, “I am not out of my mind, ^amost excellent and noble Festus, but with a sound mind I am uttering rational words of truth and reason. 26 For your majesty the king ^aunderstands these things, and therefore I am also speaking to him with confidence and boldness, since I am convinced that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner hidden from view, in secret. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the writings of the Prophets their messages and words? I know that you do.” 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time and with so little effort you almost persuade me to become a ^aChristian.” 29 And Paul replied, “Whether in a short time or long, I wish to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these ^achains.”

30 Then ^athe king stood up, and with him the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them; 31 and after they had gone out, they began saying to one another, “^aThis man is not doing anything worthy of death or even of imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been ^aset free if he had not ^bappealed to ¹Caesar (Emperor Nero) .”