Paul Stands before Agrippa
Given the floor before a king, Paul tells the Damascus road again: the light, the voice, the commission to open eyes. Festus shouts that learning has driven him mad. Agrippa asks whether Paul expects to make him a Christian so quickly, then concedes he could have gone free.
26 1Agrippa told Paul, "You may speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense.
2King Agrippa, I count myself fortunate to defend myself before you today against all the Jews' accusations, 3especially since you know all Jewish customs and disputes well, so I ask you to hear me out patiently.
4All Jews know my life from youth, spent from the start among my own nation and in Jerusalem. 5They've long known me, and if willing to testify, that according to our religion's strictest sect I lived as a Pharisee. 6And now I stand on trial for hope in the promise our Father made to our fathers. 7Our twelve tribes hope to reach this promise, worshiping him fervently night and day. For this hope, king, I am accused by the Jews. 8Why is it judged incredible by any of you that our Father raises the dead?
9I myself thought I must do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10That's what I did in Jerusalem: with authority from the chief priests, I locked many of the holy ones in prison, and voted against them when they were being put to death. 11In every synagogue I often punished them, trying to force them to speak against God; enraged against them, I hunted them even to foreign cities.
12On one such journey I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests. 13At midday, O king, I saw on the road a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my fellow travelers.
14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew: 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the goads.' a a v14 "Kicking against the goads" was a common saying for a stubborn ox fighting the farmer's prod — resisting only wounds yourself.
15I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'
16But get up, stand on your feet—I appeared to you for this reason: to appoint you a servant and witness both of what you have seen of me and of what I will yet appear to you, 17rescuing you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you, 18to open their eyes, so they turn from darkness to light and from Satan's power to our Father, and receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those made holy by faith in me.'
19Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but I declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles too, to repent and turn to our Father, doing deeds that match their repentance. 21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22With help from our Father, I stand to this day testifying to both small and great, saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen: 23that the Christ must suffer, and, first to rise from the dead, proclaim light to both our people and the Gentiles.
24As Paul defended himself, Festus shouted, "Paul, you're insane! Your vast learning is driving you mad."
25But Paul said, "I'm not insane, most excellent Festus; I speak words of truth and sound judgment. 26The king knows these things—I speak to him freely. I'm sure none of this escaped him, since it wasn't done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
28Agrippa said, "So quickly you'd persuade me to be a Christian?"
29Paul said, "Whether short or long, I pray to our Father that not only you but all who hear me today might become as I am—except these chains."
30Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those seated with them.
31As they left, they told each other, "This man deserves neither death nor imprisonment."
32Agrippa told Festus, "This man could have been freed if he hadn't appealed to Caesar."
