Acts 26 – Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

1 Now Agrippa ^G67 said ^G5346 to Paul ^G3972, “You are permitted ^G2010 to speak ^G3004 for yourself ^G4572.” Then ^G5119 Paul ^G3972, stretching ^G1614 out ^G1614 his hand ^G5495, began to make ^G626 his defense ^G626:

2 “Concerning ^G4012 all ^G3956 the things ^G3956 of which ^G3739 I am accused ^G1458 by the Jews ^G2453, I regard ^G2233 myself ^G1683 blessed ^G3107, King ^G935 Agrippa ^G67, that I am ^G3195 about ^G3195 to ^G3195 make ^G626 my defense ^G626 before ^G1909 you today ^G4594; 3 [fn]especially ^G3122 because you are an expert ^G1109 in all ^G3956 customs ^G1485 and [fn]questions ^G2213 among ^G2596 the Jews ^G2453; therefore ^G1352 I beg ^G1189 you to listen ^G191 to me patiently ^G3116.

4 “So ^G3767 then ^G3767, all ^G3956 Jews ^G2453 know ^G6063 my manner ^G981 of ^G981 life ^G981 from my youth ^G3503, which from the beginning ^G746 was spent ^G1096 among ^G1722 my own nation ^G1484 and at Jerusalem ^G2414; 5 since they have known ^G4267 about me for a long ^G509 time ^G509, if ^G1437 they are willing ^G2309 to testify ^G3140, that I lived ^G2198 as a Pharisee ^G5330 according ^G2596 to the strictest ^G196 sect ^G139 of our religion ^G2356. 6 And now ^G3568 I am standing ^G2476 here being tried ^G2919 for the hope ^G1680 of the promise ^G1860 made ^G1096 by God ^G2316 to our fathers ^G3962; 7 the promise to which ^G3739 our twelve ^G1429 tribes ^G1429 hope ^G1679 to attain ^G2658, as they earnestly ^G1722 G1616 serve ^G3000 God night ^G3571 and day ^G2250. And for this ^G3739 hope ^G1680, O King ^G935, I am being accused ^G1458 by Jews ^G2453. 8 Why ^G5101 is it considered ^G2919 unbelievable ^G571 among ^G3844 all of you if ^G1487 God ^G2316 does raise ^G1453 the dead ^G3498?

9 “So ^G3767 then ^G3767, I thought ^G1380 to myself ^G1683 that I had ^G1163 to do ^G4238 many ^G4183 things ^G4183 hostile ^G1727 to the name ^G3686 of Jesus ^G2424 the Nazarene ^G3480. 10 And this ^G3739 is [fn]just ^G2532 what ^G3739 I did ^G4160 in Jerusalem ^G2414; not only ^G2532 G5037 did I lock ^G2623 up ^G2623 many ^G4183 of the [fn]saints ^G40 in prisons ^G5438, having received ^G2983 authority ^G1849 from the chief ^G749 priests ^G749, but also ^G5037 when they were being put ^G337 to ^G337 death ^G337 I cast ^G2702 my vote ^G5586 against ^G2702 them. 11 And as I punished ^G5097 them often ^G4178 in all ^G3956 the synagogues ^G4864, I tried to force ^G315 them to blaspheme ^G987; and being furiously ^G4057 enraged ^G1693 at ^G1693 them, I kept pursuing ^G1377 them even ^G2193 to [fn]foreign ^G1854 cities ^G4172.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

12 “[fn]While ^G1722 so ^G3739 engaged as I was journeying ^G4198 to Damascus ^G1154 with the authority ^G1849 and commission ^G2011 of the chief ^G749 priests ^G749,

13 at midday ^G2250 G3319, O King ^G935, I saw ^G3708 on the way ^G3598 a light ^G5457 from heaven ^G3771, [fn]brighter ^G2987 than ^G5228 the sun ^G2246, shining ^G4034 all around ^G4034 me and those ^G3588 who were journeying ^G4198 with me. 14 And when we had all ^G3956 fallen ^G2667 to the ground ^G1093, I heard ^G191 a voice ^G5456 saying ^G3004 to me in the [fn]Hebrew ^G1446 language ^G1258, ‘Saul ^G4549, Saul ^G4549, why ^G5101 are you persecuting ^G1377 Me? [fn]It is hard ^G4642 for you to kick ^G2979 against ^G4314 the goads ^G2759.’ 15 And I said ^G3004, ‘Who ^G5101 are You, Lord ^G2962?’ And the Lord ^G2962 said ^G3004, ‘I am ^G1510 Jesus ^G2424 whom ^G3739 you are persecuting ^G1377. 16 But rise ^G450 up ^G450 and stand ^G2476 on your feet ^G4228; for this ^G3778 purpose I have appeared ^G3708 to you, to appoint ^G4400 you a servant ^G5257 and a witness ^G3144 not only ^G5037 to the things which ^G3739 you have [fn]seen ^G3708, but also ^G5037 to the things in which ^G3739 I will appear ^G3708 to you; 17 rescuing ^G1807 you from the Jewish people ^G2992 and from the Gentiles ^G1484, to whom ^G3739 I am sending ^G649 you, 18 to open ^G455 their eyes ^G3788 so that they may turn ^G1994 from darkness ^G4655 to light ^G5457 and from the authority ^G1849 of Satan ^G4567 to God ^G2316, that they may receive ^G2983 forgiveness ^G859 of sins ^G266 and an inheritance ^G2819 among ^G1722 those ^G3588 who have been sanctified ^G37 by faith ^G4102 in Me.’

19 “So ^G3606, King ^G935 Agrippa ^G67, I did not prove ^G1096 disobedient ^G545 to the heavenly ^G3770 vision ^G3701, 20 but kept declaring ^G518 both ^G5037 to those ^G3588 of Damascus ^G1154 first ^G4413, and also at Jerusalem ^G2414 and then throughout all ^G3956 the region ^G5561 of Judea ^G2449, and even to the Gentiles ^G1484, that they should repent ^G3340 and turn ^G1994 to God ^G2316, practicing ^G4238 deeds ^G2041 appropriate ^G514 to repentance ^G3341. 21 For this ^G3778 reason ^G6025 some Jews ^G2453 seized ^G4815 me in the temple ^G2413 and were trying ^G3987 to put ^G1315 me to death ^G1315. 22 Therefore ^G3767, having obtained ^G5177 help ^G1947 from God ^G2316 to this ^G3778 day ^G2250, I stand ^G2476 here bearing ^G3143 witness ^G3143 both ^G5037 to small ^G3398 and great ^G3173, stating ^G3004 nothing ^G3762 but what ^G3739 the Prophets ^G4396 and Moses ^G3475 said ^G2980 was ^G3195 going ^G3195 to ^G3195 take ^G1096 place ^G1096; 23 [fn]that the [fn]Christ ^G5547 was [fn]to suffer ^G3805, and [fn]that as ^G1537 first ^G4413 of the resurrection ^G386 from the dead ^G3498, He was going ^G3195 to proclaim ^G2605 light ^G5457 both ^G5037 to the Jewish people ^G2992 and to the Gentiles ^G1484.”

24 Now while [fn]Paul was saying ^G626 this ^G3778 in ^G626 his defense ^G626, Festus ^G5347 *said ^G5346 in a loud ^G3173 voice ^G5456, “Paul ^G3972, you are ^G3105 out ^G3105 of ^G3105 your mind ^G3105! [fn]Great ^G4183 learning ^G1121 is driving ^G4062 you out of your mind ^G3130.” 25 But Paul ^G3972 *said ^G5346, “I am ^G3105 not out ^G3105 of my mind ^G3105, most ^G2903 excellent ^G2903 Festus ^G5347, but I utter ^G669 words ^G4487 [fn]of sober ^G4997 truth ^G225. 26 For the king ^G935 [fn]knows ^G1987 about ^G4012 these ^G3778 matters, and I speak ^G2980 to him also ^G2532 with confidence ^G3955, since ^G1063 I am persuaded ^G3982 that none ^G3756 G3762 of these ^G3778 things ^G3778 escape ^G2990 his notice ^G2990; for this ^G3778 has not been ^G1510 done ^G4238 in a [fn]corner ^G1137. 27 King ^G935 Agrippa ^G67, do you believe ^G4100 the Prophets ^G4396? I know ^G6063 you believe ^G4100.” 28 But Agrippa ^G67 replied to Paul ^G3972, “[fn]In such short ^G3641 time ^G3641 [fn]are you persuading ^G3982 me to become ^G4160 a Christian ^G5546?” 29 And Paul ^G3972 said, “I would ^G2172 pray ^G2172 to God ^G2316, that whether ^G2532 [fn]in a short ^G3641 or ^G2532 long ^G3173 time ^G3173, not only ^G3440 you, but also ^G2532 all ^G3956 who hear ^G191 me this ^G4594 day ^G4594, might become ^G1096 such ^G5108 as I am ^G1510, except ^G3924 for these ^G3778 chains ^G1199.”

30 And the king ^G935 stood ^G450 up ^G450 and the governor ^G2232 and Bernice ^G959, and those ^G3588 who were sitting ^G4775 with them, 31 and when they had gone ^G402 aside ^G402, they began talking ^G2980 to one ^G240 another ^G240, saying ^G3004, “This ^G3778 man ^G444 is not doing ^G4238 anything ^G3762 worthy ^G514 of death ^G2288 or ^G2228 [fn]imprisonment ^G1199.” 32 And Agrippa ^G67 said ^G5346 to Festus ^G5347, “This ^G3778 man ^G444 could ^G1410 have been ^G1096 set ^G630 free ^G630 if ^G1487 he had not appealed ^G1941 to ^G1941 Caesar ^G2541.”