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Acts 26

1Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: 2“I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today concerning everything of which I am accused by the Jews, 3especially because you know all the customs and disputes among the Jews. So I ask you to hear me patiently.

4“All the Jews know my way of life from youth, lived from the beginning among my nation and in Jerusalem. 5They have known me from the start, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest party of our religion. 6And now I stand on trial because of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they worship earnestly night and day. Concerning this hope I am accused by Jews, O king. 8Why is it considered incredible among you that God raises the dead?

9“I myself thought I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10And I did so in Jerusalem: having received authority from the chief priests, I locked up many of the holy ones in prisons, and when they were being killed, I cast my vote against them. 11In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to force them to blaspheme. Enraged beyond measure against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12“In this pursuit I was traveling to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests. 13At midday along the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. 14When 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.’ 15I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things in which you have seen me and of those in which I will appear to you, 17rescuing you from the people and from the nations to whom I am sending you, 18to open their eyes, so that they turn from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those made holy by faith in me.’

19“So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20Instead, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and to the nations, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. 21Because of these things Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22So, having received help from God, I stand to this day bearing witness to small and great, saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen: 23that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the nations.”

24As he made this defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness.” 25But Paul said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I speak words of truth and sound judgment. 26For the king knows about these things, and I speak boldly to him. I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28Agrippa said to Paul, “In so short a time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” 29Paul said, “Whether in a short time or a long one, I would pray to God that not only you but also all who hear me today might become such as I am, except for these chains.” 30The king stood up, along with the governor, Bernice, and those seated with them. 31As they withdrew, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing deserving death or imprisonment.” 32Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Translation notes 5

26:4–11 — Past and hope. “Party” describes a recognized religious group; it does not automatically mean false teaching. “Cast my vote” retains Paul's expression of approval in the killings without proving a particular council membership. “Tried to force” understands the imperfect as attempted coercion; the statement need not imply that every victim complied.

26:14–18 — Vision and commission. Goads are pointed sticks for driving animals; kicking against them images self-injuring resistance. This saying occurs here in the base and is not imported into chapter 9. This account says all fell down and places the commission in Jesus' direct speech; the differences from chapters 9 and 22 remain. The base includes “me” in verse 16; some witnesses omit it. “Made holy” describes those set apart for God, with faith in Jesus explicit.

26:20–23 — Repentance and light. “Deeds worthy of repentance” recalls Luke 3:8's fruit worthy of repentance while retaining Acts' different noun. The Messiah's suffering and resurrection recall Luke 24:46; the light reaching the nations also connects with Luke 2:32. The sentence is not supplemented with a full chronology of all resurrections.

26:28–29 — Agrippa's response. The question is an editorial interpretation; a statement, “In a short time you are trying to make me a Christian,” is also defensible. “In so short a time” may instead mean “with so little effort” or “with so few words.” The wording does not establish that Agrippa was nearly converted. Paul's reply deliberately repeats the expression.

26:31–32 — Release. The finding that Paul deserves neither death nor imprisonment is explicit. Agrippa's counterfactual statement does not tell the reader the eventual outcome of Paul's appeal.