Acts 26 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Paul’s Defense before Agrippa

26 ^(A)Now Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul extended his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

² “Regarding all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, ^{3 [a]}especially because you are an expert in all ^(B)customs and ^[b]questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “So then, all Jews know ^(C)my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem, ⁵ since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a ^(D)Pharisee ^(E)according to the strictest ^(F)sect of our religion. ⁶ And now I am standing trial ^(G)for the hope of ^(H)the promise made by God to our fathers; ⁷ the promise ^(I)to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. For this ^(J)hope, O king, I am being ^(K)accused by Jews. ⁸ Why is it considered incredible among you people ^(L)if God raises the dead?

⁹ “So ^(M)I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to ^(N)the name of Jesus ^[c]of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And this is ^[d]just what I ^(O)did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the ^[e]saints in prisons, after ^(P)receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also ^(Q)cast my vote against them when they were being put to death. ¹¹ And ^(R)as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was ^(S)extremely enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ^(T)even to ^[f]foreign cities.

¹² “^[g]While so engaged, ^(U)as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, ^[h]brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ And when we had ^(V)all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the ^[i](W)Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? ^[j]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and ^(X)stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to ^(Y)appoint you as a ^(Z)servant and ^(AA)a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, ^{17 (AB)}rescuing you ^(AC)from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to ^(AD)open their eyes so that they may turn from ^(AE)darkness to light, and from the ^[k]power of ^(AF)Satan to God, that they may receive ^(AG)forgiveness of sins and an ^(AH)inheritance among those who have been sanctified by ^(AI)faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but continually proclaimed ^(AJ)to those in Damascus first, and ^(AK)in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even ^(AL)to the Gentiles, that they are to ^(AM)repent and turn to God, performing deeds ^(AN)consistent with repentance. ²¹ For these reasons some Jews ^(AO)seized me in the temple and tried ^(AP)to murder me. ²² So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day ^(AQ)testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what ^(AR)the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place, ²³ as to ^(AS)whether the ^[l]Christ was ^[m]to suffer, and whether, as ^(AT)first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim ^(AU)light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ While ^[n]Paul was stating these things in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! ^[o]Your great ^(AV)learning is ^[p]driving you insane.” ²⁵ But Paul *said, “I am not insane, ^(AW)most excellent Festus; on the contrary, I am speaking out with ^[q]truthful and rational words. ²⁶ For the king ^[r](AX)knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a ^[s]corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe.” ²⁸ Agrippa replied to Paul, “^[t]In a short time you are going to persuade me to ^[u]make a ^(AY)Christian of myself.” ²⁹ And Paul said, “I would ^[v]wish to God that even ^[w]in a short or long time not only you, but also all who hear me this day would become such as I myself am, except for these ^(AZ)chains.”

^{30 (BA)}The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, ³¹ and when they had gone out, they began talking to one another, saying, “^(BB)This man is not doing anything deserving death or ^[x]imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been ^(BC)set free if he had not ^(BD)appealed to Caesar.”

Footnotes

1. Acts 26:3 Or because you are especially expert
2. Acts 26:3 Or controversial issues
3. Acts 26:9 Or the Nazarene
4. Acts 26:10 Lit also
5. Acts 26:10 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
6. Acts 26:11 Or outlying
7. Acts 26:12 Lit In which things
8. Acts 26:13 Lit above the brightness of
9. Acts 26:14 I.e., Jewish Aramaic
10. Acts 26:14 An idiom referring to an animal’s futile resistance to being prodded with a spiked stick
11. Acts 26:18 Or dominion
12. Acts 26:23 I.e., Messiah
13. Acts 26:23 Lit subject to suffering
14. Acts 26:24 Lit he
15. Acts 26:24 Lit The many letters; i.e., education
16. Acts 26:24 Lit turning you to madness
17. Acts 26:25 Lit words of truth and rationality
18. Acts 26:26 Or understands
19. Acts 26:26 I.e., a hidden or secret place
20. Acts 26:28 Or With a little
21. Acts 26:28 Or act as a Christian
22. Acts 26:29 Or pray to
23. Acts 26:29 Or with a little or with much
24. Acts 26:31 Lit bonds

Cross references

1. Acts 26:1 : Acts 9:15
2. Acts 26:3 : Acts 6:14; 25:19; 26:7
3. Acts 26:4 : Gal 1:13f; Phil 3:5
4. Acts 26:5 : Acts 23:6; Phil 3:5
5. Acts 26:5 : Acts 22:3
6. Acts 26:5 : Acts 15:5
7. Acts 26:6 : Acts 24:15; 28:20
8. Acts 26:6 : Acts 13:32
9. Acts 26:7 : James 1:1
10. Acts 26:7 : Acts 24:15; 28:20
11. Acts 26:7 : Acts 26:2
12. Acts 26:8 : Acts 23:6
13. Acts 26:9 : John 16:2; 1 Tim 1:13
14. Acts 26:9 : John 15:21
15. Acts 26:10 : Acts 8:3; 9:13
16. Acts 26:10 : Acts 9:1f
17. Acts 26:10 : Acts 22:20
18. Acts 26:11 : Matt 10:17; Acts 22:19
19. Acts 26:11 : Acts 9:1
20. Acts 26:11 : Acts 22:5
21. Acts 26:12 : Acts 26:12-18: 9:3-8; 22:6-11
22. Acts 26:14 : Acts 9:7
23. Acts 26:14 : Acts 21:40
24. Acts 26:16 : Ezek 2:1; Dan 10:11
25. Acts 26:16 : Acts 22:14
26. Acts 26:16 : Luke 1:2
27. Acts 26:16 : Acts 22:15
28. Acts 26:17 : Jer 1:8, 19
29. Acts 26:17 : 1 Chr 16:35; Acts 9:15
30. Acts 26:18 : Is 35:5; 42:7, 16; Eph 5:8; Col 1:13; 1 Pet 2:9
31. Acts 26:18 : John 1:5; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12f; 1 Thess 5:5; 1 Pet 2:9
32. Acts 26:18 : Matt 4:10
33. Acts 26:18 : Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38
34. Acts 26:18 : Acts 20:32
35. Acts 26:18 : Acts 20:21
36. Acts 26:20 : Acts 9:19ff
37. Acts 26:20 : Acts 9:26-29; 22:17-20
38. Acts 26:20 : Acts 9:15; 13:46
39. Acts 26:20 : Acts 3:19
40. Acts 26:20 : Matt 3:8; Luke 3:8
41. Acts 26:21 : Acts 21:27, 30
42. Acts 26:21 : Acts 21:31
43. Acts 26:22 : Luke 16:28
44. Acts 26:22 : Acts 10:43; 24:14
45. Acts 26:23 : Matt 26:24; Acts 3:18
46. Acts 26:23 : 1 Cor 15:20, 23; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5
47. Acts 26:23 : Is 42:6; 49:6; Luke 2:32; 2 Cor 4:4
48. Acts 26:24 : John 7:15; 2 Tim 3:15
49. Acts 26:25 : Acts 23:26; 24:3
50. Acts 26:26 : Acts 26:3
51. Acts 26:28 : Acts 11:26
52. Acts 26:29 : Acts 21:33
53. Acts 26:30 : Acts 25:23
54. Acts 26:31 : Acts 23:29
55. Acts 26:32 : Acts 28:18
56. Acts 26:32 : Acts 25:11