Chapter 26
Paul’s Defense before Agrippa. 1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself: 2 “I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that it is before you today that I am to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 particularly since you are well acquainted with all our Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I implore you to listen to me patiently.
4 “The Jews all know my way of life from my youth, which I first lived among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known about me from my youth, and they could testify, if they were willing, that I belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. 6 But now I am on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors.
7 “Our twelve tribes worship night and day with intense devotion in the hope of seeing its fulfillment. It is because of this hope that I am accused by the Jews, O king. 8 Why should it seem incredible to any of you that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself once thought that I had to do everything possible against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With the authorization of the chief priests, I not only sent many of the saints[a] to prison, but when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 In all the synagogues, I tried by inflicting repeated punishments to force them to blaspheme, and I was so enraged with fury against them that I even pursued them to foreign cities.
12 “On one such occasion, I was traveling to Damascus with the authorization and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, as I was on my way, O king, I saw a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goad.’[b]
15 “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 Get up now and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as my servant and as a witness to what you have seen of me and what you will yet see. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you. 18 You are to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light[c] and from the power of Satan to God. Thus, they may obtain forgiveness of their sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated through faith in me.’
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision from heaven. 20 Rather, I started to preach, first to the people in Damascus, and then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, calling on them to repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22 “But I have had help from God to this very day, and I stand here and testify to both the lowly and the great. I assert nothing more than what the Prophets and Moses said would occur: 23 that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles.”
24 Reactions to Paul’s Speech. While Paul was still speaking in his own defense, Festus exclaimed, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane.” 25 But he replied, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. What I am asserting is true and reasonable. 26 The king understands these matters, and to him I now speak freely. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, for all this was not done in a corner.[d] 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets?[e] I know that you do.”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a brief time you can persuade me to become a Christian?” 29 Paul responded, “Whether in a short time or longer, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
30 Then the king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them. 31 And as they were leaving, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing that deserves death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Footnotes
- Acts 26:10 Saints: see note on Acts 9:13.
- Acts 26:14 It is hard for you to kick against the goad: a well-known expression in the Greek world to express the futility of opposing the gods.
- Acts 26:18 From darkness to light: a figure used often by Paul (see Rom 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; Eph 5:8-14; Col 1:13; 1 Thes 5:5).
- Acts 26:26 Not done in a corner: a phrase stressing the fact that the Gospel is based on real events lived out in history. The king is bound to confirm the truth of the things Paul says.
- Acts 26:27 Do you believe the Prophets?: this question by Paul puts King Agrippa in a no-win situation. If he says “Yes,” Paul will insist that he recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of the Prophets. If he says “No,” he will earn the wrath of the devout Jews, who accept the Prophets as God’s spokespersons. So Agrippa skirts the question.