| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1So Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense: | 1Then Agrippa told Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. |
| 2"Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, | 2"I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, that I can defend myself today against all the accusations of the Jewish leaders, |
| 3because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently. | 3since you are especially familiar with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen patiently to me. |
| 4Now all the Jews know the way I lived from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. | 4All the Jews know how I lived from the earliest days of my youth with my own people and in Jerusalem. |
| 5They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. | 5They have known for a long time, if they would but testify to it, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the standards of our strictest religious party. |
| 6And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, | 6"And now I stand here on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our ancestors. |
| 7a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, Your Majesty! | 7Our twelve tribes, worshiping day and night with intense devotion, hope to attain it. It is because of this hope, O King, that I am accused by the Jews. |
| 8Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead? | 8Why is it thought incredible by all of you that God should raise the dead? |
| 9Of course, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. | 9Indeed, I myself thought it my duty to take extreme measures against the name of Jesus from Nazareth. |
| 10And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were sentenced to death. | 10That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the high priests and locked many of the saints in prison. And when I cast my vote against them, they were put to death. |
| 11I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged at them, I went to persecute them even in foreign cities. | 11I would even punish them frequently in every synagogue and try to make them blaspheme. Raging furiously against them, I would hunt them down even in distant cities. |
| 12"While doing this very thing, as I was going to Damascus with authority and complete power from the chief priests, | 12"That is how I happened to be traveling to Damascus with authority based on a commission from the high priests. |
| 13about noon along the road, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around me and those traveling with me. | 13On the road at noon, O King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun. It flashed around me and those who were traveling with me. |
| 14When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself by kicking against the goads.' | 14"All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.' |
| 15So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. | 15"I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "The Lord answered, 'I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. |
| 16But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you. | 16But get up and stand on your feet, because I've appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you've seen and of what I'll show you. |
| 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you | 17I'll continue to rescue you from your people and from the gentiles to whom I'm sending you. |
| 18to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' | 18You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' |
| 19"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, | 19"And so, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. |
| 20but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance. | 20Instead, I first told the people in Damascus and Jerusalem, then all the people in Judea—and after that the gentiles—to repent, turn to God, and perform deeds that are consistent with such repentance. |
| 21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and were trying to kill me. | 21For this reason the Jewish leaders grabbed me in the Temple and kept trying to kill me. |
| 22I have experienced help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said was going to happen: | 22I've had help from God to this day, and so I stand here to testify to both the powerful and the lowly alike, stating only what the prophets and Moses said would happen— |
| 23that the Christ was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles." | 23that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead and would bring light both to our people and to the gentiles." |
| 24As Paul was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed loudly, "You have lost your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!" | 24As he continued his defense, Festus shouted, "You're out of your mind, Paul! Too much education is driving you crazy!" |
| 25But Paul replied, "I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, but am speaking true and rational words. | 25But Paul said, "I'm not out of my mind, Your Excellency Festus. I'm reporting what is absolutely true. |
| 26For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely to him, because I cannot believe that any of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. | 26Indeed, the king knows about these things, and I can speak to him freely. For I'm certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this wasn't done in a corner. |
| 27Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe." | 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe them!" |
| 28Agrippa said to Paul, "In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?" | 28Agrippa asked Paul, "Can you so quickly persuade me to become a Christian?" |
| 29Paul replied, "I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains." | 29Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I wish to God that not only you but everyone listening to me today would become what I am—except for these chains!" |
| 30So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, | 30Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and those who were sitting with him got up. |
| 31and as they were leaving they said to one another, "This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment." | 31As they were leaving, they began to say to each other, "This man hasn't been doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment." |
| 32Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar." | 32Agrippa told Festus, "This man could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to the emperor." |
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