¹Then Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted for you to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and spoke in his defence. ²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to be in a position to make my defence before you today concerning everything that I have been accused of by the Jews, ³especially as you are an expert in all the customs and disputes among the Jews. So I ask you to hear me patiently. ⁴Now all the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which from the start was led among my people in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known me from the beginning – perhaps they would care to testify – that I lived according to the strictest sect of our religion, as a Pharisee. ⁶And now I stand being judged for the hope of the promise which was made by God to the fathers, ⁷to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, serving strenuously night and day. And concerning this hope I have been indicted, King Agrippa, by the Jews. ⁸Why should it be judged incredible with you if God raises the dead? ⁹Now I decided for myself that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene, ¹⁰which I duly did in Jerusalem, and I shut up many of the saints in prisons, having obtained authority from the senior priests, and when they were liable to be executed, I voted against them. ¹¹And I punished them in all the synagogues many times, and I compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly mad at them, I persecuted them even to cities abroad. ¹²And in these circumstances, when I was going to Damascus with authority and a commission from the senior priests, ¹³at midday on my way, I saw, O king, a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, flash around me and those travelling with me. ¹⁴And when we had all fallen down on the ground, I heard a voice which spoke to me and said in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵Then I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this: to appoint you as a servant and witness to both the things you have seen and the things in which I will be evident to you, ¹⁷rescuing you from the people and the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified through faith in me.’ ¹⁹In view of which, King Agrippa, I have not been disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but I preached to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem, and in the whole region of Judaea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. ²¹On account of these things the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to do away with me. ²²So having obtained help from God up to this day, I stand witnessing to both small and great, not saying anything outside of what the prophets and Moses said would take place, ²³as to whether Christ was to suffer, as to whether he as the first of the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles.” ²⁴And as he said these things in his defence, Festus said in a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul. Much learning is reducing you to madness.” ²⁵But he said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I speak words of truth and sanity in my defence. ²⁶For the king has understanding of these things, and I speak freely to him. For I am not persuaded that any of these things escape his notice. For this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.” ²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “In brief, you are persuading me to become a Christian.” ²⁹Then Paul said, “I could wish to God that not only you but also all those who hear me today would both in brief and at length become such as I am, except for these bonds.” ³⁰And when he had said these things, the king stood up, as did the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. ³¹And they withdrew and spoke to each other, saying, “This man has done nothing deserving death or bonds.” ³²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”