Read Bible Book Of Acts Chapter 26 In Online
1 - Then Agrippa Said To Paul, "You Have Permission To Speak For Yourself." So Paul Motioned With His Hand And Began His Defense:
2 - "King Agrippa, I Consider Myself Fortunate To Stand Before You Today As I Make My Defense Against All The Accusations Of The Jews,
3 - And Especially So Because You Are Well Acquainted With All The Jewish Customs And Controversies. Therefore, I Beg You To Listen To Me Patiently.
4 - "The Jews All Know The Way I Have Lived Ever Since I Was A Child, From The Beginning Of My Life In My Own Country, And Also In Jerusalem.
5 - They Have Known Me For A Long Time And Can Testify, If They Are Willing, That According To The Strictest Sect Of Our Religion, I Lived As A Pharisee.
6 - And Now It Is Because Of My Hope In What God Has Promised Our Fathers That I Am On Trial Today.
7 - This Is The Promise Our Twelve Tribes Are Hoping To See Fulfilled As They Earnestly Serve God Day And Night. O King, It Is Because Of This Hope That The Jews Are Accusing Me.
8 - Why Should Any Of You Consider It Incredible That God Raises The Dead?
9 - "I Too Was Convinced That I Ought To Do All That Was Possible To Oppose The Name Of Jesus Of Nazareth.
10 - And That Is Just What I Did In Jerusalem. On The Authority Of The Chief Priests I Put Many Of The Saints In Prison, And When They Were Put To Death, I Cast My Vote Against Them.
11 - Many A Time I Went From One Synagogue To Another To Have Them Punished, And I Tried To Force Them To Blaspheme. In My Obsession Against Them, I Even Went To Foreign Cities To Persecute Them.
12 - "On One Of These Journeys I Was Going To Damascus With The Authority And Commission Of The Chief Priests.
13 - About Noon, O King, As I Was On The Road, I Saw A Light From Heaven, Brighter Than The Sun, Blazing 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 Do You Persecute Me? It Is Hard For You To Kick Against The Goads.'
15 - "Then I Asked, 'Who Are You, Lord?'
16 - " 'I Am Jesus, Whom You Are Persecuting,' The Lord Replied. 'Now Get Up And Stand On Your Feet. I Have Appeared To You To Appoint You As A Servant And As A Witness Of What You Have Seen Of Me And What I Will Show You.
17 - I Will Rescue You From Your Own People And From The Gentiles. I Am Sending You To Them
18 - To Open Their Eyes And Turn Them From Darkness To Light, And From The Power Of Satan To God, So That They May Receive Forgiveness Of Sins And A Place Among Those Who Are Sanctified By Faith In Me.'
19 - "So Then, King Agrippa, I Was Not Disobedient To The Vision From Heaven.
20 - First To Those In Damascus, Then To Those In Jerusalem And In All Judea, And To The Gentiles Also, I Preached That They Should Repent And Turn To God And Prove Their Repentance By Their Deeds.
21 - That Is Why The Jews Seized Me In The Temple Courts And Tried To Kill Me.
22 - But I Have Had God's Help To This Very Day, And So I Stand Here And Testify To Small And Great Alike. I Am Saying Nothing Beyond What The Prophets And Moses Said Would Happen--
23 - That The Christ Would Suffer And, As The First To Rise From The Dead, Would Proclaim Light To His Own People And To The Gentiles."
24 - At This Point Festus Interrupted Paul's Defense. "You Are Out Of Your Mind, Paul!" He Shouted. "Your Great Learning Is Driving You Insane."
25 - "I Am Not Insane, Most Excellent Festus," Paul Replied. "What I Am Saying Is True And Reasonable.
26 - The King Is Familiar With These Things, And I Can Speak Freely To Him. I Am Convinced That None Of This Has Escaped His Notice, Because It Was Not Done In A Corner.
27 - King Agrippa, Do You Believe The Prophets? I Know You Do."
28 - Then Agrippa Said To Paul, "Do You Think That In Such A Short Time You Can Persuade Me To Be A Christian?"
29 - Paul Replied, "Short Time Or Long--i Pray God That Not Only You But All Who Are Listening To Me Today May Become What I Am, Except For These Chains."
30 - The King Rose, And With Him The Governor And Bernice And Those Sitting With Them.
31 - They Left The Room, And While Talking With One Another, They Said, "This Man Is Not Doing Anything That Deserves Death Or Imprisonment."
32 - Agrippa Said To Festus, "This Man Could Have Been Set Free If He Had Not Appealed To Caesar."
