Paul’s Testimony to Agrippa

(Acts 9:1–19, Acts 22:1–21)

26 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out [his] hand [and] began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of [the] Jews, 3 especially [since] you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg [you], therefore, to listen to me patiently.

4 Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from [my] earliest childhood among my own people, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time [and] can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.

6 And now I stand on trial because of [my] hope in the promise [that] God made to our fathers, 7 [ the promise ] our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve [ God ] day and night. [It is] because of [this] hope, O king, [that] I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why {would} any of you consider it incredible that God raises [the] dead?

9 So then I [too] was convinced that I ought to do all [I could] to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And [that] is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and [when] they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against [them] 11 I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, [and] I tried to make [them] blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, {I} even [went] to foreign cities to persecute [them].

12 In this [pursuit] I was on my way 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, shining around me and my companions 14 We all fell to the ground, [and] I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? [It is] hard for you to kick against [the] goads.’

15 ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from 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, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, [that] they may receive forgiveness of sins and [an] inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20 First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy [of their] repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple [courts][fn] [and] tried to kill [me].

22 [But] I have had God’s help to this day, [and] I stand [here] to 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 our people and to the Gentiles.”