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[1]And Agrippa said to Paul: Thou art permitted to speak in thy own behalf. Then Paul extended his hand, and made defence, saying:
[2]In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, king Agrippa, I consider myself highly favored, that I may this day make defence before thee:
[3]especially, as I know thee to be expert in all the controversies and laws of the Jews. I therefore request thee to hear me with indulgence.
[4]The Jews themselves, if they would testify, know well my course of life from my childhood, which from the beginning was among my nation and in Jerusalem.
[5]For they have long been persuaded of me, and have known, that I lived in the princely doctrine of the Pharisees.
[6]And now, for the hope of the promise which was made by God to our fathers, I stand and am judged.
[7]To this hope, our twelve tribes hope to come, with earnest prayers by day and by night: and for this same hope, king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.
[8]How judge ye? Are we not to believe, that God will raise the dead?
[9]For I myself, at first, resolved in my own mind, that I would perpetrate many adverse things against the name of Jesus the Nazarean.
[10]Which I also did at Jerusalem; and by the authority I received from the chief priests, I cast many of the saints into prison and when they were put to death by them, I took part with those that condemned them.
[11]And in every synagogue I tortured them, while I pressed them to become revilers of the name of Jesus. And in the great wrath, with which I was filled against them, I also went to other cities to persecute them.
[12]And, as I was going for this purpose to Damascus, with the authority and license of the chief priests,
[13]at mid-day, on the road, I saw, O king, a light exceeding that of the sun, beaming from heaven upon me, and upon all those with me.
[14]And we all fell to the ground; and I heard a voice, which said to me, in Hebrew: Saul, Saul ! why persecutest thou me? It will be a hard thing for thee to kick against the goads.
[15]And I said: My Lord, who art thou? And our Lord said to me: I am Jesus the Nazarean, whom thou persecutest.
[16]And he said to me: Stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared to thee, for this purpose, to constitute thee a minister and a witness of this thy seeing me, and of thy seeing me hereafter.
[17]And I will deliver thee from the people of the Jews, and from other nations; to whom I send thee,
[18]to open their eyes; that they may turn from darkness to the light, and from the dominion of Satan unto God; and may receive remission of sins, and a portion with the saints, by faith in me.
[19]Wherefore, king Agrippa, I did not contumaciously withstand the heavenly vision:
[20]but I preached from the first to them in Damascus, and to them in Jerusalem and in all the villages of Judaea; and I preached also to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and should turn to God, and should do the works suitable to repentance.
[21]And on account of these things, the Jews seized me in the temple, and sought to kill me.
[22]But unto this day God hath helped me; and lo, I stand and bear testimony, to the small and to the great; yet saying nothing aside from Moses and the prophets, but the very things which they declared were to take place:
[23][namely,] that Messiah would suffer, and would become the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead; and that he would proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles.
[24]And when Paul had extended his defence thus far, Festus cried, with a loud voice: Paul, thou art deranged: much study hath deranged thee.
[25]Paul replied to him: I am not deranged, excellent Festus; but speak words of truth and rectitude.
[26]And king Agrippa is also well acquainted with these things; and I therefore speak confidently before him, because I suppose not one of these things hath escaped his knowledge; for they were not done in secret.
[27]King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
[28]King Agrippa said to him: Almost, thou persuadest me to become a Christian.
[29]And Paul said: I would to God, that not only thou, but likewise all that hear me this day, were almost, and altogether, as I am, aside from these bonds.
[30]And the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
[31]And when they had gone out, they conversed with one another, and said: This man hath done nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
[32]And Agrippa said to Festus: The man might be set at liberty, if he had not announced an appeal to Caesar.
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