Acts

Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope"s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:

Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:

For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.

Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.

But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.

And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.

And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus" commandment Paul was brought forth.

Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.

But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.

And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters.

But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed:

Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth.

To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.

About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.