CHAPTER 26
1 And Agrippa said to Paul, It is suffered to thee (or It is allowed for thee), to speak for thyself. Then Paul held forth the hand, and began to yield reason.
2 Of all (the) things, in which I am accused of the Jews, thou king Agrippa, I guess me blessed at thee, when I shall defend me this day; (Because of all the things, that I am accused of by the Jews, O King Agrippa, I believe that I am most fortunate to be before thee, when I shall defend myself today;)
3 most(ly) for thou knowest all things that be among (the) Jews, (their) customs and questions. For which thing, I beseech (thee), hear me patiently.
4 For all (the) Jews that before knew me from the beginning, know my life from youth;
5 that from the beginning was in my folk in Jerusalem, if they will bear witnessing [or if they will bear witness], that by the most certain sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. (who from the beginning was among my people in Jerusalem, and they can testify, that by the most strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.)
6 And now for the hope of repromission, that is made to our fathers of God, I stand subject in (the) doom (place); (And now for the hope of the promise, that was made to our fathers by God, I stand before the court;)
7 in which hope our twelve lineages, serving night and day hope to come; of which hope, sir king, [or of which hope, thou king], I am accused of the Jews. (of which hope our twelve tribes, serving night and day hope to come; because of which hope, O King, I am now accused by these Jews.)
8 What unbelieveful thing is deemed at you, if God raiseth dead men? (Why is it so unbelievable in your judgement, that God raiseth the dead?)
9 And soothly I guessed, that I ought to do many contrary things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Which thing(s) also I did in Jerusalem, and I enclosed many of the saints in prison, when I had taken power of the princes of (the) priests. And when they were slain, I brought the sentence [or I gave the sentence]. (Which things I did in Jerusalem, and I imprisoned many of God’s people, when I had been given the authority by the high priests. And when it was deemed that they should be executed, I voted for that punishment, or for that sentence.)
11 And by all synagogues oft I punished them, and constrained (them) to blaspheme; and more I waxed mad against them, and pursued (them)[till] into alien cities. (And in all the synagogues I often punished them, and compelled them to blaspheme; and I grew more mad against them, and I persecuted them even in foreign cities.)
12 In which, [the] while I went to Damascus, with power and suffering of the princes of (the) priests, (In which, while I was on my way to Damascus, with power and authority from the high priests,)
13 at midday, in the way I saw, sir king, [or thou king], (or in the middle of the day, on the way I saw, O King), that from heaven a light shined about me, (sur)passing the shining of the sun, and about them that were together with me.
14 And when we all had fallen down into the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in (the) Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, what pursuest thou me? it is hard to thee, to kick against the prick, [or it is hard for thee, to kick against the prick]. (And after we all had fallen down to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee, to kick against the prod.)
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou pursuest, (or I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest).
16 But rise up, and stand on thy feet. For why to this thing I appeared to thee, that I ordain thee minister and witness of those things that thou hast seen, and of those things in which I shall show to thee [or and of those things in which I shall appear to thee]. (But rise up, and stand on thy feet. Because I have appeared to thee for this reason, so that I can ordain thee to be my servant and witness of those things that thou hast seen, and of those things which I shall yet show to thee or in which I shall yet appear to thee.)
17 And I shall deliver thee from (the) peoples and folks, to which now I send thee, (And I shall rescue thee from the peoples and nations, to whom I now send thee,)
18 to open the eyes of them, that they be converted [or turned] from darkness to light, and from (the) power of Satan to God, that they take remission of sins, and (their) part among (the) saints, by faith that is in me. (to open their eyes, so that they be turned from the darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they receive forgive-ness for their sins, and their place among God’s people, by their faith that is in me.)
19 Wherefore, sir king Agrippa [or thou king Agrippa], I was not unbelieveful to the heavenly vision; (And so, O King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision;)
20 but I told [or I showed] to them, that be at Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and by all the country of Judea, and to (the) heathen men, that they should do penance, and be converted to God, and do worthy works of penance. (but I told first to those who be at Damascus, and then to those at Jerusalem, and then to those throughout all the country of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and be converted to God, and do worthy works of repentance.)
21 For this cause, (the) Jews took (hold of) me, when I was in the temple, to slay me [or and would slay me]. (And because of this, or for this reason, the Jews took hold of me, when I was in the Temple, to kill me.)
22 But I was helped by the help of God [till] into this day, and stand, witnessing to less and to more (or testifying to the least and to the greatest). And I say nothing else than which things the prophets and Moses spake that shall come,
23 if Christ is to suffer, if he is the first of the again-rising of dead men [or if (he is) the first of the again-rising of (the) dead], that shall show light to the people and to heathen men. (that the Messiah is to suffer, and that he is the first of the resurrection of the dead, who shall show light to the (Jewish) people and to the Gentiles.)
24 When he spake these things, and yielded reason, Festus said with (a) great voice, Paul, thou maddest, [or Paul, thou waxest (or thou growest) mad]; many letters turn thee to madness. (And when he had said these things, and made his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; too much study hath driven thee mad.)
25 And Paul said, I mad not, thou best Festus, (or But Paul said, I am not mad, O most excellent Festus), but I speak out the words of truth and of soberness.
26 For also the king, to whom I speak steadfastly, knoweth of these things; for I deem, that nothing of these is hid from him (or that none of this is hidden from him); for neither in a corner was aught (or anything) of these things done.
27 Believest thou, king Agrippa, to prophets? I know that thou believest.
28 And Agrippa said to Paul, In little thing thou counselest me [for] to be made a christian man(?).
29 And Paul said, I desire with God, both in little and in great (or both for the least and the greatest), (yea), not only (for) thee, but (for) all these (people) that hear (me) today, to be made such as I am, except (for) these bonds.
30 And the king rose up, and the president, and Bernice, and they that sat nigh to them.
31 And when they went away, they spake together, and said, That this man hath not done anything worthy (of) death, neither (of) bonds [or (of) bonds]. (And when they went away, they spoke together, and said, This man hath not done anything worthy of death, or of bondage, or imprisonment.)
32 And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might be delivered, if he had not appealed to the emperor. [Forsooth Agrippa said to Festus, This man might be dismissed, if he had not appealed to Caesar.]