| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Agrippa told Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. | 1Agrippa said to Paul, "It is permitted for you to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense: " |
| 2"I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, that I can defend myself today against all the accusations of the Jewish leaders, | 2I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that today I am going to make a defense before you about everything I am accused of by the Jews, |
| 3since you are especially familiar with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen patiently to me. | 3especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently." |
| 4All the Jews know how I lived from the earliest days of my youth with my own people and in Jerusalem. | 4All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem. |
| 5They have known for a long time, if they would but testify to it, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the standards of our strictest religious party. | 5They had previously known me for quite some time, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. |
| 6"And now I stand here on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our ancestors. | 6And now I stand on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, |
| 7Our twelve tribes, worshiping day and night with intense devotion, hope to attain it. It is because of this hope, O King, that I am accused by the Jews. | 7the promise our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve Him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope. |
| 8Why is it thought incredible by all of you that God should raise the dead? | 8Why is it considered incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? |
| 9Indeed, I myself thought it my duty to take extreme measures against the name of Jesus from Nazareth. | 9In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. |
| 10That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the high priests and locked many of the saints in prison. And when I cast my vote against them, they were put to death. | 10I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. |
| 11I would even punish them frequently in every synagogue and try to make them blaspheme. Raging furiously against them, I would hunt them down even in distant cities. | 11In all the synagogues I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them. I even pursued them to foreign cities since I was greatly enraged at them." |
| 12"That is how I happened to be traveling to Damascus with authority based on a commission from the high priests. | 12I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests. |
| 13On the road at noon, O King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun. It flashed around me and those who were traveling with me. | 13King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. |
| 14"All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.' | 14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'" |
| 15"I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "The Lord answered, 'I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. | 15Then I said, 'Who are You, Lord?'" And the Lord replied: I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting. |
| 16But get up and stand on your feet, because I've appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you've seen and of what I'll show you. | 16But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and of what I will reveal to you. |
| 17I'll continue to rescue you from your people and from the gentiles to whom I'm sending you. | 17I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles. I now send you to them |
| 18You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' | 18to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that by faith in Me they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified.'" |
| 19"And so, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. | 19Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. |
| 20Instead, I first told the people in Damascus and Jerusalem, then all the people in Judea—and after that the gentiles—to repent, turn to God, and perform deeds that are consistent with such repentance. | 20Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance. |
| 21For this reason the Jewish leaders grabbed me in the Temple and kept trying to kill me. | 21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple complex and were trying to kill me. |
| 22I've had help from God to this day, and so I stand here to testify to both the powerful and the lowly alike, stating only what the prophets and Moses said would happen— | 22To this very day, I have obtained help that comes from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets and Moses said would take place-- |
| 23that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead and would bring light both to our people and to the gentiles." | 23that the Messiah must suffer, and that as the first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles." |
| 24As he continued his defense, Festus shouted, "You're out of your mind, Paul! Too much education is driving you crazy!" | 24As he was making his defense this way, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, "You're out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driving you mad!" |
| 25But Paul said, "I'm not out of my mind, Your Excellency Festus. I'm reporting what is absolutely true. | 25But Paul replied, "I'm not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I'm speaking words of truth and good judgment. |
| 26Indeed, the king knows about these things, and I can speak to him freely. For I'm certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this wasn't done in a corner. | 26For the king knows about these matters. It is to him I am actually speaking boldly. For I am convinced that none of these things escapes his notice, since this was not done in a corner. |
| 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe them!" | 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe." |
| 28Agrippa asked Paul, "Can you so quickly persuade me to become a Christian?" | 28Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?"" |
| 29Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I wish to God that not only you but everyone listening to me today would become what I am—except for these chains!" | 29I wish before God," replied Paul, "that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am--except for these chains." |
| 30Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and those who were sitting with him got up. | 30So the king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up, |
| 31As they were leaving, they began to say to each other, "This man hasn't been doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment." | 31and when they had left they talked with each other and said, "This man is doing nothing that deserves death or chains." |
| 32Agrippa told Festus, "This man could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to the emperor." | 32Then Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar." |
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