Acts 26

¹⁵“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.

⁵¹“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”

²⁴Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,

²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,

¹“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”

¹⁷The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

¹⁴For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

²⁶For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.

⁴But in order not to delay you any further, I beg your indulgence to hear us briefly.

¹⁷After three days, he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, I was taken prisoner in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.

²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

⁷the 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.

¹³For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

¹⁰You, however, have observed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance,

³“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

⁶Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”

³“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁵We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

⁶as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

¹⁴I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

¹³as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

²⁰So for this reason I have called to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

¹³In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

¹⁴And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

¹⁵and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

²⁵But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.

²⁶Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.

⁵The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers.

¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

³⁰so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

¹⁷For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.

¹⁰Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.

¹²But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

¹³If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

²greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

³¹For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

³²When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”

²¹who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.

⁴⁰God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen—

⁴¹not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

²⁷But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

¹³I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

⁸‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.

¹³For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

¹⁴I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

⁶as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

²They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.

³They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.

⁵We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

¹⁴And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

²¹All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

⁴I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

¹And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

¹⁹‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.

²⁰And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.

¹⁹‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.

¹⁷But beware of men, for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

¹⁷Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food, but here I am, starving to death!

¹⁰And 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.

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest

²and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

⁵as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.

⁸and as soon as he had finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You must surely die!

⁵⁷But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.

⁸Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.

⁹In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.

¹⁶He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.

²³And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.

²There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

⁶About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.

³As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

²³The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the Lord of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.

⁴⁰Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:

²When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then Paul declared,

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone.

⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’

⁸‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.

⁸For this is what the Lord of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—

²²Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

²⁰Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

²¹But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.

⁴⁵Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’

⁴⁰And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

⁸And Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.”

¹⁴Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear His voice.

¹⁵You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

¹“Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”

¹¹He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling.

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.

¹²I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁵“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.

⁷For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.

¹⁹They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

¹³I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry

¹⁶At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.

¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

²⁸Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

¹⁸I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,

³²And now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

⁷to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁵The Lord God has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.

⁷But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.

⁸And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

¹⁶to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,

⁹If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.

¹³But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”

¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

³Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

¹⁹Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,

⁸Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.

²⁵He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

²⁶Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

¹³But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

³⁰The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

³¹While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil.

²⁷When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,

³to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

²²The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!”

¹²When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³More than forty of them were involved in this plot.

⁴⁶If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me.

¹⁴I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

⁴⁴Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”

⁴³All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

²¹But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

¹Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

²He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.

²⁶Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”

¹⁸And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,

¹⁰In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

²⁴Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

²⁵Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

¹³And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

¹⁴The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

²³but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

¹³If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.

²¹When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”

²⁶‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the Lord, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.

²⁶Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.

⁹He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

⁷In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,

⁸and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

⁴⁹“I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

³Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

⁹Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,

³especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently.

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

²Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

¹⁸and arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

¹⁹But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,

²⁰The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your own eyes you will see Him.

¹⁶“What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”

²⁹And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

³⁰Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.

²²But 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:

²³that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁶and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

¹⁸On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

²⁹“Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.”

¹⁷As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.

²⁵As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you.”

²Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

²⁸We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

¹Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation.

³³The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴Even though I do not accept human testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved.

³“If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

²²But we consider your views worth hearing, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”

¹⁵But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”

²³The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium, along with the commanders and leading men of the city. And Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.

²⁹I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.

⁹A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

¹⁸They examined me and wanted to release me, because there was no basis for a death sentence against me.

⁴Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

²⁵But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

¹⁴and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him here in your presence and found Him not guilty of your charges against Him.

¹⁵Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.

¹⁸They examined me and wanted to release me, because there was no basis for a death sentence against me.

¹¹If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

¹²Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

²⁵But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.