1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to
speak for thyself. Then Paul stretching forth his hand,
thus made his defence,
2 “O king Agrippa, I think myself
happy, that I am this day to make my defence before
thee, concerning all the things which I am accused of by
the Jews:
3 especially as thou art acquainted with all the
customs and questions which are among the Jews;
wherefore I intreat thee to hear me patiently.
4 My manner
of life then from my youth, as it has been from the
beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the
Jews are acquainted with,
5 knowing me before note, (if
-- --
they would testify it,) that according to the strictest sect
of our religion I lived a pharisee.
6 And now I stand
arraigned for the hope of the promise which was made by
God to our fathers:
7 to which promise our twelve tribes,
worshipping continually night and day, hope to attain:
concerning which hope, O king Agrippa, I am accused
by the Jews.
8 What! is it judged incredible by you, note that
God note should raise the dead?
9 I indeed once thought with
myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the
name of Jesus the Nazarene:
10 which I also did in Jerusalem;
and I shut up many of the saints in prison,
having received authority for it from the chief priests;
and when they were put to death I gave my voice
against them.
11 And often punishing them in all the synagogues,
I compelled them to blaspheme, and being
excessively enraged against them, I persecuted them
even to foreign cities.
12 On which accounts as I was going
to Damascus with authority and commission from
the chief priests—at mid-day,
13 O king, as I was on the
way thither I saw a light from heaven exceeding the
splendor of the sun, shining round about me and those
that were going with me.
14 And when we were all fallen
down to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and
saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why dost thou
persecute me? It is hard for thee to kick against the
goads.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And He said,
I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and
stand on thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto
thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of
the things which thou hast seen, and of those for which
I shall hereafter appear unto thee:
17 delivering thee from
the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send
thee,
18 to open their eyes, and note to turn them from darkness
to light, and from the power of satan unto God;
that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance
among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
19 Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to
the heavenly vision:
20 but declared first to those in Damascus
and Jerusalem, and through all the country of
Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent,
and turn unto God, performing works note suitable to repentance.
21 For these things the Jews seized me in the
-- --
temple, and attempted to kill me. note
22 But having obtained
help of God, I continue until this day, testifying
both to small and great, and saying nothing but what
the prophets and Moses declared should come to pass;
even that the note Messiah should suffer,
23 and being the first
of note the resurrection from the dead should note bring light
to the people and to the Gentiles.”
24 And as he was saying these things in his defence,
Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself:
much learning turns note thy brain.
25 But he note replied,
I am not mad, most noble Festus; but I speak note
the words of truth and note of a sound mind.
26 For the
king knoweth of these things, to whom also I speak
with freedom; because I am persuaded that note none of
them are unknown to him; for this was not done in a
corner.
27 O king Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?
28 I know that thou believest them. Then Agrippa said
unto Paul, Thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou,
but also all that hear me this day, were both almost,
and altogether such as I note am, except these bonds.
30 And when he had said note this, the king rose up, and
the governor, and Bernice, and those that sat with them.
31 And when they were retired, they spake to each other,
saying, note this man hath done nothing worthy of death
or of bonds.
32 And Agrippa said to Festus, This man
might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed
to Cesar.
Worsley [1770], THE NEW TESTAMENT OR NEW COVENANT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. Translated from the Greek ACCORDING TO The Present Idiom of the English Tongue. With NOTES and REFERENCES interspersed, as occasion required, to confirm and illustrate the more literal or various Renderings given at the bottom of each page; by which even they, who do not understand the Original, may often judge for themselves of the justness and propriety of the Translation. By the late Mr. JOHN WORSLEY, of Hertford (Printed by R. Hett, LONDON) [word count] [B18100].
