rsv Acts:26:1-27-28 SEEK
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Agrippa said to Paul , "
You have permission to speak for yourself ."
Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense :
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I think myself fortunate that it is before you ,
King Agrippa ,
I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews ,
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because you are especially familiar with all customs and controversies of the Jews ;
therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently .
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My manner of life from my youth ,
spent from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem ,
is known by all the Jews .
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They have known for a long time ,
if they are willing to testify ,
that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee .
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And now I stand here on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers ,
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to which our twelve tribes hope to attain ,
as they earnestly worship night and day .
And for this hope I am accused by Jews ,
O king !
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Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead ?
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I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth .
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And I did so in Jerusalem ;
I not only shut up many of the saints in prison ,
by authority from the chief priests ,
but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them .
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And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme ;
and in raging fury against them ,
I persecuted them even to foreign cities .
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Thus I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests .
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At midday ,
O king ,
I saw on the way a light from heaven ,
brighter than the sun ,
shining round me and those who journeyed with me .
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And when we had all fallen to the ground ,
I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language , `
Saul ,
Saul ,
why do you persecute me ?
It hurts you to kick against the goads .'
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And I said , `
Who are you ,
Lord ?'
And the Lord said , `
I am Jesus whom you are persecuting .
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But rise and stand upon your feet ;
for I have appeared to you for this purpose ,
to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you ,
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delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles--to whom I send you
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to open their eyes ,
that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God ,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me .'
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Wherefore ,
O King Agrippa ,
I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision ,
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but declared first to those at Damascus ,
then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea ,
and also to the Gentiles ,
that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance .
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For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me .
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To this day I have had the help that comes from God ,
and so I stand here testifying both to small and great ,
saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass :
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that the Christ must suffer ,
and that ,
by being the first to rise from the dead ,
he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles ."
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And as he thus made his defense ,
Festus said with a loud voice , "
Paul ,
you are mad ;
your great learning is turning you mad ."
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But Paul said , "
I am not mad ,
most excellent Festus ,
but I am speaking the sober truth .
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For the king knows about these things ,
and to him I speak freely ;
for I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice ,
for this was not done in a corner .
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King Agrippa ,
do you believe the prophets ?
I know that you believe ."