1. Agrippa 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, King Agrippa, that today I am going to make a defense before you about everything I am accused of by the Jews,
3. especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4. “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem.
5. They 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 on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,
7. the 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.
8. Why is it considered incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9. In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene.
10. I 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.
11. In 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. “I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests.
13. King 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.