‘I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting.
But rise and
stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a
minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things
which I will yet reveal to you.
I will
deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now
send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
“Therefore,”
he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse
this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”
When he had
come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many
serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, while he answered
for himself, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor
against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”
So Paul said,
“I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I
have done no wrong, as you very well know. For if I am an offender, or have
committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there
is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me
to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”
And now I
stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To
this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to
attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why
should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
Then Agrippa
said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
Our Lord the promise made
by the Father.
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