New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Acts 26
1
Agrippa said to Paul, "You may now speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand. Then he began to stand up for himself.
Reference
2
"King Agrippa," he said, "I am happy to be able to stand here today. I will speak up for myself against all the charges brought by the Jews.
3
I am very pleased that you are familiar with Jewish ways. You know the kinds of things they argue about. So I beg you to be patient as you listen to me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 6:14
4
"The Jews all know how I have lived ever since I was a child. They know all about me from the beginning of my life. They know how I lived in my own country and in Jerusalem.
Reference
Parallel theme
Galatians 1:13
5
They have known me for a long time. So if they wanted to, they could give witness that I lived by the rules of the Pharisees. Those rules are harder to obey than the rules of any other group in the Jewish faith.
Reference
6
"Today I am on trial because of the hope I have. I believe in what God promised our people long ago.
Reference
Covenant
Romans 15:8
Hope
Acts 24:15
Acts 28:20
Titus 2:13
Acts 23:6
Parallel theme
Zechariah 13:7
Genesis 22:18
Genesis 26:4
Genesis 12:3
References God
Deuteronomy 18:15
7
It is the promise that our 12 tribes are hoping to see come true. Because of this hope they serve God with a true and honest heart day and night. King Agrippa, it is also because of this hope that the Jews are bringing charges against me.
Reference
Kingdom
1 Thessalonians 3:10
Luke 22:30
Parallel theme
Philippians 3:11
Matthew 19:28
References God
James 1:1
1 Timothy 5:5
Ezra 6:17
8
Why should any of you think it is impossible for God to raise the dead?
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 25:19
Genesis 18:14
Philippians 3:21
References God
Luke 18:27
Resurrection
Acts 4:2
Acts 23:6
9
"I myself believed that I should do everything I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Reference
10
That's just what I was doing in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests, I put many of God's people in prison. I agreed that they should die.
Reference
11
I often went from one synagogue to another to have them punished. I tried to force them to speak evil things against Jesus. I hated them so much that I even went to cities in other lands to hurt them.
Reference
12
"On one of these journeys I was on my way to Damascus. I had the authority and commission of the chief priests.
13
About noon, King Agrippa, I was on the road. I saw a light coming from heaven. It was brighter than the sun. It was shining around me and my companions.
Reference
Light
Matthew 17:2
14
We all fell to the ground. I heard a voice speak to me in the Aramaic language. 'Saul! Saul!' it said. 'Why are you opposing me? It is hard for you to go against what you know is right.'
Reference
15
"Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' " 'I am Jesus,' the Lord replied. 'I am the one you are opposing.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 25:45
16
Now get up. Stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve me and be my witness. You will tell others that you have seen me today. You will also tell them that I will show myself to you again.
Reference
17
" 'I will save you from your own people and from those who aren't Jews. I am sending you to them
Reference
18
to open their eyes. I want you to turn them from darkness to light. I want you to turn them from Satan's power to God. I want their sins to be forgiven. They will be forgiven when they believe in me. They will have their place among God's people.'
Reference
Darkness
Isaiah 42:7
Ephesians 4:18
Holy
1 Peter 2:9
Ephesians 1:18
Acts 20:32
Light
Ephesians 5:8
2 Corinthians 4:6
John 8:12
Luke 1:79
Parallel theme
Isaiah 35:5
20
First I preached to people in Damascus. Then I preached in Jerusalem and in all Judea. I preached also to people who are not Jews. I told them to turn away from their sins to God. The way they live must prove that they have turned away from their sins.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 9:15
References God
Acts 15:19
Repentance
Acts 3:19
Matthew 3:8
Acts 2:38
Matthew 9:13
Revelation 2:5
Revelation 3:3
Acts 20:21
Acts 11:18
21
That's why the Jews grabbed me in the temple courtyard and tried to kill me.
Reference
Temple
Acts 21:27
22
"But God has helped me to this very day. So I stand here and give witness to both small and great. I have been saying nothing different from what the prophets and Moses said would happen.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 7:12
Prophecy
Acts 24:14
Acts 10:43
Luke 24:44
Luke 24:27
References Moses
John 5:46
Sin
Revelation 15:3
23
They said the Christ would suffer. He would be the first to rise from the dead. He would announce the light of life to his own people and to those who aren't Jews."
Reference
Light
Luke 2:32
Parallel theme
Colossians 1:18
Zechariah 12:10
Hebrews 2:10
Zechariah 13:7
Genesis 3:15
John 10:18
References Christ
Luke 24:26
Revelation 1:5
1 Corinthians 15:3
24
While Paul was still speaking up for himself, Festus interrupted. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you crazy!"
Reference
25
"I am not crazy, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 23:26
26
The king is familiar with these things. So I can speak openly to him. I am certain he knows everything that has been going on. After all, it was not done in secret.
27
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."
28
Then Agrippa spoke to Paul. "Are you trying to talk me into becoming a Christian?" he said. "Do you think you can do that in such a short time?"
Reference
29
Paul replied, "I don't care if it takes a short time or a long time. I pray to God for you and all who are listening to me today. I pray that you may become like me, except for these chains."
Reference
30
The king stood up. The governor and Bernice and those sitting with them stood up too.
31
They left the room and began to talk with one another. "Why should this man die or be put in prison?" they said. "He has done nothing worthy of that!"
Reference
32
Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free. But he has made an appeal to Caesar."
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 28:18
Chapter Summary
Acts 26 records Paul's most detailed defense before King Agrippa, where Paul explains his Jewish background, his former persecution of Christians, his encounter with the risen Jesus, and the mission Jesus gave him to preach to both Jews and Gentiles.
Paul begins by respectfully addressing King Agrippa, explaining that Agrippa understands Jewish customs and religious disagreements, making him especially qualified to listen to the accusations against Paul.
Paul describes his childhood and education in Jerusalem and explains that he lived as a Pharisee, one of the strictest Jewish religious groups, and that his belief in the resurrection is actually connected to the hope that God had promised to Israel.
He makes it clear that he is not standing before the authorities because he abandoned the God of Israel but because he believes that God's promises have been fulfilled through Jesus and His resurrection.
Paul then openly admits that he once believed he should oppose the name of Jesus and describes how he persecuted Christians, imprisoned them, supported their deaths, and traveled to other cities to arrest them.
This makes Paul's testimony especially powerful because he is not claiming that he was always a faithful follower of Jesus; instead, he explains that he was once one of Christianity's strongest enemies.
While traveling to Damascus, Paul says that around noon he saw a heavenly light brighter than the sun and heard Jesus asking why he was persecuting Him.
Jesus then tells Paul to stand up because He has chosen him to become a servant and witness, giving him a mission to take the message of salvation beyond the Jewish people and into the Gentile world.
Paul explains that Jesus sent him to open people's eyes, turn them from darkness to light, bring them from the power of Satan to God, and help them receive forgiveness through faith.
Paul tells Agrippa that he obeyed this calling and preached first in Damascus, then Jerusalem and Judea, and eventually throughout Gentile lands.
His message was simple but powerful: people should repent, turn to God, and show through their lives that their repentance is genuine.
Paul explains that this message caused some Jewish leaders to seize him in the temple and try to kill him, eventually leading to his arrest and imprisonment.
Even though Paul has suffered because of his preaching, he says that God has helped him and allowed him to continue giving his testimony before both ordinary people and powerful rulers.
Paul also emphasizes that his message about Jesus is not separate from the Jewish Scriptures because Moses and the prophets had already spoken about the Messiah who would suffer, rise from the dead, and bring God's light to both Jews and Gentiles.
At this point, Festus interrupts Paul and accuses him of being crazy because of his great learning.
Paul responds calmly that he is not crazy but is speaking true and sensible words.
He then turns directly toward Agrippa and asks whether Agrippa believes the prophets, placing the king in the position of personally considering Paul's message.
Agrippa responds with a question suggesting that Paul is trying to persuade him to become a Christian.
Paul's answer is remarkable because he says that he hopes everyone listening will become like him in faith, except for the chains he is wearing.
Paul does not use his opportunity to attack his opponents or complain about his imprisonment; instead, he uses his trial as another opportunity to invite people toward faith in Christ.
After Paul finishes speaking, Agrippa, Festus, Bernice, and the other officials leave and discuss the case privately.
They agree that Paul has done nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
Agrippa finally tells Festus that Paul could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.
The central message of Acts 26 is that Paul's imprisonment becomes another opportunity for him to tell powerful people about Jesus.
Instead of allowing his circumstances to silence him, Paul turns his defense into a personal testimony about how Jesus changed his life.
The chapter also shows the power of a personal testimony: Paul does not simply give religious arguments but tells the story of what he once believed, what happened to him, and how his life changed afterward.
His message is especially powerful because his past as a persecutor demonstrates how completely the encounter with Jesus transformed him.
Historically, Paul's hearing takes place before Agrippa II, Bernice, Governor Festus, military commanders, and important people in Caesarea, making it one of the most public and politically significant defenses recorded in Acts.
Agrippa's knowledge of Jewish traditions makes him particularly useful to Festus, who admits that he does not fully understand the religious questions behind Paul's case.
The chapter also gives an important picture of Roman justice because both Festus and Agrippa conclude that Paul has not committed a crime deserving death.
Paul's continued imprisonment is therefore not presented as the result of a proven serious crime but largely because he has appealed to Caesar and because political and religious pressures surround his case.
Acts 26 also emphasizes the connection between Jesus, the Old Testament promises, resurrection, repentance, forgiveness, and the Gentile mission.
Paul argues that the message about Jesus is not a rejection of Israel's Scriptures but the fulfillment of the hope contained within them.
The chapter ends with an important irony: Paul is physically the prisoner, but he is the one speaking freely about truth, faith, repentance, and salvation to people who have political power over him.
Although Paul is still wearing chains, his message cannot be imprisoned, and his testimony before Agrippa and Festus becomes another step toward the journey to Rome that Jesus had promised earlier.
Paul begins by respectfully addressing King Agrippa, explaining that Agrippa understands Jewish customs and religious disagreements, making him especially qualified to listen to the accusations against Paul.
Paul describes his childhood and education in Jerusalem and explains that he lived as a Pharisee, one of the strictest Jewish religious groups, and that his belief in the resurrection is actually connected to the hope that God had promised to Israel.
He makes it clear that he is not standing before the authorities because he abandoned the God of Israel but because he believes that God's promises have been fulfilled through Jesus and His resurrection.
Paul then openly admits that he once believed he should oppose the name of Jesus and describes how he persecuted Christians, imprisoned them, supported their deaths, and traveled to other cities to arrest them.
This makes Paul's testimony especially powerful because he is not claiming that he was always a faithful follower of Jesus; instead, he explains that he was once one of Christianity's strongest enemies.
While traveling to Damascus, Paul says that around noon he saw a heavenly light brighter than the sun and heard Jesus asking why he was persecuting Him.
Jesus then tells Paul to stand up because He has chosen him to become a servant and witness, giving him a mission to take the message of salvation beyond the Jewish people and into the Gentile world.
Paul explains that Jesus sent him to open people's eyes, turn them from darkness to light, bring them from the power of Satan to God, and help them receive forgiveness through faith.
Paul tells Agrippa that he obeyed this calling and preached first in Damascus, then Jerusalem and Judea, and eventually throughout Gentile lands.
His message was simple but powerful: people should repent, turn to God, and show through their lives that their repentance is genuine.
Paul explains that this message caused some Jewish leaders to seize him in the temple and try to kill him, eventually leading to his arrest and imprisonment.
Even though Paul has suffered because of his preaching, he says that God has helped him and allowed him to continue giving his testimony before both ordinary people and powerful rulers.
Paul also emphasizes that his message about Jesus is not separate from the Jewish Scriptures because Moses and the prophets had already spoken about the Messiah who would suffer, rise from the dead, and bring God's light to both Jews and Gentiles.
At this point, Festus interrupts Paul and accuses him of being crazy because of his great learning.
Paul responds calmly that he is not crazy but is speaking true and sensible words.
He then turns directly toward Agrippa and asks whether Agrippa believes the prophets, placing the king in the position of personally considering Paul's message.
Agrippa responds with a question suggesting that Paul is trying to persuade him to become a Christian.
Paul's answer is remarkable because he says that he hopes everyone listening will become like him in faith, except for the chains he is wearing.
Paul does not use his opportunity to attack his opponents or complain about his imprisonment; instead, he uses his trial as another opportunity to invite people toward faith in Christ.
After Paul finishes speaking, Agrippa, Festus, Bernice, and the other officials leave and discuss the case privately.
They agree that Paul has done nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
Agrippa finally tells Festus that Paul could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.
The central message of Acts 26 is that Paul's imprisonment becomes another opportunity for him to tell powerful people about Jesus.
Instead of allowing his circumstances to silence him, Paul turns his defense into a personal testimony about how Jesus changed his life.
The chapter also shows the power of a personal testimony: Paul does not simply give religious arguments but tells the story of what he once believed, what happened to him, and how his life changed afterward.
His message is especially powerful because his past as a persecutor demonstrates how completely the encounter with Jesus transformed him.
Historically, Paul's hearing takes place before Agrippa II, Bernice, Governor Festus, military commanders, and important people in Caesarea, making it one of the most public and politically significant defenses recorded in Acts.
Agrippa's knowledge of Jewish traditions makes him particularly useful to Festus, who admits that he does not fully understand the religious questions behind Paul's case.
The chapter also gives an important picture of Roman justice because both Festus and Agrippa conclude that Paul has not committed a crime deserving death.
Paul's continued imprisonment is therefore not presented as the result of a proven serious crime but largely because he has appealed to Caesar and because political and religious pressures surround his case.
Acts 26 also emphasizes the connection between Jesus, the Old Testament promises, resurrection, repentance, forgiveness, and the Gentile mission.
Paul argues that the message about Jesus is not a rejection of Israel's Scriptures but the fulfillment of the hope contained within them.
The chapter ends with an important irony: Paul is physically the prisoner, but he is the one speaking freely about truth, faith, repentance, and salvation to people who have political power over him.
Although Paul is still wearing chains, his message cannot be imprisoned, and his testimony before Agrippa and Festus becomes another step toward the journey to Rome that Jesus had promised earlier.