26 ¹ Agrippa said to Paul, 'You have our permission to speak for yourself.' Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence:

26 ² 'I consider myself fortunate. King Agrippa, that it is before you that I am to make my defence today upon all the charges brought against me by the Jews, 26 ³ particularly as you are expert in all Jewish matters, both our customs and our disputes. And therefore I beg you to give me a patient hearing.

26 ⁴ 'My life from my youth up, the life I led from the beginning among my people and in Jerusalem, is familiar to all Jews. 26 ⁵ Indeed they have known me long enough and could testify, if they only would, that I belonged to the strictest group in our religion: I lived as a Pharisee. 26 ⁶ And it is for a hope kindled by God's promise to our forefathers that I stand in the dock today. 26 ⁷ Our twelve tribes hope to see the fulfilment of that promise, worshipping with intense devotion day and night; and for this very hope I am impeached, and impeached by Jews, Your Majesty. 26 ⁸ Why is it considered incredible among you that God should raise dead men to life?

26 ⁹ 'I myself once thought it my duty to work actively against the name of Jesus of Nazareth; 26 ¹⁰ and I did so in Jerusalem. It was I who imprisoned many of God's people by authority obtained from the chief priests; and when they were condemned to death, my vote was cast against them. 26 ¹¹ In all the synagogues I tried by repeated punishment to make them renounce their faith; indeed my fury rose to such a pitch that I extended my persecution to foreign cities.