Acts 26

New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel

Acts 26

1Then Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted for you to speak for yourself.” So Paul, having extended his hand, spoke in his own defense:Ἀγρίππας δὲ πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον ἔφη, Ἐπιτρέπεταί σοι ὑπὲρ σεαυτοῦ λέγειν. τότε ὁ Παῦλος ἀπελογεῖτο, ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα,

2“I have considered myself fortunate, King Agrippa, being able to speak in my own defense today, concerning all the things of which I am accused of by the Jews,Περὶ πάντων ὧν ἐγκαλοῦμαι ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, ἥγημαι ἐμαυτὸν μακάριον ἐπὶ σοῦ μέλλων ἀπολογεῖσθαι σήμερον·

3especially since you are well versed both in all the customs and questions in relation to the Jews; therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.μάλιστα γνώστην ὄντα σε πάντων τῶν κατὰ Ἰουδαίους ἠθῶν τε καὶ ζητημάτων· διὸ δέομαί σου, μακροθύμως ἀκοῦσαί μου.

4“Therefore my way of life from my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation in Jerusalem, all the Jews know,Τὴν μὲν οὖν βίωσίν μου τὴν ἐκ νεότητος, τὴν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς γενομένην ἐν τῷ ἔθνει μου ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, ἴσασι πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι,

5since they have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.προγινώσκοντές με ἄνωθεν, ἐὰν θέλωσι μαρτυρεῖν, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἀκριβεστάτην αἵρεσιν τῆς ἡμετέρας θρησκείας ἔζησα Φαρισαῖος.

6And now for the hope of the promise having been made by God to the fathers, I stand before you judged,καὶ νῦν ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐπαγγελίας γενομένης ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἕστηκα κρινόμενος,

7a promise to which our twelve tribes, as they earnestly serve God night and day, hope to attain. Concerning which hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa.εἰς ἣν τὸ δωδεκάφυλον ἡμῶν ἐν ἐκτενίᾳ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν λατρεῦον ἐλπίζει καταντῆσαι· περὶ ἧς ἐλπίδος ἐγκαλοῦμαι, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων.

8Why is it considered such an unbelievable thing by you people if God raises the dead?τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾽ ὑμῖν, εἰ ὁ Θεὸς νεκροὺς ἐγείρει;

9“Therefore I thought in myself that it was necessary to do many hostile things against the name of Jesus the Nazarene;Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἔδοξα ἐμαυτῷ πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου δεῖν πολλὰ ἐναντία πρᾶξαι·

10which also I did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them.ὃ καὶ ἐποίησα ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν ἁγίων ἐγὼ φυλακαῖς κατέκλεισα, τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἐξουσίαν λαβών, ἀναιρουμένων τε αὐτῶν κατήνεγκα ψῆφον.

11And I punished them often in all the synagogues, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even as far as to foreign cities.καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς συναγωγὰς πολλάκις τιμωρῶν αὐτούς, ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν· περισσῶς τε ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς, ἐδίωκον ἕως καὶ εἰς τὰς ἔξω πόλεις.

12“In which pursuits also, as I traveled to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,Ἐν οἷς καὶ πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν μετ᾽ ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων,

13at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.ἡμέρας μέσης, κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν εἶδον, βασιλεῦ, οὐρανόθεν ὑπὲρ τὴν λαμπρότητα τοῦ ἡλίου, περιλάμψαν με φῶς καὶ τοὺς σὺν ἐμοὶ πορευομένους.

14And when we all had fallen down to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’πάντων δὲ καταπεσόντων ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἤκουσα φωνὴν λαλοῦσαν πρός με καὶ λέγουσαν τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ, Σαούλ, Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις; σκληρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν.

15So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον, Τίς εἶ, Κύριε; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὃν σὺ διώκεις.

16But arise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will appear to you,ἀλλὰ ἀνάστηθι, καὶ στῆθι ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας σου· εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὤφθην σοι, προχειρίσασθαί σε ὑπηρέτην καὶ μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι,

17delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγώ σε ἀποστέλλω,

18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God, in order for them to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ὑποστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, καὶ κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ.

19“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,Ὅθεν, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, οὐκ ἐγενόμην ἀπειθὴς τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ,

20but to those first in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, proclaiming that they must repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν Δαμασκῷ πρῶτον καὶ Ἱεροσολύμοις, εἰς πᾶσάν τε τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀπαγγέλλων μετανοεῖν, καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν, ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα πράσσοντας.

21Because of these things the Jews arrested me in the temple and attempted to kill me.ἕνεκα τούτων με οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συλλαβόμενοι ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐπειρῶντο διαχειρίσασθαι.

22Therefore, having obtained help from God, until this day I stand, witnessing both to common people and great people, saying nothing except the things which both the prophets and Moses spoke of as being about to happen,ἐπικουρίας οὖν τυχὼν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἕστηκα μαρτυρόμενος μικρῷ τε καὶ μεγάλῳ, οὐδὲν ἐκτὸς λέγων ὧν τε οἱ προφῆται ἐλάλησαν μελλόντων γίνεσθαι καὶ Μωϋσῆς,

23that the Christ was to suffer, that as the first to rise from the dead, He was about to proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”εἰ παθητὸς ὁ Χριστός, εἰ πρῶτος ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν φῶς μέλλει καταγγέλλειν τῷ λαῷ καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι.

24Now as he spoke these things, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are mad, Paul! Your higher learning is driving you to madness!”Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀπολογουμένου, ὁ Φῆστος μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ ἔφη, Μαίνῃ, Παῦλε· τὰ πολλά σε γράμματα εἰς μανίαν περιτρέπει.

25But he said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I boldly declare words of truth and reason.ὁ δέ, Οὐ μαίνομαι, φησί, κράτιστε Φῆστε, ἀλλὰ ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα ἀποφθέγγομαι.

26For the king knows about these things, to whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things escapes his notice, since this thing was not done in a corner.ἐπίσταται γὰρ περὶ τούτων ὁ βασιλεύς, πρὸς ὃν καὶ παρρησιαζόμενος λαλῶ· λανθάνειν γὰρ αὐτόν τι τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐδέν· οὐ γὰρ ἐν γωνίᾳ πεπραγμένον τοῦτο.

27Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”πιστεύεις, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, τοῖς προφήταις; οἶδα ὅτι πιστεύεις.

28And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time, you are persuading me to become a Christian!”ὁ δὲ Ἀγρίππας πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον ἔφη, Ἐν ὀλίγῳ με πείθεις Χριστιανὸν γενέσθαι;

29And Paul said, “I would to God, both in a short time and a long time, that not only you, but also all who are hearing me today, would become such as I am, except for these chains.”ὁ δὲ Παῦλος εἶπεν, Εὐξαίμην ἂν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ καὶ ἐν πολλῷ οὐ μόνον σέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντάς μου σήμερον, γενέσθαι τοιούτους ὁποῖος κἀγώ εἰμι, παρεκτὸς τῶν δεσμῶν τούτων.

30When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those sitting together with them;Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ, ἀνέστη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὁ ἡγεμών, ἥ τε Βερνίκη, καὶ οἱ συγκαθήμενοι αὐτοῖς·

31and when they withdrew, they were speaking among themselves, saying, “This man practices nothing worthy of death or chains.”καὶ ἀναχωρήσαντες ἐλάλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, λέγοντες ὅτι Οὐδὲν θανάτου ἄξιον ἢ δεσμῶν πράσσει ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος.

32Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”Ἀγρίππας δὲ τῷ Φήστῳ ἔφη, Ἀπολελύσθαι ἐδύνατο ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, εἰ μὴ ἐπεκέκλητο Καίσαρα.

The Fathers on Acts 26

Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Acts 26:30–32

Saint John Chrysostom

Eastern Fathers · c. 400 AD · Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles

“And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: and when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar.”

Read Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles →