1 Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself."

Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense. 2 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews, 3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

4 "Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem; 5 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa! 8 Why is it judged incredible with you if God does raise the dead?

9 "I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 I also did this in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. 11 Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12 "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me. 14 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 "I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

"He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will reveal to you; 17 delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, 23 how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles."

24 As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!"

25 But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness. 26 For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."

28 Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?"

29 Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds."

30 The king rose up with the governor and Bernice, and those who sat with them. 31 When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, "This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds." 32 Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

1 En Agr¡ppa sê vir Paulus: Dit is jou vergun om vir jouself te spreek. Toe steek Paulus sy hand uit en verdedig homself:

2 Ek ag my gelukkig, koning Agr¡ppa, dat ek my voor u vandag gaan verdedig in verband met alles waarvan ek deur die Jode beskuldig word,

3 veral omdat u bekend is met al die sedes en vraagstukke onder die Jode. Daarom versoek ek u om my geduldig aan te hoor.

4 My lewe dan van my jeug af, wat van die begin af deurgebring is onder my nasie in Jerusalem, ken al die Jode,

5 omdat hulle my van die tyd af geken het, as hulle dit wil betuig, hoe ek volgens die strengste party van ons godsdiens as Fariseër geleef het.

6 En nou staan ek tereg oor die hoop op die belofte wat aan die vaders deur God gedoen is,

7 waartoe ons twaalf stamme wat God aanhoudend dag en nag dien, hoop om te kom; oor hierdie hoop, koning Agr¡ppa, word ek deur die Jode beskuldig.

8 Wat? Word dit by u as ongelooflik beskou dat God die dode opwek?

9 Wat my betref, ek het gemeen dat ek baie vyandige dinge teen die Naam van Jesus die Nasar,ner moes doen.

10 Dit het ek ook in Jerusalem gedoen; en ek het baie van die heiliges in gevangenisse opgesluit, nadat ek van die owerpriesters volmag verkry het; en so dikwels as hulle omgebring is, het ek my toestemming gegee.

11 En in al die sinagoges het ek hulle dikwels gestraf en gedwing om te laster; en ek het uitermate teen hulle gewoed en hulle vervolg, selfs tot in die buitelandse stede.

12 Toe ek dan daarvoor na Damaskus op reis was, met volmag en opdrag van die owerpriesters,

13 het ek, o koning, in die middel van die dag op die pad 'n lig uit die hemel gesien, sterker as die glans van die son, wat my en my reisgenote omstraal het.

14 En toe ons almal op die grond val, hoor ek 'n stem met my spreek en in die Hebreeuse taal sê: Saul, Saul, waarom vervolg jy My? Dit is hard vir jou om teen die prikkels te skop.

15 Toe sê ek: Wie is U, Here? En Hy sê: Ek is Jesus wat jy vervolg.

16 Maar rig jou op en staan op jou voete, want hiertoe het Ek aan jou verskyn om jou te bestem tot 'n dienaar en getuie van die dinge wat jy gesien het en van die dinge waarin Ek nog aan jou sal verskyn,

17 terwyl Ek jou verlos uit die volk en die heidene na wie Ek jou nou stuur,

18 om hulle oë te open, dat hulle hul van die duisternis tot die lig kan bekeer en van die mag van die Satan tot God, sodat hulle deur die geloof in My vergifnis van sondes en 'n erfdeel onder die geheiligdes kan ontvang.

19 Daarom, koning Agr¡ppa, was ek aan die hemelse gesig nie ongehoorsaam nie,

20 maar ek het eers aan die mense in Damaskus en in Jerusalem en in die hele land van Judia en aan die heidene verkondig dat hulle tot inkeer moet kom en hulle tot God bekeer deur werke te doen wat by die bekering pas.

21 Om hierdie rede het die Jode my in die tempel gevang en my probeer ombring.

22 Maar omdat ek hulp van God verkry het, staan ek tot vandag toe en getuig aan klein en groot, en spreek niks buiten wat die profete en ook Moses gesê het dat sou gebeur nie:

23 dat die Christus moes ly en die eerste wees uit die opstanding van die dode, en 'n lig aan die volk en die heidene sou verkondig.

24 Maar terwyl hy hom so verdedig, sê Festus met 'n groot stem: Jy is kranksinnig, Paulus; die groot geleerdheid bring jou tot kranksinnigheid.

25 Maar hy sê: Ek is nie kranksinnig nie, hoogedele Festus, maar ek spreek woorde van waarheid en gesonde verstand.

26 Want die koning, met wie ek ook vrymoediglik spreek, weet van hierdie dinge; want ek glo nie dat aan hom iets van hierdie dinge onbekend is nie, want dit het nie in 'n hoek gebeur nie.

27 Glo u die profete, koning Agr¡ppa? Ek weet dat u glo.

28 En Agr¡ppa sê vir Paulus: Jy beweeg my byna om 'n Christen te word.

29 En Paulus sê: Ek sou wel God wil bid dat sowel byna as heeltemal nie alleen u nie, maar ook almal wat my vandag aanhoor, so mag word soos ek is, buiten hierdie boeie.

30 En nadat Paulus dit gesê het, staan die koning op en die goewerneur en Bern¡ce en die wat saam met hulle gesit het.

31 En toe hulle weggaan, praat hulle met mekaar en sê: Hierdie man doen niks wat die dood of die boeie verdien nie.

32 En Agr¡ppa sê vir Festus: Hierdie man kon losgelaat gewees het as hy hom nie op die keiser beroep het nie.