保罗在亚基帕王面前申辩
1亚基帕对保罗说：“准你为自己辩护。”于是保罗伸手示意，然后为自己辩护说： 2“亚基帕王啊，面对犹太人对我的种种控告，我今天很荣幸可以在你面前申辩， 3尤其是你对犹太习俗和各种争议都十分熟悉。因此，求你耐心听我说。
4“我从小在本族和耶路撒冷为人如何，犹太人都知道。 5他们认识我很久了，如果他们肯作证的话，他们可以证明我从小就属于犹太教中最严格的法利赛派。 6现在我站在这里受审，是因为我盼望上帝给我们祖先的应许。 7我们十二支派日夜虔诚地事奉上帝，盼望这应许能够实现。王啊！就是因为我有这样的盼望，才被犹太人控告。 8上帝叫死人复活，你们为什么认为不可信呢？ 9我自己也曾经认为应该尽一切可能反对拿撒勒人耶稣。 10我在耶路撒冷就是这样做的。我得到祭司长的授权，把许多圣徒26:10 保罗在这里指的是信耶稣的基督徒。关进监狱。他们被判死刑，我也表示赞同。 11我多次在各会堂惩罚他们，逼他们说亵渎的话，我对他们深恶痛绝，甚至到国外的城镇去追捕、迫害他们。
保罗信主的经过
12“那时，我带着祭司长的授权和委托去大马士革。 13王啊！大约中午时分，我在路上看见一道比太阳还亮的光从天上照在我和同行的人周围。 14我们都倒在地上，我听见有声音用希伯来话对我说，‘扫罗！扫罗！你为什么迫害我？你很难用脚去踢刺。’ 15我说，‘主啊，你是谁？’主说，‘我就是你所迫害的耶稣。 16你站起来。我向你显现，是要派你做我的仆人和见证人，把你所看见的和以后我将启示给你的事告诉世人。 17我将把你从你的同胞和外族人手中救出来。我差遣你到他们那里， 18去开他们的眼睛，使他们弃暗投明，脱离魔鬼的权势，归向上帝，好叫他们的罪得到赦免，与所有因信我而圣洁的人同得基业。’
保罗放胆传道
19“亚基帕王啊！我没有违背这从天上来的异象。 20我先在大马士革，然后到耶路撒冷、犹太全境和外族人当中劝人悔改归向上帝，行事为人要与悔改的心相称。 21就因为这些事，犹太人在圣殿中抓住我，打算杀我。 22然而，我靠着上帝的帮助，到今天还能站在这里向所有尊卑老幼做见证。我讲的不外乎众先知和摩西说过要发生的事， 23就是基督必须受害，并首先从死里复活，将光明带给犹太人和外族人。”
24这时，非斯都打断保罗的申辩，大声说：“保罗，你疯了！一定是你的学问太大，使你神经错乱了！”
25保罗说：“非斯都大人，我没有疯。我讲的话真实、合理。 26王了解这些事，所以我才敢在王面前直言。我相信这些事没有一件瞒得过王，因为这些事并非暗地里做的。 27亚基帕王啊，你信先知吗？我知道你信。”
28亚基帕王对保罗说：“难道你想三言两语就说服我成为基督徒吗？”
29保罗说：“不论话多话少，我求上帝不仅使你，也使今天在座的各位都能像我一样，只是不要像我这样带着锁链。”
30亚基帕王、总督、百妮姬及其他在座的人都站起来， 31走到一边商量说：“这人没有做什么该判死刑或监禁的事。” 32亚基帕王对非斯都说：“这人要是没有向凯撒上诉，已经可以获释了。”
1Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now present your case.”
So Paul motioned with his hand. Then he began to present his case. 2“King Agrippa,” he said, “I am happy to be able to stand here today. I will answer all the charges brought against me by the Jews. 3I 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.
4“The Jewish people 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. 5They have known me for a long time. So if they wanted to, they could tell you how I have lived. I have lived by the rules of the Pharisees. Those rules are harder to obey than those of any other Jewish group. 6Today I am on trial because of the hope I have. I believe in what God promised our people of long ago. 7It is the promise that our 12 tribes are hoping to see come true. Because of this hope they serve God with faithful and honest hearts day and night. King Agrippa, it is also because of this hope that these Jews are bringing charges against me. 8Why should any of you think it is impossible for God to raise the dead?
9“I believed that I should oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. So I did everything I could to oppose his name. 10That’s just what I was doing in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests, I put many of the Lord’s people in prison. I agreed that they should die. 11I often went from one synagogue to another to have them punished. I tried to force them to speak evil things against Jesus. All I wanted to do was hurt them. I even went looking for them in the cities of other lands.
12“On one of these journeys I was on my way to Damascus. I had the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13About 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. 14We 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.’
15“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“ ‘I am Jesus,’ the Lord replied. ‘I am the one you are opposing. 16Now get up. Stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve me. And you must tell other people about me. You must tell others that you have seen me today. You must also tell them that I will show myself to you again. 17I will save you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to 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.’
19“So then, King Agrippa, I obeyed the vision that appeared from heaven. 20First I preached to people in Damascus. Then I preached in Jerusalem and in all Judea. And then I preached to the Gentiles. I told them to turn away from their sins to God. The way they live must show that they have turned away from their sins. 21That’s why some Jews grabbed me in the temple courtyard and tried to kill me. 22But God has helped me to this day. So I stand here and tell you what is true. I tell it to everyone, both small and great. I have been saying nothing different from what the prophets and Moses said would happen. 23They said the Messiah would suffer. He would be the first to rise from the dead. He would bring the message of God’s light. He would bring it to his own people and to the Gentiles.”
24While Paul was still presenting his case, Festus interrupted. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you crazy!”
25“I am not crazy, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26The 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. 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
28Then 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?”
29Paul 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.”
30The king stood up. The governor and Bernice and those sitting with them stood up too. 31They 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!”
32Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free. But he has made an appeal to Caesar.”
