21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of 1the aEmperor, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I should send him up to Caesar.
22 And Agrippa said to Festus, I myself also would like to hear the man. Tomorrow, said Festus, you shall hear him.
23 Therefore on the next day, when aAgrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered into the hall of audience together with the 1commanders and prominent men of the city, and when Festus had given the order, Paul was brought.
24 And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all you men who are present with us, you behold this man, concerning whom all the multitude of aJews have petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought bnot to live any longer.
25 But I found that he had done nothing aworthy of death; and since he himself bappealed to the Emperor, I 1decided to send him.
26 Concerning him I have nothing definite to write to my lord; therefore I have brought him before 1you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that when the examination has taken place, I may have something to write.
27 For it seems unreasonable to me, in sending a aprisoner, not to also signify the charges against him.
CHAPTER 26
1 And Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his adefense:
2 Concerning all the things which I am aaccused of by the Jews, bKing Agrippa, I consider myself blessed that I am to make my 1defense before you today,
3 1Especially since you are 2familiar with all the acustoms and bquestions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 The manner of my life from youth, which from the beginning was among my own anation and in Jerusalem, all the Jews know,
5 Since they have previously known about me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the astrictest bsect of our 1religion I lived as a cPharisee.
6 And now I stand here being judged for the ahope of the promise made by God to our fathers,
7 To which our atwelve tribes, earnestly serving bnight and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am caccused by the Jews, O king.
8 Why is it judged incredible among you if God araises the dead?
9 Well then, I thought to myself that I ought to do many things acontrary to the name of Jesus the bNazarene,
10 Which also I did in Jerusalem; and I both shut up many of the saints in aprison when I had received bauthority from the chief priests and ccast a vote against them when they were being done away with.
11 And in all the asynagogues I punished them often and tried to compel them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged at them, I bpersecuted them even as far as 1foreign cities.