12 Engaged in these things, I ajourneyed to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests.
13 At midday, on the way, I saw, O king, a light from heaven beyond the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14 And when we all fell to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the aHebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting 1Me? It is hard for you to kick against the 2goads.
15 And I said, Who are You, 1Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute.
16 But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to aappoint you as a minister and a 1bwitness both of the things in which you have cseen Me and of the things in which I will appear to you;
17 Delivering you afrom the people and from the bGentiles, to whom I send you,
18 To 1open their aeyes, to turn them from 2bdarkness to clight and from the 3authority of Satan 4to God, that they may receive 5dforgiveness of sins and 6an einheritance among those who have been 7sanctified by faith in Me.
19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly 1vision,
20 But declared both to those in aDamascus first and in bJerusalem and throughout call the country of Judea and to the dGentiles that they should erepent and fturn to God, doing works gworthy of repentance.
21 Because of these things certain Jews aseized me while I was in the temple and tried to slay me.
22 Having therefore obtained the 1ahelp which is from God, I have bstood unto this day, ctestifying both to small and great, saying nothing apart from the things which both the dprophets and eMoses have said would take place,
23 That the Christ would asuffer and that He, being the first 1to brise from the dead, would announce 2clight both to the people and to the Gentiles.
24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, You are 1ainsane, Paul. Much learning is driving you 1insane.
25 But Paul said, I am not insane, most aexcellent bFestus, but I am uttering words of ctruth and dsoberness.
26 For the king 1knows about these things, to whom also I speak 2freely, for I am persuaded that none of these things have escaped his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.
28 And Agrippa replied to Paul, By so little are you trying to persuade me to become a aChristian?
29 And Paul said, I would to God that both by little and by much, not only you, but also all those who hear me today might become even such aas I am, except for these bbonds.
30 And the king rose up, and the agovernor and bBernice and cthose sitting with them;
31 And when they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, This man is doing nothing aworthy of death or of bonds.
32 And aAgrippa said to Festus, 1This man could have been breleased, had he 2not cappealed to Caesar.