261 Agrippa said to Paul , "You are permitted to speak for yourself ." Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense : 2 "In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews , I consider myself fortunate , King Agrippa , that I am about to make my defense before you today ; 3 especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews ; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently . 4 "So then , all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem ; 5 since they have known about me for a long time , if they are willing to testify , that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion . 6 "And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers ; 7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain , as they earnestly e serve God night and day . And for this hope , O King , I am being accused by Jews . 8 "Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead ? 9 "So then , I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth . 10 "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem ; not only e did I lock up many of the saints in prisons , having received authority from the chief priests , but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 "And as I punished them often in all the synagogues , I tried to force them to blaspheme ; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities .
12 "While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests , 13 at midday e , O King , I saw on the way a light from heaven , brighter than the sun , shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14 "And when we had all fallen to the ground , I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect , 'Saul , Saul , why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads .' 15 "And I said , 'Who are You, Lord ?' And the Lord said , 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting . 16 'But get up and stand on your feet ; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen , but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles , to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God , that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'
19 "So , King Agrippa , I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision , 20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first , and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea , and even to the Gentiles , that they should repent and turn to God , performing deeds appropriate to repentance . 21 "For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death . 22 "So , having obtained help from God , I stand to this day testifying both to small and great , stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place ; 23 that the Christ was to suffer , and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles ."
24 While Paul was saying this in his defense , Festus said in a loud voice , "Paul , you are out of your mind ! Your great learning is driving you mad ." 25 But Paul said , "I am not out of my mind , most excellent Festus , but I utter words of sober truth . 26 "For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence , since I am persuaded that none e of these things escape his notice ; for this has not been done in a corner . 27 "King Agrippa , do you believe the Prophets ? I know that you do ." 28 Agrippa replied to Paul , "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian ." 29 And Paul said, "I would wish to God , that whether in a short or long time , not only you, but also all who hear me this day , might become such as I am , except for these chains ." 30 The king stood up and the governor and Bernice , and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they had gone aside , they began talking to one another , saying , " This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment ." 32 And Agrippa said to Festus , "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar ."
31 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer . 2 And a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful , in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple . 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple , he began asking to receive alms . 4 But Peter , along with John , fixed his gaze on him and said , "Look at us!" 5 And he began to give them his attention , expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said , "I do not possess silver and gold , but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -walk !" 7 And seizing him by the right hand , he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened . 8 With a leap he stood upright and began to walk ; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God . 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God ; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms , and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11 While he was clinging to Peter and John , all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon , full of amazement .
12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people , "Men of Israel , why are you amazed at this , or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk ? 13 " The God of Abraham , Isaac and Jacob , the God of our fathers , has glorified His servant Jesus , the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate , when he had decided to release Him. 14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life , the one whom God raised from the dead , a fact to which we are witnesses . 16 "And on the basis of faith in His name , it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know ; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all . 17 "And now , brethren , I know that you acted in ignorance , just as your rulers did also . 18 "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets , that His Christ would suffer , He has thus fulfilled . 19 "Therefore repent and return , so that your sins may be wiped away , in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord ; 20 and that He may send Jesus , the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time . 22 "Moses said , ' THE Lord GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN ; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 23 ' And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people .' 24 "And likewise , all the prophets who have spoken , from Samuel and his successors onward , also announced these days . 25 "It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers , saying to Abraham , ' AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED .' 26 "For you first , God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways ."
