Acts Chapter 26
Showing all 32 verses for Acts Chapter 26.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: "
"Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence."
Jesus shows the value of being ready to give a calm, considered account of your life and convictions when the moment comes, rather than reacting in panic or anger. Preparation and composure honour both the truth and the people listening.
"I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: "
""I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, to be defending myself before you today against all the accusations made by the Jews.""
Jesus notes that finding the right audience, the right moment, and the right words to be truly understood is worth genuine gratitude - don't take for granted the rare chance to be properly heard. Recognise and value it when it comes.
"Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. "
""Especially since you're well versed in all the Jewish customs and controversies. So I ask you to listen to me patiently.""
Jesus values speaking to people according to what they can genuinely understand and appreciate - tailoring how you explain something to your listener's real knowledge and experience, without either condescension or unnecessary complexity.
"My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; "
""All the Jews know how I've lived from my youth, from the very beginning, among my own people and in Jerusalem.""
Jesus shows that a transparent, well-known life gives your words weight - when your history is open and consistent, people can trust the change they later see in you. Live so your past can stand up to scrutiny.
"Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. "
""They have known me from the start, and if they were willing, they could testify that I lived as a Pharisee, according to the strictest party of our religion.""
Jesus shows that genuine transformation doesn't throw away your best qualities - your discipline, seriousness, and commitment can be redirected towards something greater rather than discarded. Real change builds on your strengths, not just your weaknesses.
"And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: "
""And now I am on trial because of my hope in the promise God made to our ancestors.""
Jesus points out that living out real hope can sometimes put you at odds with people who've settled for less - and that's not a failure on your part, but often a sign you're taking the promise more seriously than they are. Hold onto hope even when it costs you.
"Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. "
""It is this same hope that our twelve tribes, earnestly worshipping day and night, hope to see fulfilled. King Agrippa, it's for this hope that the Jews are accusing me.""
Jesus shows how painful it can be when people reject the very thing they claim to be waiting for, simply because it doesn't arrive in the form they expected. Stay humble and patient with people who can't yet see what you see, rather than growing bitter at their resistance.
"Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? "
""Why do you all find it so unbelievable that God raises the dead?""
Jesus challenges you to notice where your own beliefs might be smaller than they should be - if you trust in any higher power or ultimate goodness at all, why limit what you believe that power capable of achieving in your own life? Don't let a small imagination cap a big hope.
"I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. "
""I myself was once convinced that I ought to do everything I could against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.""
Jesus shows that sincere conviction alone doesn't guarantee you're right - it's possible to be utterly certain and utterly mistaken at the same time, and admitting that later takes real humility and courage. Stay open to the possibility that your current certainty could one day need to change.
"Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. "
""And that's exactly what I did in Jerusalem - I locked up many of God's people in prison, with authority from the chief priests, and when they were sentenced to death, I voted in favour of it.""
Jesus shows that full honesty about your worst actions, rather than minimising or hiding them, is part of what makes real change trustworthy and meaningful. Don't be afraid to own your past fully - it's often exactly what makes your present integrity believable.
"And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. "
""I punished them again and again in every synagogue, trying to force them to curse Jesus. I was so fiercely obsessed with hunting them down that I even pursued them into foreign cities.""
Jesus shows how far zeal without love can travel - real transformation means recognising when passion has become destructive, and having the humility to completely reverse course rather than defend past behaviour out of pride. No one is too far gone to change direction.
"Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, "
""It was on one such mission, travelling to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests...""
Jesus reminds you that your lowest, most misguided moment can be the very place where everything changes - Paul was at the height of his persecuting mission when he was stopped. Don't assume you're too far down the wrong road for a turning point to be possible.
"At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. "
""At midday, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my travelling companions.""
Jesus shows that genuine encounters with truth can be overwhelming and impossible to explain away with tidy natural excuses - sometimes the truth breaks in with an intensity that simply can't be ignored or dismissed. Be open to being interrupted by something bigger than you expected.
"And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. "
""We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew: 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the goads.'""
Jesus shows that resisting the truth you already half-sense in your conscience only causes yourself more pain - sometimes the wisest thing is to stop fighting what's already nudging you towards change. Surrendering to a better direction isn't weakness, it's relief.
"And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. "
""I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he replied, 'I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.'""
Jesus teaches, in this single line, that how you treat other people - especially the vulnerable and the persecuted - is how you treat him. Every act of cruelty or kindness towards another person lands on him directly; treat everyone accordingly.
"But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; "
""'Now get up and stand on your feet - I have appeared to you for this reason: to appoint you as a servant and witness, both of what you've seen and of what I will yet show you.'""
Jesus shows that being knocked down by truth isn't the end of the story - it's the beginning of a new purpose. Whatever has interrupted or humbled you can become the very foundation of a meaningful calling, if you're willing to get back up.
"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, "
""'I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am now sending you.'""
Jesus shows that being sent into difficult or hostile territory doesn't mean being abandoned there - real purpose comes with real, ongoing support, even when the path includes real danger. Trust that being called somewhere hard doesn't mean being called there alone.
"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. "
""'To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those made holy by trusting in me.'""
Jesus offers this as the pattern for real freedom in your own life - not just believing something new intellectually, but a genuine shift from confusion to clarity, from harmful patterns to a healthier centre, and from carrying guilt to being fully released from it, with a place to belong. That's available to you too.
"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: "
""So, King Agrippa, I did not disobey that vision from heaven.""
Jesus asks for exactly this - not perfect understanding or flawless execution, just genuine willingness to act on the truth once you've seen it clearly. Obedience doesn't require having every detail figured out in advance.
"But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. "
""Instead, I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, throughout Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and demonstrate that repentance through their actions.""
Jesus teaches that real change isn't just saying sorry or believing something new in your head - it's shown in "works meet for repentance", meaning your actions actually start to look different. Let your life, not just your words, show the change you claim.
"For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. "
""That's why the Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me.""
Jesus notes that radical inclusiveness - insisting that grace and belonging are for everyone, not just an in-group - can provoke fierce resistance from those invested in exclusivity. Choosing love and openness over gatekeeping may cost you, but it's worth it.
"Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: "
""But I have had God's help right up to this day, and so I stand here testifying to everyone, small and great alike, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen.""
Jesus shows the value of speaking to "small and great" alike - treating every person, regardless of status, as equally worth the truth. Don't reserve your best honesty and care only for people with power or influence.
"That Christ should and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
""That the Christ would suffer, and that, being the first to rise from the dead, he would bring light to his own people and to the Gentiles.""
Jesus shows that suffering isn't the end of the story but often the doorway to new life and light for others - your own hardest experiences, faced with faith, can become a source of light for people well beyond yourself. Nothing painful you go through need be wasted.
"And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. "
"At this point Festus interrupted loudly, "Paul, you're out of your mind! All your studying has driven you mad!""
Jesus reminds you that being dismissed as "mad" or "too much" for speaking passionately about truth doesn't mean you are wrong - sometimes deep conviction looks like madness to people who haven't yet encountered what you have. Don't let mockery destabilise your composure.
"But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. "
""I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus," Paul replied, "but I am speaking words that are true and rational.""
Jesus shows that responding to insult with calm respect, rather than defensive anger, is often the most powerful answer you can give - your composure under pressure speaks louder than any argument. Let your reaction, not just your words, prove your point.
"For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. "
""The king is familiar with these matters, and I can speak to him openly, because I'm convinced none of this has escaped his notice - none of it was done in some obscure corner.""
Jesus points out that real truth doesn't need to hide in secrecy or vague spirituality - it can stand up to open, public scrutiny. Be willing to let your own convictions be examined in the light, not kept hidden where they can't be tested.
"King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. "
""King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do.""
Jesus shows the courage of asking someone directly to follow their own convictions to their true conclusion, rather than letting them stay comfortably vague. Real love for another person sometimes means a direct, personal challenge, not just information.
"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. "
"Agrippa said to Paul, "In such a short time, are you trying to persuade me to become a Christian?""
Jesus notes that being "almost" persuaded is itself a real and significant moment, even if the person doesn't take the final step - don't dismiss partial openness in others as failure. Every honest step towards truth matters, even an incomplete one.
"And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. "
"Paul replied, "Whether it takes a short time or a long time, I pray to God that not only you, but everyone listening to me today, would become just as I am - except for these chains.""
Jesus shows here the height of non-judgemental love - wanting good for the very people holding you captive, without a hint of bitterness or desire for revenge. This is what genuine forgiveness and generosity of spirit looks like in practice, not just in theory.
"And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: "
"With that, the king stood up, along with the governor, Bernice, and everyone else who had been sitting with them."
Jesus shows that after you've spoken your truth as clearly and honestly as you can, the outcome moves beyond your control - your job is to speak faithfully, not to manage how others respond. Peace comes from releasing the result once you've done your part.
"And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. "
"As they discussed it privately, they agreed: "This man has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.""
Jesus shows that the truth about a person's character eventually becomes clear to those willing to look honestly - even people with every worldly incentive to please the crowd can, in private, admit what's actually true. Trust that honest examination usually reveals reality in the end.
"Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. "
"Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free, if he hadn't appealed to Caesar.""
Jesus reminds you that decisions made faithfully in one moment (for safety, for wisdom) can still lead you exactly where you're meant to go, even by an unexpected route. Trust that even your own past choices, made for good reasons, are woven into a larger purpose you may not fully see yet.