Acts of the Apostles (21-28) for ALT Bible

Third Edition

The Acts of the Apostles

Sample passage from chapters 21-28

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Acts 26

¹Now Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted for you to be speaking on behalf of yourself.” Then Paul having stretched out his hand, began speaking in his own defense: ²“Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, king Agrippa, I have considered myself fortunate [or, blessed] being about to be speaking in my own defense before you today; ³especially knowing you are an expert in all [things] in relation to Jews, both customs [or, morals] and points of disagreement. For this reason, I implore you to patiently hear me.

⁴“So then indeed, my way of life from youth, the one having taken place from [the] beginning among my [own] nation in Jerusalem, all the Jews know; ⁵knowing already [about] me from the beginning, if they are willing to testify, that according to the most accurate [or, strictest] sect of our religion I lived [as] a Pharisee. ⁶And now for the hope [or, confident expectation] of the promise having been made by God to the fathers, I have stood being judged, ⁷[the promise] to which our twelve tribes sacredly serving in earnestness night and day hope [or, confidently expect] to attain, concerning which hope [or, confident expectation], king Agrippa, I am being accused by [the] Jews. ⁸Why is it judged incredible with you* if God raises [the] dead?

⁹“Therefore I indeed thought to myself [for] it to be necessary [for me] to do many [things] against the name of Jesus of Nazareth, ¹⁰which also I did in Jerusalem; and many of the holy ones I locked up in prison, having received the authority from the chief priests, and when they [were] being executed, I cast a pebble [fig., my vote] against [them]. ¹¹And punishing them often in all the synagogues, I was compelling [them] to be blaspheming, and being exceedingly enraged against them, I was persecuting [them] even as far as outer [fig., foreign] cities.

¹²“In which [pursuits] also traveling to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³in [the] middle of [the] day, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven more than the brightness of the sun shining around me and the ones traveling with me. ¹⁴Then we all having fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? [It is] difficult for you to be kicking against [the] goads [i.e., pointed sticks used to drive livestock].’

¹⁵“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet; because for this [reason] I appeared to you, to handpick you [as] a servant and a witness both of what you saw and of what I will appear [fig., will reveal] to you, ¹⁷delivering you from the [Jewish] people and [from] the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸to open their eyes [in order] to turn [them] back from darkness [i.e., falsehood and unrighteousness] to light [i.e., truth and righteousness] and [from] the authority of Satan to God, [in order for] them to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among the ones having been sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹“For which reason, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but first to the [Jews] in Damascus and Jerusalem and into all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, preaching [for them] to be repenting and to be turning to God, doing works worthy of repentance. ²¹Because of these things the Jews having arrested me in the temple were attempting to murder [me]. ²²Therefore, having obtained help from God, until this day I have stood testifying both to small and to great, saying nothing except what both the Prophets and Moses spoke of [as] being about to be taking place, ²³that the Christ is subject to suffering, that [being the] first from [the] resurrection of the dead, He is about to be proclaiming light to the [Jewish] people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴Now while he [was] speaking these [things] in his own defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “You are raving mad, Paul! The many writings [fig., Your great learning] is driving you to madness!” ²⁵But he says, “I am not raving mad, most excellent Festus, but I boldly declare words of truth and of soundness of mind. ²⁶For the king knows about these [things], before whom also speaking boldly I speak, for I am not persuaded [that] any of these [things] are escaping His notice, for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷Do you believe the prophets, king Agrippa? I know that you believe!” ²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “With little [effort] you are persuading me to become a Christian?” ²⁹But Paul said, “I would have wished to God, both with little [effort] and with much [effort], not only you but also all the ones hearing me today to become such as I also am, except for these chains.”

³⁰And he having spoken these [things], the king stood up, and the governor and Bernice and the ones sitting with them. ³¹And having stepped aside, they began speaking to one another, saying, “This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of chains.” ³²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man was able to have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Scripture taken from the Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament of the Holy Bible: Third Edition.
Copyright © 2007 by Gary F. Zeolla of Darkness to Light ministry (www.zeolla.org/christian).
Previously copyrighted © 1999, 2001, 2005 by Gary F. Zeolla.

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The above sample passage was posted on this Web site September, 2007.

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