Библия - Деяния, глава 26 - текст песни, слова, перевод, видео

Agrippa said to Paul, You have permission to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself:

King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I can defend myself before you today regarding all the charges the Jews make against me,

especially since you know all the customs and controversial opinions of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me generously.

My life from my youth, which I spent first among my people in Jerusalem, is known to all the Jews;

they have known me for a long time, if they wish to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest doctrine of our religion.

And now I stand before the court for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

the fulfillment of which our twelve tribes hope to see, diligently serving God day and night. For this hope, King Agrippa, the Jews accuse me.

What then? Do you think it incredible that God raises the dead?

True, I thought that I had much to do contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

This I did in Jerusalem: having received authority from the chief priests, I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were killed, I gave my voice against them;

and in all the synagogues I often tortured them and forced them to blaspheme Jesus; and in my extreme rage against them I persecuted them even in foreign cities.

For this reason, as I was going to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

in the middle of the day on the road I saw, sir, a light from heaven, surpassing the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.

We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.

I said, Who art thou, Lord? He said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But arise and stand on your feet; for to this end have I appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you,

delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am now sending you

to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, and receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not resist the heavenly vision,

but first I preached to the inhabitants of Damascus and Jerusalem, then to all the land of Judea and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to tear me to pieces.

But having received help from God, I stand to this day, testifying to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,

that is, that Christ was to suffer and, being the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light to the people (of the Jews) and to the Gentiles.

While he was thus defending himself, Festus said with a loud voice: You are mad, Paul! Great learning drives you mad.

No, most excellent Festus, he said, I am not mad, but I speak the words of truth and sound sense.

For the king knows these things, before whom I speak boldly. I do not believe at all that any of these things were hidden from him; for these things did not happen in a corner.

Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you do.

Agrippa said to Paul: You do not persuade me a little to become a Christian. Paul said, I would pray God, that for little or much, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become as I am, except these bonds.

When he had spoken these things, the king and the governor, Bernice, and those who sat with them, stood up;

and going aside, they said to one another, This man does nothing worthy of death or bonds.

And Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been set free, if he had not asked Caesar for justice. Therefore the governor decided to send him to Caesar.