11Agrippasaid to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." ThenPaulstretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:
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"In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I considermyselffortunate, KingAgrippa, that I amabout to make my defensebefore you today;
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especially because you are an expert in all2customs and questionsamong the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
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"Sothen, allJewsknow3my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spentamong my own nation and at Jerusalem;
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since they have known about me for a longtime, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a 4Pharisee5according to the strictest6sect of our religion.
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"And now I am standingtrial7for the hope of 8the promisemade by God to our fathers;
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the promise 9to which our twelvetribeshope to attain, as they earnestly*serve God night and day. And for this10hope, O King, I am being 11accused by Jews.
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"Why is it consideredincredibleamong you people 12ifGod does raise the dead?
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"Sothen, 13I thought to myself that I had to domanythingshostile to 14the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
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"And this is justwhat I 15did in Jerusalem; not only* did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having 16receivedauthority from the chiefpriests, but also when they were being put to death I 17cast my voteagainst them.
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"And 18as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being 19furiouslyenraged at them, I kept pursuing them 20even to foreigncities.