Acts 26:20-32

26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ¹  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ²  performing deeds consistent with ³  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ⁴  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ⁵  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ⁶  what the prophets and Moses said ⁷  was going to happen: 26:23 that ⁸  the Christ ⁹  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ¹⁰  and to the Gentiles.” ¹¹ 

26:24 As Paul ¹²  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ¹³  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ¹⁴  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ¹⁵  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ¹⁶  but am speaking ¹⁷  true and rational ¹⁸  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ¹⁹  to him, ²⁰  because I cannot believe ²¹  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ²²  for this was not done in a corner. ²³  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ²⁴  King Agrippa? ²⁵  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ²⁶  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ²⁷  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ²⁸  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ²⁹ 

26:30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 26:31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, ³⁰  “This man is not doing anything deserving ³¹  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ³²  said to Festus, ³³  “This man could have been released ³⁴  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ³⁵ 

[26:20]  ¹ tn BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b states, “of the provincial name (1 Macc 8:3) ἡ χώρα τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας Ac 26:20.”

[26:20]  ² sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ³ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b, “καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance…Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20.” Note how Paul preached the gospel offer and the issue of response together, side by side.

[26:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ⁵ tn Grk “So experiencing…I stand.” The participle τυχών (tucwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[26:22]  ⁶ tn BDAG 311 s.v. ἐκτός 3.b, “functions as prep. w. gen. οὐδὲν ἐ. ὧν nothing except what (cf. 1 Ch 29:3; 2 Ch 17:19; TestNapht. 6:2) Ac 26:22.”

[26:22]  ⁷ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ⁸ tn BDAG 277-78 s.v. εἰ 2 has “marker of an indirect question as content, that…Sim. also (Procop. Soph., Ep. 123 χάριν ἔχειν εἰ = that) μαρτυρόμενος…εἰ παθητὸς ὁ Χριστός testifying…that the Christ was to suffer…Ac 26:23.”

[26:23]  ⁹ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  ¹⁰ tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ¹¹ sn Note how the context of Paul’s gospel message about Jesus, resurrection, and light both to Jews and to the Gentiles is rooted in the prophetic message of the OT scriptures. Paul was guilty of following God’s call and preaching the scriptural hope.

[26:24]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ¹³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ¹⁴ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

[26:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”

[26:26]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46. – 26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.

[26:26]  ²⁰ tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.

[26:26]  ²¹ tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).

[26:26]  ²² tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”

[26:26]  ²³ tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.

[26:27]  ²⁴ sn “Do you believe the prophets?” Note how Paul made the issue believing the OT prophets and God’s promise which God fulfilled in Christ. He was pushing King Agrippa toward a decision not for or against Paul’s guilt of any crime, but concerning Paul’s message.

[26:27]  ²⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ²⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ²⁷ tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The idiom is like 1 Kgs 21:7 LXX. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.

[26:29]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”

[26:29]  ²⁹ sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”

[26:31]  ³⁰ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ³¹ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:32]  ³² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ³³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ³⁴ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ³⁵ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).