Passage

Acts 26

Book: Acts · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Verse

ASV (ASV)

"1. And Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defence: 2. I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before thee this day touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews:... 22. Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come; 23. how that the Christ must suffer, and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.... 28. And Agrippa said unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. 29. And Paul said, I would to God, that whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds." (Acts 26:1-2, 22-23, 28-29 excerpts, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense. 2. “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,... 22. Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, 23. how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”... 28. Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?” 29. Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”" (Acts 26:1-2, 22-23, 28-29 excerpts, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: 2. 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:... 22. 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: 23. That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.... 28. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. 29. 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." (Acts 26:1-2, 22-23, 28-29 excerpts, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. And Agrippa said unto Paul, 'It is permitted to thee to speak for thyself;' then Paul having stretched forth the hand, was making defence: 2. 'Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, king Agrippa, I have thought myself happy, being about to make a defence before thee to-day,... 22. 'Having obtained, therefore, help from God, till this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spake of as about to come, 23. that the Christ is to suffer, whether first by a rising from the dead, he is about to proclaim light to the people and to the nations.'... 28. And Agrippa said unto Paul, 'In a little thou dost persuade me to become a Christian!' 29. and Paul said, 'I would have wished to God, both in a little, and in much, not only thee, but also all those hearing me to-day, to become such as I also am, except these bonds.'" (Acts 26:1-2, 22-23, 28-29 excerpts, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Luke (narrator); Paul makes formal apologia; Agrippa interjects
Audience: King Agrippa II, Bernice, Festus, the chief captains and principal men of Caesarea
Location: Caesarea Maritima, audience chamber
Time period: c. AD 59

Paul's most rhetorically polished defense, before a king who knew the Jewish customs and the prophets. The legal apologia fuses entirely with evangelistic appeal, the same speech that defends his innocence presses Agrippa toward conversion. Lesson 1.2 treats this as the canonical model: defense and witness are one work, not two.

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Notes

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.