And Agrippa said unto Festus, "I also could wish to hear the man myself." "To-morrow," saith he, "thou shalt hear him."
So on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and they were entered into the audience room, with the chief captains, and the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. And Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all men who are here. present with us, ye behold this man, about whom all the [{457}] multitude of the Jews made suit to me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death: and as he himself appealed to the emperor I determined to send him. Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, King Agrippa, that, after examination, I may have something to write. For it seemeth to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to signify the charges against him."
And Agrippa said to Paul, "Thou art permitted to speak for thyself."
Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defense:--
"I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before thee this day touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews: especially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life then from my youth up, which was from the beginning among mine own nation, and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; having knowledge of me from the first, if they are willing to testify, how that after the straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. And concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! Why is it judged incredible with you, if [{458}] God doth raise the dead? I verily thought myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my vote against them. And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.
"Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad.' And I said, 'Who art thou, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
THE SHIP OF PAUL WHEN CAUGHT IN THE EUROCLYDON.
From an old print in the possession of the Springfield Public Library, and used by kind permission.
This picture attempts to show the ship of Paul just as the wind has changed and threatened disaster. The crew is furling the heavy mainsail, and the boat, which was afterward taken aboard with great difficulty, is still being towed behind. Mt. Ida is shown at the left of the picture. It was soon after this that the ship, being unable to make the harbor of Phenice, got under the lea of the small island of Clauda, and the crew was able for a short time to make some preparations for the terrible experience before them.