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23  Then Israel came into Egypt; ♦︎
   Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24  And the Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; ♦︎
   he made them too many for their adversaries,
25  Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people ♦︎
   and dealt craftily with his servants.
26  Then sent he Moses his servant ♦︎
   and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27  He showed his signs through their word ♦︎
   and his wonders in the land of Ham.
28  He sent darkness and it grew dark; ♦︎
   yet they did not heed his words.
29  He turned their waters into blood ♦︎
   and slew all their fish.
30  Their land swarmed with frogs, ♦︎
   even in their kings’ chambers.
31  He spoke the word, and there came clouds of flies, ♦︎
   swarms of gnats within all their borders.
32  He gave them hailstones for rain ♦︎
   and flames of lightning in their land.
33  He blasted their vines and their fig trees ♦︎
   and shattered trees across their country.
34  He spoke the word, and the grasshoppers came ♦︎
   and young locusts without number;
35  They ate every plant in their land ♦︎
   and devoured the fruit of their soil.
36  He smote all the firstborn in their land, ♦︎
   the first fruits of all their strength.
37  Then he brought them out with silver and gold; ♦︎
   there was not one among their tribes that stumbled.
38  Egypt was glad at their departing, ♦︎
   for a dread of them had fallen upon them.
39  He spread out a cloud for a covering ♦︎
   and a fire to light up the night.
40  They asked and he brought them quails; ♦︎
   he satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41  He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out ♦︎
   and ran in the dry places like a river.
42  For he remembered his holy word ♦︎
   and Abraham, his servant.
43  So he brought forth his people with joy, ♦︎
   his chosen ones with singing.
44  He gave them the lands of the nations ♦︎
   and they took possession of the fruit of their toil,
45  That they might keep his statutes ♦︎
   and faithfully observe his laws.
      Alleluia.

Paul Defends Himself before Agrippa

26Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself:

2 ‘I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defence today against all the accusations of the Jews, ³because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently.

4 ‘All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. ⁶And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ⁷a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency,^* that I am accused by Jews! ⁸Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 ‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.^{* 10}And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. ¹¹By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

12 ‘With this in mind, I was travelling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³when at midday along the road, your Excellency,^* I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. ¹⁴When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew^* language, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.” ¹⁵I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me^* and to those in which I will appear to you. ¹⁷I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you ¹⁸to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”