6. And now I stand on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,
7. to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God day and night. Concerning this hope, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.
8. Why is it judged incredible by you that God raises the dead?
9. “I, too, thought that I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
10. which I indeed did in Jerusalem and locked up many of the saints in prison by authority from the chief priests. And when they were killed, I cast my vote against them.
11. I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. And being extremely enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12. “So I went to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests.
13. At midday, O King, I saw along the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15. “I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’“He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
16. But rise and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness both of what you have seen and of what I will yet reveal to you.