▒ BIBLE.KR - BCC(성경통신교육원) ▒

Easy to Read Version|읽기쉬운성경

Paul Before King Agrippa

¹Agrippaa said to Paul, "You may now speak to defend yourself." Paul raised his hand to get their attention and began to speak. ²He said, "King Agrippa, I feel fortunate that I can stand here before you today and answer all the charges these Jews have made against me. ³I am very happy to talk to you, because you know so much about all the Jewish customs and the things the Jews argue about. Please listen to me patiently.
⁴"All the Jews know about my whole life. They know the way I lived from the beginning in my own country and later in Jerusalem. ⁵These Jews have known me for a long time. If they want to, they can tell you that I was a good Phariseeb. And the Pharisees obey the laws of the Jewish religion more carefully than any other group. ⁶Now I am on trial because I hope for the promise that God made to our fathersc. ⁷This is the promise that all the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive. For this hope the Jews serve God day and night. My king, the Jews have accused me because I hope for this same promise. ⁸Why do you people think it is impossible for God to raise people from death?
⁹"I used to think that I should do everything I could against Jesus from Nazareth. ¹⁰And that's what I did, beginning in Jerusalem. The leading priests gave me the authority to put many of God's people in jail. And when they were being killed, I agreed that it was a good thing. ¹¹I visited all the synagoguesd and punished them, trying to make them cursee Jesus. My anger against these people was so strong that I went to other cities to find them and punish them.

Paul Tells About Seeing Jesus ¹²"One time the leading priests gave me permission and the authority to go to the city of Damascus. ¹³On the way there, at noon, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun. It shined all around me and those traveling with me. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice talking to me in Aramaicf. The voice said, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecutingg me? You are only hurting yourself by fighting me.'
¹⁵"I said, 'Who are you, Lord?'
"The Lord said, 'I am Jesus. I am the one you are persecuting. ¹⁶Stand up! I have chosen you to be my servant. You will tell people about me - what you have seen today and what I will show you. This is why I have come to you. ¹⁷I will keep you safe from your own people and from the non-Jewish people, the ones I am sending you to. ¹⁸You will make them able to understand the truth. They will turn away from darkness to the light. They will turn away from the power of Satan, and they will turn to God. Then their sins can be forgiven, and they can be given a place among God's people - those who have been made holyh by believing in me.'"

Paul Tells About His Work ¹⁹Paul continued speaking: "King Agrippaa, after I had this visioni from heaven, I obeyed it. ²⁰I began telling people to change their hearts and lives and turn back to God. And I told them to do what would show that they had really changed. I went first to people in Damascus. Then I went to Jerusalem and to every part of Judea and told the people there. I also went to the non-Jewish people.
²¹"This is why the Jews grabbed me and were trying to kill me at the Templej. ²²But God helped me, and he is still helping me today. With God's help I am standing here today and telling all people what I have seen. But I am saying nothing new. I am saying only what Mosesk and the prophetsl said would happen. ²³They said that the Messiahm would die and be the first to rise from death. They said that he would bring the light of God's saving truthn to the Jewish people and to the non-Jewish people."

Paul Tries to Persuade Agrippa ²⁴While Paul was still defending himself, Festus shouted, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Too much study has made you crazy."
²⁵Paul said, "Most Honorable Festus, I am not crazy. What I am saying is true. It all makes perfect sense. ²⁶King Agrippaa knows about all this, and I can speak freely to him. I know that he has heard about these things, because they happened where everyone could see them. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe what the prophetsl wrote? I know you believe!"
²⁸King Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think you can persuade me to become a 'Christ-follower' so easily?"
²⁹Paul said, "It is not important if it is easy or if it is hard. I pray to God that not only you but that everyone listening to me today could be saved and be just like me - except for these chains I have!"
³⁰King Agrippa, Governor Festus, Berniceo, and all the people sitting with them stood up ³¹and left the room. They were talking to each other. They said, "This man has done nothing worthy of being put to death or even put in jail." ³²And Agrippa said to Festus, "We could let him go free, but he has asked to see Caesarp."

^aAgrippa Herod Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod the Great.
^bPharisee A person who belonged to a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs.
^cfathers Important ancestors of the Jewish people, especially the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
^dsynagogue A place in many cities where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings.
^e26:11 curse Literally, “blaspheme,” the same as saying they did not believe in Jesus.
^fAramaic The language of the Arameans, which became the main language of trade and diplomacy in the ancient near east during the Assyrian, the Neo-Babylonian, and Persian empires. Similar to Hebrew, it later became the common language of many Jews and is the spoken “Hebrew” referred to in the New Testament.
^gpersecute To hurt, cause trouble for, or do bad things to someone, especially because of their beliefs.
^hholy When referring to people or things, holy means set apart or chosen for a special use; especially, belonging to God or used only for him. It can also mean pure or perfect, worthy of God and fit for his service. When God is called holy, in addition to the idea of pure and perfect, it often means he is completely separate or different from and above everything else that exists. In the New Testament God’s people are holy because they have been made perfect and pure through Christ and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, keep themselves away from sin and live only for God.
ⁱvision Something like a dream used by God to speak to people.
^jTemple The permanent building in Jerusalem that replaced the portable “Holy Tent” that was used by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the desert to the reign of King Solomon, when the first Temple was built. Like the Holy Tent, the Temple was the center of Israelite worship, although provision was made for it to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7).
^kMoses One of the most important leaders of the Israelites during the time of the Old Testament. God used him to give the people his law, which is often called “the Law of Moses.”
^lprophet A person who speaks a message from God. Many of the books in the Old Testament are messages spoken or written by “the prophets,” who were some of those God chose to speak for him. God often used dreams or visions to tell or show his prophets what they should say.
^mMessiah A Hebrew word that has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ (see “Christ”). It was a title for the kings of God’s people in the Old Testament and for the special king God promised to send as a “savior” to defeat evil and establish the reign of God. Many prophets made it clear that this new kingdom would be eternal; that is, not only would the promised Messiah bring about a time of justice and right living among God’s people here on earth, but also his kingdom would extend beyond this world to life forever with God. However, most Jews of the first century expected the Messiah to be a political ruler here on earth who would defeat the other nations and return the nation of Israel to a position of great glory and power. But God intended his Messiah to establish a new “Israel,” an eternal kingdom that would bless all the nations.
ⁿ26:23 bring … truth Literally, “proclaim light.”
^oBernice King Agrippa’s sister, the oldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I.
^pCaesar The name or title given to the emperor (ruler) of Rome.