“Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ¹  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,

Now all the Jews know the way I lived ¹  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ²  and in Jerusalem. ³ 

Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision. ¹  Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.

For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ¹  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,

I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. ¹ 

Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave ¹  or free, but Christ is all and in all.

(For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.) ¹ 

a light, ¹  for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory ²  to your people Israel.”

So from that day they planned together to kill him.

Then they shouted back, ¹  “Not this man, ²  but Barabbas!” ³  (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. ⁴ ) ⁵ 

Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted ¹  together to kill him,

Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision?

What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ¹  has discovered regarding this matter? ² 

But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ¹  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ²  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

We are Jews by birth ¹  and not Gentile sinners, ² 

(His Judahite wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered married. ¹ 

Judah has become disloyal, and unspeakable sins have been committed in Israel and Jerusalem. ¹  For Judah has profaned ²  the holy things that the Lord loves and has turned to a foreign god! ³ 

For this reason the Jewish leaders ¹  were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.

Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, ¹  and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, ²  ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ ³  now I tell you the same. ⁴ 

Pilate told them, ¹  “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him ²  according to your own law!” ³  The Jewish leaders ⁴  replied, ⁵  “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” ⁶