2 Bible Verses about Defense

With a steady look at the Sanhedrin Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived with a perfectly good conscience before God down to the present day." Then the high priest Ananias ordered those who were standing next Paul to strike him on the mouth. At this Paul said to him, "You whitewashed wall, God will strike you! You sit there to judge me by the Law, do you? And you break the Law by ordering me to be struck!" read more.
The bystanders said, "What! would you rail at God's high priest?" "Brothers," said Paul, "I did not know he was high priest" (for it is written, You must not speak evil of any ruler of your people). Then, finding half the Sanhedrin were Sadducees and the other half Pharisees, Paul shouted to them, "I am a Pharisee, brothers, the son of Pharisees! It is for the hope of the resurrection from the dead that I am on trial!"

Then at a nod from the governor Paul made his reply. "As I know you have administered justice in this nation for a number of years," he said, "I feel encouraged to make my defence, because it is not more than twelve days, as you can easily ascertain, since I went up to worship at Jerusalem. They never found me arguing with anyone in the temple or causing a riot either in the synagogues or in the city; read more.
they cannot furnish you with any proof of their present charges against me. I certainly admit to you that I worship our fathers' God according to the methods of what they call a 'sect'; but I believe all that is written in the Law and in the prophets, and I cherish the same hope in God as they accept, namely that there is to be a resurrection of the just and the unjust. Hence I too endeavour to have a clear conscience before God and men all the time. After a lapse of several years I came up with alms and offerings for my nation, and it was in presenting these that I was found within the temple. I was ceremonially pure, I was not mixed up in any mob or riot; no, the trouble was caused by some Jews from Asia, who ought to have been here before you with any charge they may have against me. Failing them, let these men yonder tell what fault they found with my appearance before the Sanhedrin! ??21 unless it was with the single sentence I uttered, when I stood and said, 'It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial to-day before you.'"

Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have our permission to speak upon your own behalf." At this Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence. "I consider myself fortunate, king Agrippa, in being able to defend myself to-day before you against all that the Jews charge me with; for you are well acquainted with all Jewish customs and questions. Pray listen to me then with patience. read more.
How I lived from my youth up among my own nation and at Jerusalem, all that early career of mine, is known to all the Jews. They know me of old. They know, if they chose to admit it, that as a Pharisee I lived by the principles of the strictest party in our religion. To-day I am standing my trial for hoping in the promise made by God to our fathers, a promise which our twelve tribes hope to gain by serving God earnestly both night and day. And I am actually impeached by Jews for this hope, O king! [Move to the beginning of vs 23] Why should you consider it incredible that God raises the dead, I once believed it my duty indeed actively to oppose the name of Jesus the Nazarene. I did so in Jerusalem. I shut up many of the saints in prison, armed with authority from the high priests; when they were put to death, I voted against them; there was not a synagogue where I did not often punish them and force them to blaspheme; and in my frantic fury I persecuted them even to foreign towns. I was travelling to Damascus on this business, with authority and a commission from the high priests, when at mid-day on the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven, more dazzling than the sun, flash round me and my fellow-travellers. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? You hurt yourself by kicking at the goad.' 'Who are you?' I asked. And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Now get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you to my service as a witness to what you have seen and to the visions you shall have of me. I will rescue you from the People and also from the Gentiles ??to whom I send you, that their eyes may be opened and that they may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, to get remission of their sins and an inheritance among those who are consecrated by faith in me.' Upon this, O king Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision; I announced to those at Damascus and at Jerusalem in the first instance, then all over the land of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they were to repent and turn to God by acting up to their repentance. This is why the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to assassinate me. To this day I have had the help of God in standing, as I now do, to testify alike to low and high, never uttering a single syllable beyond what the prophets and Moses predicted was to take place. that the Christ is capable of suffering, and that he should be the first to rise from the dead and bring the message of light to the People and to the Gentiles?"

Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we are being cross-examined to-day upon a benefit rendered to a cripple, upon how this man got better, you and the people of Israel must all understand that he stands before you strong and well, thanks to the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead. read more.
He is the stone despised by you builders, which has become head of the corner. There is no salvation by anyone else, nor even a second Name under heaven appointed for us men and our salvation." They were astonished to notice how outspoken Peter and John were, and to discover that they were uncultured persons and mere outsiders; they recognized them as having been companions of Jesus,

"We found the prison safely locked up with the sentries posted at the doors, but on opening the doors we found no one inside!" On hearing this the commander of the temple and the high priests were quite at a loss to know what to make of it. However, someone came and reported to them, "Here are the very men you put in prison, standing in the temple and teaching the people!" read more.
At this the commander went off with the attendants and fetched them ??but without using violence, for fear that the people would pelt them with stones. They conducted them before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked them, "We strictly forbade you to teach about this Name, did we not? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine! You want to make us responsible for this man's death!" Peter and the apostles answered, "One must obey God rather than men.