Paul's Defense before Agrippa
1 Agrippa told Paul, “You may now speak for yourself.”
Paul stretched out his hand and said:
2 King Agrippa, I am glad for this chance to defend myself before you today on all these charges my own people have brought against me. 3 You know a lot about our religious customs and the beliefs that divide us. So I ask you to listen patiently to me.
4-5 All the Jews have known me since I was a child. They know what kind of life I have lived in my own country and in Jerusalem. And if they were willing, they could tell you I was a Pharisee, a member of a group that is stricter than any other. 6 Now I am on trial because I believe the promise God made to our people long ago.
7 Day and night our twelve tribes have earnestly served God, waiting for his promised blessings. King Agrippa, because of this hope, some of our leaders have brought charges against me. 8 Why should any of you doubt that God raises the dead to life?
9 I once thought that I should do everything I could to oppose Jesus from Nazareth. 10 I did this first in Jerusalem, and with the authority of the chief priests I put many of God's people in jail. I even voted for them to be killed. 11 I often had them punished in our synagogues, and I tried to make them give up their faith. In fact, I was so angry with them, that I went looking for them in foreign cities.
12 King Agrippa, one day I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests. 13 About noon I saw a light brighter than the sun. It flashed from heaven on me and on everyone traveling with me. 14 We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice say to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me? It's foolish to fight against me!”
15 “Who are you?” I asked.
Then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus! I am the one you are so cruel to. 16 Now stand up. I have appeared to you, because I have chosen you to be my servant. You are to tell others what you have learned about me and what I will show you later.”
17 The Lord also said, “I will protect you from the Jews and from the Gentiles that I am sending you to. 18 I want you to open their eyes, so they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me they will become part of God's holy people.”
19 King Agrippa, I obeyed this vision from heaven. 20 First I preached to the people in Damascus, and then I went to Jerusalem and all over Judea. Finally, I went to the Gentiles and said, “Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live.”
21 That is why some men grabbed me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 But all this time God has helped me, and I have preached both to the rich and to the poor. I have told them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen. 23 I told them how the Messiah would suffer and be the first to be raised from death, so he could bring light to his own people and to the Gentiles.
24 Before Paul finished defending himself, Festus shouted, “Paul, you're crazy! Too much learning has driven you out of your mind.”
25 But Paul replied, “Honorable Festus, I am not crazy. What I am saying is true, and it makes sense. 26 None of these things happened off in a corner somewhere. I am sure that King Agrippa knows what I am talking about. That's why I can speak so plainly to him.”
27 Then Paul said to Agrippa, “Do you believe what the prophets said? I know you do.”
28 Agrippa asked Paul, “In such a short time do you think you can talk me into being a Christian?”
29 Paul answered, “Whether it takes a short time or a long time, I wish you and everyone else who hears me today would become just like me! Except, of course, for these chains.”
30 Then King Agrippa, Governor Festus, Bernice, and everyone who was with them got up. 31 But before they left, they said, “This man isn't guilty of anything. He doesn't deserve to die or to be put in jail.”
32 Agrippa told Festus, “Paul could have been set free, if he had not asked to be tried by the Roman Emperor.”
Paulus me riyeura omuini komurungu wa Agripa
1 Agripa wa tjere ku Paulus: “Ove nambano u nousemba okuriyeura omuini.” Paulus arire tja yere eke a tja:
2 “Mbara Agripa! Ami me rivara omuṋingandu kutja ndinondi me riyeura omuini komurungu woye koviṋa avihe Ovajuda mbi mave ndji kuminine, 3 ove tjinene tjinga amo tjiwa nawa otuzo atuhe twOvajuda nozombata zawo. Otji me ku ningire kutja u puratene ku ami nomuretima.
4 “Ovajuda avehe mave tjiwa ongarero yandje okuza kouṱiṱi wandje. Owo mave tjiwa omuhingo mbu mbe kura, rutenga mehi retu oveni, tjazumba na mOjerusalem. 5 Aruhe ve tjiwa, ndovazu ve nombango okuhongonona kutja okuza korukuru ami mbe kura otja okaṋepo kotjira tjongamburiro onḓeu, ihi tjOvafarisei. 6 Nambano mba kurama mba okupangurirwa omaundjiro ngu mbi na wo momakwizikiro Ndjambi nga tjitire kootate mukururume, 7 ihi otjiṋa tjingetjo imbi omihoko omurongo na vivari vyotjiwaṋa tjetu tji vya undjire okupewa tjaave rikotamene ku Ndjambi omutenya nouṱuku. Nu omotjimbe tjomaundjiro nga, muhona ombara, ami tji me kumininwa i Ovajuda! 8 Okutjavi ku eṋe mbu mu ri mba tje ri ouzeu okukambura kutja Ndjambi u pendura ovaṱi?
9 “Ami omuini mba tjangovasi me tjiti oviṋa avihe pu me sora okuyandisa ena ra Jesus wa Nasaret. 10 Imbi ombi mba tjitire mOjerusalem. Ami mba perwe ouvara i ovapristeri oviuru nu e patere mo ovakambure ovengi motjovakamburwa; nowo tji va pangurirwe kokuṱa, ami wina mba itaverere kombanguriro ndjo. 11 Potuingi mbe ve yandjere kondatumisire mozosinagoge ne kondjo kutja owo ve nakaure ongamburiro yawo. Ami mba ri nomazenge tjinene na wo nga tjee i kovihuro vyozonganda okukevetatumisa.
Paulus ma serekarere ondanaukiro ye
(Oviu 9:1-19Oviu 22:6-16)12 “Nu omotjimbe tjotjiṋa hi ami pu mba ira kOdamaskus ambi nouvara nomarakiza ngu mba perwe i ovapristeri oviuru. 13 A ri mondjira mutenya, muhona ombara, tji mba mwine ondjerera ondjere tjinene pu indji oyeyuva amai zu keyuru nai kondoroka ami na imba mba ri puna ami. 14 Eṱe atuhe twa wira pehi, nami arire tji mba zuu eraka ndi mari tja nai ku ami mOtjiheberi: ‘Saul, Saul! Mo ndji tjerere tjike? Ove mo rihihamisa omuini tji mo yaruka mu ami, tjinga au hi na indu moo sora okundjipirura!’ 15 Ami arire tji mba pura e tja: ‘Oovyaṋi, Muhona?’ Nu eye a ziri a tja: ‘Owami Jesus ngu mo tjere. 16 Nungwari sekama u kurame kozombaze. Ami mbe rimunikisa kove okukutoorora u rire omukarere wandje. Ove mo serekarere kovakweṋu imbi mbi wa munu ndinondi na imbi ami mbi me ku raisire moruveze ndu maru ya. 17 Ami me ku yama kOvaisrael naimba mbe he ri Ovajuda ku me ku hindi. 18 Ove mo ve paturura omeho no ve tanaurire kondjerera okuza konḓorera na ku Ndjambi okuza komasa wa Satan, kokutja mongamburiro yawo mu ami owo ve isirwe ourunde wawo, nu ve pewe oruveze mokati kotjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi otjitoororwa.’
Paulus ma serekarere oviungura vye
19 “Mbara Agripa, ami opu mba yakurira otjirimunikise hi tji tja zire keyuru. 20 Ami mba tenga okuzuvarisa mOdamaskus na mOjerusalem, tjazumba a rire mehi arihe ra Judea na mokati kaimba mbe he ri Ovajuda kutja ve ritanaure kourunde wawo, ve tanaukire ku Ndjambi, nu ve tjite oviṋa, mbi mavi raisa kutja owo ve ritanaura. 21 Mena roviṋa mbi Ovajuda opu ve ndji kamburira ngunda ambi ri mondjuwo ya Muhona, ave vanga okundjizepa. 22 Nungwari nga ku ndinondi ami mba vaterwa i Ndjambi, nopu mba zu okukurama mba okuyandja omahongonona wandje ku eṋe amuhe ovanene nouṱiṱi. Imbi mbi me hungire otjingevyo mbi mbya hungirirwe i ovaprofete na Moses kutja maavi tjitwa. 23 Owo va tjere Omutwirisiwa u sokuhihamisiwa nongu ma rire omutenga okupenduka movakoke kokutja a ete ondjerera yondjamo kOvajuda na ku imba mbe he ri Ovajuda.”
24 Paulus ngunda ame riyeura komuhingo mbwi, Festus arire tja ravaere a tja: “Paulus, ove wa vere oviyoze! Omerihongero woye omengi ye ku purukisa ozondunge!”
25 Paulus wa zira a tja: “Ami hi verere oviyoze, muhona ombara. Ami me hungire ouatjiri mbu mau munika. 26 Mbara Agripa, ami me hungire kove nokuhinooma momutima, tjinga amo tjiwa nawa oviṋa avihe mbi. Mbi nouatjiri wokutja oviṋa avihe mbi ove wa tara ko nawa, ovyo tjinga avi ha tjitirwe mongumumu. 27 Mbara Agripa, ove u kambura movaprofete? Ami me tjiwa kutja u kambura mu wo!”
28 Agripa wa tjere ku Paulus: “Mo tjangovasi mokaruveze okasupi nai mo ndji tanaurire koukriste are?”
29 Paulus a ziri a tja: “Kutja ma rire okaruveze okasupi poo ma rire orure, indji ongumbiro yandje ku Ndjambi oyo ndji yokutja ove na imba amuhe mbu mamu puratene ku ami ndinondi mu rire otja ami nai, posi yomapando nga!”
30 Ombara nongooneya na Bernise novakwao avehe va sekamene, 31 nu ngunda amave ka wondja arire tji verihungirire oveni ave tja: “Omurumendu ngwi ke notjiṋa tja tjita pa pwire okuṱa poo okuyumbwa motjovakamburwa.” 32 Nu Agripa a tja ku Festus: “Omurumendu ngwi atja kuturwa andakuzu kaye omuini ngwe rivangere otjombanguriro tjombara yokombanda.”
