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 te lipopile koshipala shaAgrippa
1 Ndele Agrippa okwa tya kuPaulus: “Ove wa pewa okulipopila.” Opo nee Paulus a yelula eke laye e lipopila, ta ti: 2 “Ohamba Agrippa, onde litala omunelao, eshi nda itavelwa mefiku eli lonena okulipopila koshipala shoye moinima ei aishe, Ovajuda tava pe nge etimba. 3 Osheshi eenghedi nomapulapulo aeshe Ovajuda ou a shii nawa, onghee handi ku indile, tale nge onheni, ove u pwilikine nge.
4 “Okukalamwenyo kwange mounyasha, Ovajuda aveshe ove ku shii, osheshi nda kala pehovelo fiyo onena mokati koshiwana shetu nomuJerusalem. 5 Vo ove shii nge pehovelo, ngeenge va hala okuhepaulula, nhumbi nda li Omufarisai paenghedi odo doshimhanga shinya oshidiinini sheitavelo letu. 6 Ndele paife ondi li apa ofika handi hokololifilwa eteelelo lomaudaneko enya a udanekelwa ootate kuKalunga. 7 Ndele olo tuu olo omapata aa etu omulongo naavali eshi taa diinine okulongela Kalunga oufiku nomutenya, a hala nokuhalelela oku li mona. Eteelelo tuu olo, omwene wange, handi hokololifwa kOvajuda. 8 Oshike tashi mu kelele okwiitavela nokutya, Kalunga ota nyumuna ovafi?
9 “Ame yo onda li ndi shii, ondi nokukondjifa shili edina laJesus Omunasareti. 10 Osho nda ningile yo muJerusalem, nda idilila ovayapuki vahapu modolongo, eshi nda pewa eitavelelo kovapristeli ovakulunhu novakwatwa eshi va dipawa po, naame yo onde shi itavela. 11 Ndele akushe meeshinagoga luhapu onde va fininikifa momahandukilo okutuka Jesus moupyuhandu wange, nonde va hepekele fiyo okoilando yokoilongo.
Paulus ta hepaulula elidilululo laye
(Oil. 9:1-19Oil. 22:6-16)12 “Mokweendela oinima ei, eshi nda ya kuDamaskus, onda li ndi nomaitavelelo ovapristeli ovakulunhu. 13 Opo nee, ohamba, mondjila yange, mokati komutenya, onda mona ouyelele unene, u dule ou wetango, wa dja meulu, ndele wa dingilila nge, aame mwene novafindikili vange. 14 Ndele fye atushe otwa wila poshi, ame onda uda ondaka ya popya mOshiheberi, tai ti kwaame: ‘Saul, Saul, oshike to taataa nge? U noudjuu okufangula konhele yeonga!’ 15 Opo nda tya: ‘Omwene, Oove lyelye?’ Omwene ta ti: ‘Aame Jesus, ou to mu taataa. 16 Ndelenee penduka, likanghameka, osheshi onde ku lihololela, opo ndi ku tule po omupiya wange nondobwedi yange u hepaulule osho we shi mona nakeshe tuu osho handi ku hololele komesho. 17 Ame ohandi ku xupifa momake oshiwana sheni noovapaani ovo, handi ku tumu kuvo, 18 okupashukifa omesho avo, va dje mo momulaulu, ve uye mouyelele, va efe epangelo laSatana, nove uye kuKalunga, ndele mokwiitavela nge, va mone ekufilo lomatimba nefyuululo mokati kovayapulwa.’
19 “Onghee hano, ohamba Agrippa, onda dulika kemoniko olo lomeulu, 20 ndele tete onda udifila Ovadamaskus nOvajerusalem, nokonima onde shi ninga medu alishe laJudea nomovapaani yo, nda tya: Ovo ve nokulidilulula nokwaalukila kuKalunga, va longe oilonga ei ya wapalela elidilululo. 21 Omolwaashi Ovajuda va kwatela nge motembeli nova hala okudipaa nge. 22 Ndele kekwafo olo nde li pewa kuKalunga fiyo onena eli ondi li ofika apa, ndele handi hepaululile ovanini novanene, ndele itandi popi sha shimwe shi lili, osho ashike osho ovaxunganeki naMoses ve shi popya, shi nokuwanifwa, 23 nokutya, Kristus nhumbi kwa li e nokuhepekwa nonhumbi a ninga omutete womenyumuko, opo a udifile ovanhu ava novapaani yo ouyelele.”
24 Ndelenee eshi e lipopila ngaha, Festus okwa popya mokule ndele ta ti: “Paulus, owa pilalala eendunge. Elongo olo loye olinene notali pilalalifa eendunge doye!” 25 Ndelenee Paulus ta ti: “Festus omufimanekwa, inandi pilalala eendunge, ohandi popi eendjovo doshili nodeendunge diwa. 26 Ndele ohamba oi shii ei aishe, onghee hano handi mu lombwele yo nokuliameka kuye nouladi, osheshi ondi shi shii nawa, kaku na nande oshinima shomwaai aishe, osho inashi shiivika kuye, ei ngaashi inai ningilwa mekololo lapenipeni. 27 Ohamba Agrippa, ove oto itavele tuu ovaxunganeki? Heeno, ondi shi shii, oto va itavele.” 28 Ndele Agrippa ta ti kuPaulus: “Hamba, ou shii okuninga nge Omukriste okupu!” 29 Ndele Paulus ta ti: “Ngee okupu ile okudjuu, onda hala haave auke, ndelenee amushe ava tamu pwilikine nge nena, Kalunga e mu ninge ngaashi ame, kakele komalyenge aa ndi kwete mu kale muhe a kwete.”
30 Ndele Paulus eshi e shi tya, opo ohamba nomupangeli woshilongo naBernike, naaveshe ava va li va kala omutumba pamwe navo, ova fikama. 31 Ndele mokuya ova kundafana, tava ti: “Omulumenhu ou ina ninga sha shoku mu dipaifa ile shoku mu mangifa.” 32 Ndele Agrippa okwa tya kuFestus: “Omulumenhu ou ngeno okwa li ine liameka komukesari, ngeno okwa wana okweefiwa.”
