Paul Appeals to the Emperor
1 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders brought their charges against Paul. They begged Festus 3 to do them the favor of having Paul come to Jerusalem, for they had made a plot to kill him on the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being kept a prisoner in Caesarea, and I myself will be going back there soon. 5 Let your leaders go to Caesarea with me and accuse the man if he has done anything wrong.”
6 Festus spent another eight or ten days with them and then went to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down in the judgment court and ordered Paul to be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him and started making many serious charges against him, which they were not able to prove. 8 But Paul defended himself: “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against the Roman Emperor.”
9 But Festus wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he asked Paul, “Would you be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing before the Emperor's own judgment court, where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I have broken the law and done something for which I deserve the death penalty, I do not ask to escape it. But if there is no truth in the charges they bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to the Emperor.”
12 Then Festus, after conferring with his advisers, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor, so to the Emperor you will go.”
Paul before Agrippa and Bernice
13 Some time later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay a visit of welcome to Festus. 14 After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: “There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders brought charges against him and asked me to condemn him. 16 But I told them that we Romans are not in the habit of handing over any who are accused of a crime before they have met their accusers face-to-face and have had the chance of defending themselves against the accusation. 17 When they came here, then, I lost no time, but on the very next day I sat in the judgment court and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 His opponents stood up, but they did not accuse him of any of the evil crimes that I thought they would. 19 All they had were some arguments with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus, who has died; but Paul claims that he is alive. 20 I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters, so I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed; he asked to be kept under guard and to let the Emperor decide his case. So I gave orders for him to be kept under guard until I could send him to the Emperor.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festus answered.
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and ceremony and entered the audience hall with the military chiefs and the leading men of the city. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here with us: You see this man against whom all the Jewish people, both here and in Jerusalem, have brought complaints to me. They scream that he should not live any longer. 25 But I could not find that he had done anything for which he deserved the death sentence. And since he himself made an appeal to the Emperor, I have decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite about him to write to the Emperor. So I have brought him here before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa!—so that, after investigating his case, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him.”
Paulus me riheke kombara yopondomba
1 Kombunda yomayuva yetatu Festus tja za nokuya mehi, arire tja zu kOsesarea na i kOjerusalem. 2 Nu koṋa ngo ovapristeri oviuru novanane vOvajuda va raisa omarondororero wawo nga tjamene na Paulus. Owo ve riheka ku Festus 3 kutja e ve tjitire ondjingonekero yokueta Paulus kOjerusalem, owo tjinga ava tjita omerikutirokumwe wokuzepa Paulus mondjira. 4 Nungwari Festus wa zirire a tja: “Paulus u ri mondjeverero mOsesarea, nami omuini me yaruka ngo kombunda yomayuva omasupi. 5 Ovanane veṋu ngave ye tu yende pamwe kOsesarea ve karondore omurumendu ngwi ndoovazu eye u nouvi mbwa tjita.”
6 Festus wa kara omayuva hambondatu nga komurongo puna wo, okuzambo a i kOsesarea. Mependukirwa eye wa kahaama motjombanguriro na rakiza kutja Paulus a hitisiwe. 7 Nu Paulus tje ya, Ovajuda mba zire kOjerusalem va kuramene okumukondoroka nave utu okumukuminina oviṋa ovinene tjinene mbyaa ve ha yenene okuraisa. 8 Nungwari Paulus we riyeura omuini a tja: “Ami hi na tji mba tataiza mOmatwako wOvajuda na kondjuwo ya Muhona na kombara ya Roma.”
9 Nungwari Festus wa vangere okuritjatisa kOvajuda, nopa purira Paulus a tja: “Ove movanga okuyenda kOjerusalem okukapangurirwa omakuminino nga komurungu wandje?”
10 Paulus wa zirire a tja: “Ami nai mba kurama mba mombanguriro yombara oini mu mba sokupangurirwa. Hiya tjita ouhasemba kOvajuda otja ove omuini punga amo tjiwa. 11 Nu andakuzu mba tjita ouhasemba ku mesokupangurirwa konḓiro, ami hitje kondja okuupenga. Nungwari tji pe hi nouatjiri momarondororero ngu mave ndji rondora na wo, kape nomundu ngu ma sokundjiyandja ku wo. Ami opu me yarurire mo otjiposa tjandje kotjombanguriro tjombara.”
12 Nu Festus tja za nokuhungira novayandjandunge ve, arire tja ziri nai: “Ove wa yarura mo otjiposa tjoye kotjombanguriro tjombara, okutja mo i kombara ndji.”
Paulus komurungu wa Agripa na Bernise
13 Nomayuva tjiva tji ya kapita ombara Agripa na Bernise ve ere kOsesarea okuyekuvarura nokuminika Festus. 14 Nowo tji va kara omayuva omengi mo, Festus arire tja handjaurire ombara otjiposa tja Paulus a tja: “Muno mu nomurumendu Feliks ngwa sya momapando. 15 Nami tji mba ire kOjerusalem ovapristeri oviuru vOvajuda novanene otji ve mu rondora nave ndji ningire kutja mbi mu mune ondjo. 16 Nungwari ami mbe ve raera kutja eṱe Ovaroma katu notjikaro tjokukutura omundu ngwa kumininwa ouvi, ngunda e hiya hakaena novemukuminine omurungu nomurungu ne hiya pewa oruveze rwokuriyeura omuini komakuminino nga. 17 Nowo tji ve ya nguno, ami hi wombere ko, nungwari mependukirwa mba kahaama motjombanguriro ne ve rakiza kutja omurumendu ngo a hitisiwe. 18 Ovemukuminine va sekamene, nungwari owo kave na pu ve mu kuminina ouvi auhe ami mbu mba tjangovasi mave mu kuminine. 19 Nḓu va kara na zo na ye porwazo ozombata, nḓa tjama nongamburiro yawo oveni, na wina nḓa tjama nomurumendu wena Jesus ngwa ṱa, nungwari Paulus ngwa tja u nomuinyo. 20 Ami tjinga ee ripura pevari kutja ondjakaha ndji me ṱunu vi, otjinga amba pura Paulus kutja mape ya a i kOjerusalem okukapangurirwa omarondororero nga koṋa ngo. 21 Nungwari Paulus wa yarura mo otjiposa tje kotjombanguriro tjombara ya Roma, nokutja oyo i tye otjiposa tje. Ami opu mba rakizira kutja eye a tjeverwe nga ami tji mba yenene okumuhinda kombara yopondomba.”
22 Nu Agripa wa tja ku Festus: “Ami omuini etje vanga okuzuva omurumendu ngwi.”
Festus a ziri a tja: “Ove mo mu zuu muhuka.”
23 Mependukirwa Agripa na Bernise ve ya otja ovandu ovayozikwa tjinene nave hiti mondjuwo yombongarero puna ovanane wovita novanene votjihuro. Festus wa raya kutja Paulus a kaetwe neye arire tja hitisiwa. 24 Festus wa tja: “Mbara Agripa na eṋe amuhe mbu mu ri puna eṱe mba: Eṋe mamu munu omurumendu ngwi Ovajuda avehe muno na mOjerusalem ngu ve mu etera otjiposa ku ami. Owo mave ravaere kutja nga ṱe. 25 Nungwari ami hi mwine otjiṋa tja tjita puma pwire okupangurirwa onḓiro. Neye omuini tjinga a yarura mo otjiposa tje kombara yopondomba ami otjinga amba tya okumuhinda kOroma. 26 Ami hi notjiṋa tjouatjiri tji tja tjama na ye tji mba sokutjanga kombara yopondomba. Opu mba zu okumueta mba komurungu woye, nu tjinene kove, mbara Agripa, kokutja otjiposa tje tji tja konḓononwa ami mbi sore okukara nomambo ngu me tjanga. 27 Orondu me tjangovasi ouyova okuhinda omupandekwa kOroma nokuhinokuraisa noukahu imbi puma perwa ondjo.”
